First Coast Varsity Weekly: Major national basketball award for Providence's Jim Martin

Just in time for March Madness, Jim Martin now owns the award named for college basketball's premier champion.

The longtime Providence boys basketball head coach received the John Wooden Legacy Award from the National High School Basketball Coaching Association, named in honor of the 10-time NCAA champion at UCLA.

The annual award recognizes one boys coach and one girls coach in each state who is distinguished for excellence, longevity, character, leadership and service.

"It's pretty special," Martin said in a remote interview with the Times-Union. "The older you get, the more you appreciate all the kids that have come through here. I've got players now in their 40s and I've been able to coach some of their kids."

The Florida Association of Basketball Coaches formally presented the trophy to Martin at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. Carrie Mahon of Tampa Plant won the women's award.

Martin, 64, has coached the Stallions for nearly a quarter-century, including three Florida High School Athletic Association championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He surpassed the 600-win mark during the season, as Providence went 24-6 and qualified for the FHSAA final four. Previously, he coached at Bishop Kenny before his Providence tenure.

Dozens of his former players have proceeded to college basketball, including current Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen in the NBA.

Martin said those feats couldn't have happened without the support of his coaching staff, including his son, Tyler Martin, who's grown from a two-sport baseball-basketball standout with the Stallions into a key assistant on the bench.

For Martin, the work doesn't end. He's already planning the next steps in what will be a largely rebuilt Providence lineup for next year, with the impending graduation of a distinguished senior class of starters in Chris Arias, David Fonville, Abdul Mansaray, Caleb McAbee and Brady Patterson.

"There's always new challenges on the horizon and we always look forward to it," he said.

Ribault's Williams commits to Lafayette

Caleb Williams is heading from Winton Drive to Easton, Pa.

The Ribault senior, the Times-Union's 2022-23 All-First Coast player of the year in boys basketball after leading the Trojans to the final four a year ago, announced his college commitment to Lafayette.

Competing in the Division I Patriot League, Lafayette is about 40 miles north of Philadelphia along the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border.

The 6-foot guard followed up on his junior season with a big-time senior campaign, averaging 23.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 steals for the Trojans all without a home gym on campus as a result of the near-total reconstruction of Ribault High School's buildings.

A three-time All-Gateway Conference selection, Williams closed his Ribault career with 1,509 points, 602 assists, 339 steals and 344 rebounds. He also served on the 16-member FHSAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Sharks soccer tops national ranking

Is a national title in Ponte Vedra's future?

Ponte Vedra girls soccer jumped to No. 1 nationwide in the United Soccer Coaches rankings for high school girls soccer, following the Sharks' 22-1-1 season and their FHSAA Class 6A championship earlier this month in DeLand.

With no further matches on their schedule, Ponte Vedra could be lined up for a potential national No. 1 finish when the United Soccer Coaches organization releases final rankings in April. Bartram Trail finished atop the national poll last year.

The Sharks closed on a 14-game winning run, beating every opponent except Class 2A semifinalist St. Johns Country Day (2-2 draw) in the season opener and Class 3A runner-up Edgewood (1-0 loss) on Dec. 15.

Ponte Vedra had ranked fourth in the previous poll, behind Baton Rouge (La.) St. Joseph's, Wylie (Texas) East and Punahou, but vaulted to the top spot after their dominant stampede through the FHSAA postseason. The Sharks already ranked first in the MaxPreps computer formula.

Class 7A champion Creekside moved up to fifth in the national ranking, while among schools in United Soccer Coaches Region I, Bartram Trail placed seventh and St. Johns Country Day ninth.

Brooks, Silverberg, Soto earn soccer honors

Ponte Vedra sophomore forward Natalie Brooks won the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 6A girls soccer player of the year award, while Sharks head coach Dave Silverberg was named Class 6A's top coach.

Creekside's Joe Soto also won Class 7A coach of the year recognition after leading the Knights to their second championship in three years.

All three now enter voting for the Florida Dairy Farmers statewide awards for Miss Soccer and Coach of the Year.

Brooks netted 21 goals as a slashing wing dribbler in Ponte Vedra's run to the final, including a hat trick during the Class 6A semifinal against Tarpon Springs East Lake. She joined Sharks teammate Jenny Dearie in a 1-2 finish in the voting for Class 6A.

For Silverberg, the Class 6A championship was his fourth at Ponte Vedra (2009, 2012, 2021 and 2024) and his eighth overall, counting four at Nease.

Other high area finishers in their respective classes were Bartram Trail midfielder Carolyn Johnson (second in Class 7A), Atlantic Coast goalkeeper Gaby Rourke (third in Class 7A), St. Johns Country Day forward Sydney Schmidt (second in Class 2A) and University Christian forward Abbey Mehm (third in Class 2A).

Oakleaf grad Turner wins SWAC award

Former Oakleaf guard Kaylah Turner made an instant impact in her first year of college basketball.

Turner received freshman of the year honors for the Southwestern Athletic Conference after averaging 11.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.7 steals with Alabama A&M. She scored in double figures 18 times, including a 21-point game against Auburn on Nov. 26.

During her Oakleaf career, she recorded 1,791 points, 521 steals, 455 rebounds and 266 assists while twice helping the Knights to the FHSAA final four.

Creekside's Miller No. 1 at Bob Hayes

At the event named after the world's fastest man in the 1960s, Christian Miller became America's fastest high school senior for this season.

The Creekside senior dominated the boys 200-meter dash during Saturday's Bob Hayes Invitational at the University of North Florida, finishing in 20.51 seconds.

That's less than a tenth of a second off his personal best, a wind-aided 20.45 at last year's New Balance Nationals Outdoor, and it ranks the Georgia signee as a solid No. 1 in the national MileSplit standings for the 2024 recruiting class.

Saturday's Booker Hill Relays are among the local events this week, while the FSU Relays in Tallahassee take place Friday and Saturday.

Rivalry on the River opens Friday

Lacrosse's showcase weekend on the First Coast begins Friday with the two-day Rivalry on the River, which includes 22 teams in 11 games at Bolles' Skinner-Barco Stadium.

Friday's schedule opens at noon with Beachside at Bolles (girls), followed by Creekside vs. Menendez (girls), Bartram Trail vs. Lake Norman (boys), Lake Mary vs. Lucy Beckham (boys) and Ponte Vedra vs. Lake Highland Prep (boys).

Saturday's scheduled games, beginning at 10 a.m., are Ponte Vedra vs. Bartram Trail (girls), Nease vs. Tallahassee Maclay (boys), Lake Mary vs. Lake Norman (boys), Atlantic Coast vs. Sandalwood (girls), Episcopal vs. Gainesville Oak Hall (boys) and Lucy Beckham at Bolles (boys).

Scott plans transfer from Arkansas

After one season at Arkansas, Taliah Scott announced Monday that she is entering the transfer portal from Razorbacks women's basketball.

A McDonald's All-American and a two-time All-First Coast player of the year in girls basketball, she scored 2,735 career points and led St. Johns Country Day to the Class 2A final four in 2023 with a scoring average of 36.2 points per game.

At Arkansas, she made the SEC All-Freshman team and averaged 22.1 points, despite missing nearly a dozen games across two stints due to a back injury and a family emergency.

She won the Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Basketball and the Gatorade Florida Player of the Year awards in her senior year at St. Johns.

Eight straight for Conquerors baseball

Looking for the top baseball team inside Jacksonville city limits? While Bishop Kenny, Bishop Snyder, Bolles, Englewood, Episcopal, First Coast, Providence and more join the list of early contenders, Trinity Christian is making a strong case.

Unbeaten since an opening loss to Sam Houston (La.), the Conquerors extended their eight-game winning streak Monday with their 5-1 victory over Providence as part of the South State Walk Off Spring Series at Fort Family Regional Park.

Back-to-back doubles by Tyler Ellis, who finished with three RBI, and Aiden Arnett broke open the game in the fourth, and Aaron Watson held the Stallions to five hits over two innings.

Ellis (1.485) and Arnett (1.428) both pack an OPS above 1.400, while Watson, Brayden Harris and Ethan Wheeler lead a pitching staff that holds a 1.12 ERA against top opponents from both inside and outside Florida.

Around the area

Orange Park defensive end Triston Johnson committed to Mount Union football. … Union County safety Johnte Nichols signed with Madonna football and running back/linebacker Thomas Williams signed with Thomasville football. … Bartram Trail center back Victoria Carstens committed to Barton women's soccer. … Episcopal junior midfielder Rivers Carney committed to Sewanee women's soccer. … Keystone Heights pitcher Caitlin Frampton signed with Lees-McRae softball. …Baldwin track and field athletes broke four school records Tuesday: Corey Borders in the boys 400 hurdles (1:00.41), Kelvin Brown in the boys 100 (10.97), Anaya Shrider in the girls discus (32.08 meters) and Rylie Yoachum in the girls 3,200 (14:18). … Brunswick's Jarrod Elkins surpassed a school record of 52 feet, 1 1/4 inches in the boys shot put at the Bob Hayes Invitational Track Meet. … Bartram Trail midfielder Carolyn Johnson won most valuable player honors at the Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-Star Classic in girls soccer in Mulberry, leading the North team in a 6-4 win over the South and a 4-4 tie with the East. … Wolfson defender Natalie Hall was awarded the STS Canterbury Scholarship at the FACA girls soccer All-Star Classic. … Former Ponte Vedra pitcher Tony Roca was named ASUN baseball pitcher of the week, striking out 10 batters in seven innings for North Florida. … Former Englewood and MLB All-Star infielder Daniel Murphy was inducted into the Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday. … KIPP Bold City held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday for the Greyhounds' new track and field facility on McDuff Avenue, which was backed by the Jaguars and the NFL Foundation. … Jaloni Cambridge of Montverde Academy won the Gatorade Florida Player of the Year award for girls basketball.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jim Martin: Providence basketball coach earns Wooden Legacy Award