Edgewater grad Simons hits it big
Trail Blazers rookie sinks 7 3s, scores 37 in 1st NBA start
Former Edgewater basketball standout Anfernee Simons made the most of his first career NBA start Wednesday. The rookie guard drained seven 3-point shots and scored 37 points for the playoff-bound Portland Trail Blazers.
Simons connected on 13-of-21 shots from the field to finish with the highest point total by a player in his first NBA start since 1985-86. He also finished with nine assists and six rebounds in 48 minutes of work before teammates doused him with water while he was being interviewed at midcourt.
Portland, which rested the majority of its starters on the final night of the regular season, rallied from a 28-point deficit to win 136-131 over the Sacramento Kings. The win moved the Trail Blazers up to No. 3 in the Western Conference, matching them with the Oklahoma City Thunder in a first-round playoff series that tips off this afternoon.
Simons started at point guard Wednesday and said afterward that he was advised by teammates to take his time and slow the pace of the game while logging so many minutes.
“They were just helping me out throughout the whole game,” said Simons, who was drafted by Portland with the 24th pick of the first round in 2018.
Simons, 19, played at Edgewater as a freshman and sophomore before transferring to Montverde Academy as a junior, where he played limited minutes. He returned to Edgewater for his senior season in 2016-17 then opted to enroll as a fifth-year post-grad player at IMG Academy of Bradenton in 2017-18.
Simons became eligible to go pro in 2018, per an NBA rule that requires players to be at least one year removed from high school.
Simons playing time had been very limited on a team that has standout guards Damian Lillard and C.J. MCollum as its two leading scorers, and Rodney Hood and Seth Curry coming off the bench ahead of Simons.
Feel the draft?: Sports Illustrated has Duke standout and former Montverde Academy superstar R.J. Barrett and North Carolina freshman and Orlando Christian Prep grad Nassir Little both among the top 12 picks in its 2019 NBA Mock Draft. And two more former area prep standouts are also seen as first rounders.
The common thread is that all four started high school elsewhere before finding their way to Central Florida.
Barrett is pegged to go No. 3 to Cleveland. Little is projected as the No. 12 choice to Charlotte.
Another Montverde product, 6-10 Maryland sophomore Bruno Fernando, sits at No. 21 to Oklahoma City.
And Arizona State freshman standout Luguentz Dort, who made a pit stop at little-known Conrad Academy of Orlando in the 2016-17 season, is forecast to go No 27 to the New York Nets. Dort, like Barrett, is Canadian.
Bozzaco wins title: Oviedo junior Josh Bozzaco won the 183-pound weight class on Friday in the FHSAA Class 2A Boys Weightlifting State Championship meet at Arnold High School in Panama City Beach.
Bozzaco bench-pressed 370 pounds and hoisted 265 overhead in the clean and jerk for a 635 total.
Apopka junior Jalen Carter was runner-up in the heavyweight class with a 715 total to help the Blue Darters earn an area-best seventh place finish in the team standings (results below).
looms: Timber Creek (23-2) and Freedom (23-2) are rated as Florida’s No. 1 and 2 boys volleball teams by MaxPreps, but only one of them can reach region play.
Both reside in District 2 in the one-classification setup for boys volleyball — and only the winner of next week’s district tournaments advance.
Timber Creek meets seventh-ranked tournament host Winter Park and Freedom plays No. 18 Cypress Creek in district semifinals on Tuesday. The final is Thursday night at 7.
Tournaments are also being held at Lake Mary and Bishop Moore.
Boys and girls lacrosse and boys and girls tennis also all have district tournaments this week. Water polo has region semifinals on Friday. Girls flag football playoffs kick off next week, followed by fastpitch softball playoffs opening April 29 and baseball district tournaments starting up May 6.
Extra points: Windermere Prep boys basketball coach Brian Hoff reported via Twitter that Fanbo Zeng, a 6-foot-9 freshman phenom from China, has received a scholarship offer from Florida.
Another ninth grader, Anna Kate Herrington of Timber Creek, committed to sign with Boston College for women’s volleyball on a campus visit last weekend.
Boys weighlifting
At Arnold High School, Panama City Beach
Class 2A state championship
Team scores: 1. Navarre 25 points; 2. Spruce Creek 24; 3. Palm Coast Matanzas 15. Area top 10: 6. Apopka 8; T7. Oviedo 7; T8. Hagerty 6.
Individual area placers:
119: 1. Caleb Huff, Sunlake, 255 bench, 225 clean and jerk, 480 total; 4. Matthew Richardo, Apopka, 215-165—380
129: 1. Victor Velez, Sunlake, 510; 5. Tanner Glasco, Hagerty, 230-215—445.
139: 1. Phu Bui, Spruce Creek, 270-250—520.
154: 1. Shane Thornton, Lecanto 600; 3. Nick Palumbo, Hagerty, 255-275—530.
169: 1. Will Lam, Matanzas, 655; 6. Aadonis Harris, East River, 300-240—540.
183: 1. Josh Bozzacco, Oviedo, 370-265—635; 8.
199: 1. Marvin Scott, Spruce Creek, 405-295 — 700.
219: 1. Josh Carter, Navarre, 705; 6. Makel McClenton, Seminole, 330-280—610
238: 1. Sterling Pace, 680.
Heavyweight: 1. Jordan Jefferson, Navarre, 795; 2. Jalen Carter, Apopka, 395-320 — 715; 4. Joseph Derryberry, Harmony, 355-325 — 680; 5. Justin Thomas, Boone, 390-285 — 675.
Class
Team scores: 1. Inverness Citrus 34, 2. Baker County 20, 3. (tie) Orange Park, Arnold, Sneads 14. best: 31. (tie), Tavares, 1.
Individual area placers:
119: 1. Jadan Lombard, Arnold, 395.
129: 1. Jackson 470.
139: 1. Anthony Sneads, 560.
154: 1. Marcos Dialo, Baker County, 595; 6. Kam Patterson, Tavares, 275-225—500.
169: 1. John Green, Baker County, 610
183: 1. Zykiem Orange Park, 610.
199: 1. David Araujo, Park, 670.
219: 1. Carson Fluegel, Citrus, 665.
238: 1. Ryan Waddell, Lopez, 690.
Heavyweight: 1. Agelu Nunu, Union County, 825. winners and Peaden, Goins, Altha, Terry, Sermons, Orange Father