This past Saturday our Cream of the Crop camp series returned to Belen Jesuit School in Miami, Florida. Cream of the Crop camp was originally designed to provide the best instruction to players, the best competition and the best exposure using our platforms and relationships with college coaches & basketball scouts. This year our camp was lucky enough to have Won Shot Basketball Academy & Miami Referee Academy help out making this our best camp yet.

Since our first Cream of the Crop camp(9th-12th) we have had over 20+ college players in attendance while our Jr. Cream of the Crop(5th-8th) has featured multiple high level varsity players. We enjoy putting on this camp for both age groups because we believe it is important to assist in the promotion of our basketball culture in South Florida.

Below our staff will breakdown a number of prospects from each age group that caught our eye and performed at a high level during camp this past weekend. 

Jr. Cream of the Crop:

Top Performers

Jaydis Cofer(5'8/G/2025) Highpoint 

Jaydis Cofer was very impressive Saturday morning. Cofer has great size and a blossoming skill set for his age. Cofer is a great athlete and was able to get to the paint at will. He projects to be an elite high school basketball player following in the foot steps of his two big brothers. 

Tyler Monzo(5'4/G/2024) Epiphany

Tyler Monzo is a lefty guard who can really shoot it. He is slender and long for his age but his able to get to his shot with an array of silky smooth dribble moves. This young player is developing as an athlete but his ability to score will be something for us to watch as he comes into high school

Javier Vasseur(5'8/F/2022) Belen Jesuit

Javi Vasseur is a strong forward with a passion to play the game. Vasseur is developing as an athlete but he has great instincts and understands where and how to use his body to gain position and score on small defenders. Vasseur is a good scorer, but as he grows we will be a guy that can bring value to a team as a rebounder/play maker. 

Kendall Crapp(5'5/G/2025) Belen Jesuit

Kendall Crapp is a sensational young player. Crapp has the ability to put the ball down on the ground to either pull up and shoot or drive right to the basket and score on defenders. Crapp is also a very capable ball handler for his age. As he gets older and continues to progress Crapp has a chance to be a high level high school basketball player. Watch out for his growth spurt! 

Carlos Santana(5'3/G/2025) Belen Jesuit

Carlos Santana is a small nifty guard who has the ability to fill it up in bunches. Santana was lights out for a period of camp from behind the arc. Santana must continue to improve on making plays for others, at times he gets caught up in what HoopMIA staff likes to  call a " heat check" but his ability to score the ball at his age gives us hope for a bright future. 

Absalon Cortes(5'5/G/2025) Champagnat 

Absalon Cortes is a tough guard who made a variety of plays at Jr. Cream of the Crop camp. His versatility was something that caught our staff's eye. This past weekend Cortes made shots, played hard defensively and was very attentive during all the instructional stations. We are excited to track his growth as he matures into a high school basketball player. 

Eddie Pulles(5'2/G/2025) Belen Jesuit

Eddie Pulles has great energy. Pulles can shoot the ball and is very quick laterally for his age which helps him as a defender. Pulles showed great potential being coachable during the instructional portion of camp while also bringing great intensity toward game play. 

 

Cream of the Crop

Top Performers

Jimel Cofer Jr(6'4/G/2021) Schoolhouse Prep

Jimel Cofer Jr. was easily the most explosive and gifted player at camp. Cofer has the uncanny ability to change speed and directions vertically and laterally. Cofer Jr. is lefty with great ball skills showing that he can create for himself and others and proved he can knock down shots off the dribble. Cofer is a MUST SEE division one prospect. 

David Fernandez(5'11/G/2021) Belen Jesuit

David Fernandez is a shifty ultra skilled guard. Fernandez lacks athleticism and explosiveness but more than makes up for it with deceptive dribble moves, elite passing and a confident jump shot. 

Anthony "AJ" Lopez(6'4/G/2020) Schoolhouse Prep

AJ Lopez is a long athletic guard who has a knack for scoring the ball. Multiple times over the course of the camp he wow'd his peers by unleashing a series of dribble moves followed by aggressive dunks at the rim. Lopez is also another sure fire division one prospect and we look forward following his progress.

Arturo Dean(5'11/PG/2021) South Miami 

Arturo Dean who is widely considered one of the top players in Miami-Dade County and one of the top prospects in South Florida was electric in Saturdays action. Dean was too shifty for defenders and made shots consistently. Look for him to take the reigns from his older brother currently enrolled in Barry University and get the South Miami Cobras back to states. 

Emilio Ramirez(6'1/G/2021) ILS

Emilio Ramirez is proving that his junior year will be one to remember. The ILS guard has been the pillar of the program since he arrived as a freshman. While he has carried a heavy load as an underclassmen he is shoulders now seem prepared for the pressure that Coach De La Grana puts on him to carry his team to victories. He showed he is stronger, more athletic, and overall more prepared to be the man. Thrilled we were able to watch his improvement. 

Jose-Luis Benitez(6'1/PG/2020) Schoolhouse Prep

Jose-Luis Benitez showed he has improved drastically in a year. His body, his quickness and his confidence are at all time highs. Benitez was able to knife through defenses consistently creating opportunities for himself and others. Lastly he demonstrated a new and improved jump shot consistently hitting out to the 3-point line. Benitez is another sure fire division one prospect and should have Schoolhouse Prep making noise once again come February.

Josh Cecol(6'8/F/2020) Belen Jesuit

Josh Cecol  a talented big man for Belen Jesuit displayed his soft touch and passing prowess all day at Cream of the Crop Camp. Cecol is a threat on the perimeter to make shots as well as someone who can score and create for others around the basket. Cecol needs to improve his body and athleticism but is a undoubtedly a college prospect. 

Marcos Molina Jr. (5'11/PG/2021) Palmetto HS

Marcos "Bubba" Molina was silky smooth this past Saturday making shots and dropping dimes. Molina is vastly improved and will shoulder the responsibility of making plays for a younger talented Palmetto team. Molina is not the best athlete but his court awareness and accountable approach make up for his physical short comings. Molina is developing into a college prospect. 

 

Stock Boosters

Jayven Cofer(6'1/G/2023) Schoolhouse Prep

Jayven Cofer younger brother of Jimel Cofer was one of the most impressive specimens at Cream of the Crop camp. Cofer's ability to change speed and direction while demonstrating a willingness to make plays for others separates him from his peers. Cofer struggles at times with his shot selection but he has a great basketball IQ and is undoubtedly one of the top freshman in the state of Florida. 

Gilberto Salazar(5'11/G/2023) ILS

Gilbert Salazar was extremely impressive. Our staff had a chance to see him this summer and it is evident he has been in the gym constantly working on his game. Although he is a freshman his shooting prowess and ball handling skill will be critical for Coach De La Grana as ILS looks to bounce back after a few rebuilding seasons. 

Brett Gurka(5'9/G/2022) ILS

Brett Gurka is a smart heady guard. Gurka was able to impress our staff by making solid plays. Often times young players neglect the easy, simple plays in favor of the home run. Gurka is a good shooter and a competitor on the defensive end of the floor. Our staff is excited to follow him more during the year. 

Delvin Espinoza(6'2/W/2022) SLAM

Delvin Espinoza impressed our staff by displaying his athleticism  in transition and on the glass. Espinoza was someone we had not identified in the past and worked hard as a defender and straight line driver. Espinoza will be someone that helps first year Head Coach Danny Serano at SLAM academy. 

Jabari Williams(6'11/C/2021) Schoolhouse Prep

Jabari Williams is a super talented division one prospect. Williams has most physical tools: tall, active, and long. Those attributes are critical for the new style big man. Williams must improve his strength level but will be a prospect most people in the city should know about. 

Wander Vicente(6'1/W/2020) ACC

Wander Vicente is another prospect that we had not yet identified. Vicente made plays for himself and teammates and his ability to make shots off the catch was something that caught our staffs eyes during the instructional period. Vicenete attends ACC and should be someone that helps them win games.