FHSAA Playoffs: Predicting 5A

FHSAA Playoffs: Predicting 5A By Michael Wholey 2/7/22 11:00 AM EST The district tournament starts this week in Florida and over the next 3 weeks, the top teams in Florida will compete for a coveted state championship concluding February 23-26 in Lakeland at the RP Funding Center. Let’s look at the top teams in 5A and who we predict to win it all!   FLORIDA PLAYOFF INFO District Tournament: February 1-4, 2022 (at host school) Regional Tournament: February 10, 12, 15, and 18th (at host school) State Championships: February 23-26 (at RP Funding Center)   PREDICTING 5A Maxpreps lists the following as the top 7 schools in 5A. <ol> <li>American Heritage (Plantation)</li> <li>Charlotte</li> <li>Orange Park</li> <li>Okeechobee</li> <li>Bishop Moore</li> <li>Rickards</li> <li>Lake Wales</li> </ol>   Make your own prediction for who you think will be the 2022 FHSAA 5A State Champion in Girls Basketball. https://poll.fm/11033409 *Voting closes 2/15   <img class=" wp-image-355341 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/EhlPy7jWoAE_MCq-194x300.jpeg" alt="" width="123" height="190" />American Heritage (Plantation) has taken home the championship each of the last four seasons and they are once again the favorites in 2022. They are led by recent McDonald’s All American selection and Florida State signee [player_tooltip player_id="118146" first="Ta’Niya" last="Latson"]. The 5’10 guard is one of the nation’s top prospects and can truly do it all. If someone were to knock off the 4x champs, they will have to a figure out a way to stop Latson. Fellow Seniors [player_tooltip player_id="91566" first="Joey" last="Delancy"] and [player_tooltip player_id="91565" first="Emani" last="Theodule"] give the Patriots a solid triple threat on the perimeter. American Heritage has already taken down Colonial, Palmer Trinity, Dr. Phillips, Dillard, Mater Lakes, Miami Country Day, Boca Ciega, and St. Thomas Aquinas and played both DME Academy and IMG Academy tough. Look for the Patriots to repeat, making it five years in a row as the FHSAA 5A State Champions.   <img class=" wp-image-382898 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/Aryana-Hicks-Charlotte-201x300.jpg" alt="" width="128" height="192" /> Charlotte is 14-8 but has finished the season, winning 6 of their last 7, taking down Fort Myers, Cardinal Mooney, and Miami Country Day in January. Charlotte relies heavily on their leading scorer Junior [player_tooltip player_id="91644" first="D’Yanis" last="Jimenez"] and Niagara signee [player_tooltip player_id="151272" first="Aryana" last="Hicks"]. The dynamic duo averages 25 of the teams 45 points per game and are tough to guard off the dribble and from the 3-point line. If Charlotte is going to make a run in 5A, they will need big time performances from Jimenez and Hicks and likely will need [player_tooltip player_id="153377" first="Kristen" last="Lowers"] and Adruaba Lorfida to step up big!   <img class="size-medium wp-image-331501 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/Eris-Lester-P-rotated-crop-1512x993-1632712300-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Orange Park has a Sophomore sensation in [player_tooltip player_id="331745" first="Eris" last="Lester"], who averaged 20.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while Senior [player_tooltip player_id="91582" first="Nia" last="Brown"] averaged a double-double with 13.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. They have not played nearly as challenging schedule as Charlotte and American Heritage but enter the playoffs 20-5 and have taken down University Christian, Oakleaf, Mainland, and Florida A&M.   <img class=" wp-image-382531 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/McKenzie-Neal-OHS-Lady-Bhahmans-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="153" height="205" />   Okeechobee has one of the state’s top Freshman in [player_tooltip player_id="346836" first="McKenzie" last="Neal"]. She is averaging 14.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. The 6’2 Freshman has led the Brahmans to a 16-4 record and is a major force inside. If Okeechobee is going to take down one of the top teams and make it to Lakeland, Neal will have to be a major force inside. I don’t see many teams that have an interior player that can match up with her.   <img class=" wp-image-370458 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/Addison-Potts-SFM-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="206" height="273" />While they are outside the top 10, look for South Fort Myers to be a sleeper in 5A. South Fort Myers is 20-4 and features revamped roster. They have solid wins over Wesley Chapel and Fort Myers but other than that it has been a weak schedule for the Wolfpack. They are led by Purdue signee [player_tooltip player_id="91562" first="Addison" last="Potts"] who is averaging 21.3 points per game and just surpassed the 2,500 career point mark. Junior [player_tooltip player_id="91648" first="Haley" last="Lang"], Junior [player_tooltip player_id="247192" first="Jayda" last="Green"], and Freshman [player_tooltip player_id="346838" first="V’Davrielle" last="Johnson"] give Potts a supporting cast. They have not been tested much this season, but the talent is there, and they could sneak up on some teams and make a run in 5A. Outside of South Fort Myers, Clearwater, Boca Ciega, Arnold, Pine Forest, Norland, Gateway, and Mainland have all had solid seasons and have a shot in 5A. I think of all the classes in 5A, if American Heritage (Plantation) doesn’t repeat, there are 5-10 teams that could potentially take home the championship.   Michael Wholey is the lead scout for Florida Prep Girls Hoop Florida and a former division one Assistant Coach at American University, University of Memphis, and Georgia Tech. Wholey and the rest of the Prep Girls Hoop staff, seek to cover the entire state of player, keeping subscribers up to date with player evaluations, recruiting info, and statewide news. Our audience often supplies us with some of our best information. If you have any information on players, teams, or statewide news in the state of Florida, emailing Michael Wholey at <a href="mailto:WholeyPrepHoops@gmail.com">WholeyPrepHoops@gmail.com</a> or DM him through Twitter or Instagram @WholeyPrepHoops.