Nike Travel Team
Nike Travel Team
2002, Tropics Begin Their Journey
Sponsored by Anaconda, the Tropics' first season was a tremendous success. The team finished with an 18-6 record. And all of the team's stars went on to play college ball.
Among the Tropics' top players that year:
*Jesus Verdejo - The 6-4 former Miami Christian guard signed with national power Arizona and played his freshman season of college in the Pac-10. Verdejo then decided to move closer to home and transferred to the University of South Florida.
*Sammy Hernandez - The burly, 6-5 small forward won state titles at Miami Christian and Jacksonville Arlington Country Day. He then led George Mason to the NCAA Final Four as a freshman. Like Verdejo, he also wanted to be closer to home and transferred to Florida Atlantic University.
*Ivan Lopez - The 6-10 center signed with the University of Memphis before becoming the Rookie of the Year and an all-star in the Puerto Rican pro league.
*Gabe McMillen - A 6-0 point guard, he became a solid starter at Stetson University.
*Bennet Davis - A 6-9 forward, he became a third-team all-conference star at Northeastern University.
*T.J. Patrick - A 6-0 point guard, he played at Washington State and Holy Cross.
Said Tropics founder and president Art "Pilin" Alvarez: "This was the group of kids who started it all. A memorable group of kids."
Photos
JESUS VERDEJO DURING HIS PREP DAYS.
2003, Tropics Cruise To 38-7 Record
Sponsored by Anaconda and also by Asphalt, the Miami Tropics soared to new heights, earning an incredible 38-7 record and impressing numerous college scouts with their skills.
The Tropics won the Atlanta Celtics tournament at the University of Georgia Tech. The Tropics also went to Fort Lauderdale and won the Coast to Coast tournament, which established bragging rights in the state of Florida.
The Tropics got a great thrill and played in the University of North Carolina's Dean Dome in the Bob Gibbons tournament. They lost by one point to the Illinois Warriors, who were led by Julian Wright, who went on to play at Kansas and is a projected NBA lottery pick, and guard Bobby Frasor, who signed with the University of North Carolina.
Among the Tropics' top players that year:
*Denis Clemente - The speedy point guard went on to sign with the University of Miami.
*Josue Soto - The savvy point guard signed with Florida State and transferred to Florida International University.
*David Huertas - Completing the great trio of Puerto Rican guards, Huertas won a national championship at the University of Florida before transferring to Ole Miss.
*Dalky Melendez - The 6-8 small forward went on to sign with Louisiana-Monroe.
*Luis Colon - The 6-10 center signed with Kansas State after a great career with the Tropics and Krop High School.
Photos
DAVID HUERTAS WAS ONE OF THE TROPICS' FIRST STARS.
2004, Clemente Becomes A Star As The Tropics Join Nike Family
Backed by perhaps their most talented roster ever, the Tropics entered a new era as a Nike Travel Team, one of only 40 in the nation.
Playing one of the toughest schedules in the country, the Tropics put together a 29-14 record that included the North Carolina Nationals championship. The Tropics also competed in the Kingwood Classic in Houston, the Boo Williams in Virginia, the Memorial Day Classic in New Orleans and the Nike Super Showcase in Orlando. They also earned their first invite to the Peach Jam in Augusta, S.C., where the nation's top 24 Nike teams play.
Ten of the 13 players on the Tropics team that season went on to play Division I ball. Five of those players were Nike All-Americans in 2004, which still stands as a Tropics program record. The five were Clemente, Soto, Huertas, Hernandez and Bennett.
*Forward Sammy Hernandez (George Mason, Florida Atlantic)
*Forward Luis Colon (Kansas State)
*Center Jason Bennett (Kansas State)
*Forward Dwayne Collins (Miami)
*Forward Dalky Melendez (Louisian-Monroe)
*Point Guard Denis Clemente (Miami)
*Point guard Josue Soto (Florida State)
*Shooting guard David Huertas (Florida, Ole Miss)
*Point guard Edwin Rios (Miami)
*Shooting guard Brian Hoff (Florida State)
Photos
DENIS CLEMENTE DOMINATED THE COMPETITION.
2005, Soto Comes Of Age As Tropics Enjoy Banner Year
When point guard Josue Soto joined the Miami Tropics in 2003, he had just finished his freshman season of high school. Soto, point guard Denis Clemente and shooting guard David Huertas formed one of the most lethal three-man backcourts in the nation.
Still, Soto took a bit of a backseat to Clemente, who was older and one of the top scorers in the nation.
By 2005, Clemente had moved on to the University of Miami and Huertas to the Florida Gators. The Tropics were now Soto's show to run.
And that is just what he did, leading the Tropics to a 30-14 record against great competition. In the Peach Jam in South Carolina, which is considered the No. 1 tournament in the nation, Soto averaged 25 points a game. Only one player in the entire star-studded tournament - future North Carolina Tar Heel Ty Lawson - had a better average. And Soto outscored Lawson head to head.
But Soto wasn't the only star on the team. Here is what the rotation looked like:
PG - Josue Soto
SG - LD Williams - A great leaper who later signed with Wake Forest and started as a freshman.
SF - Franck Ndongo - A native of Cameroon, he is another excellent leaper. He later signed with Virginia Commonwealth.
PF - Luis Colon - A huge (6-10 and 260 pounds) and menacing power forward, Colon went on to sign with Kansas State, where he started several games as a freshman.
C - Jason Bennett - A 7-3 center who later signed with Kansas State, JB proved to be one of the top shot-blockers in the nation.
PF - A.J. Stewart - The 6-8 forward went on to sign with Kentucky.
SF - Jonathan Rodriguez - A 6-6 forward, J-Rod went on to star at Campbell University.
SG - Brian Hoff - A fine outside shooter, Hoff went on to play for Florida State.
Photos
THE TROPICS WERE JOSUE SOTO'S TEAM IN 2005.
2006, Mayo Joins Tropics, Diaz Gets Drafted, Barea Makes NBA
By this point, the Tropics' name had grown so much that when O.J. Mayo went looking for a team to play for in the Kingwood Classic, he called Alvarez. Mayo, projected as an NBA lottery pick whenever he enters the draft, led the Tropics to the Final Four of the Kingwood.
The Tropics followed that breakthrough by reaching the championship game of the Spring Showcase in Las Vegas and winning the bronze division of the Memorial Day Classic in Nashville. The Tropics Gold then won the silver division of the Rumble in the Bronx in New York.
The Tropics finished with a 29-14 record, and three of their players were named Nike All-Americans - point guard Javi Gonzalez, combo guard Martavis Kee and center Freddy Asprilla. The Tropics were invited to the Peach Jam for the third straight year, and Gonzalez finished one assist short of the tournament lead in that category.
Eight members of the Tropics organization earned college scholarships that season - Josue Soto (Florida State), Jason Bennett (Kansas State), Dwayne Collins (Miami), L.D. Williams (Wake Forest), Luis Colon (Kansas State), Stuard Baldonado (Duquesne), Franck Ndongo (Virginia Commonwealth) and Jonathan Rodriguez (Campbell).
Two of the Tropics alumns - Sammy Hernandez of George Mason and David Huertas of Florida - reached the 2006 NCAA Final Four. And Huertas earned a national championship ring with the Gators that season.
On June 28, the Tropics had their first player drafted - Guillermo Diaz in the second round by the Los Angeles Clippers. Meanwhile, the Tropics' rookie point guard Jose Juan Barea made the roster of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.
Photos
FREDDY ASPRILLA
2007, Record Year For Tropics Players Earning Scholarships
The Miami Tropics Nike Travel Team, which annually produces numerous college signees, broke their own record in 2007.
Nine kids who have participated in Tropics President Art "Pilin" Alvarez's program have already signed with a major university.
The nine are:
*Point guard O.J. Mayo (Southern Cal)
*Point guard Javi Gonzalez (North Carolina State)
*Point guard Edwin Rios (University of Miami)
*Point guard Joey Rodriguez (Virginia Commonwealth)
*Combo guard Martavis Kee (Temple)
*Small forward Jean-Carlos Otero (Brigham Young)
*Combo forward Jairo Mendoza (New Orleans)
*Combo forward A.J. Stewart (Kentucky)
*Center Freddy Asprilla (University of Miami)
In addition, Alvarez helped two players find new colleges after they decided to transfer:
*Point guard Josue Soto, who went from Florida State to FIU.
*Small forward Sammy Hernandez, who went from George Mason to Florida Atlantic.
The Tropics' 2007 Nike Travel Team also developed several young players who should be signing in the future, including combo guard Marlon Rivera, shooting guard Anthony Casiano, small forward Chris Hill, power forward Evan Ravenal, point guard Carlos Rodriguez, small forward Juan Alverio and shooting guard Damian Morales.
Javi Gonzalez, meanwhile, was named the Miami Herald's Player of the Year. It was the 8th year in a row that a player from the Tropics' program has won the award. The list:
2000 - Carlos Morban (Miami Christian)
2001 - Carlos Morban (Miami Christian)
2002 - Jose Juan Barea (Miami Christian)
2003 - Jesus Verdejo (Miami Christian)
2004 - Denis Clemente (Calusa Prep)
2005 - Denis Clemente (Calusa Prep)
2006 - Jonathan Rodriguez (Calusa Prep)
2007 - Javi Gonzalez (Krop)
Photos
O.J. MAYO WITH COACH ART ALVAREZ.
JAVI GONZALEZ WITH COACH ART "PILIN" ALVAREZ
