FT. MYERS, Fla. - Wednesday at the City of Palms saw some big-time talents take thier talents and do what they do best. Tournament favorite Montverde (Fla.) Academy throws a bunch of talent on the floor, and they did not disappoint as
Dakari Johnson led the way in a romp over host Bishop Verot. Long Beach Poly's
Jordan Bell had another big day, and
Julius Randle talked about recovering from his broken foot.
Head coach Kevin Boyle of Montverde (Fla.) Academy has a lot of weapons at his disposal. He's got a five-star backcourt in
Florida-bound point guard
Kasey Hill and undecided junior combo guard
D'Angelo Russell. Both Hill and Russell were plenty good on Wednesday, but it was five-star senior big man
Dakari Johnson who pitched a pretty much perfect game of hoops.
In just over 16 minutes of action, Johnson went 11-11 from the field and corralled 10 rebounds in a dominating performance.
Bishop Verot didn't have anybody who could come close to containing Johnson, but he still had to hold up his end of the bargain with conversions and tough play around the rim. Johnson isn't a crazy athlete, and his game is more about getting position around the rim; but he did run the floor hard for a few transition opportunities.
After moving to 2013 from the class of 2014, Johnson is also moving along with his recruitment. The 6-foot-10, 250 pounder is now down to
Georgetown,
Kentucky and
Syracuse. He says that all three are in even standing and that he'll take his visits once the high school season is over.
The game between Memphis (Tenn.) Southwind and Plano (Texas) Prestonwood Christian should have been much different. Prestonwood should have been hitting the floor with the nation's No. 2 player in the class of 2013
Julius Randle and four-star sophomore wing
Mickey Mitchell. But both of Prestonwood's star players were sidelined with injuries, making it a pretty easy go of things for Southwind and their high-octane, pressing style led by the senior duo of
Missouri-bound
Johnathan Williams III and
Marquette signee
JaJuan Johnson.
At times early on, Prestonwood couldn't even get the ball in bounds, and the baskets came fast and furious for Southwind from close range. Williams was an early beneficiary of this as his 6-foot-9 size and quickness to the rim were just too much to handle on top of everything else. He ran the floor, altered shots at the rim and generally had a pretty easy go of it while tallying 18 points.
A long 6-foot-4 perimeter player, Johnson didn't have his shot dialed in from deep early in the game. Instead, he used his quickness and great first step to attack the rim where he found plenty of success. When his jumper started falling late, he clicked off a few deep jumpers and ended up scoring a game-high 20 points in less than 20 minutes of action.
It wasn't easy for Julius Randle to sit by and watch his teammates get handed a lopsided loss. But the 6-foot-9 senior who ranks No. 2 in the class of 2013 felt it very important to be on hand to support his teammates as he tries to move on from a broken foot that will likely end up costing him his final run through high school.
"It sucks to be honest," said Randle when asked what it was like to watch his teammates struggle. "I just have to be there to support them whether I'm playing or not."
If there is any silver lining to be found in being injured, Randle is doing his best to find it. His recovery is going well, he's off of crutches and his attitude remains positive. He's had a rather hectic schedule for the past few years, and he at least gets a little time to rest and recover and prepare for his future.
"I haven't had a chance to get true, legitimate rest so I take that as a positive," said Randle who plans to do some things with USA Basketball in the summer. "Next year is the most important year for me so that's what I'm working on right now."
When asked if his injury has changed his recruitment or the approach of coaches Randle couldn't help but chuckle.
Florida,
Kansas,
Kentucky,
N.C. State,
Oklahoma and
Texas remain firmly in pursuit. He's looking forward to visits coming up to N.C. State, Kansas and Texas and says the only real difference in his recruitment is that he now has more time to talk to coaches.
"The (recruiting process) isn't weighing on me at all," Randle said. "They talk to me just like they did my freshman year. They're all saying the same stuff right now, I just have more time to talk with them."