Boys Basketball: 10 players to watch on the court for the 2023-24 season

Sneakers have been squeaking and nets have been swishing for a couple weeks now, and the boys basketball season in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties is in full swing after the Thanksgiving break.

After an impressive showing from several teams across a couple tournaments – including the Esca-Rosa Challenge at Pensacola Catholic – some players made their presence known in just a few games.

Here’s a list of 10 players to keep an eye out for as the basketball season continues.

Alex Jasquith – Booker T. Washington

Jasquith is part of a deep Booker T. Washington roster that presents a lot of depth and a lot of height. After the Esca-Rosa challenge, Wildcats head coach Dwayne Louis said the team is pretty “unselfish” and once it gets going on “team-oriented stuff,” it’s pretty hard to stop. Jasquith, who was second team all-area last year, averaged just nine points per game last season. But after losing Jordyn Buchanan, who averaged 16.3 points per game during the 2022-23 campaign, expect Jasquith’s production to increase.

Ethan McDonald – Jay

If there’s one name that’s been followed for a long time in the area, it’s McDonald. Now a senior, this is his fifth year playing for Jay after averaging 14 points per game as a junior. He’s played in 20-plus games every year, excluding his freshman season during the 2020-21 season. McDonald was touted as the area’s best small-school player by a couple coaches in the preseason.

Lucas Williams – Tate

A first-team all area returner, Williams had a breakout season last year as a junior, almost tripling his point production. In 24 games played, Williams put up 13.3 points per game while also averaging 5.1 rebounds per game. Tate sits at 1-1 after a win against West Florida on Tuesday.

Hutson Rowe – Gulf Breeze

Despite averaging just 8.2 points per game, Rowe played the second-most minutes for Gulf Breeze last season. But, he was pinned behind three top seniors from the Dolphins, and now Rowe, just a junior, will look to lead this Gulf Breeze squad. Rowe also averaged 4.6 rebounds per game.

Tayshaun Gilchrist – Escambia

Another first-team returner, Gilchrist led the Gators with 17.1 points per game while tacking on 4.5 rebounds per game. Gilchrist had the most points for Escambia by almost double the second-place shooter. He recorded 376 points, with the next highest going to Mi-Kuse Robinson (196 points). Gilchrist also led Escambia, which finished 10-12 on the season, with a team-leading 46 assists.

Maurice Smith – Pine Forest

Leading a now-fairly young Pine Forest squad, Smith, as a junior, played in 23 games last year, averaging 4.5 points per game. Smith is one of just three seniors on the team, but has the most experience of the trio. The Eagles were led by three seniors last year – including PNJ Player of the Year, Joshua Whitehurst, who averaged 21.4 points per game and 4.7 rebounds. Expect Pine Forest to rally behind Smith with this young team.

Dominick Nicholson – West Florida

In just five games this season for West Florida, Nicholson has already put up 16 points per game and 5 rebounds. He was third in 2022-23 with 11.2 points per game, behind two seniors. In the second day of the Esca-Rosa Challenge against West Florida Baptist Academy, Nicholson put up just eight points, but was able to spread the wealth around. With another team that has some incredible height – Nicholson standing at 6-foot-5 – the Jaguars have that part of the court covered.

Solomon Sutton – Pensacola Catholic

In his third season on the Crusaders’ roster, Sutton recorded just 6.3 points per game last year. In just a handful games so far, the now-junior has 27.5 points per game. Head coach Mike Dimick said Sutton, who stands at 6-foot-3, played as a big most of his high school career, strictly because of his height. Now being developed as a guard, Sutton is starting to “shoot it really well.” He’s also averaging 8.5 rebounds per game.

Darius Cunningham – Navarre

Making the transition from the field to the hardwood, Cunningham nearly doubled his production between his sophomore and junior seasons, averaging 14.9 points per game for the Raiders last season. He also added 8.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Cunningham led Navarre last season with points, and now will lead a strong supporting cast of seniors on the roster.

Treymar Jones – Milton

Milton basketball is off to a perfect start, 6-0, after a win on Tuesday at Pensacola. Leading that team is Treymar Jones with 15.4 points per game. Now a junior, this is Jones’ fourth season at the varsity level, but his second year with the Panthers. For his eighth-grade and freshman seasons, Jones was at L.E.A.D. Academy in Pace. Those two seasons, he put up 17.2 and 17.7 points per game, respectively. While his point total went down last season at 10.2 points per game, he also had a strong supporting cast.

Ben Grieco is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached on X (@BenGriecoSports) and via email at BGrieco@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola-area boys basketball players to keep an eye on for this season