2023 New Years Classic Preview - Top Juniors and Seniors

By Michael Wholey 12/31/22 5:00 PM EST   The 2023 New Year's Classic was recently released by SUTS Report.  The 40-team event has consistently been one of the top high school events in Florida.  The two-day event will host a number of the top teams throughout South Florida, the state of Florida, as well as out of state teams.  Here is a preview of the event.     Friday January 6th – Court 1 (St. Thomas Aquinas)   10:00 AM        Somerset Prep North Lauderdale v Doral Academy   11:30 AM        Holy Trinity v Miami Christian   1:00 PM          Lourdes v Everglades   2:30 PM          Palmer Trinity v Kings Academy   4:00 PM          Miami Sr HS v Westminster Academy   5:30 PM          Somerset Silver Palms v Batavia (IL)   7:00 PM          Miami Country Day v Montverde Academy   8:30 PM          St. Thomas Aquinas v Horeb Christian     Friday January 6th – Court 2 (Cardinal Gibbons)   10:00 AM        Seminole Ridge v North Miami   11:30 AM        SLAM! Miami Academy v Santaluces   1:00 PM          Carrolton School v Nova   2:30 PM          Archbishop McCarthy v Gulliver Prep   4:00 PM          Palmetto v Cypress Bay   5:30 PM          Flanagan v Cardinal Gibbons   8:30 PM          St. Andrews v Western     Saturday January 7th – Court 1 (St. Thomas Aquinas)   10:00 AM        Palmetto v Holy Trinity   11:30 AM        Somerset Silver Palms v Seminole Ridge   1:00 PM          Kings Academy v Miami Sr HS   2:30 PM          Western v SLAM! Miami Academy   4:00 PM          Palmer Trinity v Somerset Prep North Lauderdale   5:30 PM          Horeb Christian v Miami Country Day   7:00 PM          Batavia (IL) v Westminster Academy   8:30 PM          Montverde Academy v St. Thomas Aquinas     Saturday January 7th – Court 2 (Cardinal Gibbons)   10:00 AM        Gulliver Prep v North Miami   11:30 AM        St. Andrews v Lourdes   4:00 PM          Cardinal Gibbons v Miami Christian   5:30 PM          Doral Academy v Everglades   7:00 PM          Archbishop McCarthy v Carrolton School   8:30 PM          Nova v Santaluces     TOP PLAYERS - Juniors   [player_tooltip player_id='244210' first='Tamara' last='Elliott'] (Western HS) – 5'5 Guard   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/12/Tamara-Elliott-Fowles.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-572896" width="153" height="153" /></figure>   Elliott is a tough, strong combo guard that gets after it on both ends of the floor.  Her compact build makes her effective penetrating to get to the rim and absorbing contact.  On the defensive end, she is an aggressive, physical defender, who applies consistent ball pressure to opposing teams point guards and has good anticipation skills.      [player_tooltip player_id='217667' first='Kayla' last='Nelms'] (Miami Country Day) – 6'2 Forward   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/01/104-DSC08149-scaled.jpg?w=683" alt="" class="wp-image-374670" width="167" height="250" /></figure>   Nelms has been putting up consistent numbers for the past two years on both the high school and travel circuit, showing her versatility, efficiency, and impact on both ends of the floor. She is Miami Country Day best player, having the ability to knock down open 3s and go inside and post up as an inside/out forward.  She has soft hands, a high IQ, great court awareness and is a very efficient on the offensive end of the floor, shooting a high percentage from the field and a good passer for a 6'2 player with great court vision.        [player_tooltip player_id='572864' first='Emely' last='Rodriguez'] (Horeb Christian) – 6'1 Guard / Wing   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/12/Emely-Rodriguez-MS-3-FapNqwcXgAAXnjJ.jpeg?w=819" alt="" class="wp-image-572895" width="164" height="205" /></figure>   Rodriguez is putting up major numbers averaging 25.7 points and 14.8 rebounds per game and is a major rising star amongst college coaches.  At 6'1, she is long, athletic, and very versatile.  She puts the ball to the floor form the wing and attacks the rim aggressively.  She is a skilled perimeter player who shoots a high percentage from 15 feet and out and does a great job finishing in the paint.  Look for Rodriguez to enter the class of 2024 rankings as one of the top players in the state.         [player_tooltip player_id='221843' first='Samantha' last='Vales'] (Miami Christian) – 5'3 Guard   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/04/6C7CADC2-0E46-4C50-AC9F-102A2C374F72.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-419660" width="309" height="232" /></figure>     Vales is Miami Christian leading scorer averaging 14.3 points per game.  She is a strong, stocky 5'3 guard who does a good job balancing her role as a distributor and scorer.  She handles the ball for Miami Christian and slides over to the shooting guard position as well, where she often is more aggressive as a ball handler.        TOP PLAYERS - Seniors   [player_tooltip player_id='166162' first='Kendra' last='Bentley'] (Santaluces) – 5'9 Wing   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/01/Kendra-Bentley.jpeg?w=616" alt="" class="wp-image-382561" width="123" height="186" /></figure>   Bentley is off to a fantastic start averaging 19.8 points per game, shooting 43% from the field while snatching 4.3 steals and dropping 2.9 assists per game helping Santaluces to a 7-4 record.   Her combination of length and athleticism, make her a versatile wing that attacks opponents in a number of ways, and does a great job putting the ball in the basket.      [player_tooltip player_id='91641' first='Karina' last='Gordon'] (St. Thomas Aquinas) – 5'9 Guard   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/12/495A6652.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-572282" width="347" height="231" /></figure>   Gordon is an East Carolina signee and Broward County reigning player of the year.  At 5'9, Gordon is an extremely well-rounded offensive player, who can shoot, pass, and attack off the dribble.  On the defensive end, she is an aggressive and effective on ball defender who uses her high IQ and good anticipation skills to get into passing skills and create offense from her defense.          [player_tooltip player_id='352557' first='Uniyah' last='Franklin'] (Everglades) – 6'2 Forward   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/07/20220710_194253-scaled.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-460615" width="125" height="222" /></figure>   Franklin, a University of Louisiana signee, has helped lead Everglades to one of best starts in program history with 10-3 record.  Her length and athleticism make her an effective rebounder on both ends of the floor and a versatile offensive player that can play inside and out.  At 6'2, she grabs rebounds on the offensive and defensive end of the floor, and does a good job staying active, and playing with good energy.      [player_tooltip player_id='142823' first='Sahnya' last='Jah'] (Montverde Academy) – 6'2 Wing / Forward   Jah is the leading scorer for one of the most talented teams in the country.   The University of South Carolina signee is extremely long, very athletic, and versatile.  She uses her length to be an effective defender off the ball – getting her hands on a lot of balls throughs deflections and tips.  On an uber talented team, Jah does a great job at being effective without need the ball in her hands constantly or having sets run for her on the offensive end.      [player_tooltip player_id='243928' first='Madisyn' last='McLeod'] (Nova HS) – 5'9 Guard / Wing   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/01/242-DSC08362-scaled.jpg?w=683" alt="" class="wp-image-374668" width="166" height="249" /></figure>       Nova is off to a hot start with a perfect 13-0 record and McLeod is the teams go to player including a career high 30-point effort in a recent game vs Taravella.  McLeod is a big guard / wing that can play multiple positions, can attack off the dribble, shoot the 3 from deep, and gets to the free throw line.             [player_tooltip player_id='247204' first='Lynn' last='Rieth'] (Holy Trinity) – 5'6 Guard   Rieth is Holy Trinity's go to player, averaging 16+ points per game while shooting 93% from the free throw line.  Her stellar play has been a big part of Holy Trinity success and their 10-2 record.  Rieth is effective with the ball in her hands and playing off the ball.  She shoots a high percentage from the field, gives up the ball freely to open teammates in scoring position, and gets after it equally on the defensive end.         [player_tooltip player_id='247134' first='Janessa' last='Williams'] (Kings Academy) – 5'10 Wing   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/Janessa-Williams-D1-352UL.jpg?w=769" alt="" class="wp-image-546674" width="212" height="282" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo by Carlos Wilson</figcaption></figure>     Williams is averaging a double-double with 16.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. At 5'10, she is a hybrid type of player that can play inside and out. She moves around on the court both offensively and defensively, not backing down from players 2-3 inches taller and beating up on players 2-3 inches smaller. Her tough, aggressive, high-energy play is fun to watch and refreshing as she stands out in every game I see her play, as she consistently finds a way to fill up the stat sheet.         [player_tooltip player_id='515779' first='Joelle' last='Wilson'] (Miami Senior HS) – 5'11 Forward   Wilson is one of the top unsigned post players in the state and one of the biggest stock risers in the class of 2023, as she continues to improve month by month.  At 5'11, she runs the floor consistently, has a knack of being around the ball, and is an effective rebounder and shot blocker on the interior.  She finishes well in the paint and has range out to 15 feet.  Wilson is definitely a post player college coaches should be taking a look at.      [player_tooltip player_id='91640' first='Emily' last='Montes'] (Palmer Trinity) – 5'10 Wing   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/IMG_2283-scaled.jpeg?w=680" alt="" class="wp-image-452274" width="138" height="208" /></figure>   Montes is a 5'10 wing that is headed to Columbia University next season.  Montes is one of the most well-rounded players in the state leading her team in points (14.3 PPG), rebounds (6.1 RPG), assists (5.0 APG), steals (4.0 SPG), and blocks (1.4 BPG).  She shoots a high percentage from the field, is a good decision maker with great passing skills, and plays unselfish, promoting ball movement and sharing the ball amongst her Palmer Trinity squad.              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.

By Michael Wholey 12/31/22 5:00 PM EST