The Prep Hoops Next Rumble Under The Palms in Winter Haven, FL., was nothing short of fantastic basketball from start to finish. From high-level team match-ups, one-on-one key match-ups, buzzer beaters, to nail-biters, the Rumble Under The Palms provided it all. It left players, coaches, and spectators ready for the next event. I can’t give them the next event as fast as they would like; however, I can provide them recaps from the event they will be talking about for several weeks.
For more information on the Prep Hoops Next Circuit, check out PrepHoopsNext.com/Circuit.
One thing that was impressive about the level of play from players in the classes of 2025-2027 was their ability to ‘Get Buckets.’ My high school coach had a saying that came back to my remembrance as I watched young players ‘Get Buckets,’ and that is “You have to put the ball in the basket.’ He made things so simple with his comments as he would tell us often, ‘the object is to have more points than them at the end of the game.’ So as I was thinking about things my coach would say, it was evident that the players I was watching putting in work were players that my high school coach would love having on his team.
So let’s take a look at a few guards that were walking buckets.
Whitfield Bynoe, IV. /5’1/PG | Central Florida Rising Stars 2027 (FL) | Odyssey Middle School (Orlando, FL)
IG: Ochobynoe22
Whitfield was one of the youngest players that could ‘Get Buckets.’ He was fascinating to watch. Even though he is small in stature, he has a huge heart and love for the game. He was able to score in multi-facets. His handles helped him to get anywhere he wanted to get to on the court.
He has a one-footed floater that he utilized quite often, which helped him to not over-penetrate like a player much older.
Not only does he ‘Get Buckets,’ but whenever his team needed points, he made huge shots, either off the bounce or knocking down threes. Whitfield was speedy but smooth with the ball in his hands. As I was sitting at the end of the court watching one of his games, a coach stopped his players and told them to watch #11 (Whitfield) as they were in a nail-biter at the time. The coach told his players to watch how he is not scared of the moment. Whitfield did not disappoint because he is a relentless competitor that wants the ball in his hands, and he delivered as everyone was watching the close game. So Whitfield gets us started with players that can ‘Get Buckets.’
Zacuras Dawson /5’/PG | Miami Top Risers 2027 (FL) | Rise Prep (Miami FL)
Instagram: Zack_dawson_da_future
Zacuras is the second player that we are highlighting as players that can ‘Get Buckets.’ Another small guard in the 2027 class but could fill it up in the scoring column.
Zacuras is that he started off playing with the 2026 team within the program and was getting buckets in that game.
When he got back down to his age group, he was making it look easy at times. He loves to get downhill and has some creating and ingenious ways to get his shot up and score once he gets in the paint. He doesn’t waste many movements when he attacks off the bounce, which keeps pressure on defenders. Even though he is small in stature, he showed his ability to knock down the long ball. This made it extremely difficult for defenders because he was going to ‘Get Buckets’ one way or the other, with pulling up deep or getting to the basket and finishing.
Jeremy Willmore /5’6/Combo Guard | Florida Vipers 2027 (FL) | Narcoossee Middle School (St Cloud, Florida)
Instagram: Jeremy2027_13
The third player that we are going to highlight that can ‘Get Buckets’ is Jeremy Willmore. Jeremy has a balanced floor game but is absolutely lethal from behind the arc. Early on, I was wondering about the consistency of the trey ball from the 2027 class, then Jeremy showed me not only does he has the consistency, but he has range.
He has a good-looking shot with a solid release point.
Jeremy is part of the players that ‘Get Buckets,’ but of all the players you will read about in this list, he could have been more assertive with looking for his scoring opportunities. He can light up the scorecard, yet you can see his unselfish play at work during periods of the game, showing the caliber player he is for his team. Even though he is an unselfish player, make no mistake about it; he can ‘Get Buckets’ especially from behind the arc.
O’Neal Delancy /5’11/PG | SPSA RUNS (FL) | Mt Moriah Christian (St Petersburg, Florida)
Instagram: Skills_daily
O’Neal has tremendous upsize and is definitely one of the players that was at the Rumble Under The Palms that ‘Get Buckets.’ He is a multi-dimensional scorer that got it done at all levels on the offensive end. He was trouble off the bounce for defenders throughout the weekend. He stayed in the paint off the bounce as defenders found it extremely difficult to stay in front of him. He has enormous potential as he found ways to score, even when multiple defenders ran at him.
To be the target for opposing coaches as they heard about his ability to score yet still have the ability to put up numbers showed O’Neal’s toughness.
At a young age, he is already an Alpha Male on his team and is hands down the leader for SPSA. At times he was absolutely stellar for his team on the offensive end.
Cruz Miller /5’6/ Shooting Guard | CLT1 (NC) | Collingswood Language Academy (Charlotte, NC)
Instagram: Cruzzzzzz08
Cruz had the ‘It’ factor from the moment that I laid eyes on him. He had a good feel for the game, and it quickly became apparent that he knew how to ‘Get Buckets.’ With nice size as the lead guard, it was tough for defenders to keep him in front of them. He is extremely active on the offensive end and was very aware at his age. He was fluid and productive throughout the weekend for his team.
Often times with scorers, the key is to see how they handle adversity, and at this age, the adversity is when they are having problems scoring, but Cruz worked his way thru several moments like that and kept making plays, showing why he is on the ‘Get Buckets’ list for the 2027 class.
Stay locked in for more deep dives on the top talent from Rumble Under the Palms!
