These are glory days for boys’ basketball with loads of talent in Broward and Dade

Mater Academy 6-7 forward Malik Reneau must be a very special player.

Just a sophomore, Reneau has already earned rather incredible praise from his coach, Shakey Rodriguez.

“He has a chance,” Rodriguez said, “to be the best player I’ve ever coached.”

Given the fact that Rodriguez won five state titles at Miami High and coached Doug Edwards — who went on to become the 15th pick in the 1993 NBA Draft — this has placed Reneau in rather exclusive company.

But it’s also indicative of what’s going on in South Florida boys’ basketball these days.

Last season, for example, the Ely Tigers won their eighth state title, breaking a tie with rival Dillard for the most championships ever won by a Broward County boys’ basketball team.

Ely’s triumph in Class 8A capped the greatest year in Broward hoops history as the county came away with a record four championships, also including Westminster Academy (4A); University School (5A); and Stranahan (6A).

Dillard came close to bringing home a fifth state title but lost in the 7A final to Crestview, 50-40.

“Broward basketball is one of the best-kept secrets,” Stranahan coach Terrence Williams said. “We don’t get the attention we deserve, but maybe we will this season. I think the Class of 2020 is full of hidden talents.”

Broward’s Class of 2019 was pretty good, too, led by superstar power forward Vernon Carey Jr., who went from University School to Duke University after earning a ranking of No. 6 in the nation as per ESPN.com.

But Carey wasn’t the only star playing in Broward last season. Chaminade forward Toumani Camara signed with the Georgia Bulldogs.

This season, the state has reduced the number of classes from nine to seven. Even so, Broward and Dade schools are legitimate threats to win six state titles this coming March in Lakeland.

There will be several intriguing storylines to follow this season, and here are four of them:

▪ 1: Class 6A, the “group of death”: Dillard and Ely are both in this class as is Mater, which is considered the top team in Miami this season. Mater lost 57-54 to Ely in last season’s regional finals.

Also in this class are: Fort Lauderdale, with talented 6-5 junior point guard Jordan Shorter; Doral, with the top-ranked senior in South Florida in guard Devin Carter; South Miami, which has lost in the state semifinals in four of the past six years; and North Miami, which has reached the regional playoffs three straight years and brings back a dynamic backcourt of 6-6 point guard Corey Hart and 6-4 wing Vee’Lesk Avin.

By the way, Doral went 29-1 last season, losing to Dillard for its only blemish.

Like we said, this class is filthy good, and that’s just in South Florida. Crestview, which won the 7A title last season, is also in 6A.

▪ 2: Recruiting battles: The top two seniors in South Florida — Carter, who is the son of former NBA guard Anthony Carter, and Gulliver Prep’s Tony Sanders — have decided to wait until April to sign. Both of them are locks to sign Division I scholarships.

But the best recruit in town is just a junior, and that’s 6-5 combo guard Wesley Cardet of Northeast. He’s got offers from Miami to Southern Cal and also including Alabama, Clemson, Florida and more.

▪ 3: Coaching Royalty: Among the coaches chasing state championships this season are Ely’s Melvin Randall, who has won nine titles, including two at Deerfield Beach; Dillard’s Darryl Burrows (seven); Norland’s Lawton Williams (six); and Mater’s Rodriguez (five).

Then there’s Palmetto’s Marcos Molina, and, if he wins it all this season, would own three championship rings from three different schools (Hialeah Gardens and Miami Christian were the others).

▪ 4: Surprise schools: Several teams with little tradition and/or no state titles in their history could break out this season, including Coral Park, Coral Gables, Miramar, Northeast and Pembroke Pines Charter.

At a glance

2018-2019 STATE CHAMPS

9A: Kissimmee Osceola

8A: Ely

7A: Crestview

6A: Stranahan

5A: University

4A: Westminster Academy

3A: Tallahassee’s St. John Paul II

2A: Orlando’s Central Florida Christian

1A: Madison County

KEY DATES

Feb. 10-14: districts

Feb. 20-28: regionals

March 4-7: state finals in Lakeland

BREAKDOWN

7A: Miramar, with Citadel recruit Brent Davis, could have a relatively clear path in Broward, although Deerfield Beach could make a run with 6-5 wing Marshaun West. There should be a fierce battle in Miami-Dade with teams such as Coral Gables, Columbus, Krop, Miami High, Palmetto, Miami Beach and Coral Park.

6A: Crestview, which won the state 7A title last season, is in 6A this season. Locally, there are numerous standout teams, including Mater, South Miami, Doral, Dillard, North Miami, Ely and Fort Lauderdale. This is the toughest class in the state.

5A: Never underestimate coach Lawton Williams at Norland, but the Vikings will have to battle Northeast, which has 6-6 scoring phenom Wesley Cardet, and Pembroke Pines Charter with its high-scoring guard Dallas Graziani. Boyd Anderson is another team to watch as Broward County is once again loaded with talent.

4A: Stranahan (6A) and University School (5A) both won state titles last season and could engage in a battle royal with Gulliver Prep, which has star forward Tony Sanders. Hallandale, North Broward Prep and Pine Crest are also challengers.

3A: Westminster Academy is a reigning state champ and will be tough to beat. But there are several other South Florida schools that have the talent to win state in this class, including Riviera Prep, which made it to a state semifinal last season. Other challengers should include Calvary Christian, Sagemont, Westminster Christian and Chaminade.

2A: Schoolhouse Prep, a relative newcomer in Miami, is a threat to win state in a class that also includes traditional powers Champagnat Catholic and Miami Christian. Schoolhouse eliminated Miami Christian in the second round last season and went on to the state semifinals. Champagnat reached the regional finals in 3A. Two reigning state champs are also in this class: Tallahassee’s St. John Paul II (3A) and Orlando’s Central Florida Christian (2A).

This story was originally published November 13, 2019 at 8:25 PM.