Top Florida prospects flock to Adidas Showcase

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. -- Eighty of the top prospects from Florida arrived at Coral Springs (Fla.) Christian School for the Adidas Superstar Showcase on Saturday with the sole purpose of proving that their names belong with the state's elite talent. After a long day of competitive hoops, here are the prospects who stood out.

Better than Advertised

The top two prospects at the event both hailed from the class of 2014, as Jonathan Joseph and Lance Tejada produced from start to finish on Saturday at Coral Springs Christian School.

Joseph was the most active prospect of the day, and he didn't care which team he was assigned to play with; the 6-foot-5 wing jumped into every single game, playing in all eight time slots. Joseph is a high-level athlete who excels at attacking the rim off of the bounce and scoring. Since we last evaluated Joseph in the summer, he has really improved his ball-handling ability and added consistency to his jumpshot. He might still be figuring out how to be an efficient scorer, but Joseph is one of the more explosive scorers in the state of Florida because of his athleticism, aggressive style and combination of size with skill.

Joseph listed Alabama, Arkansas, Miami, USF, Florida State, VCU and Murray State as the schools that are recruiting him the hardest.

While Joseph is a player who plays at a constant fast pace, Tejada prefers a smoother style of offensive basketball. A 6-foot-1 point guard, Tejada is a pass-first guard who did a great job of setting up teammates for easy shots; which is rare in a showcase setting. Tejada is best when attacking the basket and finding tight angles through which to thread passes. He's a smart guard who really has the ball on a string and can easily beat his man off of the dribble drive.

Florida, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Miami, USF, Tennessee and UCF are the schools that are recruiting the point guard the hardest, according to Tejada.

Under the Radar in the Panhandle

There weren't a ton of 2013 prospects at the Adidas Superstar Showcase, but that didn't stop two high flyers from standing out during Saturday's action: Sidney Umude and Papa N'diaye.

Umude has great size at 6-foot-8 and proved to be one of the best shot-blockers in attendance. But it was the shooting touch that he showed which stood out the most during his games. Umude is skilled enough to face up and knock down perimeter shots from the high post or wing, and he also has the ability to put the ball on the floor once and attack. His best trait is still his athleticism, and he's a raw prospect, but Umude has nice potential.

N'diaye came in with the reputation of being a dunker. After getting posterized early in the action, the 6-foot-5 wing took it upon himself to make sure he returned the favor. Not just a slashing dunker, N'diaye is also a very good passer when the defense collapses on his during his drives. N'diaye is a high school teammate of Umude's at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Saint Thomas Aquinas.

No Longer the Young Boys

The class of 2014 has reached the point of being on the older end of the high school classes, and several of the prospects are ready to take over. Some who stood out on Saturday included Justin Massey, his twin brother Jason Massey and Champ Barton.

All three of these prospects showed the ability to shoot it from deep, but Barton in particular had the nicest stroke; leading us to give him the title of the camp's best pure shooter.

The Massey twins showed more of an all-around offensive style. Justin is a physical 6-foot-4 wing who likes to attack the basket, plays above the rim and is good in transition. His brother, Jason, is more of a smooth guard who gets a lot of his baskets in the mid-range game off of the dribble. The two form a dynamic duo that college coaches are starting to notice.

The brothers mentioned Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Central Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, Miami, Stetson, Jacksonville, George Mason and Cornell as schools currently recruiting them.

Wealth of Talent

Florida's 2015 class shined bright in Fort Lauderdale as Jonathan Laurent, Chance McSpadden and Michael Stones all were among the top ten prospects in the event.

Laurent in particular stood out because of his ability to play either forward spot at an athletic 6-foot-6. Laurent is an above-the-rim player who never seems to tire on the court and plays with a good competitive drive. He can handle the ball in the full-court, shoot it from mid-range and also is capable of operating with physicality on the low block.

McSpadden and Stones formed a nice backcourt as McSpadden turned out to be one of the top mid-range scoring guards at the camp, while Stones was the second-best point guard in attendance, behind Tejada. Both hailing from the Orlando area, McSpadden and Stones are two of the top young guards in the Sunshine State.

Ready to Contribute

While they may be only freshmen, Dewan Huell and Ray Robinson are going to be big-time contributors for their varsity teams this season. Huell, who stands 6-foot-9, is a long and mobile center from Miami, while the 6-foot-7 Robinson hails from Fort Lauderdale.

Huell is raw offensively but can really block some shots on the defensive end. Several area high school coaches in the gym claimed that he might have been the best prospect in attendance on Saturday because he might still be growing, and he is a very good athlete.

Robinson is also a raw prospect but is skilled enough to score on the block using his length. Robinson is very intriguing to us; not only does he have size and athleticism, but he is a natural power forward -- as opposed to an undersized center -- who could still add an inch or two.

Their Time is Coming

Class of 2017 prospects -- that's right current eighth graders -- Jeffrey Prophete and Abule Abadi performed well enough at the Adidas Superstar Showcase that if you didn't think to ask, you would assume that they're seasoned high school veterans.

Prophete is a slashing scoring guard who is able to play either guard spot at 6-foot-2. He shoots the ball well from the outside, is quick with his drives and is generally considered to be either the best or second-best eighth grader in all of Florida.

Abadi has the body of a college freshman at 6-foot-6 with wide shoulders. His game is still coming along, but he is able to use his size and leaping ability to leverage position in the post and control the rebounding game.

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