January 24
Individual Standouts, Diamondback Challenge

While there were many, many solid players at this year’s Diamondback Challenge this past weekend in Belleview, there were a few that particularly stood out.

For Mount Dora, 6’7 junior Logan Bridges is an intriguing player. He grew four inches over the summer but still retained his shooting touch and ball-handling skills. The form on his jumper is good and he has range out to the arc when left open. Bridges is lacking in strength and is still getting used to his “new” body and the demands of playing inside. Consequently, he sometimes mishandles passes inside and gets pushed around under the boards. If he can gain strength and keep his ball-handling and shooting skills, he could turn into a face-up four man.

I thought Winter Haven’s Johnathan Woodside played a very controlled and effective game. The 6’3 Sr let the game come to him and didn’t force the action. He demonstrated a very good ability to drive left and knock down mid-range jump shots off the dribble. Woodside also knocked down a couple of threes off the catch with his feet set. He’s a pretty fair passer and ball-handler but doesn’t seem to have the set up mentality to move to the point full time. Woodside isn’t ultra-quick but his first step is good enough to get by most opponents. He could be a solid combo guard at whatever collegiate level he decides to play.

The player that made the greatest impression for South Dade was 6’6 junior Ed Stinson. Listed as a wing in the program, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Stinson is a strong-bodied insider who does his best work muscling opponents on the inside. He gets a lot of offensive rebounds for scores. However, he is not a consistent free throw shooter and consequently he doesn’t put as many points on the board as he could. We didn’t see a jump shot from him all day so his range is unknown at this point. Stinson has all the physical tools to be one of those undersized but successful big forwards at the lower collegiate levels.

It was our first time seeing Columbia’s Kenny Williams in person and he certainly lived up to his reputation. A strong and solidly built 5’9 senior, Williams has a consistent stroke from deep (he knocked down 5 of 8 in the game). He also isn’t afraid to go inside against the big guys and finished pretty well with both a floater and layups while absorbing contact. One thing we didn’t see was a set of point guard skills that Williams would need to run a club at the collegiate level. Columbia plays at such a fast tempo that there really was no need for a “traditional” point guard.

Only a sophomore, 6’2 Dominic Lane of Lakewood had a solid game on both ends. While his offense was limited to scoring in transition and drives to the rim, Lane’s best work was done on the defensive end. He appears to take great pride in it and works really hard to move his feet, stay in front of him man, and deny the ball. Lane also does a good job helping off the ball and rebounding from a wing position. Hopefully, he will upgrade his scoring tools in the coming year so that opponents can’t just play him for the drive.

P.K. Yonge’s junior guard Josh Snodgrass really had it going offensively. The 6’3 guard shot the ball very well from behind the arc. When Calvary finally got wise to him, he would use a little head fake to get the defender up in the air and then drive around him. While he is an excellent scorer, his best position might possibly be at the point. Snodgrass has good court vision and a high basketball IQ and his ball-handling is certainly solid enough. What may be holding his coaches back from using him there is his foot speed is such that he would have trouble guarding the smaller and quicker opponents he would face. It will be interesting to see what position he plays this summer.

It may not have been his best day, but after watching him play we can understand why Tyler Auerbacher of Auburndale has received a fair share of praise. A streaky but dangerous long range shooter, the 6’4 senior can light it up from NBA range when hot. For him to take the next step, he needs to find other ways to contribute on the court. One are that would help would be to get stronger, which would allow him to hit the boards better and possibly become better at taking the ball to the basket to supplement his outside game.

Gainesville Eastside’s Tylisman Armstrong is an interesting prospect. The 6’8 sophomore has very good coordination and body control for someone his size and age. He also is a very good perimeter shooter, which sort of puts him in a quandary: Is he a perimeter player that needs to work on his ball-handling and quickness or is he an inside player that needs to get stronger and concentrate more on rebounding? There is still plenty of time to make a choice but either way he should get some D-I looks.

It’s rare that we highlight freshmen, but Scottie Wilbekin of The Rock keeps performing at a high level. Already the leader on the floor, the 6’0 point guard gets his teammates in the right spots and gives them the ball where they can best use it. He does a good job using head and ball fakes to get by his defender to make plays. Wilbekin’s shot form is good and he knocked a few shots down off the bounce and with a hand in his face. As he gets older he will get stronger which is his main deficiency right now. He is certainly one of the top players in the class of 2011.

Another interesting prospect is Gainesville’s Anthony Nwadigo. A 6’2 junior, he is hard to classify position-wise. Just when you think he is an undersized forward, he knocks down consecutive threes. When you think he’s a guard, he muscles for rebounds and blocks a bigger opponent’s shot. Nwadigo is very athletic and finishes well on the break and in traffic. His ball-handling appears only so-so and maybe that is why we hesitate to classify him as a guard at his size. Either way, the kid is a player and his development this spring and summer will be well worth watching.

While his team didn’t get the victory, it was clear to see why some high profile schools after Oldsmar Christian’s Chris Perez. The 6’4 junior simply finds ways to put the ball in the basket. Perez is streaky from deep, but he knows when that part of his game is not working. He then will start attacking the basket and uses a variety of change-of-pace and change-of-direction moves to get when he wants to go. A good athlete in terms of body control and eye-hand coordination, he is only average in the run/jump category.

Another excellent freshman to play at the Diamondback was Brandon Farmer. The 5’9 point from Ocala Vanguard was more than willing to pick up the slack when Freddie Riley was benched in the second half. He became more aggressive in getting to the basket and played with more tenacity on the defensive end. Farmer will most likely be the next great Vanguard player but he will need to cut down on his turnovers and improve the consistency of his jump shot.

Wildwood’s Demetrice McCray had an excellent first quarter for his team. The 5’11 junior knocked down a couple of threes and got his team off to a fast start. However, during the second and third quarters, he seemed to hold back and let his teammates take on the brunt of the scoring load. This continued into the final period, when it became clear that he was going to have to get more involved if his team was to win. And that is just what he did as McCray went on a 8 point run in the final minute to put his team ahead and keep them there. He proved to be more than just a three point gunner as he finished with contact in the lane, pilfered a pass on the defensive end for a score and knocked down two free throws with 3 seconds left to ice the game.