SARASOTA, Fla. - As is tradition, Sunday at The Workout was

reserved for some of the top freshman and sophomores that the state of Florida

has to offer. In many cases, this was the first chance for players to stand out

in front of national scouts and freshman Juwan Durham and sophomore

Haanif Cheatham were among the players making the most of their

opportunity.

Only time will tell what direction the development of freshman big man Juwan

Durham will take. For now, though, the 6-foot-8 post player from Tampa (Fla.)

Prep has put himself on the map as a player that high majors need to think about

monitoring just in case it all goes well.

Outside of senior big man Joel Embiid, the class of 2016 prospect was

arguably the best looking player that we saw over the weekend in Florida.

Yes, Durham is quite skinny and will have to grow into his frame. But, if he

does, then he's got lots of tools with which to work. He ran the floor easily,

has very good hands, looks to have a good base of skills and he's already a

pretty good athlete.

Given that he hasn't played the first game of his freshman season, not many

people know about Durham yet so his recruiting won't really get started until

his season starts. However, he is definitely one that will get the attention of

a lot of college coaches and Rivals.com will be following his development down

the road.

Of all the kids who took the floor on Sunday, class of 2015 combo guard Haanif

Cheatham probably had the biggest reputation. After watching the 6-foot-4

southpaw, it looks to have been well deserved.

A sophomore at Pembroke Pines (Fla.) Charter, Cheatham plays a very confident

game and he looks to be pretty skilled whether he is on or off the ball.

Because of his size and length, Cheatham is very intriguing as a point guard. On

Sunday he looked to be very steady and played under control while still making

things happen for himself and others. He dribbles heads up and is an excellent

decision maker in transition. As a two, he gives you a good secondary

ball-handler and he has a nice little mid-range game and a jumper that looks

like it will be pretty reliable when it is all said and done.

According to his travel team coach Brandon McThay, Cheatham has already been

offered by Miami and USF while others like

South Carolina, Florida, UCF, Baylor, Florida

International, Florida Atlantic and Murray State have also shown levels of

initial interest.

One

of the better guards on Sunday was Pompano Beach (Fla.) Blanche Ely combo guard

James Labadi. The 6-foot-1 sophomore was very good off the dribble and

was one of the best players on the floor at getting to the rim and finishing.

His jumper doesn't look too bad and he played with lots of confidence.

Like

so many of the other big men at The Workout, 6-foot-8 sophomore

Kevvarius Hayes has to get stronger. But, in terms of athleticism and willingness to

go run down a loose ball, Hayes is ahead of the curve. He's bouncy around the

rim, has great length, really ran the floor and played with a ton of energy.

One

of the speediest players in attendance was Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage

sophomore point guard

Keyshawn Evans. Just a little short of six-feet

tall, Evans is very fast with the ball and has a pretty good feel for

distributing the rock.

In

terms of effort and seemingly being all over the place to make plays, nobody was

better than Pembroke Pines (Fla.) Charter sophomore Prince Ali. The

6-foot-4'ish wing played with loads of energy and really made a lot happen. He

finished in transition, got on the offensive glass and also stuck several

mid-range jumpers.

As

one of the strongest players on Sunday, 6-foot-7 power forward

Chad Brown was able to push some guys around. However, the sophomore from

Deltona (Fla.) High also showed off plenty of skill and good touch. Looks like

he can shoot it alright to around 12 feet, he's active around the basket and he

plays with a bit of an edge to him.

One

of the most versatile perimeter scorers was 6-foot-3 shooting guard

Antonio Blakney. He can smoke jumpers from deep, showed the ability to get to the

rim and is already a good athlete who should end up having pretty good size for

his position. The sophomore has potential.

Given

that he's built like a senior in high school or even some college freshman, it's

hard to believe that 6-foot-6 combo forward Jean-Michele Tine is just

14 years old. But, the freshman at Sarasota (Fla.) Impact Academy is still a

couple of months shy of his 15th birthday and definitely has abundant strength

and athleticism for a guy his age. He plays tough, he plays athletic and his

motor is great. How he develops his skill will be interesting to watch

throughout his high school career.

Finally,

he wasn't the biggest player in attendance, but 5-foot-9 sophomore Jean Johnathan really got the job done. The point guard was consistently making plays

whether it be for himself or others and showed a tremendous hoops IQ. He's

quick, a very good passer and he changes speeds and keeps the defense of kilter.

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