GIECO Nationals: Preview the 8 boys basketball teams competing for the championship

Logan Newman

March 25, 2023 at 6:37 PM·7 min read

The GEICO Nationals boys basketball tournament is set for another star-studded showdown between some of the best teams in the nation. Between the eight teams competing, there are 71 players listed on 247Sports’ recruiting rankings, which averages out to the entire starting lineup, plus at least a few guys coming off the bench.

The eight teams who will compete are Paul VI (Va.), Link Academy (Mo.), IMG Academy (Fla.), Prolific Prep (Calif.), AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.), Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.), Sunrise Christian (Kan.) and Montverde (Fla.).

To get you up to speed before the prestigious tournament, here is a quick rundown of each team. The quarterfinals tip off on Thursday at noon.

Fine the GIECO Nationals schedule here.

Montverde Academy

(Photo: Sarasota Herald-Tribune)

Montverde
Record: 23-2
Super 25 ranking: No. 2

Montverde has already played against several of the teams that will compete in the tournament. The Eagles took down IMG Academy 80-55 on Dec. 1 and followed it with a 56-51 win over Long Island Lutheran on Dec. 2; they beat Sunrise Christian twice in January; they crushed Link Academy 84-58 in early February, then wrapped up the season with another win against IMG. The only blemishes on the schedule are a season-opening 65-54 loss to AZ Compass Prep, and a one-point loss to Mount Saint Joseph (Baltimore), another team in the Super 25.

Montverde has an argument as the most talented team in the nation, with 2023 five-star recruits Kwame Evans Jr. and Sean Stewart, five-star 2024 recruits Derik Queen and Liam McNeeley, and five-star 2025 recruit Cooper Flagg to go along with a trio of four-stars and a three-star player. McNeely, the No. 14 junior, was named to the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference this season, while Flagg and Queen were named to the second team.

Congratulations to the players who made NIBC 1st, 2nd and 3rd team All Conference as well as those who made the All Defensive team. Great, great effort all season long! @NIBCOfficial @SCNext @PaulBiancardi @JasonNCJordan @paragon_mktg pic.twitter.com/kelWNggI1P
— Rashid Ghazi (@rashghazi) March 24, 2023

Prolific Prep

(Photo: 247Sports)

Prolific Prep
Record: 35-1
Super 25 ranking: No. 4

With just one loss on the season coming by only three points, Prolific Prep has a point differential this year of more than 700 points. With a schedule loaded of national opponents, the strength of schedule is among the highest on MaxPreps’ national teams rankings, and Prolific Prep has enjoyed wins over opponents including Combine Academy, Bella Vista, DME Academy and Balboa School.

There is imposing talent on Prolific Prep, such as four-star Auburn commit Aden Halloway, who is the No. 24 recruit of the class of 2023, and four-star Baylor commit Yves Messi, the No. 27 recruit in the class of 2024. Can the team finish without losing another game?

Paul VI

(Photo: The News-Press)

Paul VI
Record: 31-3
Super 25 ranking: No. 6

Paul VI was making a push to be the No. 1 team in the country on the Super 25 before two February losses. They can make their case as the best team in the country in this tournament behind the play of four-star Maryland commit DeShawn Harris-Smith, four-star Duke commit Darren Harris, and three other players ranked by 247Sports.

The Panthers have beat teams around the country this season, including Christ the King (N.Y.), Mater Dei (Calif.), Mount St. Joseph (Baltimore), Lake Highlands (Texas) and Wheeler (Ga.). Two of their three losses were one-possession games, and the other was to back-to-back champion Sidwell Friends. With a couple breaks this year, it could have been in discussion for No. 1 in the Super 25.

Link Academy

(Photo: The News-Leader)

Link Academy
Record: 24-1
Super 25 ranking: No. 7

Link Academy is similarly stacked with talent. Five-star junior Eliot Cadeau is committed to North Carolina, while four-star senior Ja’Kobe Walter, the No. 21 player in the class, is committed to Baylor and four-star Cameron Carr and three-star Cade Phillips are committed to Tennessee. It’s not just the juniors and seniors to be afraid of, as sophomores BJ Davis-Ray and Aaron Rowe are ranked the No. 13 and 14 players, respectively, in the class of 2025.

With 24 wins this season, the Lions have beaten Sunrise Academy; they took out Christ the King, Oak Cliff Faith, Dream City and Bella Vista; in fact, the only team they lost to was Montverde. Link will hope to get a chance for revenge at the GEICO tourney.

Long Island Lutheran

(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Long Island Lutheran
Record: 22-2
Super 25 ranking: No. 9

Long Island Lutheran has won 21 games straight and hasn’t lost since Dec. 9 — more than three and a half months ago. LuHi took down teams like Imhotep Charter, Oak Hill Academy, Sunrise Christian and AZ Compass Prep. Its two losses are potential revenge games, as the Crusaders could get the chance to play IMG or Montverde.

Four-star junior V.J. Edgecombe was named the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference player of the year, while head coach John Buck took home NIBC coach of the year honors. Three-star Jayden Reid was recognized to the NIBC second team and three-star junior Jayden Ross was selected for the conference’s third team.

AZ Compass Prep

(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

AZ Compass Prep
Record: 22-5
Super 25 ranking: Unranked

AZ Compass Prep had too many losses to earn a ranking in the Super 25, but by talent, they stack up with the best of them. With 11 ranked players on the 247Sports list, they can sub out their entire starting unit and still have five ranked players on the court.

Mookie Cook, ranked as a four-star on 247Sports and a five-star on the site’s composite, is committed to Oregon. Four-star Rayvon Griffith is committed to Cincinnati, Zyden High to UNC and Trent Pierce to Missouri. In short — Compass Prep talent will be all around Div. I next season, and they’ll still have talent left over in the classes of 2024 and 2025 with four-stars Vyctorious Miller, Jamari Phillips, Marcus Allen, Pharaoh Compton and Jayden Quaintance.

IMG Academy

(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

IMG Academy
Record: 18-7
Super 25 ranking: Unranked

Similarly to AZ Compass Prep, IMG Academy had too many losses to be in the Super 25, but the talent gives them honest potential to win the whole tournament. 247Sports lists 14 players who are ranked between the classes of 2023-25, which is realistically more players than will see on the court in the GEICOS. Blue Cain, a four-star Georgia Tech commit, led the way as he was named to the NIBC first team.

IMG picked up some impressive wins, including over Long Island Lutheran, Oak Hill Academy, twice against AZ Compass Prep and once against Sunrise Christian, but the schedule left something to be desired with the seven losses, including once to Sunrise Christian and twice to Montverde. With its strong lineup, though, you can never count out the Ascenders.

Sunrise Christian

(Photo: The News-Leader)

Sunrise Christian
Record: 20-7
Super 25 ranking: Unranked

If the teams competing in the GEICO Nationals are indeed the best eight teams in the country, the good news for Sunrise Christian is that six of their seven losses have come against top-eight teams. The bad news is that the Buffaloes are just 1-6 against teams competing in this tournament.

That’s not to say Sunrise Christian doesn’t have good wins. In addition to defeating IMG, the Buffaloes have wins over Oak Hill Academy, La Lumiere, Roselle Catholic and Wasatch Academy. It’s been a very difficult schedule, with MaxPreps rankings their SOS 26.4, among the highest in the nation.

Sunrise Christian is stacked, with future G League forward Matas Buzelis, who is ranked the No. 5 player in the class of 2023; John Bol, a 7-foot-2 four-star center named to the NIBC all-conference defensive team; four-star seniors Miro Little and Layden Blocker; and No. 8 senior Mikel Brown Jr. Although their record isn’t necessarily glowing, they are in the GEICO tournament because their talent is good enough to potentially win it all.

Story originally appeared on High School Sports

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