Counting 'em Down: For better or for worse, this is the Headline Surfer countdown of 2021's Top 100 biggest news stories of Central Florida along the tourism-driven stretch of Interstate 4 (Orlando Attractions and east to I-95 & the World's Most Famous Beach in Daytona). Each recap segment is posted with its own headline, culminating with the unveiling of No. 1, before switching to the Top 5 storylines -- the good, the bad & the ugly on the horizon in "2022: The Year That Lies Ahead."
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Having traded away star players Nicola Vucevic, Evan Fournier, and Aaron Gordon at the NBA trading deadline in the 2020-21 NBA season, the Orlando Magic were conceding the time was at hand to start anew.
The Magic did just that after their miserable season ended with the NBA Draft: The team got to quality picks with a lot of upside:
• Guard Jalen Suggs, a 19-year-old freshman from Gonzaga, with the 5th overall pick in the first round, listed at 6 feet 4 with a solid 205-pound frame to go along with a 6-foot-6 wingspan. Suggs averaged 14.4 points per game, 5.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game for Gonzaga.
• Forward Franz Wagner, forward, Michigan with the 8th pick in the first round. Wagner, 6 feet 9, 225 pounds played and started in all 28 games last season as a sophomore at the University of Michigan, averaging 12.5 points per game, 6.5 rebounds, and 3 assists per game.
These were the Top 6 picks in the NBA Draft:
1. Detroit Pistons SG Cade Cunningham;
2. Houston Rockets SG Jalen Green;
3. Cleveland Cavaliers PF Evan Mobley;
4. Toronto Raptors PF Scottie Barnes;
5. Orlando Magic PG Jalen Suggs.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.