City of Palms: Bossi's Monday takeaways

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- High school basketball's Granddaddy of them all when it comes to major winter events, the City of Palms kicked off on Monday. Oregon bound wing Louis King set the tone early and often and headlines National Basketball Analyst Eric Bossi's takeaways from the opening day of action in Florida.

Oregon bound wing Louis King from Hudson Catholic in New Jersey has always hovered around the edges of the five and four star borderline. The talent to be a five-star was never questioned, but his consistency and production didn't always live up to that lofty billing. At this point, those questions have been erased by King.

Through the summer, I felt that King had really turned the corner between potential and being a true player. After seeing him at the City of Palms on Monday, that turn is complete. Scoring 30 points while grabbing six rebound and dishing out six assists, King was spectacular and showed why he should be able to make huge contributions in Eugene from the moment he steps on campus.

King banged deep threes, he made plays for teammates off the dribble and he played with a hard edge to his game. Currently ranked No. 23 overall, King looked like a potential top 10 player in the class and a future first round Draft pick in the NBA. He credits his dedication to a more well rounded all-around game for making the difference.

"I think that I've improved on my ability to shoot from the perimeter," said King. "I'm getting my teammates involved now. I'm getting out in transition and getting them open."

Every few years, a sub six-foot tall point guard comes along who has the ability to play much larger than his size. 2020 point guard Sharife Cooper looks like he's next "little" guard to take a star turn.

The sophomore at Powder Springs (Ga.) McEachern who currently ranks No. 41 overall in the sophomore class was in total command on Monday night as his team handily beat the Ranney School from New Jersey and their five-star junior duo of Bryan Antione and Scottie Lewis

Cooper went for 21 points and did so on a variety of drives and trips to the free throw line with a few jump shots. He's a vocal leader and leads by example and there's not much doubt that he can play college basketball at a pretty high level. To date, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Rutgers, Florida, Texas A&M and Clemson are among those to already offer and more are on their way. Rutgers was on hand to watch him play Monday night.

It wasn't always the prettiest of games for Mountain Brook (Ala.) High's five-star junior Trendon Watford, but the No. 17 player in the class of 2019 showed some tweaks to his game that bode well for his future.

A natural scorer and combo forward who fits the current space and pace style of basketball, what jumped out about Watford was the effort he played with and how much he's rounded out the areas of his game aside from scoring. Watford fought on the glass to grab 11 rebounds and showed deft passing touch as a playmaker out of the high post while racking up four assists to go along with his 15 points. He was also a menace at the top of Mountain Brook's fullcourt press coming up with several steals and deflections.

Watford visited Alabama and Indiana -- where his brother Christian Watford played -- during the fall and said that he's planning to visit Florida State when they host Duke and Alabama when they host Texas A&M. The Hoosiers, Seminoles and Tigers have all offered as have others like Kansas, Auburn, Mississippi State, UCF, Ole Miss, Iowa, TCU, LSU, Memphis and others.

I mentioned the Ranney school's five-star duo of combo guard Bryan Antoine and Scottie Lewis who rank No. 7 and No. 8 overall in the class of 2019 above and it just wasn't their night. Kentucky dispatched an assistant to watch them and they struggled with their shots and fought some turnover issues. During the latter part of the game Antione started knocking down some shots and using his strength and skill to to finish with 20 points and a pair of assists. Most dangerous along the baseline, Lewis did the bulk of the off the dribble playmaking for Ranney and finished with five assists and six rebounds to go along with his 10 points on 4-13 shooting. A potential big time defender, Lewis also added three blocks and a pair of steals.

Prior to going down with what looks to be a minor ankle injury, four-star junior Isaac Okoro was the best player on the court for McEachern in their win over the Ranney School. A bruising and attacking wing, Okoro backed up his No. 33 overall ranking scoring 15 points and grabbing five rebounds. When he gets consistent with his three point shot, he can make a serious run at five-star status. The third of McEachern's three nationally ranked players, 2019 PF Babatunde Akingbola is looking to emerge as one of the top big men in the Southeast. He's added a ton of strength and was very active around the rim on both ends of the floor while showing nasty streak. Rutgers, Georgia Tech, Tulane, USF and NC State are among the early offers for Akingbola while Okoro holds offers from all of them plus Florida State, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Alabama, Memphis and Mississippi State. Rutgers and Mississippi State both had assistants on hand.

Both Florida Gulf Coast and South Alabama look to have landed some mid major steals from the state of Florida. A 6-foot-5 guard who can really shoot from deep and make plays for others, FGCU commit Caleb Catto would be gathering high major offers left and right if he were still available. Maybe the top athlete in the gym, South Alabama bound Berrick Jeanlouis showed big potential as a big, ball handling playmaker who can make an impact on both ends of the floor. JeanLouis is a bit raw overall, but he's got a very nice feel, a big time motor and is an elite defensive player. His upside is huge and he looks like he'll end up a major steal.

Next year at Ohio State, shooting guard Luther Muhammad is going to play some point guard. As a senior at Hudson Catholic where he teams with five-stars Louis King and Jahvon Quinerly, the four-star is getting some possessions at the point in preparation. He looked pretty comfortable during those stretches and is a tough guard who can knock down shots and will be ready physically for the Big Ten. A stalwart on the defensive end, Muhammad is as good a perimeter defender as there is in high school basketball.

Finally, St. Louis University bound power forward Carte'Are Gordon from Webster Groves (Mo.) High is playing at a bit of a deficit while his top 40 teammate Courtney Ramey recovers from a broken wrist. That being said, the four-star prospect looked really good on Monday. Gordon is built like a college upperclassmen, has top shelf athleticism and is a bullyball scorer on the interior. He plays on the edge and should make an immediate impact for SLU.