The GEICO Nationals boys basketball tournament is set for another all-star clash between some of the best teams in the nation. Between the eight teams competing, there are 71 players listed on 247Sports’ recruiting rankings, which is average for the entire starting lineup, plus at least a few guys coming off the bench.
The eight teams that 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 ahead of the prestigious tournament, here’s a quick overview of each team. The quarterfinals are Thursday at noon.
To get you up to speed ahead of the prestigious tournament, here’s a quick overview of each team. The quarterfinals are Thursday at noon.
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(Photo: Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
Montverde
Record: 23-2
Super 25 ranking: No. 2
Montverde has already played against several of the teams that will participate in the tournament. The Eagles beat IMG Academy 80-55 on Dec. 1 and followed with a 56-51 win over Long Island Lutheran on Dec. 2; they beat Sunrise Christian twice in January; they defeated Link Academy 84-58 in early February, then closed out 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 Super 25 team.
Montverde has an argument as the most talented team in the nation, with 2023 five-star recruits Kwame Evans Jr. and Sean Stewart, 2024 five-star recruits Derrick Quinn and Liam McNeely and 2025 five-star Cooper Flagg to go along a trio of four-star and three-star players. McNeely, the No. 14 junior, was selected to the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference this season, while Flagg and Queen were named to the second team.
Congratulations to the players who made the NIBC 1st, 2nd and 3rd team All Conference as well as those who made the All Defensive team. Great, great effort all season! @NIBCOfficial @SCNext @Paul Biancardi @JasonNCJordan @paragon_mktg pic.twitter.com/kelWNggI1P
— Rashid Ghazi (@rashghazi) March 24, 2023
(Photo: 247Sports)
Fruitful preparation
Record: 35-1
Super 25 ranking: No. 4
With only one loss on the season by just three points, Prolific Prep has a point differential this year of over 700 points. With a schedule full of national opponents, the strength of schedule is among the highest in the MaxPreps national team rankings, and Prolific Prep enjoys wins over opponents including Combine Academy, Bella Vista, DME Academy and Balboa School.
There is impressive talent at Prolific Prep, such as Auburn four-star prospect Aden Halloway, who is the No. 24 pick in the 2023 class, and Baylor four-star prospect Yves Massey, the No. 27 pick in the 2024 class. Can the team finish without losing another game?
(Photo: The News-Press)
Paul VI
Record: 31-3
Super 25 ranking: No. 6
Paul VI was trying to be the No. 1 team in the country in the Super 25 before two losses in February. They can claim their position as the best team in the country in this tournament behind the play of four-star Maryland commit DeSean Harris-Smith, four-star Duke commit Darren Harris and three other players ranked by 247Sports.
The Panthers beat teams all over the country this season, including Christ the King (N.Y.), Mater Dei (Cal.), Mount St. Joseph (Baltimore), Lake Highlands (Texas) and Wheeler (Ga.). Two of their three losses were one-possession games, the other coming to champions Sidwell Friends. With a few shutouts this year, he was a debatable No. 1 in the Super 25.
(Photo: The News-Leader)
Relationship Academy
Record: 24-1
Super 25 ranking: No. 7
Link Academy is similarly stacked with talents. 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 fear, as sophomores BJ Davis-Ray and Aaron Rowe are ranked the No. 13 and No. 14 players, respectively, in the 2025 class.
With 24 wins this season, the Lions beat Sunrise Academy; they brought out Christ the King, Oak Cliff Faith, Dream City and Bella Vista; in fact, the only team they lost to was Montverde. Link will be hoping to get a chance at revenge at the GEICO tournament.
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
Long Island Lutheran
Record: 22-2
Super 25 ranking: No. 9
Long Island Lutheran has won 21 straight games and hasn’t lost since Dec. 9, more than three and a half months ago. LuHi beat 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 VJ Edgecombe was named the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference Player of the Year, while head coach John Buck took home the NIBC Coach of the Year. Three-star Jaden Reed was named to the NIBC Second Team and three-star junior Jaden Ross was named to the Conference Third Team.
(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 Super 25 berth, but in terms of talent, they match up with the best of them. With 11 ranked players on the 247Sports roster, they could replace their entire starting unit and still have five ranked players on the court.
Mookie Cook, rated a four-star by 247Sports and a five-star by the combine, is committed to Oregon. Four-star Raven Griffith is committed to Cincinnati, Zyden High to UNC and Trent Pierce to Missouri. In short — Compass Prep’s talent will be all around the Div. I next season and they’ll still have talent left in the 2024 and 2025 classes with four stars Victorious Miller, Jamari Phillips, Marcus Allen, Pharoah Compton and Jaden Quintans.
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
IMG Academy
Record: 18-7
Super 25 ranking: Unranked
Like AZ Compass Prep, IMG Academy had too many losses to be in the Super 25, but their talent gives them honest potential to win the entire tournament. 247Sports lists 14 players who are ranked between the 2023-25 classes, which is realistically more players than you’ll see on the court at GEICOS. Blue Cain, a four-star Georgia Tech commit, led the way when he was named to the NIBC first team.
IMG had 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 a lot to be desired with seven losses, including once to Sunrise Christian and twice to Montverde. However, with your strong lineup, you can never count out Ascenders.
(Photo: The News-Leader)
Sunrise Christian
Record: 20-7
Super 25 ranking: Unranked
If the teams competing in the GEICO Nationals are indeed the top 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 that compete in this tournament.
That’s not to say Sunrise Christian doesn’t have good wins. In addition to the win over IMG, the Buffaloes have wins over Oak Hill Academy, La Lumiere, Roselle Catholic and Wasatch Academy. The schedule was very tough, with MaxPreps ranking his SOS 26.4 among the highest in the nation.
Sunrise Christian is stacked, with future G League forward Matas Bouzelis ranked as the No. 5 player in the 2023 class; John Ball, a 7-foot-2 four-star center named to the NIBC All-Conference Defensive Team; four-star seniors Miro Little and Leyden Blocker; and No. 8 senior Mikel Brown Jr. While their record isn’t necessarily stellar, they’re in the GEICO tournament because their talent is good enough to potentially win it all.