On Sunday, The Nike Team Florida Workout welcomed members of the Class of 2012 and 2013 to Eckerd College in St. Petersburg.  This event is one of the state’s best in terms of identifying talent in the young ages and this year was no exception.  As with the case on Saturday, we’ve identified the seven best in each class for the day.

Class of 2012 Super Seven

1. Brandon Channer – 6’2 PG/WG Tampa Blake: Channer is a strong player that is comfortable at either guard spot.  At the point, he’s strong with the ball, makes good decisions, and looks to get teammates involved.  Off the ball, he finishes well in traffic in both the half-court and transition, has a solid stroke from the perimeter and has a good hoops IQ.  He can guard both guard spots on the defensive end as well.

2. Billy Williams – 6’4 WG Orlando Evans: Williams is a strong player as well but is more suited to play the wing.  He’s more scorer than shooter but he’s not bad stroking the ball from behind the arc.  What Williams does well is get to the rack and finish.  A strong rebounder, he’ll grab the ball and start the break on his own and will generally make a good decision at the end of transition.

3. Jordan Montgomery – 6’3 WF Orlando Christian Prep: Lithe and active, Montgomery doesn’t yet shoot well enough from deep to be considered a “two” but he is very good in other areas.  He scores well from mid-range, is an excellent rebounder at both ends, and is a pretty decent passer out on the perimeter.  Because of his length and desire, he can defend both guards and forwards.

4. Deion Clark – 6’2 WG Naples Barron Collier: Clark is a fundamentally solid player that really understands the game.  While not a consistent shooter, there are times where he can get hot and knock down two or three in a row.  Clark has excellent body control and converts tough shots in traffic with contact.  He passes the ball pretty well on the move and defensively moves his feet quickly and is alert for lazy passes in his area which he takes the other way for slams.

5. Glenn Feidanga – 6’7 BF Gainesville The Rock School: All arms and legs, he’s the definition of “long” in coach-speak.  He’s most effective close to the basket where he converts dump-offs from guard penetration or puts back offensive rebounds.  Glenn can be outmuscled under the boards at times but he runs the floor well and converts from end to end swiftly.

6. Calvin Long – 6’2 PG Gainesville Buchholz: Though he can play both guard spots, he was much better with the ball in his hands.  Long handles the ball well and has very good court vision.  The passes he throws are accurate and catchable.  His shot is okay but lacks consistency from deep.  He had a nice baseline drive that he finished with his left hand.  Defensively, he needs to reach less and use his feet more and he’s quick enough to do so.

7. Alain Chiqha – 6’6 BF – Gainesville The Rock School: Very similar to teammate Feidanga, he’s got length to spare and runs the court well.  Despite his thin frame, he battles hard on the glass and is successful more often than not.  He tried a three-pointer that was ugly but had a nice turnaround jumper on the block which showed promise.

Class of 2013

1. Kasey Hill – 6’0 PG Mount Dora Bible: In a word: smooth.  Hill may be the best player in the state regardless of class at getting to the rim and finishing with either hand in traffic.  In fact, he’s so good at it that the consistency on his jumper has suffered somewhat.  Hill did hit a few today but players quickly learned to back off of him.  He passes okay on the break but it will take time (if ever) for him to show “true” point guard instincts in the half court.  He’s easily the top player in his class in the state.

2. Dre Kalo Clayton – 6’5 BF Orlando Evans: A beast on the box, Clayton gets position down low, holds it, patiently explores his options, and then punishes his defender.  He’s so strong and a powerful leaper than players at this age simply can’t contain him.  Think a shorter version of Patrick Young and you get the picture.  It will be interesting to see if he grows any more.  Should he get three or four inches and maintains his strength, explosiveness, and aggressiveness then he will certainly challenge for the number one spot.  If he’s done grown, he needs to work on his perimeter skills.

3. Quinten Payne – 6’3 WG Fort Myers Bishop Verot: A move-in from the Chicago area and the brother of Iowa Hawkeye Culley Payne, Quinten blew all observers away with his athleticism, skill set, and aggressiveness.  He gets high on his jump shot, has excellent form, and while inconsistent from deep hits a fair number from mid-range.  He had one baseline drive where he tried to dunk it in traffic but took off a little too far out.  Payne has good ball-handling skills out on the perimeter and is an alert passer on the break.

4. Bradley Christian – 6’5 WF Melbourne Florida Air Academy: Christian played with the big boys on Saturday and was only so-so.  On Sunday, playing with guys his age, he really stood out.  He has excellent body control and run/jump athleticism for a player his size and age, handles the ball well, and plays hard most every play.  His jumper is very inconsistent and needs work but scores well inside and on the break.  When motivated he’s a solid defender with a long wing span and quick feet.

5. Demarcus Croaker – 6’0 WG Orlando Jones: Talk about explosive!  He’s extremely athletic and handles the ball well enough that he’s a threat to punch one down every time he heads for the lane.  He’s at his best when finishing the break but is an okay shooter from mid-range and can bang it down off the bounce.  Croaker had a baseline drive and finish with his left hand that most freshmen simply cannot do.  He does need to share the ball a bit more at the offensive end and give defense a higher priority.

6. Justice Montgomery – 5’8 PG Orlando Christian Prep: In a setting where it would be all too easy to play selfishly, Montgomery was tremendous at creating plays to set up his teammates.  He didn’t over dribble, he kept his head up and eyes focused down court, and repeatedly broke down the defense with penetration.  The one long jumper he did take didn’t go down but he gets high marks for team leadership and basketball IQ.

7. Brian Johnson – 6’4 BF St. John’s Creekside:  Residing just south of Jacksonville, Johnson is a kid that looks a little gawky but makes a surprising amount of plays.  He’s a solid shooter out to the arc, gets on the boards, and passes the ball pretty well.  His ball-handling could use some work and he’ll need to get stronger but that will come with physical maturity.