by Alex Schwartz

Florida is a hotbed for high school hoops, even though some people may not realize it. Well, the folks over at ESPN are not in that group, as they clearly do see just how much talent there is in the Sunshine State. Thus, the nation will be able to see four of the top teams in the state on live television tonight.

This evening at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, there will be two high school games shown on the ESPN family of networks. First, at 5:00pm, Montverde Academy (FL) will face Sagemont School (FL) on ESPNU and then at 7:00pm, Winter Park (FL) will take on Pine Crest (FL) on ESPN2.

These four squads were all amongst the seven Floridian teams in my National Preseason High School Top 100, all in the top third. In fact, they were four of the top five FL teams on that preseason list. Two of the teams are in my most recent National High School Top 25, in Winter Park at #10 and Montverde Academy at #11. Although those two teams are not facing one another, they will still be challenged nonetheless.

The individual players on display will be quite impressive as well. Four of the top 90 players in Northstar Basketball's Class of 2010 Terrific 125 will take the court. Two of the top 10 ranked ballers will be playing, including the one holding down the top spot. There will be other quality seniors playing too, along with one of the top 10 juniors in the nation.

In the first game, Montverde Academy will be the favorite, featuring a deep and talented roster littered with high-major talent. The Eagles defeated Findlay Prep (NV) and Montrose Christian (MD) last weekend, showing just how good they are. Leading the way for Kevin Sutton's team are Villanova-signee James Bell '10 (pictured on left), a 6'5 small forward, and Marquette-bound Jamail Jones '10, a 6'6 small forward. The pair check in at #79 and #88 respectively in Northstar Basketball's Class of 2010 Terrific 125. Boston College-signee 6'8 power forward Papa Samba Ndao '10, Harvard-commit 7'1 center Ugo Okam '10, 6'6 small forward Hakur Palsson '10, 5'9 point guard Kaleb Clyburn '10, and 6'5 shooting guard Michael Avery '12 are skilled as well. Some may remember Avery as the player who committed to Kentucky before finishing his eighth grade year, but he has since reopened his recruitment.

For Sagemont School, it is all about the man in the middle. Brazilian 7-footer Syracuse-signee Fab Melo '10 (pictured on right below) is the #9 ranked player in the Terrific 125, tops amongst centers. Melo is the best big man in the state of Florida despite not playing high school ball last year due to transfer rules. Although Fab, whose real name is Fabricio De Melo, is clearly his team's best player, he is not the only top-notch baller. Indiana-bound 6'5 shooting guard Will Sheehey '10 and 6'6 small forward are great compliments to the big man on Adam Ross' team.

Sagmeont may be able to hang with Montverde for the first half, but expect the Eagles to pull away in the second half behind the play of Bell, Jones, and Clyburn. Melo will be the best player on the floor, but Samba Ndao and Okam should be able to at least slow him down a bit. Melo does not usually face players his height, and Okam is actually an inch taller. Montverde also has a distinct edge at point guard in under-the-radar Clyburn, who has a chance to impress some people. Days and Sheehey are good on the wing for Sagemont, but Bell and Jones are even better.

My pick in the first game of the evening is Montverde Academy of Sagemont School by a score of 70-56.

Game two is the feature matchup, as it pits the top two players in Florida against one another. While the game might be Winter Park vs. Pine Crest, the matchup people are excited to see is Florida-pledge Austin Rivers '11 (WP) vs. Brandon Knight '10 (PC). Although Rivers is a year younger, he is just about as good as Knight, and the players are familiar with one another, having played together on the AAU circuit this summer with Each 1 Teach 1. Both are scoring point guards who can carry a team.

Austin Rivers (pictured on left), the son of Boston Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers, is one of the most skilled players in America. A top 10 player in the class of 2011, the 6'4 Rivers—who is considering Duke despite his pledge to Florida—is by far the best player on his team and as goes Rivers goes Winter Park. There are a few other players worth watching though, namely Farifield-signee Adam Jones, a 6'7 power forward who played with Rivers and Knight on E1T1, as well as 6'1 shooting guard and Florida Atlantic-commit Brett Comer '11. Jones is a quality athlete in the post and Comer has some added motivation as he will be playing at his future home, FAU. Robert Lovaglio '11 is another key member of the Wildcats, who are Florida's top team. Rivers, who sprained his left ankle in mid-January, should be fully recovered by now.

Brandon Knight (pictured on right), a sturdy 6'3 floor general who is considering Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Miami, Syracuse, and UConn, is the #1 ranked player in Northstar Basketball's Class of 2010 Terrific 125. While not everyone agrees that he is #1 overall, he is the consensus pick as the best guard in the senior class and was the Gatorade National Player of the Year last year despite being a junior. New York native Matt Milk '10, a 6'8 power forward, and guard Traveon Henry '12 are other standouts on the Panthers' roster.

Knight and Rivers are a near wash in this one, though Knight may have a slight advantage, but from top to bottom, Winter Park has the better roster. It will be tough for Milk to handle Jones in the post and the same goes for Henry on Comer. There are also some other nice role players on WP, such as Lovaglio, who can pick up some slack too. Unless Knight has 35-40 points, which is not by any means out of the question, Winter Park should have this one.

In the second game, I am picking Winter Park over Pine Crest, 77-65.

As of now I am planning to be at the games and unless that changes, I will be keeping you all posted on the games—assuming you are not watching them on TV—via my Twitter account.

Note- all photos are from http://scouthoops.scout.com/