WESLEY CHAPEL, FL — Day two of the Conrad Foss Memorial Tournament continued on Saturday at Wiregrass Ranch Sports and with it came plenty of notable action.

HoopSeen analyst Garrett Tucker was on-hand in the Sunshine state to take all of it in. What were some of his storylines from Saturday?

A backcourt duo fed off each other, some young names introduced themselves, and shooters shoot. 

Let’s dive into day two’s action from south Florida… 

EXPLOSIVE BACKCOURT LEADS THE WAY FOR SCE 

Skill Center Elite has quickly developed into one of the premier travel programs in the great Tampa area. To no one’s surprise, the program’s teams had a quality day from top to bottom. 

However, no one made quite the statement that the 17U UA Rise group did — in particular, the backcourt of 2025 guard J’London Bivens and 2026 guard Isaiah Newson.

Newson, a dynamic and exciting playmaker with the ball in his hands, looked the part despite playing up an age group. The slender 6-foot guard kept opposing defenses on their heels throughout the day with his quickness and shiftiness off the bounce. 

While he is thin, Newson proved he could take some bumps and finish in the lane. He had several acrobatic, off-balance scores that were impressive, but the sophomore wasn’t just a scorer for his team. He created opportunities for others and hit teammates right on the money with some slick passes. 

Newson has an ‘it’ factor to his game. He was one of the most exciting players I saw on Saturday and will be a big reason why SCE UA makes a deep run on championship Sunday.

Bivens, another 6-foot guard, mixed things up with power and athleticism to create quite the backcourt complement for Newson. He had no issues getting downhill or scoring at the rim from start to finish in their matchup against FCA Saints. The backcourt combined for 33 points in the victory.

SWFL HOOPS HAS QUALITY DAY

The SWFL Hoops program is no stranger to the HoopSeen platform. Their teams always have talent and a couple of players left the mark with our staff.

2026 guard Devan Jones was one of my favorite players I watched on Saturday. The 6-foot-1 guard constantly played with his foot on the gas in two different viewings for the 16U bunch. He knows how to play the game effectively, picking his spots with the ball in his hands. Jones has already used this weekend as a springboard going into the rest of the spring, and I would keep an eye on him as the travel season gets going.

Meanwhile, the 15U team used a nice 1-2 punch from Timarian Howard and Jose Marquez to start the morning. In fact, they won both games on the day by 24 points and both players were a big reason why.

Howard, a quick-twitch forward, is an awkward assignment for many opposing players because of his positionless style. He’s too strong and physical for guards to match up with yet he’s too quick for post players to check. 

As you would expect, Howard made the most of his advantage on the floor. The lefty had no problem getting to the rim off dribble and scoring from inside the lane. He also caused havoc on defense with his length and explosiveness.

Marquez brought a different approach to the game. The skilled guard played cool, calm and collected from start to finish with the ball in his hands. He showed his touch and understanding of the game by not letting the ball stick, and then he was able to keep defenses honest with his ability to knock down shots. 

Keep an eye on this program as a whole this weekend and moving forward.

HELLO, MY NAME IS…

Anytime you see a long, lanky big man at the 15U age group, you have to take note, right? Well, mark this one down —  Manatee PAL’s Elijah Price is a young Florida name to monitor for the next few years. He’s still a puppy (or baby deer, whichever you prefer) but there’s a lot to like already. 

The freshman is a mobile, 6-foot-5ish big man that sprints from end to end down the floor. He caused problems on defense with his shot-blocking and rim-protecting abilities. Typically, these type players have awful hands and pose no threat on offense. That isn’t the case with Price. He made some tough finishes through traffic and showed he’s comfortable putting the ball on the floor in transition. 

Like I said, it’s early here, but Price is a quality name to stash away for the future. 

Price’s teammate, Kendall Davis, is another prospect to watch going forward. The do-it-all forward did everything from passing to defending and rebounding. I’m excited to see more of him in action on Sunday.

NOTABLE SHOOTERS TO KNOW

We saw several different players put on shooting clinics on Saturday. Here are four of the better shooters I saw in action… 

Max Simmons, 2025 G, TNT HoopSquad: Simmons made 12 three-pointers in two games on Saturday. Here’s your hint, folks — know where he is at all times.

K’mar Honore, 2025 G, FCA Saints: Honore scored 17 points behind five three-pointers against SCE UA 17U on Saturday morning.

River Treadwell, 2026 G, Team Gritty: Treadwell’s team lost a close one Florida Elite SW but he did his best to not let his team fall. The sophomore made an array of three-pointers and scored 20+ points. 
Trey Griffin, 2027 G, Wellington Wolves: Griffin lived up to his name as he connected on five trey balls to score 25 points and lead his team to a victory.