Montverde Academy puts major imprint early on men's NCAA tournament
This time last year, Montverde (Florida) Academy was sitting atop the ESPN SCNext Top 25 high school basketball rankings after steamrolling the competition during the regular season (going 30-0) and earning the No. 1 seed headed into the Chipotle Nationals.
"We'd gotten upset the year before and our guys were so motivated by that," said former Montverde coach Kevin Boyle, who recently took over as head coach at SPIRE Academy in Ohio. "They had supreme focus on the task at hand. Completing the goal was the only thing that mattered."
The Eagles went on to claim the Chipotle Nationals hardware, winning three games by an average margin of 15 points, concluding a run that amplified the conversation that they were the best team ever assembled.
"I think it's clear to any basketball guy that the two greatest high school teams ever were the 2024 and the 2020 Montverde teams," Boyle said. "If you took those guys last year and took a couple of guys in the portal, you've got a legitimate chance to win a national title."
Makes sense for a squad that included a starting five that helped their respective teams reach the NCAA tournament (and for some, advance as well) this past weekend, including Cooper Flagg (Duke), Derik Queen (Maryland), Robert Wright III (Baylor), Asa Newell (Georgia) and Liam McNeeley (Connecticut).
Curtis Givens III, a freshman guard with the LSU Tigers, was also an important piece to the puzzle, serving as a part-time starter for the Eagles last year.
"We had never had that many guys leave at once then turn around and have this much success in Year 1," Boyle said. "Five of them will average more points in college this year than they did at Montverde last year. So unselfish, so selfless, just a special, special group."
Think Boyle's title talk is far-fetched? Here's a breakdown of how those five freshmen have fared.
Cooper Flagg, Duke Blue Devils: The 6-foot-8 all-everything forward exceeded expectations this season, winning ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors and earning consensus first-team All-America status.
How dominant was Flagg? He ranked in the top 10 in the ACC in five statistical categories: points (No. 3, 19.4 per game), rebounds (No. 8, 7.6), assists (No. 8, 4.2), steals (No. 10, 1.5) and blocks (No. 8, 1.3). Flagg is projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, per ESPN's latest mock. On Sunday, he posted 18 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists to help the Blue Devils march on to the Sweet 16, rolling past Baylor89-66.
Derik Queen, Maryland Terrapins: The 6-foot-10 center boasted the second-highest scoring average all time among Maryland freshmen (16.3 PPG) and checks in at No. 1 in double-doubles (15) among freshmen this season. On Sunday, he scored 17 points, including the game-winning floater as time expired, and grabbed six rebounds to help the Terrapins advance to the Sweet 16 with a 72-71 win over Colorado State. Queen is projected as the No. 10 pick in the draft, per ESPN's latest mock.
Robert Wright III, Baylor Bears: Wright beat out fifth-year senior Jeremy Roach for the starting point guard spot during the season, and for good reason. The 6-foot-1 floor general led the team in assists (4.3) and finished third in scoring (11.5), earning Big 12 All-Freshman and Big 12 honorable mention honors in the process. On Sunday, he posted 11 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists in an 89-66 second-round loss to Duke in the NCAA tournament.
Asa Newell, Georgia Bulldogs: The versatile 6-foot-10 forward led the Bulldogs in scoring (15.4) and rebounds (6.9) en route to claiming SEC All-Freshman honors. Earlier this week, he posted 20 points and eight rebounds in an 89-68 loss to the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Newell is projected as the No. 20 pick in the draft in ESPN's latest mock.
