Palm Beach County hoopers to know before 2024 boys basketball season begins
The regular season is less than a week away for Palm Beach County basketball teams, so there's no better time than now to get to know the names fans will be hearing all season.
There's no shortage of local talent rising to the top on the hardwood in 2024, but here are 15 players and their teammates who spent the offseason making waves before the winter.
Adam Balogoun-Ali, F, Benjamin
Class: Sophomore
Staple starters Gavin Aydelotte, a 6-foot-11 center and power forward, and point guard Sanjae Moncrieffe have graduated from Benjamin's roster. This increases Balogoun-Ali's role for the Bucs exponentially this winter as they look to return to the region semifinals and beyond in Class 3A.
The multisport stud hit a growth spurt over the summer, now weighing in at 6-foot-3, 205, and the movement he's displayed getting to the ball carrier for the football team is sure to translate to the court. It did in Balogoun-Ali's first year as a varsity starter, when he averaged 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, standing third on the stat sheet in scoring with an average 8.5 points per game behind double digits for Aydelotte and Moncrieffe.
The Nov. 24 season opener against Santaluces, who finished 9-14 last season, should end with a W for Benjamin basketball, with or without Balogoun-Ali.
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Talan Caudell, SF, Jupiter
Class: Senior
Jupiter coach JD DePasquale has been lauded for his development of the 6-foot-4 small forward over the summer, now tabbed to be a major player for the Warriors as they seek to return to playoffs.
Last winter, Jupiter finished 20-7 in district semifinals, just a few points shy of advancing to the trophy matchup against ultimate champion Centennial.
Jermaine Council, PG, Cardinal Newman
Class: Senior
The 6-foot-1 transfer from King's Academy is rounding out his varsity career with the rival Crusaders. Council served the past few years as one of the Lions' most well-rounded playmakers, joining the 1,000-point club in 2023 before his junior season came to an end at 27-2 in 3A region finals.
He'll be in good company, too. The chemistry from the football field will continue with teammates Joe Duran — anticipated to be another major player as Newman basketball gears for a return to 3A playoffs — as well as Jyron Hughley, Max Redmon and Xanai Scott.
Count on Council to get the ball in the hands of junior L.T. Noege, a 6-foot-5 forward, often.
Elyjah Freeman, PF, Wellington
Class: Senior
Freeman is already a winner heading into the 2024 season after being a dominant force in Wellington capturing back-to-back high school fall league championships.
Graduated seniors from 2023's 20-6 run, finishing district runner-up to Lake Worth ahead of a 7A playoff berth, have left more opportunities for Freeman. The 6-foot-7 power forward can be expected to keep throwing it down for the Wolverines.
Landen Harwood, G, Lake Worth Christian
Class: Junior
Year 3 of rebuild under coach Rusty Smith continues with Harwood in the front seat, once again. A sophomore in 2023, Harwood led a 20-7 LWC to back-to-back playoff appearances, averaging 14.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.4 steals per game.
With turnover rocking 2A rival Jupiter Christian, 2024 could be the year that the Defenders see a culture shift and, maybe, their deepest run yet should they be able to stand the test against tougher competition.
LaVar Jamison, CG, Boca Raton
Class: Senior
Jamison could help Boca Raton reclaim its status as a postseason qualifier this winter.
The Bobcats graduated a handful of starters from their most recent 13-9 run. Yet, Jamison has been helping the 7A squad get back on the mend since going 11-12 in 2022. Last season, Jamison averaged 11.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Now, Boca could have more opportunity to reach district finals with a senior-depleted Park Vista.
Javian Jones, PG, King's
Class: Junior
Once football season is over, all eyes are on hoops for Jones.
The athletic 6-foot-2 junior kept the Lions in control for a run to the region championship with a team-leading average of 2.0 steals per game. He was also third on the roster in scoring behind Council and then-senior Jack Chamberlin, which leaves a lot more chances to reap at the rim in 2024.
Alex Montes, F, St. Andrew's
Class: Junior
With high-scoring forward Andrew Sineway now contributing to the basketball team at Palm Beach State, the 6-foot-5 Montes is going to be the Scots' newest lengthy figure in the spotlight opposite standout starting point guard Brooklyn Vick.
He got an early start helping spark things up for St. Andrew's as a sophomore last season. The team finished 18-10 and Montes had a solid stat line with 9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.4 blocks per game.
Amari Nealy, W, Dwyer
Class: Senior
A game-high 14 points and team-leading nine rebounds for Nealy secured Dwyer's state championship for 6A, and gave a teaser of who Palm Beach County hoops fans can expect to light up the scoreboard for the Panthers in 2024.
Nealy, weighing in at 6-foot-4, 204 pounds, will be a big body to block for teams targeting the title holders this season.
Jaelen Nelson, SG, Dwyer
Class: Senior
Dwyer's beloved "Mr. Fourth Quarter" Frenelson Atilus is laying up for Indian River State men's basketball, and the former face of the program, Kyle McNeal, is playing wide receiver at FIU, leaving a whole lot of shoes to fill on the 2024 roster.
If Nelson's talent didn't stuff the void, his 6-foot-5 frame would. Luckily for the third-year roster member — and unluckily for anyone hoping not to see Dwyer in Lakeland again — he has both. Without Nealy and Nelson, Dwyer's latest title and 29-1 record last winter wouldn't have happened.
Matthew Puodziukaitis, C/PF/CF, Palm Beach Central
Class: Senior
Central will field a new coach and a number of new faces this winter. However, one familiar 6-foot-7 figure is set to return.
Puodziukaitis averaged 13.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.5 blocks through 26 games as the Broncos battled it out for a 17-10 record before their season came to an end at the hands of Lake Worth in districts. Is this winter the one where Central overcomes the Trojans, unstoppable in recent years with the duo of Calvin Sirmans and Marvin Golf?
Reggie Reinhardt, SG, Wellington
Class: Senior
Reinhardt, a three-year starter for the Wolverines, is going to be Freeman's other half in Wellington's scoring efforts this winter. Playing in all 26 meetings on the schedule in 2023, Reinhardt averaged 11.8 points, four rebounds, 2.5 assists and two steals per game.
Ian Smikle, F/C, Suncoast
Class: Senior
Only two-thirds of Suncoast's playoff-clinching big three remain following last year's season-ending region semifinal upset to Norland. It was going to be point guard Stone Bureau and a 6-foot-9 Smikle returning the Chargers for a 5A championship trophy once and for all, but in August, Bureau was among the mix of Palm Beach County players acquired in Calvary Christian's roster overhaul.
Fortunately for Suncoast, its "Big Wiggle" is back. Smikle, a three-star recruit, per ESPN, announced his commitment to the University of Tulsa in October and is looking to add to the excitement with one more winter topping the stat sheets. As a junior, he averaged 15.2 points, 12.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 27 appearances.
Andrew Signorelli, SG, King's
Class: Senior
After finishing 10-15 at Cardinal Newman in his second year on the Crusaders' varsity squad, Signorelli made the switch to nearby King's.
Hoping to go out on a winning note, the 6-foot-5 prospect, who picked up his first offer from Bethany College in September, is on deck to unleash his full potential surrounded by returning weapons like Jones and senior Ransom Soles, another sharpshooter to keep on the radar.
Sean Standifer, SG, Lake Worth
Class: Junior
Alongside Derrick Williams-Franklin, Standifer is going to be a standout for the Trojans, down four critical seniors, as they navigate a revenge tour following a shocking early exit from playoffs in 2023.
Standifer is a 6-foot-5 transfer from Wellington who's impressed showing off his skills in summer circuits after playing in all but two games for the Wolverines last winter. Lake Worth's returning forwards, Hedrens Barthelus and Jeremy Innocent, are going to be complemented nicely by the new addition.
Jayden St. Fort, G, Oxbridge
Class: Freshman
St. Fort was a key piece to Oxbridge football's return to its winning ways and a 2023 state championship. That's the plan when he hits the floor for the ThunderWolves' basketball team this fall.
Oxbridge's go-to guy last year was now-Montverde Academy player Gabe Nesmith, one of a handful of transfers who made the move out of the county. St. Fort stayed, moving from a Somerset Canyons squad where he didn't see varsity playing time behind young phenom Cayden Daughtry and a seven-man core of seniors. On JV, St. Fort averaged 20 points, six rebounds and five assists per game.
The ThunderWolves, determined to flip to the win column coming off of a 12-13 season, are going to be happy to have St. Fort's handles and touch at the rim. It won't be an easy watch for Somerset Canyons, in recovery from the loss of Daughtry, who enrolled at Calvary Christian in the offseason.
Emilee Smarr is a sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County hoopers to know before 2024 boys basketball season begins
