April 11 - Part III

Our final report will focus on the younger teams that played on Saturday that have yet to be discussed. Judging by their performances, the future of high school basketball in the state is in good hands.

The first player to catch our attention on Saturday morning was 6'0 wing guard Kumaine Osborne playing for Nike Team Florida 16U. Out of Florida Air, Osborne displayed a smooth and consistent stroke, both from behind the arc and off the dribble from mid-range. He handles the ball pretty well and passes okay but he will need to upgrade those skills to make a move to point guard in the future. He's had good schooling in defense as he does a good job of keeping his man in front of him and has good reactions. Athletically he's solid, not great. Expect him to thrive this summer in the open offense the team runs.

Another guard for NTF 16U that stood out in the first game of the day was 6'2 point guard Dennis Mavin of Gaineville Eastside. Mavin is very quick and has exceptional control of the basketball. He's most effective going right, so he needs to be able to duplicate his skills when moving the opposite way. Mavin is so effective at either pulling up in the lane for a jumper or finishing at the basket that his flat shot from distance isn't yet a concern. He also excels at grabbing long rebounds and starting the break himself, usually finishing after making a defender look silly with a dribble move.

Known as "The Barbarian", NTF 16U's Patrick Konan from The Rock in Gainesville had a very solid performance. The 6'5 WF has improved his jump shot and ball-handling skill to the point that he is very difficult to guard. Add to that his top-shelf athleticism and strength and Konan isn't far from being considered one of the better players in the class. Konan plays hard all the time, attacks the glass for rebounds, and can make some good passes on the move. Once he improves his passing and defensive abilities, the sky could be the limit.

A year younger than his NTF 16U teammates, 6'1 point guard Scott Wilbekin of The Rock more than fit in. A solid, fundamental player, Wilbekin does a great job of protecting the ball against aggressive defenders and traps, makes smart passes, and knocks down open shots. Maybe the best part is he doesn't force the action or try to do things he isn't capable of. While very athletic and quick point guards can give him trouble on the defensive end, he more than makes up for it with his high basketball IQ and ability to run a team.

Florida Elite has a solid 16U team of their own. Possibly the most talented player for them is 6'5 wing T.J. Hall from Gainesville. To look at his facial expression and body language, you might think that Hall doesn't want to be out on the court. However, he is very skilled offensively as he scores in a wide variety of ways and is a good ball-handler. Hall has long arms that he uses to great advantage when going for rebounds or playing in the passing lanes on defense. He's one of the players whose very smooth in his motions and has a great feel for the game.

If Hall is the most talented player on Florida Elite 16U, then David Paulk is the most effective player on the team. The 6'5 Paulk out of Fort Myers Dunbar can play inside or out on offense. On this day, he spent the majority of his time inside and was very active on the glass and got several stick-backs. Strong and athletic, Paulk runs the floor well, has good range on his jump shot and plays hard every possession. He needs to improve his ball-handling and passing skills to make a full-time move to the wing, but he has all the physical tools you could want in a young player.

We have to admit that we are partial to kids that play point guard a certain way. So it should come as no surprise that Florida Elite 16U's Jeremiah Samarrippas makes the list. The 5'10 (maybe) point out of Bartow has a pass-first mentality and does a good job of getting his team into the offense. He has good court vision, passes the ball in a way that his teammates can use it and knocks down open looks when given the opportunity. He's not the flashiest or quickest point around, but he knows what to do and gets the job done.

The most well-known player for Nike Team Florida 15U is Deante Saunders out of Deland. He started for the varsity as a freshman so we were eager to see him play. After a somewhat slow start, Saunders was able the get things going. At about 6'0, he can be considered a scoring point guard. He shoots very well off the dribble from behind the arc which is something rare in young players. Saunders is also quick and strong (supposedly a football prospect) and uses those traits to get to the basket and either score or head to the free throw line. He didn't prove to be the kind of point that gets others involved as much as we would like, but he is definitely a very talented young player.

We mentioned Jason Pimental in our Easter Classic report and he was again a stand-out player on Saturday. The 6'5 BF from Ocala Westport pretty much owned the boards for NTF 15U. He also was a scoring factor inside, showing good footwork and patience in getting off his shots. Pimental had a very nice up-and-under move that moved his defender out of the picture and gave him an easy lay-up. He also runs the floor well and goes after shot-attempts. Pimental looks like he will grow some more, and if he fills out he should be a solid inside player.

Mount Dora Bible's Kyle Simmons also had a good day. The 5'10 guard plays for NTF 15U and can play either guard spot. He's probably best at the point, where he makes good passes at high speed and sees the floor very well. He can score on drives and open jumpers and Simmons forces his man to work very hard on defense. One area he needs to improve on is his free throw shooting. For a player with such good mechanics, he should hit for a higher percentage than he did on Saturday.

Florida Hoops would like to extend a special thanks to Tom Topping and Matt Ramker for putting on a great event. We'd also like to thank Jim Clark for his assistance in scouting players.