NBA's Thompson twins receive honorary degrees from Pine Crest. Plus state baseball honors
At the behest of their father, Troy, then 9-year-old twins Amen and Ausar Thompson were already manifesting greatness on a family vision board titled 'Amen and Ausar's 6'9' Dreams'.
The first twins in NBA history to get drafted top 5, and to whom Lebron James describes as 'They different. They ain't like the rest of us. I've been able to go against some dudes in my career, and those two guys, man, they're just pure athleticism', tacked two major accomplishments onto that vision board recently.
Amen (drafted No. 4 by Houston in 2023 and Ausar, taken No. 5 by Detroit) were bestowed honorary high school degrees by Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest School at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.
'It means a lot,' said Amen, minutes before receiving the honorary degree with his brother. 'This is where I grew up -- from 8th grade to 11th grade. I had to look for new opportunities in the 12th grade, but I always felt like a Pine Crest Panther. For them ... to present me with an honorary degree means a lot.'
After winning a state title with the Panthers in 2021 and becoming Miami Herald Co-Players of the Year for classes 4A-2A as juniors, the 6-8 wings left high school for Atlanta-based Overtime Elite, a developmental professional basketball league, before entering the 2023 draft.
The ceremony at FAU followed earlier news that day that Amen was selected to the All-NBA defensive first team.
Amen's defensive tenacity, length and athleticism helped the Rockets rank fifth in defensive efficiency and finish with the fourth best record in the league (52-30).
'I have always taken pride in my defense since the Pine Crest days, even before that,' Amen said.'That was one of my goals going into this year was to make first team All-NBA on defense. So just being one of the youngest players to do that in my second year that is one of the goals I established for myself.'
Ausar appears to be on a similar defensive trajectory as Amen and helped the Pistons enjoy a historic 30-game turnaround from last season and break a streak of 15 consecutive playoff losses.
State baseball honors
The Florida Diary Farmers announced the state's classification winners for FHSAA baseball, following balloting by a statewide panel of high school baseball coaches and prep media representatives.
Each is eligible for Mr. Baseball honors, representing the best of the best.
Coach of the Year recipients were also announced. They are eligible for the state's overall Baseball Coach of the Year accolades.
Here are locals who won classification honors.
▪ 7A: Gio Rojas, Junior, Pitcher, Stoneman Douglas, Class 7A Player of the Year
Led his squad to the state title with a 12-0 record. Posted an 0.72 ERA in 68 innings pitched with 119 strikeouts and 16 walks. Had a .388 batting average with 24 runs and 32 RBI. Committed to the University of Miami.
7A: Todd Fitz-Gerald, Stoneman Douglas, Class 7A Coach of the Year
Led his squad to a 31-2 record and a fifth consecutive Class 7A state title.
▪ 6A: Zack Malvasio, Senior, Outfield, St. Thomas Aquinas, Class 6A Player of the Year
Helped his team to the Class 6A title by hitting .414 with 16 doubles, 16 home runs, 45 runs and 48 RBI. Signed with the University of Central Florida.
6A: Joe Wardlow, St. Thomas Aquinas, Class 6A Coach of the Year
Led his squad to a 29-6 record and the school's first state baseball title since 2018.
▪ 5A: Humberto Bencomo, Mater Academy, Class 5A Coach of the Year
Led his team to a 27-6 record and the school's first state baseball title since 2014.
▪ 4A: Danny Machado, Senior, Shortstop, Archbishop McCarthy, Class 5A Player of the Year
Helped his squad to a 19-13 record by hitting .442 with 6 doubles, 5 home runs, 36 runs, 20 RBI and 16 stolen bases. Signed with Florida Atlantic University.
4A Bruce Aven, Plantation American Heritage, Class 4A Coach of the Year
In his second coaching stint at American Heritage, Aven finished as the 2024 state runner-up, and in 2025 led the program to the state title with a 29-6 record, It's Aven's second state championship (2012) with the Patriots.
▪ 3A: David Fanshawe, Miami Springs, Class 3A Coach of the Year
Led his team to a 28-3 record and the Class 3A state championship, the school's first state title.
▪ Other locals who were in the top 3 in voting for top classification honors:
6A: 2. Gabriel Milano (Doral Academy). 5A: 2. Alfrin Rosario (Mater Academy). 4A; 2. Jordan Rich (Plantation American Heritage).
Send sports results
For high school and middle school athletes in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, if you have summer sports results and top performers (with stats), email hssports@miamiherald.com.
They will run in the newspaper and online. Photos accepted, too. No deadline. You will be alerted when it will appear in the newspaper and online.
New athletic directors, coaches
For high schools in Broward and Miami-Dade, if you have new sports administration and/or coaching hires to announce, email hssports@miamiherald.com.
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Compiled by Jim Varsallone
jvarsallone@miamiherald.com
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