March 10

Now in its second year, the most recent tradition at Florida Hoops is the "BOB" (Brotherhood Of Basketball) Awards. Last year's inaugural event took place at the North Port Waffle House but after being completely booked when BOB asked to meet there again, the Brotherhood had to scramble to find a new venue. Fortunately, the banquet room at the Nathan's Hot Dog's at the Okahumpka service plaza on the turnpike hadn't heard of us and were happy to have us. Now for the awards:

Most Valuable Player - the MVP is defined as the player most influential in leading his team to playoff success. Both Josh Snodgrass of PK Yonge and Wally Judge of Arlington Country Day received vote but one player received the majority from the Brotherhood. Ray Shipman of Monsignor Pace was the overwhelming choice as the state's MVP. The future Florida Gator is dynamic in the open court and a great finisher around the basket. He also gets after it on the defensive end and should fit in very well for Billy Donovan's club next season.

Most Outstanding Player - the MOP is defined as the best player this year, period. Ray Shipman again got some votes, as did Kenny Boynton of American Heritage. But in somewhat of a surprise, "BOB" voted Brandon Knight as this season's MOP. The Brotherhood continually brought up Knight's ability to dominate a game without dominating the ball, whether by setting up his teammates for scores or creating havoc on the defensive end. Many expect him to be Mr. Basketball more than once in his career.

Best Player in a Supporting Role - this isn't THE guy on the team but very important to the team. There were several nominees for this award. Martavious Irving of Boyd Anderson was lauded for his intensity and toughness. Ivan Paolis of Sagemont was praised for his willingness to battle inside after the Lions' two centers went down. Brandon Reese of Pine Crest was singled out for his ability to keep the team playing at the right pace during each game. Colin Gates of Grandview stepped up his game big time after Isaac Sosa went down with his injury. Joshua Wallace was the little big man for Pensacola Washington. However, the only player receiving multiple votes was Pine Crest forward Ed Waite. The Brotherhood felt that despite being undersized he is THE force inside for the Panthers and gets a lot done while playing in the shadow of Knight and Jeff Pelage.

Most Surprising Player - every year a player emerges that few beyond his family thought would get into the spotlight. For this award, there was no consensus as each member voted differently. Jeff Pelage of Pine Crest improved his stamina and skill set significantly from last year to now. Tyshawn Patterson of Orlando Christian Prep was a big surprise with his athleticism, speed, energy, and scoring ability. Shamon Cox of Lakewood adapted to the defense-first philosophy of Coach Wright and became a reliable scoring option for the Spartans. Mark St. Fort toiled in near anonymous fashion in Wauchula, all the while putting up double-doubles every night. R.J. Wright of ACD seemed to be the motor that got the Apaches their fourth consecutive state title. Rakeem Buckles made a quantum leap from complimentary player to Louisville commitment during the year. All are worthy candidates and each deserves to be recognized for their effort and accomplishment.

Best Team - not as easy as it sounds and there is no right answer. Norland won the 6A title but absorbed a lot of losses along the way. Monsignor Pace could also be considered but they too had more than their fair share of losses. Pine Crest could be considered but some were wary of their schedule and considered it less than demanding. Dillard is the only nationally ranked team in the state but they split with Boyd Anderson and lost by double-digits to Norland on a neutral court. While it will be controversial, Boyd Anderson was the only team to get multiple votes from the Brotherhood. They avenged their only in-season loss to Dillard and really seemed to have the 6A title locked up until the first five minutes of the third quarter in Lakeland. Like I said not and easy choice and no right answer.

Most Surprising Team - despite winning the state title, Norland was considered for this award. Martin County, by virtue of beating Dwyer twice in the playoffs and reaching the regional finals also received a vote. But how could it be any other team than Orlando Evans? The Trojans finished fifth during the regular season, defeated Olympia in the district semi-finals, and won all of their playoff games on the road. All this despite losing their head coach to personal issues, which will not be discussed here. Definitely a surprising and gratifying season for Evans.

Player Match-Up - one of the great things about basketball is the individual match-ups that occur, the game within the game if you will. The Brotherhood brought up a lot of good ones but certain players continually came up. In the post, a Kenny Kadji vs. Eloy Vargas contest would be very interesting. On the perimeter it seems that everyone wants Brandon Knight to take on a variety of challenges. Austin Rivers of Winter Park, Ray Shipman of Monsignor Pace and James Bell of ACD were all players the voters would like to see matched up against Knight.

Team Match-Up - again there was no consensus but a lot of good games were brought up. Those consisted of: Pine Crest vs. Dillard; Monsignor Pace vs. Boyd Anderson; Pine Crest vs. Monsignor Pace; Boyd Anderson vs. Montverde Academy; Olympia vs. Boyd Anderson; Montverde Academy vs. American Heritage; and Orlando Christian Prep vs. Arlington Country Day. I'm certain you'd be willing to pay more than the standard $4 to get into any one of those games.

Summer Player to Watch - there is no off-season in basketball and the high school season serves as much of a preview to the spring and summer travel season and the spring and summer travel season serves as a preview to the high school season. Again, no consensus was reached but in a way that is a good thing as a lot of players will be watched closely over the next few months. Those identified by the "Brotherhood" were Okaro White of Clearwater, Tyshawn Patterson of Orlando Christian Prep, Brandon Knight, Kaleb Clyburn of Orlando Christian Prep, Dexter Fields of Olympia, Curt Flood of Boyd Anderson, and Stacey Poole Jr. of Jacksonville Raines.

Next Season's Teams to Watch - there were a lot of team mentioned, but three kept coming up consistently. Bartow, which started mostly sophomores, looks to wrestle the title of Best Team in Polk County away from Kathleen. Boyd Anderson returns four starters from a team that could almost taste the 6A title. And, finally, Olympia returns almost everybody from a team that beat Norland twice but lost in the district finals and never had a chance to prove itself in regional play.

Well, that is the year in review from "BOB". Hopefully, the fine folks at Nathan's in the Okahumpka service plaza will let us come back for the summer "BOB" awards. If not, I'm sure the Ritz-Carlton in Naples would bend over backwards to have such a prestigious group meet at their facility.