Vote: Who should be SBLive's Florida High School Athlete of the Week (1/9/2024)?
Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Florida High School Athlete of the Week for Jan. 1-Jan. 6 as nominated by fans, readers and SBLive’s staff. Read through the nominees and cast your vote at the bottom of the page. Voting will conclude on Sunday, January 15th at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be announced in next week's poll.
THIS WEEK’S FLORIDA ATHLETE OF THE WEEK NOMINEES:
Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes that receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.
Congratulations to last week's winner: Triaton Mauffray, Boys Basketball, Destin
Here are the nominations:
Cooper Flagg, Boys Basketball, Montverde Academy: Getting to play back home was always going to be a treat for Flagg. The Duke commitment turned in a stellar effort with 29 points and nine rebounds to Montverde Academy past CATS Academy of Boston, 105-58, in Maine.
Jonah Forrest, Boys Basketball, Navarre: It was a week of Navarre players really lighting it up from the perimeter. Forrest scored 29 points, including knocking down 9-of-14 from 3-point land in a win over Pensacola Catholic.
Marcus Allen, Boys Basketball, Miami Norland: Allen showed out at the SLAM Hoopfest last week in Tampa. Against the always talented Tampa Catholic Crusaders, in a 75-47 win, the 6-foot-7 forward had a team-high 26 points for the Vikings.
Marcus Nestor, Boys Basketball, Port Charlotte: Being a freshman ain’t easy. Unless you played the way Nestor did last week. The freshman led the way in the Pirates’ 51-35 victory over Golden Gate, scoring 18 points, connecting on six 3-pointers.
Rya’sir Jefferson, Boys Basketball, Matanzas: The junior guard filled up the stat sheet last week. Jefferson scored 30 points on 9-of-14 shooting, adding five assists, five steals in a 79-47 win over Ridgeview.
Ethan Sabec, Boys Basketball, Calvary Christian: Never easy pulling off a double-double. The junior did it with easy and had a big game in the Warriors’ 57-41 win over IMG Academy White, scoring 27 points and collecting 10 rebounds.
Makhi Jones, Boys Basketball, Crestview: Should come as no surprise the way Jones is playing this season. Jones had a big night in the Bulldogs’ 68-57 win over Milton, scoring 30 points and grabbing eight boards.
Talon Brooks, Boys Basketball, Osceola: When you look at the importance of Brooks to Osceola this season, an example of that occurred last week. Brooks scored nearly half of the Warriors’ points with a team-high 30 points, 10 rebounds in the Osceola’s 62-44 win over Hernando.
Mo Kamara, Boys Basketball, University: The junior really impressed during the winter break. Kamara scored a career-high 35 points, adding 10 rebounds to lead the Cougars past Mitchell, 75-66, in the Greg O’Connell Holiday Shootout at Springstead High School.
Faith Wener, Girls Basketball, City of Life Christian Academy: The 6-foot-2 senior forward recorded a double-double with 28 points and 14 rebounds and dished out five assists in a 74-62 victory against Life Christian Academy last week.
Zara Stewart, Girls Basketball, First Baptist Naples: Though in a losing effort, Stewart had a solid line for the Eagles. Stewart had a game-high 25 points to go with five rebounds, three assists and three steals against Lemon Bay.
Evelyn Juden, Girls Basketball, Celebration: There’s been plenty of fantastic freshmen playing varsity basketball this season. Juden is one of them. The small forward scored 27 points, six rebounds and seven steals in a 55-25 victory against Trinity Prep.
Sofi Miller, Girls Basketball, Sarasota: The forward/center couldn’t be kept off the glass in Sarasota’s 47-36 win over Atlantic. Miller pulled down 17 rebounds and added eight points, four blocks and three assists.
Marlee Schumacher, Girls Basketball, Weeki Wachee: Needing a big game down in the paint, Schumacher came through for the Hornets. The forward scored a game-high 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a 48-29 win over Hernando.
Gavin Garlick, Boys Soccer, Jesuit: In the closing moments of the Tampa Bay Invitational, Garlick came up huge. The goalkeeper made a clutch save to clinch a 2-1 win over Tampa Prep.