5 Sophomore D1 College Prospects from the Tampa Bay Invitational
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By Michael Wholey 1/5/23 12:00 PM EST The Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational wrapped up this weekend hosting 100+ teams from all over the country. With over 100 teams in attendance, there were a ton of talented teams and players in…
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Continue ReadingBy Michael Wholey 1/5/23 12:00 PM EST
The Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational wrapped up this weekend hosting 100+ teams from all over the country. With over 100 teams in attendance, there were a ton of talented teams and players in the gym both from Florida and out of state. We will break down the event all week. In this take, we break down some of the class of 2025 top prospects.
Markeli Jones-Tynes Markeli Jones-Tynes 5'9" | PG Westminster Academy | 2025 State FL (Westminster Academy) – 5’9 Guard
Jones-Tynes is one of my favorite players in South Florida. The 5’9 Sophomore guard is a talented and gifted scorer who can handle the rock, attack the rim and is a crafty 1v1 player who plays down hill and attacks the rim aggressively. She has a strong, athletic build that is built for the college game. She is a mid-major to higher D1 level college prospect.
Lena Girardi Lena Girardi 5'10" | SF IMG Academy | 2025 State FL (Westminster Academy) – 5’9 Guard
Girardi is currently the class of 2025 # 1 ranked player for good reason. She has great size. She has great skill. She has a high basketball IQ. And she has great leadership skills. The Westminster Academy backcourt is as talented as they come with Girardi, Jones-Tynes, Abby Price Abby Price 5'11" | SG Westminster Academy | 2025 State FL and Maddio Walhoff but Lena is what makes the team tick. Girardi is a high academic player from the east coast that will have mid major, BCS, and high academic interest up and down the east coast and beyond.
Olivia Olson Olivia Olson 5'10" | SF Mainland | 2025 State FL (Spruce Creek) – 5’6 Guard
Olson is a young, talented point guard with great size. She plays with a supreme confidence, playing under composure, handling the ball vs pressure and pushing the tempo attacking in transition. She is a capable 3-point shooter who plays well out of ball screens and does a great job getting into the paint and creating scoring opportunities for herself and for her teammates, using her court vision and passing skills to set them up for easy shots.
Jim’miyah Branton (SLAM! Miami) – 5’7 Guard
Branton has missed some significant court time at the beginning of the season and it was great to see her back on the court and healthy. She is one of the state’s top athletes and is quick and explosive as you will find a perimeter player in the county. She is aggressive with the ball in hands, constantly looking for scoring opportunities and is a deadly 3-point shooter. Branton has already picked up several D1 offers and will continue to receive more with her talented skill set.
Ari Woodard (Lake Highland Prep) – 6’0 Guard
Woodard is another one that has missed significant court time and it is great to see her back on the floor and healthy. She ran the point guard position, attacking aggressively off the dribble, pushing the tempo and getting into the paint. Woodard does a really good job utilizing the hesitation move, changing speeds, attacking from the top of the key and the win and finishing in the paint both with her right and left hands on balance. She is one of the state’s top class of 2025 prospects and is a mid-major or higher D1 college prospect.
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 WholeyPrepHoops@gmail.com or DM him through Twitter or Instagram @WholeyPrepHoops.