Fred Hinton latest to leave Treasure Coast for a prep program

Former Port St. Lucie High School senior offensive lineman Fred Hinton became the latest Treasure Coast standout to transfer to IMG late last month.

Hinton, a USF commit who earned honorable mention on the TCPalm All-Area team in 2022, helped Port St. Lucie snap a 31-year playoff skid in 2021 and was the starting left tackle for last year's regional quarterfinalist.

The 6-foot-5, 306-pound Hinton joins IMG's national team, which begins the season ranked No. 4 in the country by MaxPreps.

Hinton is the third area player to transfer to IMG since 2020 and joins a growing list of standout players who have left the area in the past 20 years to end their high school career at a prep school.

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Knijeah Harris (Football)

Harris a freshman offensive lineman at the University of Florida, was a freshman standout at St. Lucie West Centennial. Harris started at left tackle for the Eagles regional playoff team in 2019. He picked up several Power 5 offers the spring the following spring. Harris made the transition to IMG for his sophomore year and played left guard for the Ascenders 2020 national championship team. He received All-American honors in his junior and senior years and signed with Florida in December.

Zach Harold (Soccer)

Herold, the Atlanta United Academy U-15 coach, started playing varsity soccer player at Lincoln Park Academy as a sixth grader. He played on the U-14 and U-15 U.S. national teams, enrolled in the U.S. Soccer Residency Program and was a starting defender on the national team at the U-17 World Cup team in 2009. As a 17-year-old, Herold was drafted by Toronto FC in the second round of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. He was forced to retire before getting to step on the field for Toronto as doctors discovered that Herold suffered from Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which causes abnormal thickening of a part of the heart muscle. Herold began working with the New York Red Bulls as a trainer in 2013 and began working with Atlanta's academy in 2019.

Justin James (Basketball)

James, who plays for the Cleveland Charge in the NBA G League, was the TCPalm All-Area Player of the Year as a junior in 2013-14 at St. Lucie West Centennial. James averaged 21.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 blocks per game as a junior before transferring to Oldsmar Christian for his senior season. James averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds per game at Oldsmar and was named Sunshine Independent Athletic Association Player of the Year. He was a three-star recruit and signed with Wyoming. James earned All-Mountain West honors from 2017-19 and helped the Cowboys win the CBI championship in 2017. James was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the 40^th pick in 2019 and played two seasons with the Kings.

EJ Montgomery (Basketball)

Montgomery, who currently plays professionally overseas, played on Lincoln Park Academy’s varsity team as a 7^th and 8^th  grader in middle school and at one point was the nation’s top-ranked player in the class of 2018. Montgomery already was 6-foot-10 in eight grade and helped the Greyhounds win the district championship and reach the regional quarterfinals. Montgomery transferred to national power Montverde for ninth grade, where he backed up Ben Simmons. He finished his high school career at Wheeler (Georgia) where he was a McDonald’s All-American and was ranked in the top 10 with future NBA stars such as Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, Darius Garland, Tyler Herro. Montgomery signed with Kentucky and went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft. He played last season with Aomori Wat’s in the Japanese B.League.

Evan Neal (Football)

The New York Giants offensive lineman started his high school career at Okeechobee High School. He started every game for the Brahmans as a freshman in 2015 and saw his recruiting take off the spring before his sophomore year when he was the top-ranked offensive tackle in the class of 2019. Neal transferred to IMG weeks before his sophomore season. He ultimately was a five-star recruit and signed with Alabama, where he won a national championship and was a first-team All-American. Neal was selected by the Giants at No. 7 overall in 2022. He started 13 regular season games and both of the Giants playoff games last season.

Will Sheehey (Basketball)

Sheehey, a retired baseball player and Golden State Warriors Player Development Analyst, played his sophomore and juniors years at South Fork before transferring to Sagemont School for his senior year. Sheehey averaged 24.6 points, 10 rebounds and three assists per game in 2008-09, his final season at South Fork. Sheehey was a second-team all-state selection at Sagemont and was nominated for the McDonald’s All-American game. A three-star recruit, Sheehey signed with Indiana and played on the Hoosiers’ back-to-back Sweet Sixteen teams in 2011-12 and 2012-13. He was the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year in 2013 and earned honorable mention on the All-Big Ten team in 2014. Sheehey played professionally overseas from 2014-2019.

Kamari Wilson (Football)

The Florida Gators sophomore safety started his high school career at Fort Pierce Westwood, where he played his freshman and sophomore years. Wilson was a first-team all-area selection and third-team all-state selection in 2019 when he had 114 tackles, intercepted five passes and scored five touchdowns. Wilson was the nation’s top-rated safety when he transferred to IMG for his junior season. He helped the Ascenders win the national championship in 2020 and was a five-star recruit as a senior. Wilson signed with Florida and played all 13 games, starting two, as a freshman.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Fred Hinton to IMG: Latest to leave Treasure Coast for a prep program