January 4
Tournament Preview

You need to find your way toward Miramar High School next Friday night, January 11 and all day Saturday, January 12! Some of the best teams in the state will be locking up in some top notch competition. Here is a look who you can expect to see.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Raja Bell Session

4:00PM Coconut Creek vs. Hialeah-Miami Lakes

Coconut Creek had a tough time at the Junior Orange Bowl. An 0-3 showing against three out-of-state opponents was tough for the Cougars. Remy Fleurima had some solid performances averaging 15 points per game for the tournament. Their opponents, Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High started the season 3-5 heading into the holidays. They have faced Norland and Junior Orange Bowl champions Miami Springs.

6:00PM Deerfield Beach vs. Dr. Michael Krop

Deerfield Beach is coming off of a good showing as they defeated Cardinal Gibbons at their own holiday classic. Senior forward Glenn Powell with guards Anthony Hinds and Quadeem Colvin keep the Bucks in games as of late. The Shaky Rodriguez coached Dr. Michael Krop Lightning suffered a setback in the finals of the Junior Orange Bowl. Senior guard Anton Fortunado averaged 14.7 points per game throughout the tournament. Junior Alex Long and senior Ryan Loli help the "new look" Lightning as they lost their entire starting lineup to graduation last year.

Keyon Dooling Session
8:00 Boyd Anderson vs. Bishop Verot

Bishop Verot is led by several players that have already signed with Division 1 programs in Eddie Murray (Florida Gulf Coast) and Ryan Shrotenboer to Wagner College. Juniors Etienne Effenburg and Brennen Melvin add to a very solid starting lineup. The Vikings' task will not be easy as Boyd Anderson is one of the top teams in Class 6A this year. Bishop Verot played American Heritage tough at the City of Palms Classic only losing by four points. They have had a rough time over the last week losing six of their last seven games to some tough competition. They will need to bring their "A" game as they cross the state to take on one of Broward County's top teams.

Boyd Anderson is led by 6'6" senior forward Ivan Aska, 6'2" junior guard Bryan Bynes, and 6'1" junior guard Martavious Irving. Senior forward Frank Gaines adds some size to a very good, yet young, team. They have only three (3) seniors on their roster. So, the Cobras will be ready to make some noise next year with a pair of 6'8" bodies in waiting in junior Marc Davin and sophomore Travis Elliott. Boyd Anderson found themselves road warriors as they traveled to Las Vegas for the Rock Holiday Classic and Georgia for the Packer Classic for the holidays. They dismantled teams at both tournaments winning by an average of 27 points! They are on a ten (10) game winning streak since their only loss this season is to the top team in Class 5A, and rival, Dillard.

If the 8:00 o'clock game isn't good enough for you, then the last game surely will grab some attention with #1 in Class 5A, and possibly in the state regardless of class, Dillard and Top 10 in Class 6A Norland. Dillard is undefeated at this time and looks to stay that way until game time. Norland has only lost to American Heritage and a close two point game Dr. Michael Krop. This should prove to be a great match up!

Senior guard Amir Celestin, headed to Campbell University, leads a squad that feels they can compete for a Class 6A championship this season. Celestin is joined by 6'5" senior forward Antonio Hester and 6'1" senior guard Jerry Jones. Norland has had a few hiccups along the way so far this season. But, they continue to prove that solid defense leads to the "W". Head coach Lawton Williams always prepares his teams to stand up to any challenge. They definitely face an uphill battle as they tangle with Dillard next Friday evening.

This team is absolutely loaded! The lineup for Dillard is "large". We are talking about senior forward 6'8" Marshall signee Kore White, senior center 6'9" Nigel Spikes, and senior forward 6'7" Xiandre "Bo" Reliford. The guard play is very nice with senior Javier Frasier and junior Robert Berger. Oh, and Dillard features one of the top freshmen in the state in 6'5" guard/forward Fred Landers. This is one impressive team. They do not appear to have a single weak spot in their starting line up. Boyd Anderson and Blanche Ely have been the only teams to actually challenge the Panthers. They are blowing out opponents by an average of nearly thirty (30), yes thirty, points! The impressive part is that it's not just run-n-gun but tough defense and prime time scoring.

Coming This Weekend... Previews of the following games:

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Amare Stoudemire Session
10:00AM Choice Learning Academy vs. Pahokee High
12:00PM Miramar High vs. LaSalle
2:00PM William T. Dwyer vs. Cypress Bay

James Jones Session
4:00PM St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Miami Springs
6:00PM Palm Beach Lakes vs. Miami Northwestern

Udonis Haslem Session
8:00 Pine Crest School vs. Boca Raton High
9:30 Boyd Anderson vs. American Heritage