The Top 10 Varsity Girls Teams in Florida

Top 10 Varsity Girls Teams in Florida regardless of class for 2020-21 Season By Michael Wholey 11/2/20 9:00 AM EST The 2019-20 High School season ended crowning seven state champions: 1A – Hawthorne, 2A - Florida Prep, 3A - Carrollwood Day, 4A – Lake Highland Prep, 5A – American Heritage Plantation, 6A - Blanche Ely, and 7A - Miami Senior HS. As graduation has taken some of the state’s top players away to college and incoming Freshman and transfers have given some of these rosters a new look. The FHSAA calendar allowed teams to host their first practice of the season starting Monday October 26 and to play their first game November 16 while the FHSAA State Championship is scheduled to be played February 24-27. As we transition from the fall to winter season in high school sports in Florida, we take a look at 10 of the state’s top teams regardless of classification.   <img class=" wp-image-219834 alignleft" style="font-size: 1rem;" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Wyche00-2019-NYC-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="131" height="197" />American Heritage (Plantation) Hard to argue this one, American Heritage (Plantation) is coming off a 3-peat winning state championships in 2018, 2019, 2020 and return 6’3 twin towers Taliyah Wyche and [player_tooltip player_id="145092" first="Tatyana" last="Wyche"] (who are University of Florida verbal commits) and Senior Point Guard [player_tooltip player_id="146971" first="Daniella" last="Aronsky"]. Add into the mix three big time transfers with 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="91557" first="Sydney" last="Shaw"] and [player_tooltip player_id="91565" first="Emani" last="Theodule"] departing Miami Country Day and 2022 guard [player_tooltip player_id="91566" first="Joey" last="Delancy"] coming over from Nova High School and American Heritage (Plantation) is a pre-season favorite to win a state championship and a potential national ranking.   Blanche Ely<img class="size-medium wp-image-219835 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/JaLeah-Williams-2018-NYC-scaled-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Blanche Ely is also coming off a state championship. Their roster is loaded with talent top to bottom headlined by 2021 University of Miami verbal commit [player_tooltip player_id="91491" first="Ja’Leah" last="Williams"]. The roster is arguably the deepest in the state with 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="91561" first="Michiyah" last="Simmons"], [player_tooltip player_id="91568" first="Zaria" last="Blake"], and [player_tooltip player_id="91563" first="Mya" last="Kone"] all healthy and set up to have a solid high school season. Add in a healthy [player_tooltip player_id="219986" first="Mikhia" last="Lumsdon"] set to make her return for her Senior season and Freshman phenom [player_tooltip player_id="219925" first="Janessa" last="Kelley"], it is going to be hard to take down the Blanche Ely Tigers. And if that was not enough, Prep Girls Hoops Florida’s # 1 rated 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="217668" first="Gianna" last="Corbitt"] has transferred to Blanche Ely from Miami Country Day (where she played major minutes as an 8th grader).   <img class="size-medium wp-image-91631 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2019/09/Nyla-Harris-300x226.png" alt="" width="300" height="226" />Lake Highland Prep Lake Highland Prep is consistently amongst the state’s and nations top teams and this year will be no different. Coach Al Honor will take the floor with 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="91496" first="Kayla" last="Blackshear"] (Alabama verbal commit), 2022s [player_tooltip player_id="91585" first="Stefanie" last="Ingram"] and [player_tooltip player_id="91555" first="Nyla" last="Harris"], and 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="217664" first="Alexandra" last=""Lexi" Blue"]. Those four are as strong as you are going to see a high school team put together in their starting 5. The front court of Blackshear and Harris are the best front court in the state and a major force on the paint. Ingram and Blue will round out the perimeter and Lake Highland Prep will be set up for a major season this year!   Miami Country Day<img class="size-medium wp-image-219836 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Andrea-Daley20-2018-PC.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> Miami County Day has had too much success to count them out. They graduated two Seniors [player_tooltip player_id="91383" first="Chantell" last="Gonzalez"] and Milani McCormick and also had 4 departures with [player_tooltip player_id="91567" first="Olivia" last="Delancy"] (Carrollwood Day School), [player_tooltip player_id="91557" first="Sydney" last="Shaw"] (American Heritage Plantation), [player_tooltip player_id="91565" first="Emani" last="Theodule"] (American Heritage Plantation), and [player_tooltip player_id="219924" first="Khadee" last="Hession"] (American Heritage Delray) all transferring. In a typical situation that would destroy any roster. But Miami Country Day is always flush with talent and it appears they are taking the “next woman up” mentality only adding one transfer, 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="219935" first="Aicha" last="Keita"] (Cypress Bay). The Spartans will lean on uncommitted 2021 6’0 forward [player_tooltip player_id="91494" first="Andrea" last="Daley"], and the extremely talented 2024 young Forward [player_tooltip player_id="217667" first="Kayla" last="Nelms"] (who is back 100% healthy), 2023 guards [player_tooltip player_id="91642" first="Kristina" last="Godfrey"] and [player_tooltip player_id="219989" first="Isabella" last="Guevara"], and 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="219988" first="Charisse" last="Martin"]. Coach Ochiel Swaby has built Miami Country Day into a national powerhouse. Sometimes there is addition by subtraction. Don’t count Miami Country Day out … there are too many wins, championships, and tradition to count them out being a factor in this years season!   <img class="wp-image-91630 size-medium alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2019/09/Janiah-Barker-300x211.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="211" /> Tampa Bay Tech Based off last year’s rosters with pretty much all players returning, I had Tampa Bay Tech as the state’s # 1 team. Tampa Bay Tech will rely on the talented front court of [player_tooltip player_id="91554" first="Janiah" last="Barker"] and [player_tooltip player_id="91577" first="Amiya" last="Evans"] who are both ranked top 50 nationally. I don’t believe there will be a bigger team in the state with three 6’3+ players adding [player_tooltip player_id="219960" first="Mya" last="Lamar"] (transfer from Strawberry Crest) to the front court with Barker and Evans it is going to be tough to get a shot off or a rebound in the paint. Going into the offseason, I had Tampa Bay Tech as the # 1 team in the state but there has been some turnover of the roster over the past few months. Mississippi State verbal commit [player_tooltip player_id="91525" first="K’Nisha" last="Godfrey"] has recently made the decision to enroll early, 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="219959" first="Jazmine" last="Peaks"] has transferred to Winter Haven and it is unknown what is happening with 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="145100" first="Jayla" last="Murray"]. Losing 2-3 of these players are a huge hit to the roster while if all 3 were suiting up this season for Tampa Bay Tech, I would say that is the strongest starting 5 in the state!   Palm Bay Magnet<img class="size-medium wp-image-208780 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/IMG_6655-scaled-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Palm Bay went 23-6 last year and lost in the regional championship to Jones and were led by 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="91490" first="Mikyla" last="Tolivert"] who averaged 30.9 PPG last season. Tolivert returns along with [player_tooltip player_id="219987" first="Amaya" last="Bozeman"] and they welcome a host of transfers from neighboring Florida Prep who won the 2A State Championship. 2023 6’1 Point Guard [player_tooltip player_id="91638" first="Emma" last="Risch"] is the number 1 ranked 2023 in the state and averaged 16 PPG, 7 RPG, and 2 APG last season. In addition 2021 6’2 Forward [player_tooltip player_id="91508" first="Emani" last="Burks"], 2022s 5’6 Guard [player_tooltip player_id="145088" first="Shamya" last="Joiner"], 5’11 Forward [player_tooltip player_id="91597" first="Paige" last="McDonald"], 2023s 5’5 PG [player_tooltip player_id="166170" first="Alonya" last="Waldon"], 5’6 Guard [player_tooltip player_id="219932" first="Jazmine" last="Major"], and 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="219923" first="Kiara" last="Williams"] averaged a combined 30+ points and 20+ rebounds per game for Florida Prep. It will be interesting to see how these two rosters combine to play together as one unit at the high school level but it should not be much of an issue as they all play together with East Coast United in travel ball. This revamped roster makes Palm Bay Magnet arguably the most talented roster in the state.   <img class="size-medium wp-image-91635 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2019/09/Kailyn-Gilbert-300x254.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="254" />Seffner Christian Seffner Christian lost to eventual state champion Carrollwood Day School last season in the regional championship and finished the season with an overall 23-6 record. They return their Freshman phenom 5’3 guard [player_tooltip player_id="219990" first="Nina" last="Davis"] who averaged 10.6 PPG and looks to build on that in her Sophomore campaign as well as Seniors 6’0 Wing/Forward [player_tooltip player_id="91520" first="Chimera" last="Ilonya"] (Tennessee State verbal commit) who averaged close to a double double with 9.6 PPG and 8.9 RPG along with [player_tooltip player_id="146986" first="Tajah" last="Spaulding"] who averaged 9.2 PPG. The X-factor is one of the state’s top players in 2022 guard [player_tooltip player_id="91558" first="Kailyn" last="Gilbert"] who comes to Seffner Christian from Tampa Prep. Gilbert is a human highlight film and averaged 32 PPG and 11 RPG last season for Tampa Prep. Seffner Christian is known for being a very balanced offensive team who shares the ball and typically have 4-5 players in double digits. The big question here is how Gilbert fits into that system as she immediately becomes the teams best player and elevates Seffner Christian to one of the states top 10 teams.   Winter Haven HS<img class="size-medium wp-image-219842 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/IMG_1886-preview-202x300.jpg" alt="" width="202" height="300" /> When you talk about the road to Lakeland and the FHSAA state playoff system, you can not leave the Winter Haven Lady Blue Devils out of the discussion. A program built into a powerhouse by Ladawn Gibson and current Head Coach Johnnie Lawson has kept things rolling. Winter Haven in my opinion is the toughest class in the state with Tampa Bay Tech, Blanche Ely, Dillard, Wekiva, Fort Myers, Braden River, Dillard, St. Thomas Aquinas, Dunbar, and Nova along with a host of other tough squads. Last season they knocked off Tampa Bay Tech in the regional championship only to fall to eventual state champion Blanche Ely in Lakeland. Winter Haven returns their three top scorers uncommitted 2021 5’9 Guard [player_tooltip player_id="91537" first="Trinity" last="Hardy"] (who lead team with 16.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG. 3.7 APG, and 4.3 SPG), 2021 5’5 Guard [player_tooltip player_id="91533" first="Jazmine" last="Spencer"] who averaged 8.6 PPG, and 2022 5’10 Wing/Forward [player_tooltip player_id="91592" first="Kayla" last="Smith"] who averaged 12.4 PPG and 5.1 RPG. In addition, the Lady Blue Devils welcome 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="219959" first="Jazmine" last="Peaks"] who was the leading scorer and floor general for Tampa Bay Tech last season averaging 12.2 PPG and 3.6 RPG. All things said, the squad will be fun to watch and we know Coach Lawson will have them ready to play by the end of the season and playing hard brining their hard hats along with them!   <img class=" wp-image-219885 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Naylee-Cortes-Central-Pointe-300x228.jpg" alt="" width="304" height="231" /> Central Pointe Academy The dark horse in this years season is the relatively new and unknown Central Pointe Christian Academy from Kissimmee, FL led by Head Coach Wesley Arocho. Central Pointe will field two teams this year assembling a national squad and a regional squad. The national squad is led by a core group of 8 players mainly international. The Tigers will be led by 2021 6’4 [player_tooltip player_id="219992" first="Harsimran" last="Kaur"], 2022s 5’5 [player_tooltip player_id="219993" first="Silkiari" last="Vazquez"], 5’9 [player_tooltip player_id="219994" first="Naylee" last="Cortes"], 6’1 [player_tooltip player_id="219995" first="Gabriela" last="Ahumada"], 6’0 [player_tooltip player_id="219996" first="Daniela" last="Gonzalez"], 5’8 [player_tooltip player_id="219997" first="Betzalys" last="Delgado"], 2024 5’5 Freshman [player_tooltip player_id="219998" first="Damaris" last="Alarcon"], and 2025 5’4 [player_tooltip player_id="219999" first="Jayshlynn" last="Vega"]. The squad has had some success during the pre-season competing in some local events including defeating American Heritage (Plantation) in October. They have not been shy of scheduling as they have games set up against West Oaks Academy, IMG Academy, DME Sports Academy, Montverde Academy, Braden River, St. Thomas Aquinas, American Heritage (Plantation), as well as competing in the She Got Game event in Atlanta, Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational, and both of SUTS Report events Polk County Hoopfest (Winter Haven) and New Years Classic (Coral Springs).   Carrollwood Day School<img class="size-medium wp-image-219919 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Milahnie-Perry-185x300.jpg" alt="" width="185" height="300" /> There has been some drama in the off season at Carrollwood Day School with long time head coach Karim Nohra stepping down and then resuming his coaching responsibilities in the pre-season. Last year’s 3A State Champions graduate last year’s top two scorers [player_tooltip player_id="91408" first="Tarriyonna" last="Gary"] and Texas A&M Corpus Christi signee [player_tooltip player_id="91385" first="Nabaweeyah" last="McGill"] but return Vermont verbal commit 6’2 Forward [player_tooltip player_id="91503" first="Ary" last="Dizon"], 2022 5’7 Guard [player_tooltip player_id="91583" first="Milahnie" last="Perry"] who is one of the states most improved players, 5’11 Freshman [player_tooltip player_id="219928" first="Leah" last="Barnes"] who has a ton of potential and will play a much bigger role this season as well as 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="91567" first="Olivia" last="Delancy"] who transfers from Miami Country Day.   These are our top 10 pre-season teams but there are so many more talented teams that will compete to take these teams down and bring home a state championship. It is hard to count out last year’s 7A State Champ Miami Senior HS. 2020 University of Central Florida signee [player_tooltip player_id="91392" first="Colleen" last="Bucknor"] is hard to replace but Coach Sam “Boozer” Baumgarten always has the Lady Stingrays playing. Vanderbilt verbal commit [player_tooltip player_id="91489" first="Kendal" last="Cheesman"] will have her HB Plant squad in the conversation. In 6A Wekiva is always in the mix, [player_tooltip player_id="91479" first="O’Mariah" last="Gordon"] is not going to let Braden River go down without a fight, Dunbar, Lincoln, and Fort Myers are always in the conversation, and who knows what will happen the super region of St. Thomas Aquinas, Nova, Dillard, and Blanche Ely in Broward County. In 5A American Heritage (Plantation) has had it locked down the last 3 years but Pine Forest, Jones, Miami Norland, are always strong and Palm Bay will be much improved. In 4A you can’t count Bishop Kenny out and 2021 University of Miami commit [player_tooltip player_id="91482" first="Jasmyne" last="Roberts"] and 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="91575" first="Maddie" last="Millar"]. In 3A Master’s Academy is coming off a tough loss in the state championship to Carrollwood Day and Cardinal Mooney has Sophomore phenoms [player_tooltip player_id="91637" first="Jordyn" last="Byrd"] and [player_tooltip player_id="91658" first="Olivia" last="Davis"]. In 2A FAMU DRS hopes Stony Brook verbal commit [player_tooltip player_id="91480" first="Erin" last="Turral"] can put them back in the mix along with her twin sister [player_tooltip player_id="91513" first="Erica" last="Turral"] and in 1A Wildwood is always in Lakeland and [player_tooltip player_id="91645" first="Kailani" last="Lindsey"] will try and keep it that way. DME Academy, IMG Academy, and Montverde Academy will also be strong competing independently and will face many of these teams in the regular season.   The FHSAA calendar looks like this for the 2020-21 season. October 26 – First Practice November 6 – Pre-Season Classic November 16 – First Game January 23 – Last District Game January 30 – Last Regular Season Game February 2-5 – District Tournament February 11-19 – Regional Tournament February 24-27 – State Championship   Who will live up to expectations? Who will under achieve? Who will overachieve? 2020 has already been a crazy year so who knows what the 2020-21 High School season has in store for us. We just hope that all players, coaches, and teams are able to compete safely and remain healthy and we make it to Lakeland in February and are able to crown a state champion. We will follow the teams and its players closely throughout the season and look forward to a fun and competitive 2020-21 High School season.   **This article has been updated as of November 9, 2020 to revise [player_tooltip player_id="217668" first="Gianna" last="Corbitt"] now attending Blanche Ely and [player_tooltip player_id="91525" first="K’Nisha" last="Godfrey"] graduating early from Tampa Bay Tech to enroll in Mississippi State.