Florida’s bumper basketball harvest

E1T1 United 2021, a team featuring incoming Orlando high school freshman, defeated Texas Elite OC 60-47 on Friday to advance to today’s quarterfinals in the AAU 8th grade boys basketball national tournament at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports.

,a 6-foot-4 wing out of Chain of Lakes Middle School, scored 18 points to lead the way to victory. (14 points), (10) and (10) also scored in double figures for E1T1.

E1T1 plays RM5 Elite 2021 of Dallas at 11:10 a.m. The winner moves on to a 4:30 p.m. semifinal, which sets up Sunday’s 1:50 p.m. final.

This week’s 14U and 8th Grade national tournaments tipped off a busy month of youth basketball in Central Florida.

The YBOA national tournament will be played Monday through Saturday of next week at the Orange County Convention Center. That massive event includes a fifth grade Orlando PowerHouse Bulls team that won the U.S. Amateur Boys Basketball National Championship last week, and an Each 1 Teach 1 sixth grade team coached by former Magic forward

AAU hosts is 16U and 17U national championships at Disney, the Orlando Sports Center and Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee on July 19-23. The Big House in Tavares also hosts the Battle of the Best Session on those dates.

The Orlando Hoops Festival travel team showcase, including CP25 Gauntlet teams sponsored by Lake Howell, UF and NBA forward will be held at First Academy’s new arena, July 21-23.

And in the July 26-30 NCAA live period, the final window for college coaches to watch high school prospects this summer, AAU will host five Super Showcases in four age groups: 8th Grade, 15U, 16U, 17U and 17U Gold. speedster

the 2017 Class 4A state 100-meter dash champ, committed to South Carolina for both football and track and field.

Valentine is a rising senior running back who transferred to East Ridge prior to the 2017 track season. He told FlRunners.com he is heading back to Melbourne Central Catholic for his senior year. East Ridge Trinity Prep swimmer

broke four Puerto Rico national age group records and won six gold medals at the recent Central America and Caribbean Amateur Swimming Confederation’s CCCAN Games in Tobago.

Collazo, who was a Sentinel all-area performer as a sophomore, won the 15-17 age group 50 meters in a time of 23.75 seconds and the 100 free in 51.42. He also swam in four relay wins.

Two other Saints swimmers, twin sisters and were bronze medalists in the synchronized swimming duet competition, representing Panama.