First Coast Media Day: Duval Senior Takeover
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A lot of the Seniors present at this years Media Day have been here before as rising Sophomore and Juniors, but this year, their purpose and focus were different than before. These Seniors have been through the battles on the…
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Continue ReadingA lot of the Seniors present at this years Media Day have been here before as rising Sophomore and Juniors, but this year, their purpose and focus were different than before. These Seniors have been through the battles on the court and off the court. A lot of the Seniors played their last AAU season a few months ago and many have been fielding calls and contacts from college coaches. Some of the Seniors have already committed to a college, some are still making a decision that will affect their lives for the next four years. Some are still waiting for the call and some of the seniors have other plans. What ever the situation may be, the First Coast Seniors showed up and showed out at Media Day. They represented their schools and gave a clear insight to what this season will be like. In this article, we look at some of the Seniors in Duval county who participated in the “Senior” Takeover that unfolded at this year’s Media Day.
The BK3 (
Clare Coyle
Clare
Coyle
6'1" | PF
Bishop Kenny | 2024
State
FL
,
Sydney Roundtree
Sydney
Roundtree
6'0" | PF
Bishop Kenny | 2024
State
FL
,
Riley Talbert
Riley
Talbert
5'9" | SG
Bishop Kenny HS | 2024
State
FL
) owned the floor at Media Day. What these three have accomplished so far in their high school career is very impressive and each of them has committed to a D-1 college. They are competitors and I imagine for them, the theme this year is likely “unfinished business” or something similar. Talbert is the glue that holds it all together. Coyle brings the power and relentless effort, and Roundtree brings the versatility and athleticism.
Mandarin Seniors
Nykeria Thomas
Nykeria
Thomas
5'10" | CG
Mandarin | 2024
State
FL
and
Kiyana Hunter
Kiyana
Hunter
5'3" | PG
Mandarin | 2024
State
FL
showed up representing the Mustangs in a big way at Media Day and proudly wore their Gateway Conference Champion shirts to remind the room in a subtle manor that Mandarin is one of the teams to be reckoned with in Jacksonville FL. Thomas is the offensive force who can play all 5 positions and Hunter is the engine that makes the train run.
Kennedy Waymer
Kennedy
Waymer
PG
Paxon | 2024
State
FL
and
Ansley Hicks
Ansley
Hicks
5'6" | CG
Paxon | 2024
State
FL
were in the house and represented Paxon with a “full court press.” This duo is one of the top guard combinations in the city and Paxon under their leadership will be a team to be reckoned with this upcoming season. Waymer stresses defenses like no other with her ability to get to the rim, and Hicks is the playmaker who can get to the rim and score and dish the rock to teammates.
Claire Coogan
Claire
Coogan
5'6" | PG
Episcopal | 2024
State
FL
and
Kendall Shorstein
Kendall
Shorstein
5'5" | SG
Episcopal School Of Jacksonville | 2024
State
FL
came to Media Day game ready. These two can shoot with the best of them. Coogan runs the point and distributes and scores. Shorstein is a playmaker, but her job is to score and she is an aggressive three point shooter.
Seniors
Ella Stakem
Ella
Stakem
5'7" | SG
Bolles HS | 2024
State
FL
and
Hilary Englert
Hilary
Englert
5'10" | SF
Bolles | 2024
State
FL
of Bolles brought
Abby Knauff
Abby
Knauff
5'9" | SG
Bolles | 2025
State
FL
(middle) along to “teach” her the Media Day ropes. Stakem lights it up from behind the arc with the smoothest shot around and Englert does all of the little things including rebounding, defending, and would drive the bus if she was asked to. That Junior they brought along might be pretty good and will be featured in the Juniors at Media Day story.
Senior guards Asya Jones and Melanni McLeod Melanni McLeod 5'5" | SG Bishop Snyder | 2024 State FL attended the high school Media Day and they wanted to make sure that their message was clear. They are looking to raise the standard and wins at Bishop Snyder. Jones has lead Snyder in a lot of scoring categories every year and now she has added a three point shot to her tool box. McLeod will handle the point guard duties and play the tough defense.
Kayla Massey
Kayla
Massey
5'4" | PG
Jean Ribault | 2024
State
FL
will stress your defense out and foul out every player on your team. Don’t let this photo fool you. She is ruthless on the court and she is ready to lead Ribault to a special season. Massey can shoot it, drive it to the rim, and score the ball.
Salyse Dillihay
Salyse
Dillihay
5'7" | CG
Atlantic Coast | 2024
State
FL
was present at Media Day and the way she has played over the past few months it was good to see her in the building. Dillihay gets after it on both ends of the court and she continually works to get better. She will provide leadership to an Atlantic Coast team that could sneak up on some folks this upcoming season.
We will break the Senior Takeover article into three parts: Duval, Clay and Nassau combined, and St Johns county.