We conclude a two-part series on leading Florida high school basketball players with this look at the Top 10 forwards entering the 2023-24 season. (Recruiting rankings according to 247Sports Composite.)
Honorable Mention
Ryan Jones (The Rock), Chase McCarty (IMG Academy), Moustapha Thiam (DME Academy), Alexander Constanza (Westminster Academy), Tyler Johnson (Oak Ridge), Jaxon Richardson (Miami Columbus), Shon Abaev (Calvary Christian Academy), Christopher Washington Jr. (The Villages Charter), Amari Allen (IMG Academy), Malik Abdullahi (Miami Columbus)
10. Caleb Gaskins (Montverde Academy)
We begin our ranking of the top forwards in Florida high school basketball with the lone sophomore to make the list. Gaskins, who is perhaps the state’s top player in the 2026 class, is a five-star prospect transfer from Class 3A’s Holy Trinity Episcopal, where he averaged 17.9 PPG, 9.6 RPG, and 1.1 APG a year ago as a freshman.
9. Marcus Allen (Norland)
An offseason transfer from AZ Compass Prep (AZ), Allen is rated as a four-star prospect in the 2024 class. He is committed to Missouri.
8. Donnie Freeman (IMG Academy)
The first of two IMG Academy players to make our ranking of top forwards in Florida high school basketball, Freeman is a highly rated four-star Syracuse commit who transferred to the Ascenders from St. John’s (DC), where he averaged 21 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, and 1.5 BPG in 2022.
7. Khani Rooths (IMG Academy)
The highest-ranked returning player on this list from the 2022-23 IMG Academy team is Rooths, a four-star prospect in the 2024 class.
6. Jamier Jones (Oak Ridge)
Jones, one of Florida’s top in-state offseason transfers, made the move to Class 7A’s Oak Ridge from IMG Academy. He’s rated as a five-star prospect in the 2025 class.
5. Asa Newell (Montverde Academy)
The top five of our best Florida high school forwards list is flush with Montverde Academy players, beginning with Newell, who is entering his senior season with the Eagles. The five-star prospect averaged 6.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.1 APG last season.
4. Liam McNeeley (Montverde Academy)
McNeeley, a five-star Indiana commit in the 2024 class, led Montverde in scoring last season, averaging 12.4 PPG, 4 RPG, 2.2 APG, and 1 SPG.
3. Derik Queen (Montverde Academy)
Queen, a five-star prospect in the 2024 class, comes in at No. 3 as yet another player from Montverde Academy to make this list. As a junior last season, Queen averaged 11.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, and 1.1 SPG for the Eagles.
2. Cooper Flagg (Montverde Academy)
A player who certainly could be No. 1 on this list, Flagg is a five-star senior prospect who recently reclassified to become both the state’s, and nation’s, No. 1 player in the 2024 class. He averaged 9.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3 APG, 1.6 SPG, and 2.2 BPG for the Eagles as a sophomore last season.
1. Cameron Boozer (Miami Columbus)
There is a legitimate argument to be made for the No. 1 spot, but for the sake of this list, Boozer gets the nod over Flagg by a slim margin. The five-star prospect, Florida’s No. 1 player in the 2025 class, returns for two-time defending Class 7A state champion Miami Columbus after averaging 21.1 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, and 2 BPG for the Explorers as a sophomore in 2022.
