By Liam Reilly
@liampreilly852
Montverde Academy Boys basketball team is looking to repeat the success of the 2023-24 season. During that campaign they went 34-0 and capped it off with a win over Paul IV high school in the Chipotle Nationals Championship game.
Winning back to back years is a challenge in its own right, especially when you lose several starters to college. No.1 recruit of the ESPN Class of 2024 Cooper Flagg has moved onto Duke University and No.8 recruit Derik Queen is playing for Maryland University. Head coach Kevin Boyle spoke on how the team has adjusted.
“Usually we have three or four guys returning that can hand it off to the new guys,” Boyle said. “This year Kayden Allen is the only guy returning, and he didn’t play a lot last year so we had nobody who averaged more than three minutes of game return. It’s taking a little while, but now we’re starting to click a little bit.”
In what’s been labeled as a rebuilding season, the Eagles have yet to do just that. The program is picking off almost right where it left off, jumping out to a 12-2 record and are currently sitting on a four game winning streak. Maxpreps has Montverde ranked third in the nation, behind Brewster Academy and IMG Academy. Earlier this year, the Eagles lost to Brewster Academy 59-47 in the Nike EYBL Scholastic Showcase at the NBA Cup.
This weekend Montverde is attending the 2025 Hoophall Classic. In the teams first game of the tournament, it defeated Oak Hill Academy in dominant fashion. As the week continues, however, the competition comes with them. The Eagles play against Utah Prep Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. and Arizona Compass Prep Monday Afternoon at 3 p.m.
The Eagles are familiar with the type of competition played at the Hoophall Classic, as they have already played teams attending the showcase. They defeated Long Island Lutheran 65-59 in the Sunshine Classic but fell short to Christopher Columbus in the City of Palms title game.
Montverde started their first game of the Hoophall Classic neck-and-neck with Oak Hill. Halfway through the first, the Eagles tied the score at 10 after senior Hudson Greer splashed in a deep three. Boyle believes Hudson’s ability has the chance to reach pro-level.
“He’s got NBA potential because he could shoot and he can shoot coming off on screens or flips,” Boyle said. “With the way he shoots in today’s game with analytics, he’s going to be in the conversation.”
Montverde seemed to be closing the first quarter with a 10 point lead until Oak Hill sophomore Howard Williams hit a buzzer three to set the score at 24-17.
Two of the nation’s most prestigious programs continued their clash in the second quarter. The Eagles started to build a 33-19 lead that was extended by a layup from Senior Dante Allen.
The second half started off with a slam as Allen rose for a one handed dunk, setting the score at 47-21. Junior Donovan Williams Jr. launched three straight shots from beyond the arch to keep the Warriors in the game, cutting their deficit to 14.
The fourth quarter was all Montverde, as they continued their superior play after leading 63-39 with five and half minutes left in the game. Senior Hakeem Weems threw down a dunk to get the Eagles over the 70 points mark with two minutes left. Oak Hill didn’t ignite a comeback, leading to a 78-52 win for Montverde.
The win is a good start for the Eagles in their three game stretch at Blake Arena. They forced Oak Hill to commit 17 turnovers while slicing up their defense with 20 assists. Shooting also paved the way for Montverde, as they shot 58 percent from the field and 43 percent from the three.
Boyle has been at Montverde since 2011 and has seen his fair share of top talent players attend the academy. During his 13 year tenure he has led the Eagles to seven national championships. Last season Boyle was named the Naismith High School Coach of the Year following Montverde’s undefeated season.
Boyle has also seen a fair share of players leave, leading to this season being labeled a rebuilding year. However Boyle isn’t focused on if it’s a rebuilding year, more on if the team can still be the best in the country.
“We have a chance, but this year it’s much closer,” Boyle said. “This year there’s 10 teams that can win. We’re one of them. We have to get separation and keep getting better so it’s us and not somebody else.”
A key player for Montverde this season has been Greer. He transferred to the academy after playing at Lake Travis High School in Texas. So far Greer is thriving at the Eagles, having led the team in points tonight with 22.
“Playing with Montverde, it’s honestly one of the best decisions I feel like I could’ve made,” Greer said. “One of the things that was missing from a public school standpoint was the camaraderie of being in a team. There were days where you could slack off, and being at Montverde one of my favorite things is being part of the team and guys pushing each other each and every day.”
Greer isn’t far off from a recent Montverde graduate, Liam McNeely. Boyle sees this and challenges Greer to be better. Greer shared how Boyle and the Eagles have helped his development.
“He can tell you and I can tell, he’s definitely on me one of the most,” Greer said. “Liam’s a little bigger than me, but hopefully I’ll be a better shooter than he is. Fitting that mold in a way, one of the things I need to work on is to slide my feet and they definitely helped me on defense a lot.”
Greer is the No.27 recruit in the ESPN class of 2025 and has already committed to Creighton University. If Greer reaches the NBA potential his coach has set for him, then he’ll join the huge roster of Montverde Alumni in the NBA. Being honest with his players on where they are is key to Boyle.
“We’re very honest that most of you guys with the exception of Cooper, you’re going into the NBA as an entry level employee and trying to get some level of respect,” Boyle said. “You’re going to do that by being an incredible hard worker, being versatile and knowing who you are and not trying to be who you’re not.”
Looking ahead, the Eagles will be facing off against Christopher Columbus next Friday at 6 p.m. in a rematch of their game in December.
Photography by Sam MacGilpin/Springfield Student