"The Warmup" tipped off yesterday at Miami Springs Rec Center and throughout the day, there were a number of players who emerged. While there were a number of high major college recruits in the building, it was many of the players who have flown under the radar who had some of the most impressive performances and attracted the attention of onlookers and coaches alike in the gym. This is the whole purpose of the event--to show that South Florida has a lot more than just the guys you hear about at BCS programs.
Here are a few of the standouts from day one of "The Warmup":
Cyrus Largie, 6'4,SG/SF, Mater Lakes Academy, 2019
Definitely the most dominant performance of day one went to Cyrus Largie, who dropped 36 points in a huge matchup with Dudley Blackwell and Somerset. Largie didn't do anything spectacular, but was constantly in attack mode and got to the rim at will. He kept the defense honest with his four three pointers and put immense pressure on the ball as well. Holding an offer from Northern Arizona, expect many more D1's to enter the race for his services.
Carl Bigord, 6'4, SG, Schoolhouse Prep, 2020
One of the bigger surprises was Carl Bigord, who knocked down 7 three pointers in the second game at the Hoop MIA Warmup. Going beyond the box score, he was outstanding playing on ball defense and rebounded the ball at a great rate for a guard. The long armed junior is still getting adjusted to his new surroundings in the states, but has the talent that is going to be drawing attention of D1 programs sooner rather than later.
Landon Martinez, 6'8, PF, Mater Lakes Academy, 2019
A relatively unknown commodity, Landon Martinez immediately grabbed the attention of everyone in the gym at The Warmup with his high level of activity. He was a beast on the offensive glass, showed range out to 16 feet, and defended multiple positions. Having not played a ton of basketball over the last year due to injury, many scouts will be getting their fist glimpse at him throughout this high school season.
James Henderson, 6'7, PF/C, Westminster Christian, 2021
In terms of upper body strength, there is no one that we've seen that more closely resembles Dwight Howard prior to playing a game in their freshman year of high school. Still a bit raw on the offensive end, Henderson showed flashes of his emerging talent with 3 three pointers and a left handed (off hand) jump hook. Defensively, he controlled the paint with his physicality and rebounded the ball exceptionally well. toss in the fact that he was a vocal leader and it's easy to see why the Team Knight product will be sought after by D1 schools