Juniors Highly Impressive in Miami!
A plethora of talented juniors were showcased last
weekend at Cooper City HS for the Miami Area combine. Topping off the talent
deep session and (the entire weekend for that matter) was American Heritage HS'
Andrew Flores. The 5'11 164 Flores had a 9'0 broad jump, ran a 4.27 shuttle and
was easily the best player during the 1 on 1's. His ability to get his hands on
the ball and get open were simply tremendous.
Imaaculata Lasalle's Courtney Moshood was another
standout who could virtually do it all from the wideout spot, thus earned the
WR MVP. The 5'9 155 lb Moshood ran a 4.10 shuttle, 4.45 40, had a 32.5 inch
vertical, 9'2 broad jump and was throughly dominant during 1 on 1's. Although
he is undersized, Moshood has all that a coach could ask for from an athletic
standpoint.
Flores' teammate Nestor Lantigua, 5'10 164, starred
all around for the second consecutive year. Laintigua won the coveted Combine
King and RB MVP awards. Laintuga tore up the testing portion of the combine,
with a 32.5 inch vertical, 9'9 broad jump, 4.17 shuttle run and 4.45 40. his
quickness and athleticism enabled him to perform at a high level.
Darryl "Lockdown" Brown of Miami American
HS was a terrific DB, taking home the MVP at the position along with Monsignor
Pace's Anthony Samuel. Brown, 5'9 150, and Samuel, 5'11.5 171, were both fast
and athletic defensive backs who stuck to the WR's like white on rice.
While some of the WR's were tremendous, it takes a
QB like La Salle's Rafi Montalvo. The 5'11 186 lb Montalvo has terrific feet and accuracy, zipping the
ball downfield as if it were easy.
Miami once again proved to be a hotbed for football
talent. I can only imagine what the NUC will see next year.
Sophomores Star at Cooper City High School!
Ryan Janvion of Dade Christian School topped a group
of tremendous Miami area athletes Saturday afternoon at Cooper City HS. Janvion
won both the Combine King and Overall MVP (something that is rarely, if ever
done) after putting toegther a stunning performance. Janvion had a 38.5 inch
vertical, 10'4 broad jump, ran a 3.99 shuttle, 4.58 40 and bench pressed 155
lbs 20 times. While his statistics were ballistic, what he did during 1 on 1's
were even more unbelievable.
This ridiculously talented 5'10 169 lb running back
was a monster during 1 on 1's using his athleticism, quickness, perfectly ran
routes and solid hands to simply put him in a league of his own. I can only
imagine the kind of offers he will get in a few years.
University School's Abraham Garcia literally looked
like a man amongst boys. Torres, a massive 6'4 339 lb machine, took home the OL
MVP and Strongest Man awards while competing with the junios. He bench pressed
185 lb 29 times, had unprecedented quickness for a player his size (he ran 4.9
shuttle), and had tremendous hands, which helped him dominate the opposing
linemen during 1 on 1's. I would be shocked if Garcia didn't end up at a big
time program in the future
Vitually matching Garcia was 6'3 329 lb Danny Isdora
of Cypress Bay HS. Isdora was a monster during the 1 on 1's and like Garcia,
whom he shared the OL MVP with, had surprising quickness for a player his size.
Something about 16 year old kids having NFL type size is scary to me in a good
way.
St. Thomas Aquinas' Joseph McClary, the Fastest Man
award winner, looks like he has what it takes to be a star kickoff returner.
McCary, who plays for one of the best programs in the country, ran a 4.27
shuttle, 4.51 40 and also had a 9'5 broad jump. Sure he is undersized at 5'6.5
136, but if you can't catch him does it really matter?
Silmoje Dallaway, 6'0 217 lb LB MVP from Park Vista
HS, and Kevis Jones, 6'1.5 195 lb QB MVP were each terrific athletes who gave
it their all on the gridiron. Between Jones' accuracy and Dallaway's emergence
during 1 on 1's along with many other great players in this session, there
really isn't much more I could ask for.
The Miami Freshman Fab 5!
In 1992-1993, the University of Michigan's men's
basketball team had a star studded lineup known as the "Fab 5", which included future
NBA all stars Chris Webber, Jalen Rose and Juwan Howard along with Jimmy King
and Ray Jackson. This famed squad reached the NCAA championship game as both
freshman and sophomores, which is simply unheard of. Last weekend at Cooper
City HS, A number of terrific freshman took center stage at the Miami area
combine. Here are the NUC's Fab 5.
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Alex Garcia: A 5'7.5 164 lb running back
from First Bapist Academy, Garcia won the Combine King award after putting up
jaw dropping numbers for a frosh. Garcia had a 32 inch vertical, 9'4 broad
jump, ran a 4.47 shuttle and bench pressed 135 lbs 21 times. Athletes like
these are quite rare and his athleticism could lead him to play a number of
different positions, making him a versatile asset like Jalen Rose.
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Bryant Gross of Archbishop McCarthy HS
won the coveted Overall MVP award. The 5'11 175 lb safety had an 8'3 broad
jump, ran a 4.36 shuttle, 4.64 40 and was tremendous during 1 on 1's. He had
quick feet, a physical style, great attitude and simply refused to let the
offense get going during 1 on 1's. As the best player at the event and the
biggest asset to his team, Gross is essentially the Chris Webber of the
combine.
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Hunter Boyett of Gulliver Prep HS, the
QB MVP, was willing to mix it up during 1 on 1's and gun the ball downfield. The
5'10 165 lb Boyett was strong, had solid fundamentals and is a great asset to
getting a team going since he has many dimensions to his game, much like Juwan
Howard did (prior to injuries in the NBA I must add).
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WR MVP Demario Hayes did what he had to in
order to ensure that whenever the ball is in his hands, good things can happen.
Undersized at 5'3.5 116, Haynes had an 8'0 broad jump, ran a 4.47 shuttle and
had tremendous technique during 1 on 1's, making him a threat to score any time
he got the ball. Ray Jackson? I think so!
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Fort Myers' Malik Outten, 5'11 173, the
LB MVP, displayed why he is the type of player who can keep a team together at
the defensive end. Outten did a tremendous job of closing the gap and looks to
be a tackle machine. His aggressiveness also makes him a threat to force a
fumble or make an interception. Fumbles in football are somewhat equivalent to
steals in basketball, therefore Outten is the Jimmy King of this stacked
session.
