The hoops talent in the area is not too shabby either, both at the high school and junior college level. Miami-Dade College is one of the best NJCAA DI programs in the nation, and Broward College has a superb team in its own right.

The Sharks of Miami-Dade hosted the Seahawks of Broward on Saturday and Inside The U was on hand for the game. The Sharks pulled away late for an 83-68 victory in a game that was closer than the score would indicate.

Miami-Dade led by just three, 37-34, at halftime. In the second 20 minutes of action, though, Manhattan-signee Zach Lamb and Kendal Jennings each stepped up in crunch to help the Sharks put it away.

The star of the game came from the losing end in the form of AJ Matthews, who has verbally committed to Farleigh Dickinson. Matthews was simply dominant from start to finish, posting a game-high 29 points.

Class of 2011 Checklist

C AJ Matthews, Broward: By far the best player and prospect on the court, the 6'11 New York native is an absolute steal for Farleigh Dickinson, to whom he is verbally committed. Matthews went off for 29 points, and shot an impressive 11/13 (84.6%) at the free throw line. On the season he is averaging a double-double with 17.3 points and 10.3 rebounds, 3.8 of which are coming on the offensive end. Matthews is also putting up 3.1 blocks and shooting 51.5% from the field. He native moves very well for his size, makes plays at both ends of the floor, and is tough to contain even with a double team. Taking care of the ball is one thing Matthews does need to improve on, as he is averaging 2.1 turnovers to just 0.4 assists per game.

PG Ryan Davis, Broward: A New York native who has committed to Farleigh Dickinson, the 5'9 Davis was second on his team in scoring with 10 points. He hit a 3-pointer and went 3/4 at the charity stripe. Davis is undersized, but tough and can score in a few different ways. He is averaging 12.8 points, 2.2 steals, 2.0 assists, and 1.9 rebounds per game on the season. Considering he plays the one, Davis will need to improve his assist-to-turnover ratio, as he is losing the ball 1.7 times per contest.

PF Thomas Hawkins, Broward: The 6'7 Miramar (FL) graduate scored 7 points and went 1/2 at the free throw line. A big body who knows how to use his size and strength, Hawkins is an active player at both ends of the floor. He is putting up 10.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 assists per game for the Seahawks, but is also tallying 2.0 turnovers an outing and shooting just 43.8% from the field.

F Maurice Kemp, Jr., Miami-Dade: Although the Pembroke Pines, Fla. native did not show his full array on this day, he still scored 10 points, going 2/3 at the line, and blocking at least three shots. A 6'6 combo forward who began his career at Alabama A&M, Kemp, Jr. is having a fantastic season for the Sharks. He is averaging 16.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game. In addition, Kemp, Jr. is shooting 62.3% from the field and 58.3% beyond the arc. According to his father, he currently has offers from A-Sun and C-USA schools, while MAC, Sun Belt, and WAC schools are showing interest.

SG Zach Lamb, Miami-Dade: The 6'4 Georgia native is the older brother of UConn’s standout freshman Jeremy Lamb. The older brother had a great showing on Saturday, scoring 19 points, including 13 in the second half, when he was lethal from midrange. Lamb hit a pair of threes and made his only free throw. On the season he is averaging 13.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.6 steals while shooting 41.2% from deep. Lamb has signed a Letter of Intent to attend Manhattan next year.

PG Corey Wright, Broward: The 5'11 New York native, who began his hoops career at LIU, did not have his best showing against MDC. He scored nine points, seven of which came from the free throw line, where he was 7/8. A stocky floor general with good floor vision, Wright is averaging 14.2 points, 5.1 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. He is turning the ball over 2.3 times per game, giving him a nice 2.22:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Class of 2012 Checklist

PG Darwin Ellis, Miami-Dade: Standing 5'7, the former high school teammate of Lance Stephenson at Lincoln (NY) is certainly not physically intimidating, but he is tough as nails. Ellis, who had committed to St. Francis (NY) out of high school, scored eight points in the victory, hitting all six of his attempts from the line. He is averaging 11.7 points, 4.3 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. More commonly known as “Buddha,” he is also shooting 46.3% from the field and 86.2% at the line, but his 3.5 turnovers per game are troublesome.

PF Kendal Jennings, Miami-Dade: A native of Alabama, the 6'6 Jennings stepped up his game down the stretch to help secure the victory for the Sharks. He went 4/5 at the line and finished the game with 16 points, 12 of which came in the second half. For the season, Jennings has averages of 9.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.0 steal per game. He needs to improve his shooting percentage (40.1%), cut down on the threes (7/37 for 18.9%), and get stronger. There is no doubting his length and athleticism, though.

SG Xavier Munford, Miami-Dade: The 6'2 Pennsylvania native graduated from national powerhouse St. Benedict’s (NJ). He was short on college suitors coming out of high school despite his knack for scoring the ball and usually solid play. On this day, he scored 14 points, including a pair of 3-pointers and 2/2 shooting at the stripe. Munford is averaging 16.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals this season. He does need to work on his 3-point efficiency (37.8%) and reduce his turnover numbers (2.2 per game), but Munford is a true scorer who can find the bottom of the net in a variety of ways.

Note that the statistics provided in this article that I wrote for Inside The U are from the NJCAA website and do not include the stats from this game, nor do they include those from Broward's prior game.