The annual JuCo Shootout comes to Ocala and Gainesville on Saturday and Sunday, featuring 10 teams from around Florida and attracting a ton of four-year college scouts and coaches. Below, the full schedule and some notes to get you prepared.
Saturday
12 pm - (9) Gulf Coast vs. Daytona State
2 pm - (6) Broward vs. (7) St. Johns River
4 pm - Brevard vs. Hillsborough
6 pm - (8) State College of Florida vs. (3) Central Florida
8 pm - (2) Chipola vs. Palm Beach
Sunday
12 pm - (7) St. Johns River vs. (9) Gulf Coast
2 pm - Brevard vs. Daytona State
4 pm - (8) State College of Florida vs. (6) Broward
6 pm - Hillsborough vs. (2) Chipola
8 pm - Palm Beach vs. (3) Central Florida
POLL POSITION: This weekend features six members of the FCCAA state coaches' poll: No. 2 Chipola; No. 3 Central Florida; No. 6 Broward; No. 7 St. Johns River; No. 8 State College of Florida (Manatee); and No. 9 Gulf Coast.
MARQUEE GAMES: Each day of the Shootout features two matchups of ranked teams. No. 6 Broward faces No. 7 St. Johns River and No. 8 State College of Florida tackles the third-ranked Patriots on Saturday; on Sunday, it's St. Johns River vs. No. 9 Gulf Coast and State College against Broward.
MARQUEE NAMES: Returning first-team NJCAA All-American Ricardo Ratliffe is the big name in this field, but he's just one of three players among this weekend's 10 participants to earn FCCAA Player of the Week honors this year. St. Johns River's Clarence Tillman won Nov. 10; Ratliffe won Nov. 17 and Nov. 24; and Broward's Kevin Bristol won Dec. 1.
POINT MADE: The CF half of the Shootout features the two top scorers in the state. Ratliffe leads Florida and the nation with 30.5 points per game, while Hillsboroug's Faisal Aden follows with a 27.3 average. Andrew Ferry of Palm Beach ranks fifth in the state, scoring 18.3 points a night.
STAT STARS: Two of the state's top five rebounders will patrol the glass at CF this weekend. Ratliffe is second in Florida with 12.5 boards per, while Chipola's Marvin Fitzgerald ranks third at 11.3. The field also features the state's top thief in Aden (4.3 steals) and third-leading assist man in Hillsborough's Demario Prince (5.8).
CONFERENCE FOES: CF gets a look at two of the teams it will contend with when Mid-Florida Conference play begins after the holiday break. St. Johns River is among the Patriots' toughest MFC rivals, while Daytona State should also prove a tough out.
