Montverde Academy takes home seventh GEICO Nationals title

Montverde Academy has produced dozens of NBA players over the years, with plenty more ready to follow the same path.

The country’s top basketball prep school used that future pro talent to take home the program’s seventh GEICO Nationals championship after defeating Link Academy 60-49 on Saturday afternoon. Montverde was powered by its star-studded starting five consisting of nothing but Power 5 hoopers, including one with a significant interest in the Kentucky Wildcats.

No. 3 Montverde had to win three games over the course of three days, taking down No. 6 AZ Compass Prep on Thursday and in-state rival No. 2 IMG Academy on Friday to reach Saturday’s 2022 GEICO Nationals finals. The Eagles established an early 18-10 lead over Link after the first quarter and did not trail the rest of the way. Link had multiple opportunities to take the lead in the third quarter, but couldn’t deliver the momentum-shifting punch down the stretch.

Now SEVEN-time #GEICONational champs! Montverde def. Link Academy 60-40 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 @MVABasketball pic.twitter.com/fmsGooTjsd

— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) April 2, 2022

Link Academy finishes the program’s first year of varsity-level basketball with a championship appearance and a bright future. Arkansas commit Jordan Walsh was the team’s star, but struggled against Montverde, finishing with just four points and two rebounds. Recent LSU de-commit Julian Phillips led the way for Link, posting 16 points and eight rebounds on 5-11 shooting.

On the winning end, Montverde was led by the usual suspects; Dillon Mitchell (Texas) registered a game-high 17 points and 12 rebounds while recent Florida de-commit Malik Reneau added 14 points and 12 boards of his own. Dariq Whitehead (Duke) went for 14 points and six assists on 5-17 shooting.

The fourth and final Montverde player to record double-figures in scoring was the lone underclassmen in the starting lineup: class of 2023 five-star forward Kwame Evans Jr., who holds an offer from Kentucky and took a visit to Lexington back in the fall. The 6-foot-9 stretch big improved his play across all three games at the GEICO Nationals for the Eagles, culminating with an 11-point outing on Saturday with three made 3-pointers.

Evans posted a modest five points, six rebounds, and two assists in the tournament opener as he struggled to find his shot, but settled in more on Friday with eight points, 10 rebounds, and two steals. Saturday was easily his best performance, as his versatility and length on both ends of the floor changed the game in Montverde’s favor.

To execute as confidently as he did against mostly players who all be in college next season was impressive, especially with how he was able to impact the game without the ball in his hands. Evans is patient when he gets the ball in his hands and has a knack for knowing when to let the play develop in order to make the right pass. His length allows him to bother ball handlers on defense at all times and interfere in passing lanes. He needs work on his inside scoring game, but he’s more than capable of dribbling the ball up the court and initiating the offense. The outside jumper is what makes him such a tantalizing prospect. He shows shades of Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, who is the frontrunner for the NBA’s 2022 Rookie of the Year award.

Evans is one of nearly a dozen high school juniors who holds an offer from Kentucky and it doesn’t take long to see why when watching him in action. Expect a big summer circuit from the budding prospect, who already has offers from 25-plus Divison I schools. Evans will be a name to know as we move on to the next recruiting class for the ‘Cats.