BASKETBALL

High school basketball Media Day: Taliah Scott shoots for title with St. Johns Country Day

Clayton Freeman and Juston Lewis
The Times-Union

Look out, Class 2A.

That's the message to Florida after Taliah Scott's arrival at St. Johns Country Day girls basketball.

The five-star junior says she's up for the challenge.

"I'm really looking forward to just going out, building team chemistry, competing with my team to hopefully bring home a state championship," Scott said.

Players and coaches from across Northeast Florida descended on the Winston Family YMCA in Riverside for the annual High School 9:12 Media Day for basketball, setting the stage for four months of dribbling, passing and shooting on the hardwood.

Players and coaches from across Northeast Florida gather for the annual High School 9:12 Media Day for basketball at Winston Family YMCA.

And no jersey attracted more attention than Scott's light blue No. 2. Nearly eight months after qualifying for a first-ever final four at Oakleaf, Scott is now taking on a totally different test with the Spartans.

"I'm able to rely on everybody. I'm able to play, have fun, all that," Scott said. "Being at the final four, it just brings experience back, gives me the experience to make that trip again."

Scott averaged 23.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists last season with Oakleaf in Class 7A, and she's accumulated 1,167 points through two seasons of high school hoops.

Ranked as a top-10 national prospect by ESPN for the Class of 2023, she committed to play college basketball at Arkansas in September.

The five-star guard's arrival at St. Johns Country Day instantly elevates the Spartans — who also return sophomore 3-point ace Mary Kate Kent — into the level of contenders in Class 2A, and poses the obvious question: Just how many points could she rack up against small-school opposition?

The Spartans' deepest playoff run was a trip to the Class A semifinal in 1987.

"This is my family now," Scott said. "I'm ready to build chemistry with them and go far with them."

St. Johns Country Day guard Taliah Scott averaged more than 20 points per game in each of her first two high school seasons.

Full steam ahead

Among the recurring themes of Tuesday's event: Teams are looking forward to having a full season, and in three weeks' time they'll be full steam ahead. 

Due to the uncertainty that surrounded COVID-19 last year, the summer schedule was in shambles and teams were having to adjust through cancellations on the fly during the season. 

In a few cases, coronavirus outbreaks sidelined teams for multiple games on end.

This season, it's expected that there'll be more stability — and that could translate to more cohesive basketball this winter.

It's a good sign for teams like the Nease girls, who return one of the area's top scorers in Sydney Gomes. The senior, fast closing in on the 2,000-point career mark, 

"We've been playing this summer, because we didn't get that COVID summer [with sports shut down or restricted] like last year," Nease girls basketball head coach Sherri Anthony said. "That's helped us a lot."

After Deebo, Warriors fight on

How do you adjust to losing Mr. Basketball?

There's no such thing as business as usual, for West Nassau boys coach Ran Coleman, maintaining the old norm is part of the goal.

"We're keeping our guys acclimated to what we're trying to do, continuing to carry on that culture that we've created, and playing the type of ball that we normally play," he said. "If we can do that, those guys realize that they can be good early, and we'll be OK."

West Nassau stormed into its first-ever state final four last season with help from the considerable talents of Dallan (Deebo) Coleman, son of the Warriors' coach. He averaged 24.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game on his way to the regional championship, finishing second all-time on the Northeast Florida boys list with 2,553 career points.

But after winning the Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Basketball award, only the third area player to capture the honor, he's now in ACC hoops at Georgia Tech — which means his father and his former West Nassau teammates have work ahead.

The elder Coleman is confident that the next wave, including players like wing Jye Thompson (9.8 points, 5.4 rebounds in 2020-21) can make the transition smooth.

"We've got a great young group of juniors. Those guys fought for us last year when we had that great final four run, and I've got another year with them," Coleman said. "Once they get that understanding that they can be good and they're the main piece of what we're trying to do, we'll be all right."

Players and coaches gather for High School 9:12 Media Day for basketball on Wednesday.

Millar ready for BK challenge

Maddie Millar isn't intimidated.

More than ever, three-time defending regional champion and state girls semifinalist Bishop Kenny is leaning on the senior sharpshooter, and she's ready to adjust to the changing times.

"Our style of play is going to change this year," the Crusaders' senior said. Last season and in past seasons with Coach [Charlsea] Clark, we've had a lot of set plays. This year, it's kind of a run-and-gun team with a lot of dribble drives."

At Bishop Kenny, the 2021-22 season marks the start of a transition.

No longer at the John A. Baldwin Athletic Center are former head coach Clark, now an assistant at the University of North Florida, and 2,000-point scorer Jasmyne Roberts, now in her freshman year at Miami. That combination led the Crusaders to the FHSAA final four in three consecutive years.

But the Crusaders have their eyes on another deep postseason run under veteran coach Will Mayer, most recently at Creekside. They return a four-year star in Millar, who has 1,183 career points and shoots the three at 39 percent for her BK career.

"We've tried to stay positive and stick together through it all," Millar said. "This season is going to be new, it's going to be fun and we've got a lot of new players that are going to be key components for us."

OP's Sabino set to shine

O stands for the Orange in Orange Park.

And, this year, O means the one and only. the lone player returning from last year's All-First Coast boys basketball first team: Orange Park's Josiah Sabino, coming off a dynamic 2020-21 campaign that rocketed him into the ranks of Division I prospects.

Sabino, who committed to Jacksonville University last month, averaged 21 points per game in a breakout campaign for the Raiders.

Already established as an elite athlete — he won the District 3-3A track and field championship last spring in the triple jump — he's worked to further refine his skills between the baselines.

"My 3-point shot got really well-developed over the summer," Sabino said. "I'm really confident this year in what's going to come."

Double duty for Mustangs' Jackson

Media Day was only the first part of the excitement for Ellie Jackson.

By morning, the Mandarin senior was speaking with reporters alongside Mustangs girls hoops teammates Samantha Freeland and Nykeria Thomas, eyeing the coming season on the basketball court.

But her evening schedule was set to take her to the District 1-7A volleyball tournament at Oakleaf, where Jackson is leading a 21-2 Mandarin team through one of its best seasons ever.

On the volleyball court, she's up to 240 kills and 293 digs this season. On the basketball court, she averaged just below 10 points per game to go with six and a half rebounds. She has committed to Emmanuel College for volleyball.

"In the past years, we haven't really made it as far for volleyball, so this year I have to kind of adjust back and forth," she said. "I really have to balance out my time."