Underclassmen Shine At The Workout

Sarasota, FL - The 11th annual THEworkout , hosted by Team Florida, attracted many of the state's best players to Sarasota Riverview High School on Saturday September 24, giving them an opportunity to get some high-level work in in front of media and scouting services.

THEworkout is a must see event, here is what we learned:

Darius Days-- has small forward size at 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds, but a combo forward's game and he looks better each time we see him. In fact, Days put on the best performance at THEworkout this year and it wasn't close. He did damage inside where he posted up, called for the ball and used his moves and counter moves to score against players his size. He also showed that he can pull bigger defenders out to the perimeter and make shots from there. Saturday he did just that hitting three long jumpers over the outstretched hand of five-star big man Balsa Koprivica. The No. 136 ranked prospect in the 2018 class, Days also showed that he can rebound and lead the break. He might be a below the rim player, but do not think for a moment that he is not athletic. Days has offers from Illinois, Memphis, Oklahoma, USF, UAB, VCU, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

Caleb Edwards -- showed good ability to dribble and pass against pressure. At 6-foot-7, 175 pounds the class of 2018 forward has decent size but is a bit on the lean side right now. Nevertheless Edwards stayed active and demonstrated that he can get off the floor quickly when he received a pass in transition then exploded for a two handed dunk at the rim. Edwards listed offers from FGCU, North Florida and Samford.

DJ Mitchell -- this shooting guard transferred from St. Vincent Pallotti (Laurel, MD) to Oldsmar Christian and reclassified into the 2018 class. At 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, Mitchell has a good frame and was not afraid to go at players bigger than he was. In the afternoon session he had 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and grabbed four rebounds. Mitchell holds offers from FGCU, Kennesaw State, Penn State, Rhode Island and Saint Joseph's.

Balsa Koprivica -- the No. 3 ranked prospect in the 2019 class showed the tools that has already led to nine Division I offers. Listed at 7-foot-2 and 240 pounds, Koprivica has very good footwork which allows him to cover a lot of ground on defense and offense. On this day we did not see his post up game as much as we'd hope to but the young big man was active at both ends of the floor in games, and competed with a good good motor. Koprivica holds offers from Baylor, Florida, Georgia State, Louisville, Miami, Murray State, Tennessee, UCF and USC.

Vernon Carey -- showed impressive range on his jump shot and the versatility to play with his back to the basket or facing it. Carey, the No. 8 ranked prospect in the 2019 class, has grown four inches in the past 14 months and uses his size, strength and footwork to pound the glass. Carey also did a nice job passing out of the low or high post.

BJ Greenlee-- the 2019 point guard drew immediate attention with his ball handling and passing ability. Listed at 6-foot, 170 pounds Greenlee sports a 6-foot-3 wingspan which helped him on defense. His feel for the game is advanced for a sophomore. He will be counted on heavily to contribute for The Rock School (Gainesville, Fla.).

Josh Marte -- though just 5-foot-8, 150 pounds, Marte does not let his size get in the way of his play making ability. He displayed his high IQ throughout the day, was willing to feed the bigs and new how to create space to get his shot off. In the afternoon game the 2019 point guard had 10 points and three assists and was active on the defensive end of the floor. Marte has one offer from North Florida but that could change with a good sophomore season at Osceola High School.

Scottie Barnes -- this youngster staked his claim to 'best freshman in the state'. Listed at 6-foot-7, 178 pounds; Barnes showed a good inside-outside game, athleticism and a willing to mix it up with older and bigger players. The class of 2020 forward should see his recruitment pick up with a strong season at Cardinal Newman.

Yussif Basa-Ama -- it would not be Florida if there wasn't a breakout performance at a camp or showcase event by a West African import. Basa-Ama, a native of Ghana, moved to the U.S. one year ago and picked up a basketball for the first time. An athletic 6-foot-9, 195-pounder, Basa-Ama is raw offensively and still a bit tentative with the ball in his hands in tight quarters around the rim, but the class of 2020 forward managed 14 points (mostly on put backs) and seven rebounds against players who were sophomores and juniors and had many more years of organized basketball experience. We definitely want to see more of him.

OTHER NOTABLE PLAYERS

2018 Guard Matthew Berry, Oldsmar Christian

2018 Forward Dorian James, Chain Of Lakes

2018 Guard Zach Scott, Westminster Academy

2018 Guard Jasen West, Trinity Prep

2018 Guard Elijah Weaver, Oldsmar Christian School

2019 Forward Omar Payne, Osceola

2019 Guard Zavien Smith, Downey Christian

2019 Guard Jaylen Joseph, Mater Academy

2019 Guard/Forward Isaiah Palermo, Osceola

2020 Guard Rivers Lenholt, Canterbury (St. Petersburg)

2020 Forward Scottie Barnes, Cardinal Newman

2020 Guard Malachi Wideman, Riverview (Sarasota)

2021 Guard Jordan Shorter, Westwood Christian

Russ Wood is a contributing national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com and RunningTheBulls.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter