Best of The Best Elite Showcase: The Magic Was Back In Orlando

Terry Drake December 3, 2020 @ 08:50 AM

The magic of Disney has been greatly impacted this year by the pandemic. However, there was magic back in Orlando on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020, as the 8th Annual Middle School Best of The Best Elite Florida Showcase took place. Players from across the Southeast that would normally come to experience the magic of Disney, came and made magic themselves. As I walked into the gym the ambiance was intriguing and I immediately had the feeling that something truly magical was about to take place.

The campers went through about fifteen minutes of dynamic stretching then were sent to their respective courts and the competitive games began. I finally settled into the court that had the class of 2026 on display and it was nothing less than exciting. Before I could sit down and get my iPad out and ready, Maddox Palmer had already captured my eye.

Maddox Palmer – 6’1 / SG/SF

Landrum Middle School (Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida)

Instagram: Maddox.palmer

Twitter: Maddoxpalmer6

AAU Program: Florida Vipers

It was evident that Maddox was one of, if not the best 2026 players in the camp. He has great size for a 7^th grader that can obviously at this level play just about anywhere on the court.

With the ball in his hands, he is a big-time scorer that can fill up the scorebook quickly and in waves. He has exceptional handles that he uses extremely well to get to his spots on the court. He is extremely crafty and has an elite level hesitation game. For an extremely long time, no one could stay in front of him, as he kept defenders off balance. One time a player shouted out, ’what do you want me to do,’ in frustration as Maddox continued to score. He was scoring with such ease in a multiplicity of ways. As it relates to his perimeter shooting, if he can become just as lethal with that, as he is with getting into the paint and to the rim, he is going to be a nightmare for many defenders. Maddox’s game will definitely transition to the next level. At 6’0 now, if he does not grow much, he has the skill set to lead a high school program from the PG spot. If he continues to grow, which is likely, he is going to be a combo guard that can make space for his name, on many college coaches recruiting boards.

One of the next players that caught my eye as I watched the class of 2026 was Chris Washington, Jr. who caught everyone’s attention standing at 6’5 on this court.

Chris Washington, Jr. – 6’5 / C

Kanapaha Middle (Gainesville FL)

Instagram: Chris_getbuckets

Twitter: N/A

AAU: Florida Central Rising Star

For anyone watching the 2026 court during the competitive drills, one player that you could not avoid was Chris Washington, Jr. His height and length in the 7^th grade are very intriguing. Immediately, his ability to protect the rim was displayed, as the guards found it very hard to get shots in the paint.

Then out of know where in transition, Chris got the ball in the middle of the court, gathered himself, and slammed with 2 hands, bringing spectators to their feet and hyping up his teammates, too.

Even though Chris at times showed good footwork on the low block, he is still raw and rough around the edges as a big man. The work that has already been done with Chris, shows that if he continues to grow, he can develop into a low-block and high-post threat. Chris needs to immediately begin working on his hands’ strength as he fumbled the ball numerous times on low-block paint touches, and rebounds. As Chris continues to get in the gym to work, it is imperative that he continues to work on his ability to play on the perimeter. His ability to handle the ball and create his shot off the bounce, along with his ability to be a consistent perimeter threat with his outside shooting, is going to expand his game if he continues to grow, while at the same time set him up to make the transition to the perimeter at the high school level if he does not grow anymore.

The crowd reaction got me up and over to the court with the class of 2025, and immediately I couldn’t help notice Alexander Lloyd putting in work.

Alexander Lloyd – 6’3 / Small Forward

Nativity Catholic School (Hollywood Florida)

Instagram: Alexanderlloyd33

Twitter: Alexlloyd33

AAU: NightRydas

Alexander was one of the most explosive players in camp and made his case to be the top player at camp. He has the ability to create his own shot anywhere on the court. He was in attack mode from the time that I saw him, and he was constantly getting to the rim and finishing with authority, including several attempts to posterize defenders. He was one of the most skilled in the pick and roll with the ball in his hands and made good decisions in the action.

He is a competitor that does not back down from anyone and raised his game when he was paired against other top players in the camp. His game will transition with ease to the high school level.

As he continues to get the ball on a string with his handles and improve his consistency with his jumper from the perimeter, his stock is going to rise in the state of Florida. He has the capacity as he continues to develop to impact both ends of the court in a major way. He is going to be a good rebounding guard as he has a way of finding the ball. There should be no reason why coaches should not have their eye on this kid right now.

On the same court with Alexander during the competitive games was Jamier Jones Jamier Jones 6'5" | WF FL , who kept players and spectators at the court he was playing on.

Jamier Jones Jamier Jones 6'5" | WF FL – 6’6 / F/C

Bradenton Middle School (Bradenton FL)

Instagram: _thejamierjones

Twitter: @jamierjones6

AAU: E1T1

At 6’6 Jamier was the most physically imposing player at camp and was also one of the fiercest. Hands down he was one of the top 3 players in camp. He is a skilled offensive weapon with the tools to dominate the paint.

What is exciting to see is his ability to handle the rock on the perimeter and take defenders off the dribble. At a young age, he has the inside/out game going for him. He is a match-up problem as he takes slower big out on the perimeter and can simply have his way with them. Several times he electrified spectators as he finished strong at the rim and often tried to put defenders that found themselves in the paint, in the rim with the ball. Spectators got treated to a show as Jamier squared off against Alexander Lloyd, which could very well be two of the most coveted players in the next few years. As Jamier grows, one of his major focus has to be the education of the game. He has the tools and what is going to possibly give him the edge to be a high major athlete is his knowledge of the game. What I can say right now, as the song goes…Remember The Name.

To conclude the first of several articles recapping the Best of The Best, we find the intriguing athlete Herly Brutus.

Herly Brutus – 6’3 / F/C

Wildwood Middle School (N/A)

Instagram: h.bigbully23

Twitter: N/A

AAU Program: N/A

When looking at Herly on the court I was immediately interested in watching more. When I looked down at my roster, I was even more interested, as I found out that he is a 2026 kid, playing with the 2025 kids.

Herly is a long and talented post player, that scores in a multiplicity of ways and makes it look effortless. Even though his play looks effortless, he’s extremely smooth and gave ultimate effort, showing that his game belonged on the 2025 court. He is a stout forward at his age that impacted the stat sheet in all areas, and on both ends of the floor. Herly has enormous potential and will be another kid that we will be tracking his progress over the next few years. Let me put everyone on notice to look out for this kid as he continues to develop his game on the perimeter.

The Best of the Best did not disappoint, but you are going to have to wait until Part 2 for more… Stay tuned to Prep Hoops Next

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