Vote: Who is the Florida Boys Basketball Class 4A Preseason Coach of the Year?

Here are 10 candidates for your voting consideration

Barron Collier Cougars head coach David Watts reacts to a play during the third quarter of the Class 5A Region 3 finals against the St. Petersburg Green Devils at Barron Collier High School in Naples on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. Ndn 20230224 Barroncolliervsstpete 0005 / Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News / USA TODAY NETWORK

With the regular high school basketball season tipping off next week, High School On Si will send out preseason nominations, starting with Class 1A, and making our way through 7A. Voting will end on Thursday, November 21 at 11:59 p.m. Any nominations can be sent to rossvdg14@gmail.com.

Eli Bryant, Rickards (Tallahassee)

Bryant is entering his 20th season as the head coach at Rickards High School in Tallahassee. He looks to lead the Raiders to their first district championship since 2020. Leading the team this season will be 6-6 senior forward BJ Plummer (North Florida commit).

William Clark, Estero

Clark enters just his second season as the head coach at Estero High School where he led the Wildcats to a 14-14 record in his first season. 

Dylan Estock, Mater Lakes Academy

Estock helped lead the Bears to their first state title in school history in 2023 in just his first year of coaching. Two years later, Estock will look to lead a youthful group back to Lakeland, where they will be led by 6-3 freshman guard Tai Bell and 5-10 sophomore point guard Khanye Moss. 

Juan Hernandez, St. Brendan

Hernandez enters his 7th season as the head coach at St. Brendan High School. The Sabres finished the 2023-2024 season with a 17-10 record. They will be led this season by 5-9 senior point guard Jonas Duque who averaged 14.6 points per game as a junior last season. 

Alain Laroche, Bishop Moore

Laroche enters his 4th season as the head coach at Bishop Moore Catholic High School. He’ll look to lead the Hornets to a deep playoff run after a 13-11 disappointing season last year. Leading the team this season will be 6-8 junior wing Connor Corris. 

Fred Lewis, Blake

Lewis enters his 5th season as the head coach at H.W Blake High School in Tampa. During the 2023-2024 season, Lewis led the Yellow Jackets to a 26-6 record and the school’s Final Four appearance for the first time since 2011. Leading the team this season will be 6-8 junior wing Jojo Philon and 6-7 senior forward Joshua Lewis.

Larry Murphy, Gibbs (St. Petersburg)

Murphy enters his 21st season as the head coach at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg. During the 2023-2024 season, Murphy led the Gladiators to a 27-5 record and captured the school’s first state championship since 1969. Leading the team this season will be 7-1 senior center Isaiah Medina (DePaul commit), 6-8 senior power forward Bobby Crawford, 6-3 senior shooting guard Mathis Roberts, 6-1 senior point guard Jacob Daniels, and 6-4 sophomore shooting guard Oneal Delancy. 

Edward Schuler, Stranahan

Schuler is entering his 5th season as the head coach at Stranahan High School. During the 2023-2024 season, the Mighty Dragons finished with an 18-4 record, winning the District 5A-14 Championship. Leading the team this season will be 6-3 junior combo guard Christian Yeargin, 6-3 junior wing David Nealy, and 6-9 junior center Isaiah Brown. 

Charles Showers, Ribault

Showers enters his 7th season at Ribault where he has led the Trojans to an 89-63 record in his first six seasons. The Trojans finished the 2023-2024 season with an 18-8 record and reached the regional semifinals. 

David Watts, Barron Collier

Watts enters his 6th season as the head coach at Barron Collier. During the 2023-2024 season, the Cougars finished with a 20-9 record and reached the regional semifinal before losing to Mariner. Leading the team this season will be 6-3 senior combo guard Spencer Clayton, 6-5 senior forward Rowan Sanson, and 6-4 senior combo guard Michael Crawford.