Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational Recap
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Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational Recap By Michael Wholey 1/8/21 9:00 AM EST The brand-new Wiregrass Sports Complex in Pasco County just outside Tampa was host to the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational shortly after Christmas. Kudos to Seffner Christian Head Coach…
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Continue ReadingTampa Bay Christmas Invitational Recap
By Michael Wholey 1/8/21 9:00 AM EST
The brand-new Wiregrass Sports Complex in Pasco County just outside Tampa was host to the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational shortly after Christmas.
Kudos to Seffner Christian Head Coach Joe Cooper for pulling off this event in a challenging time for any event operator. Coach Cooper has established the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational as one of the top events in Florida and attracted a number of teams from out of state to compete against some of Florida’s top teams. With the current COVID pandemic, the event was limited to just Florida teams and Coach Cooper had the challenge of a number of counties banning teams from participating just weeks and in some cases days before event started. None the less, the 2020 Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational went off shortly after the Christmas holiday hosting just over 30 teams, dividing them into 5 brackets.
Champions
Central Pointe Academy (Regional) – Caladesi Island Bracket
Newsome – Anna Maria Island Bracket
Southeast – Siesta Key Bracket
Central Pointe Academy (National) – St Pete Beach Bracket
Braden River – Clearwater Beach Bracket
Best Game
Braden River defeated HB Plant 6-58 in the championship game of the Clearwater Beach bracket. In what was advertised as a battle between two of the state’s top 2021 prospects Florida State signee O’Mariah Gordon O’Mariah Gordon 5'6" | PG Braden River | 2021 State #27 Nation FL and Vanderbilt signee Kendal Cheesman Kendal Cheesman 6'2" | PF HB Plant | 2021 State FL , it was unsigned 2021 guard Cheyenne Stubbs Cheyenne Stubbs 5'7" | CG Braden River | 2021 State FL from Braden River who was the game’s best player and ultimately led Braden River to the victory with her sharp shooting finishing with 28 points.
Best Team
Central Pointe Academy defeated Cardinal Mooney quite handedly in the championship game 56-20 in the St Pete Beach bracket. They defeated Fort Myers 45-38 in the quarterfinals, then followed that up with a 49-40 win over Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate. Ultimately, I would like to have seen them in the Clearwater Beach bracket and match up against Plant, Carrollwood Day, Braden River, Florida State University High, Gulf Coast and Westminster Academy but their three day performance was solid and their roster is impressive. Adding into the fact that they brought two teams and their second team also won their bracket and they played the event without their 6’5 2021 post from India Harsimran Kaur Harsimran Kaur 6'4" | C Central Pointe Academy | 2021 State FL , it is obvious that Central Pointe Academy is going to be a major player in the Florida prep hoops scene for years to come. Head Coach Wesley Arocho has established a program that is young and deep with a ton of length and skill. Silkiari Vazquez Silkiari Vazquez 5'5" | PG Central Pointe Academy | 2022 State FL , Naylee Cortes Naylee Cortes 5'11" | PF Central Pointe Academy | 2022 State FL , and Daniela Gonzalez Daniela Gonzalez 6'0" | SF Central Pointe Academy | 2022 State FL sticking together for the next two years is dangerous!
TBCI All-Tournament Team By Class (Chosen by TBCI event staff)
2021
Kendal Cheesman Kendal Cheesman 6'2" | PF HB Plant | 2021 State FL – Plant
Amarie Goodwin Amarie Goodwin CG Brooks DeBartolo | 2021 State FL – Brooks DeBartolo
O’Mariah Gordon O’Mariah Gordon 5'6" | PG Braden River | 2021 State #27 Nation FL – Braden River
Taviyanna Habib Taviyanna Habib 5'9" | CG Armwood | 2021 State FL – Armwood
Nyla Jean Nyla Jean 5'7" | PG HB Plant | 2021 State FL – Plant
Kayla McDuffie – Southeast
Mia Nicholson – Wesley Chapel
Janay Outten Janay Outten 5'7" | CG Fort Myers | 2021 State FL – Fort Myers
Marinique Reddin Marinique Reddin 5'9" | CG Wharton HS | 2021 State FL – Wharton
Cheyenne Stubbs Cheyenne Stubbs 5'7" | CG Braden River | 2021 State FL – Braden River
Emma Wallhoff Emma Wallhoff 5'10" | CG Westminster | 2021 State FL – Westminster Academy
Victoria Zidor – Cocoa
2022
Jaela Davis Jaela Davis 5'7" | CG Brooks DeBartolo | 2022 State FL – Brooks DeBartolo
Olivia Delancy Olivia Delancy 6'0" | SF Bogie HS | 2022 State FL – Carrollwood Day School
Kailyn Gilbert Kailyn Gilbert 5'8" | CG IMG Academy | 2022 State FL – Seffner Christian
Daniela Gonzalez Daniela Gonzalez 6'0" | SF Central Pointe Academy | 2022 State FL – Central Pointe Academy
Kaylee Kehler – Lakewood Ranch
Tonie Morgan Tonie Morgan 5'9" | PG FSUHS | 2022 State #18 Nation FL – Florida State University High School
Halei Murrell – Lenard
Melahnie Perry – Carrollwood Day School
Addison Potts Addison Potts 6'0" | CG South Fort Myers | 2022 State FL – Seffner Christian
Jordan Rosier Jordan Rosier 5'7" | CG Florida State | 2021 State FL – Florida State University High School
Sydney Sandoff – Steinbrenner
Guiliana Sepulveda – Central Pointe Academy
Silkiari Vazquez Silkiari Vazquez 5'5" | PG Central Pointe Academy | 2022 State FL – Central Pointe Academy
2023
Tyja Bean – Spruce Creek
Jordyn Byrd Jordyn Byrd 6'3" | PF Cardinal Mooney | 2023 State #25 Nation FL – Cardinal Mooney
Olivia Davis Olivia Davis 5'7" | CG Cardinal Mooney | 2023 State FL – Cardinal Mooney
Tyra Kennedy – Hillsborough
Maggie Lauber – Durant
Madelyn Leslie Madelyn Leslie 5'10" | SG Gulf Coast | 2023 State FL – Gulf Coast
High School Duo’s
Good High School teams have two really good players where the great teams have 3 or more. A number of teams had very impressive duo’s. Here are some of the top ones that stood out.
O’Mariah Gordon O’Mariah Gordon 5'6" | PG Braden River | 2021 State #27 Nation FL and Cheyenne Stubbs Cheyenne Stubbs 5'7" | CG Braden River | 2021 State FL – Braden River
Gordon is the headliner as she is signed to Florida State and is the reigning 2x Gatorade Florida Player of the Year but Stubbs is making the biggest impact transferring back to Braden River after being at Sarasota last season. Gordon and Stubbs are averaging 40+ points per game and capable of going for 50 or even 60+ combined any night!
Kendal Cheesman Kendal Cheesman 6'2" | PF HB Plant | 2021 State FL and Nyla Jean Nyla Jean 5'7" | PG HB Plant | 2021 State FL – Plant
Cheesman is headed to Vanderbilt and Jean is headed to Georgia State next season. Both schools are getting skilled players that play hard and very unselfish. Plant Head Coach Carrie Mahon does a great job building a system around these two and filling in the roles. Their selfless attitudes and solid leadership are fun to watch and you can tell they have played together for quite some time.
Madelyn Leslie Madelyn Leslie 5'10" | SG Gulf Coast | 2023 State FL and Katie Ambrose Katie Ambrose 5'5" | PG Gulf Coast | 2022 State FL – Gulf Coast
Skilled perimeter players who played well throughout the weekend. Ambrose is an extension of the coach on floor and the little engine that makes the Gulf Coast train go. She is exceptional with the ball in her hands, pushing in transition, and finding open players for easy buckets. Leslie helps space the floor and knocks down open 3s from anywhere. Add 2022 6’1 Forward Reese Tremitiere Reese Tremitiere 6'1" | PF Gulf Coast | 2022 State FL into the mix, when all three are playing well, the Sharks can take down just about any team in the state.
Olivia Davis Olivia Davis 5'7" | CG Cardinal Mooney | 2023 State FL and Jordyn Byrd Jordyn Byrd 6'3" | PF Cardinal Mooney | 2023 State #25 Nation FL – Cardinal Mooney
The best 2023 tandem is as good as there is in the state and flying a bit under the radar. The Sophomore pair is averaging close to 30 points per game. Add in Freshman Kennedy McClain Kennedy McClain 5'11" | SF Sarasota | 2024 State FL and this could be the state’s top team in the next 2-3 years.
Kailyn Gilbert Kailyn Gilbert 5'8" | CG IMG Academy | 2022 State FL and Addison Potts Addison Potts 6'0" | CG South Fort Myers | 2022 State FL – Seffner Christian
Potts has been committed to Missouri since 8th grade and Gilbert recently released a list of her top 8 schools back in November (Arizona, Virginia, Louisville, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Miami, and Mississippi State). The pair is still getting used to playing with each other and the rest of their Seffner Christian teammates as both were not with the team last year but the two are as talented of a backcourt as there is in the state and if they can figure it out by playoff time, they can lead Seffner to a FHSAA State Championship in 3A.
Tonie Morgan Tonie Morgan 5'9" | PG FSUHS | 2022 State #18 Nation FL and Jordan Rosier Jordan Rosier 5'7" | CG Florida State | 2021 State FL – Florida State University High School
Morgan is one of the country’s top guard and Rosier is headed to South Alabama next year. The two play exceptionally well together and Morgan is just flat out ridiculously good. She has a very rare combination of athleticism, skill, and basketball IQ. She is arguably the state’s top college prospect regardless of class.
Emma Wallhoff Emma Wallhoff 5'10" | CG Westminster | 2021 State FL and Lena Girardi – Westminster Academy
Wallhoff is headed to Southern Miss next year and Girardi is just an 8th grader but her skill and scoring ability are hard to ignore. Head Coach Shannon Wallhoff (Emma’s mom) encourages team play, sharing of the ball, and making the extra pass but might need to look at making sure these two take some more shots because when they are hitting from the outside, it is scary and they can put points up in a hurry!
Chaniya Clark Chaniya Clark 6'2" | PF Fort Myers | 2021 State #96 Nation FL and Janay Outten Janay Outten 5'7" | CG Fort Myers | 2021 State FL – Fort Myers
Davis and Byrd were the 2nd best guard / post matchup to Outten and Clark. Clark in my opinion is the state’s most under rated player as she has a rare combination of agility and skill combined with excellent footwork and great hands! Outten is a downhill guard who pushes ball in transition and gets to the rim. The team needs 1-2 more players to make a run in Lakeland as they have in the past but if Clark and Outten got it going they surely can compete with the state’s top teams.
Michael Wholey is the Senior Scout of Prep Girls Hoops Florida. You can reach him at WholeyPrepHoops@gmail.com or on Twitter @WholeyPrepHoops and Instagram @WholeyPrepHoops.