Fall Storylines: South Florida

Basketball season is around the corner as we close the month of September. October 25th is <a href="https://fhsaa.com/index.aspx?path=gbk">listed</a> as the first practice date according to the FHSAA. Here are some thoughts as the countdown month begins. Plantation American Heritage has dominated the high school basketball scene with four straight state championships. Could the Broward power win an incredible five in a row? 2021’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91549" first="Taliyah" last="Wyche"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="145092" first="Tatyana" last="Wyche"]</strong> both signed with the <strong>University of Florida</strong>. Point guard <strong>Daniella </strong><strong>Aronsky</strong> is at <strong>Emory</strong> and 2022 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91557" first="Sydney" last="Shaw"]</strong> transferred to <strong>DME Academy</strong> in <strong>Daytona</strong> <strong>Beach</strong>. That is a lot of talent to replace! Is it fair to expect a <em>slight </em>drop off? <strong>UConn basketball</strong> doesn’t win every year, either! It also doesn’t mean American Heritage will be a bad team. Obviously, 5-foot-9 guard/forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91566" first="Joey" last="Delancy"]</strong> can score and guard multiple positions. She’s a legit prospect that will make anyone she plays with better. I’m just saying...streaks don’t last forever. Ask the <strong>UCLA Bruins</strong> with <strong>John Wooden</strong>. <strong>Miami Country Day</strong> finished 23-3 a season ago en route to the program’s seventh state basketball title. 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="91494" first="Andrea" last="Daley"] will need to be replaced after averaging 19 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. The 6-foot guard signed with <strong>Boston College</strong>. Obviously, the tandem of 2024 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="217667" first="Kayla" last="Nelms"]</strong> and 2023 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91642" first="Kristina" last="Godfrey"]</strong> draw a lot of attention. One player I would like to highlight is 2024 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="219988" first="Charisse" last="Martin"]</strong>. The 5-foot-9 shooting guard runs the floor well and has a nice mid-range game. I also like her on the defensive end with her ability to pressure the ball. Martin averaged 8.2 points per game as a freshman. She’s a good player with some upside. It could be another banner year for Miami Country Day. UPDATE: [player_tooltip player_id="219988" first="Charisse" last="Martin"] is now at Blanche Ely. <strong>St. Thomas Aquinas </strong>won its first state championship in 2020 with a 62-60 win over <strong>Wekiva</strong>. Can the Raiders go back to back? If so, they will have to do it without 2021 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91500" first="Samara" last="Spencer"]</strong>, who signed with <strong>Arkansas. </strong>St. Thomas Aquinas does have 2022 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="154841" first="Jada" last="Green"]</strong> in the fold. The <strong>Richmond</strong> signee is an athletic inside out forward with length. Green runs the floor well for a 6-footer and can finish in transition. She also puts the ball on the floor well and uses her size to get to the rim. 2023 transfer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="151282" first="Alancia" last="Ramsey"] </strong>will make an instant impact around the post. 2022 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91572" first="Breanna" last="Gustave"] </strong>and 2023 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91641" first="Karina" last="Gordon"]</strong> are talented guards. St. Thomas Aquinas has plenty of stars to cut down the nets once again. Does <strong>Westminster Academy</strong> have an answer to replace 2021 <strong>Emma</strong> <strong>Wallhoff</strong>? All she did was score a female program record of 2,537 points and made a high school record 581 3-pointers. Wallhoff was an All-county pick and signed with <strong>Southern Mississipp</strong>i. Her production warrants a no answer for <em>now</em>. 2025 <strong>Lena Giradi</strong> has promise after averaging 12.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 51 percent from the floor. Girardi is 5-foot-10 so she should have an impact with her size and length. 2022 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="151173" first="Claire" last="Erickson"] </strong>went 30-of-95 (32 percent) from deep, which was second on the team behind Wallhoff. The 5-foot-7 guard can rebound a bit and dish out assists as well. Does 2023 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="243925" first="Taelyn" last="Carey"]</strong> take the next step as a 6-foot-1 forward? How about 5-foot-10 <strong>Aylana Mergilles</strong>? Those are two players with some length in and around the frontcourt. Westminster Academy should be fine as the season moves along. <strong>For any South Florida Prep Girls Hoops news or information...please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 on Instagram or follow him on Twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.</strong> &nbsp;