Tec's Top Guys: City of Palms Sophomores
FORT MYERS, FL—The City of Palms Classic is one of the best high school events on an annual basis. It boasts one of the most talented fields on the calendar, and this year was packed to the brim with talent. No different than any other year.
I was in town for the tournament’s opening weekend, and I was privy to outstanding performance after outstanding performance. With all of the action I was able to see, I compiled a list of some of the top guys I was able to see, and I’ve divided them up by class.
Starting with 2025, I’ll share my top guys over this Christmas week like a basketball advent calendar.
I loved watching the Stepinac backcourt to kick off the weekend at City of Palms, and Danny Carbuccia was one of the guys I was most excited about when I was leaving Fort Myers.
What I loved the most about his game was his approach. Early on, Carbuccia looked to get his teammates involved and to get the Stepinac offense flowing. He was able to get into the paint at will and kick the ball back out to the to get his guys shots from three or to get the ball swinging around the perimeter. After some time, Carbuccia was the one to take over as a scorer. He finished with 14 points which included a pair of 3-pointers. His stats don’t tell the entire story of how well he played, but those in attendance saw why he’s regarded as one of the better point guards in his class.
Myers Park in Fort Myers? It feels appropriate. In the first game for the Carolinian squad, they picked up an impressive win over a solid North Laurel group. One of the drivers behind their successful outing was sophomore forward Sadiq White.
The 6-foot-8 forward is regarded as a top-50 player in the 2025 class, and he certainly looked the part with his 15 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks. Active, long and athletic, White made plays all over the floor. A stat-stuffer, White can impact a game in a variety of ways, and that was apparent in Fort Myers.
As part of a Florida showcase bracket, Westminster Academy took on IMG Academy to start their weekend. While they didn’t get the W, the young south Florida squad showed plenty of fight when mounting a comeback, and 5-star guard Alex Lloyd helped lead the charge.
Lloyd got going in the second half and was one of the primary contributors to the Lions’ surge. The 6-foot-4 guard thrives on both ends of the floor. In their game against IMG Blue, Lloyd showed his potent scoring ability with 16 points. He can score on all three levels and flexed that against the Ascenders. On the other end, he helped fluster the IMG Blue defense by using his length to bother opposing guards. He picked up four steals and helped get easy baskets in transition for Westminster.
Link Academy is one of the best, deepest teams in Fort Myers. Playing well against a team of that caliber is a surefire way to get noticed, and that’s what Saint Frances guard Tyler Jackson did on Sunday afternoon.
The 6-foot-2 guard wowed those in attendance with his 26-point performance that put a scare in Link Academy. While Saint Frances came up short, Jackson was the player of the game for many onlookers. He dropped 26 points and hit huge shots while trying to his team to an upset win. His shot-making was impressive, but his overall activity was what won people over. On the glass and on defense, Jackson battled. He approached the game with a gritty mentality. It was a toughness that I’ve come to love and associate with Baltimore guards.
