First Coast Media Day Observations

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was great talking to this year's players and coaches at the 5th Annual First Coast Basketball Media Day. Here are some notes and observations from the event. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year, Orange Park High School was one of the main basketball stories on the First Coast. They were selected as Clay county's number 1 team and they did not disappoint. The Raiders came within one game of going to Lakeland for the Final 4. [player_tooltip player_id='331745' first='Eris' last='Lester'] was again magnificent and added a lot of explosiveness and skill to her game. Orange Park also had two seniors in Nia Brown and Sam Hardison who were also special last year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Orange Park </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This year Orange Park was mentioned, but nothing like last year. At media day, Coach Nesmith appeared to be embracing the role of the underdog. Everyone knows how special [player_tooltip player_id='331745' first='Eris' last='Lester'] is, but it's no secret about the shooting of Autumn Nesmith, [player_tooltip player_id='349438' first='Peira' last='Alexander'], and [player_tooltip player_id='401617' first='Hailey' last='Revak']. The Raiders are reloading and they will figure it out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sandalwood</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sandalwood lost a lot last year to graduation and a player transfer. One player who is still there is [player_tooltip player_id='91643' first='Jada' last='Jones'] and she alone will keep Sandalwood in the basketball conversations on the First Coast. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bartram </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='91656' first='Aja' last='Pollard'] and newly transferred guard [player_tooltip player_id='495940' first='Angelina' last='Kouchis'] were at Media day and they and their head coach were extremely optimistic about the upcoming season. Bartram lost some quality players through graduation and transfers, but Pollard, Kouchis, and Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='400785' first='Audrey' last='Beyer'] could prove to be a tough matchup for teams on the First Coach. Pollard is one of the most athletic players on the First Coast and can beat you from the outside and she is even more deadly going to the goal. Kouchis brings good ball handling and a good shooter's touch to Bartram this season. Beyer could be one of the best Freshmen to come through Bartram. She should provide a similar or greater spark to what [player_tooltip player_id='248553' first='Kendall' last='Kane'] provided last year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Paxon </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Paxon had a good season last year and is looking to have another good season this year. The addition of [player_tooltip player_id='743356' first='Nina' last='Kamma-Hill'] will give Paxon another quality guard who can score, and also give them more depth coming off the bench. Paxon was a good team last year, but this year they will not catch anyone by surprise. [player_tooltip player_id='374464' first='Ansley' last='Hicks'] and [player_tooltip player_id='349325' first='Kennedy' last='Waymer'] were one of the best backcourts in the city last season and they will once again be a force to be reckoned with.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ridgeview </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ridgeview will have a new coach on the sidelines and he is excited about the talent he inherited: [player_tooltip player_id='352596' first='Paetyn' last='Miller'] returns as one of the better senior guards on the First Coast. She can shoot the three and also handle the ball. Ridgeview also returns [player_tooltip player_id='331713' first='Nia' last='Blocton'] one of the best bigs on the First Coast. Blocton has averaged a double-double each of her first two seasons in high school. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='370059' first='Nacoya' last='Blocton'] (6'0 PF) also returns, and she may be one of the most versatile players on the First Coast. [player_tooltip player_id='370059' first='Nacoya' last='Blocton'] has the ability to play on the inside and the outside and is one of the best stretch 4s on the First Coast. <strong><em>(Pictured Above: [player_tooltip player_id='331713' first='Nia' last='Blocton'], [player_tooltip player_id='352596' first='Paetyn' last='Miller'], and [player_tooltip player_id='370059' first='Nacoya' last='Blocton']).</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St Johns Country Day</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='91651' first='Taliah' last='Scott'] is on verge of setting some major records this year. Coming off a Summer and Fall of a lifetime, Scott was like a kid in the candy store at Media Day. There are a lot of milestone accomplishments ahead of Scott. At Media Day, she was focused on team goals and the love she has for her teammates. Scott's teammate [player_tooltip player_id='221691' first='Mary' last='Kate Kent'] was present and Kent will handle a lot more point guard duties this season and take some of the pressure off of Scott. This season will be a memorable one for St John Country Day and a special season for [player_tooltip player_id='91651' first='Taliah' last='Scott']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The above storylines were just some of the main talk at Media Day. We will follow these stories and all of the stories on the First Coast throughout this upcoming season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->