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2 North Broward Prep Student-Athletes Commit to Division I Schools

by Matt Rothman August 9, 2022

by Matt Rothman August 9, 2022 27 views

2 North Broward Prep Student-Athletes Commit to Division I Schools

Nathaneal Coupet and Michael Kalina. {NBP Yearbook}

By: Matt Rothman

The college commitments continue to roll in for North Broward Prep, with Nathaneal Coupet and Michael Kalina set to take their athletic careers to the next level.

Nathaneal Coupet

After winning a State Championship in his first year with the Eagles, Coupet has committed to play baseball at Georgia Tech.

He says it feels amazing to commit and has dreamed of it since he was four.

“My parents told me from a young age to focus on academics more than baseball because you always need a plan B to be successful,” Coupet said. “That is a big reason why I picked Georgia tech as a top 10 public school in the country and a top 25 baseball team every year. I get the best of both worlds.”

Coupet grew up in Boyton Beach and played for the West Boynton Cobras before enrolling at North Broward Prep. In his first year on varsity, he hit .316 with four home runs and 19 RBIs.

Georgia Tech won the ACC Championship this past season. They finished with 36 wins, including a pair in the NCAA Tournament.

Michael Kalina

Michael has committed to playing college basketball at the University of Central Florida. He played in 28 games as a senior for the Eagles and averaged 10.6 points per game, 4.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. NBP went 28-3 and reached the Regional Semifinals before Calvary Christian Academy beat them for the second time.

“It feels great knowing that I’m going to play basketball at such a great school like UCF,” said Michael. “It’s every young basketball player’s dream of playing at the Division 1 level, and it’s satisfying to know that the work I put in over the years to get to that level has paid off.”

Earlier in his basketball career, Michael played at Boca Raton High School. Along the way, Michael has received tremendous support from his parents, Lauren and Roger. Also, in one year playing under Coach Casey Wohlelb, Michael says he has developed his game and helped him in the recruiting process.

Kalina is the 5th NBP student-athlete to commit to playing college basketball, joining Justin Abson (Appalachian State), Maximus Fuentes (Drexel), Shea Laursen (Oberlin), and Adren Roberts (Barry).

This fall, Kalina is set to compete in the AAC with UCF after the Knights went 18-12 last year. UCF’s last NCAA tournament appearance came in 2019 when they reached the round of 32 before falling to Duke.

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Matt Rothman

Matt Rothman is a 2018 graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University receiving his bachelor’s degree in journalism and then graduated from the University of Florida as a graduate student. He also works for the Mohave Valley Daily News in Bullhead City, Arizona covering high school sports.