High school hoops season doesn’t tip off for another three-plus months, but Fleming Island’s Carson Crawford is already in championship mode.
The four-star forward helped the Florida Rebels to the championship of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League circuit, defeating Drive Nation 71-60 in the 17U final of the Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C. Crawford, who had a double-double in the quarterfinals, scored eight points in the final.
Club success is just one part of an eventful summer for Crawford. At the end of July, the 6-7 Golden Eagle named Arizona State, Florida State, Ole Miss, Providence College and Syracuse as his top five college options.
Crawford is Northeast Florida’s highest-rated prospect for ESPN, coming in at No. 53 on the SCNEXT 100 for the Class of 2027. He’s also rated 11th among power forwards nationwide.
He averaged 17.2 points and 9.8 rebounds in his junior year, including a 50-point explosion in the Florida High School Athletic Association regional playoffs, and led the Golden Eagles to the Class 5A state final.
With 1,403 points and 842 rebounds through three seasons at Fleming Island, Crawford has a chance to attain the rare 2,000-point plateau. Northeast Florida players on record to achieve that mark in a four-year high school career since the 2000-01 season are Zack Bryant at Menendez and Providence (2013-17), Christian Carlyle at Bishop Kenny (2012-16), Dallan (Deebo) Coleman at West Nassau (2017-21), Will Holloman at Wolfson (1998-2002), Derwin Kitchen at Raines (2001-05), Charles Ruise at Baker County (2011-15), Chet Stachitas at Nease (1998-2002) and Dwan Youmans at Arlington Country Day (1999-2003).
Stallions’ Nelson names top five
Providence forward Nolan Nelson, who helped the Stallions to the fourth boys basketball state championship in program history during March, is narrowing down his options for college hoops.
Nelson named a top five of Florida, Furman, Harvard, Santa Clara and South Florida, announcing his candidates in a post to Instagram. He did not specify a planned commitment date.
The 6-8 Nelson went undefeated after returning to Jacksonville to join Providence during the Christmas break after starting the season in Ohio. He averaged 13.5 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists as the Stallions stampeded to the FHSAA Class 2A championship inside UNF Arena.
Both ESPN and 247Sports rate Nelson as a three-star prospect and a top-30 recruit in Florida.
Talley, Tracy selected for FACA Hall
It’s the call from the hall.
The Florida Athletic Coaches Association announced that Duval County Public Schools athletic director Tammie Talley and former Bolles girls soccer coach Matt Tracy will be inducted into the organization’s hall of fame next year.
Talley has coordinated district athletics since 2012 following two decades as a coach and administrator in the county, first at Paxon and later at Mandarin. Among other accolades, she became the first female president of FACA for the 2019-20 school year, and received the national athletic director of the year award in June 2022 from the National High School Athletic Coaches Association.
In addition, FACA announced a new award to be named in her honor for future selections, the Tammie K. Talley Female Award for Athletic Excellence.
Tracy, who retired from Bolles in February after 21 seasons, led the Bulldogs to six FHSAA championships in 2008, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020. He received the Florida Dairy Farmers Girls Soccer Coach of the Year award in 2015.
He earned 17 district championships, qualified 14 times for the FHSAA final four, won 358 games at the school and coached more than two dozen future college players, including current United States women’s national team wingback Avery Patterson.
Also entering the Hall are Kenny Buckner (Okeechobee athletic director), Mike DeGennaro (New Port Richey River Ridge weightlifting), John Hollenbeck (Florida High baseball), Mark Montimurro (Coral Springs Charter softball) and Rick Tribit (Winter Springs, Celebration, Osceola and Soundside athletic director).
The induction ceremony is planned for Jan. 9, 2027, at the Drury Plaza Resort in Orlando.
Eagles’ Eppley leaves softball post, Jones hired
After 17 years in charge, Episcopal softball coach Kasse Eppley is trading the dugout for a different role.
The longtime Episcopal coach stepped down from the position this week after steering one of Jacksonville’s most successful programs, with former Eagle Kallie Jones hired as new coach.
An All-First Coast honoree while pitching at Episcopal and Providence, Jones competed in college softball at Florida International and Dayton. She had most recently worked as pitching coach at St. Johns River State College softball, qualifying for the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series in consecutive years.
Although Eppley has moved on from her head coaching role, she remains with the school as a program administrator and middle school athletic director. During her coaching tenure, Episcopal won six district championships and qualified three times for the FHSAA final four.
Her daughter, Kami Eppley, steps into Episcopal’s softball assistant coaching role following an All-ASUN college career at Stetson.
Cavalcanti to race junior nationals
Ponte Vedra state champion Juli Cavalcanti is scheduled to race against some of the nation’s fastest young swimmers at the USA Swimming Speedo Junior National Championships, scheduled from Aug. 3-7 in Irvine, Calif.
Cavalcanti is scheduled to compete in the girls 400-meter individual medley, 200 backstroke, 200 freestyle, 100 back and 200 IM.
In 2025, she won the FHSAA championship in the Class 3A 200 IM to help the Sharks to a repeat team trophy.
Around the area
St. Johns Country Day pitcher Gavin Coffey committed to East Tennessee State baseball. … Beachside outfielder Lily Jurgens committed to FSCJ softball. … Beachside defensive specialist Vinessa Rafael committed to Pensacola State College volleyball. … Fleming Island outside hitter Lillie Eason committed to Wofford volleyball. … Oakleaf middle blocker Lilly Feagle committed to New College of Florida volleyball. … Bartram Trail linebacker Kianna Khun signed with West Alabama flag football. … Fleming Island sprinter Lennox Ivey committed to Edward Waters men’s track and field. … Providence sprinter Jaxon Harshman signed with Catawba men’s track and field. … Former Fleming Island runner Mei Chiang, most recently at FSCJ, committed to University of North Florida women’s track and field. … Fletcher state champion Karsyn Smith committed to Long Beach State beach volleyball. … Union County outfielder Jeffrey Brugh committed to Georgia Southern-East Georgia baseball. … Former Fernandina Beach outfielder Xavier Hutton-Corp committed to Edward Waters baseball. …Former Yulee pitcher Garrett Albright, who spent last year at Lurleen B. Wallace Community College, committed to Mount Olive baseball. … Episcopal named Laurie Jarvis head varsity cheerleading coach. … Clay named Mackenzie Woods head softball coach following the retirement of Matt Lewis, in charge for the last 30 years. … Nease named Andres Galan Del Angel head volleyball coach. … University Christian named Truth King head cross country coach. … Covenant School named Joel Chaitovicz head volleyball coach. … Tocoi Creek named Todd Small head wrestling coach. … Abbi Heilmann from Fletcher girls lacrosse was one of two winners of the FACA Sam Sirianni Sr. Scholarship, along with North Bay Haven wrestler Bryant Siegal.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Carson Crawford, Fleming Island basketball recruit, names Top 5 list
Reporting by Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
