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FORT MYERS, Fla. – Much like March Madness fans, those who attend the Culligan City of Palms Classic love to root for the underdogs and see an upset or two in the early rounds of the nation’s premier high school basketball tournament. But when it comes championship time they want to see the chalk prevail, they want to see the country’s blue blood programs face off.
A packed Suncoast Credit Arena watched top seeds fall in short order in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the 2018 tournament, leaving it with a strong but not hyped championship matchup between McEachern (Georgia) and Philadelphia Imhotep.
This year the nation’s preseason No. 1 and No. 2 teams gave the people what they wanted. Montverde Academy and Bradenton IMG Academy more resembled permanent marker than chalk.
The powerhouses will face off for the first time this season Monday in the City of Palms title game in what will be a rematch of a Geico national semifinal in which defending national champ IMG came back from 16 points down to win.
Ascenders second-year coach Sean McAloon held his news conference after IMG’s semifinal win over Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga prior to the other half of the bracket being decided. It was hard for him to deny Montverde, which ended up blowing out defending tournament champ McEachern, wouldn’t be waiting for his squad. “If it’s them, it’s great for everybody who’s here,” he said. “I know that’s what everyone kind of wants. We’ll be there. What time’s that game, 8:30? We’ll be there. We’ll be there in our away uniforms. Whoever is on the other side we’ll check ball.”
This could be the first of four meetings between the high school basketball team of the decade that’s won four of the last seven national crowns in Montverde (9-0) and the relative new kid on the national scene in IMG (7-1).
“I think if nothing drastic happens in high school basketball, there’s a good chance with both our schools and the reputations we both have, not just nationally but internationally, that it’s going to be hard for both of us not to attract good players on a regular basis. So you’re going to see us play each other,” said Montverde coach Kevin Boyle, who has won this tournament four times, three with the Eagles.
The storylines are baked in. Questions about Montverde’s Geico collapse were sure to come up despite the most dominant City of Palms performance this year when the Eagles shot 61% from the field and limited last year’s tournament MVP Sharife Cooper, an Auburn signee ranked the No. 16 senior in the country by ESPN, to 15 points as they beat McEachern 99-48.
Then there’s IMG seeking its first City of Palms title after last year’s quarterfinal loss to Mountain Brook. It ignited a 21-game run to a national championship but left unfinished business for returning players like senior guard Jaden Springer. “It would be big for us because that’s something we couldn’t do last year,” the Tennessee signee said. “Really it would be great in the moment. We’re going through the rest of the season preparing for the next game. We’re chasing a national championship this year.”
The game features eight of the USA’s top 50 seniors, two of the top 20 juniors and four of the top 25 sophomores.
Springer possesses a clutch gene that has been unmatched throughout the tournament. He followed up Friday’s 30-point outburst in a win over White Plains (New York) Archbishop Stepinac with a 22-point, six-rebound, five-assist performance as IMG was tested by Gonzaga in a 76-67 semifinal win.
He’ll be matched up with Montverde senior point guard Cade Cunningham, who might be on his way to tournament MVP if the Eagles come out on top Monday. His body of work thus far, which includes an 11-point, nine-assist, five-rebound effort against McEachern, suggests the Oklahoma State signee is the best player in the country.
Each time down the floor Saturday it seemed like there was a supporting cast member ready to finish on the other end of one of Cunningham’s passes. Florida State signee Scottie Barnes, No. 4 sophomore Caleb Houston, North Carolina signee Day’Ron Sharpe, Arkansas signee Moses Moody, No. 17 junior Langston Love and Michigan signee Zeb Jackson all finished in double figures.
The Eagles will look to limit IMG on the boards, which won’t be easy with 7foot Duke signee Mark Williams and 610 junior Moussa Diabate in the paint.
While McAloon didn’t deny the importance of Monday’s showdown, he wasn’t sure how much momentum a win would provide the team, an underdog for the first time. “It’s December. It’s a long year. Would it be awesome to win? Yes. It’s something the team didn’t accomplish last year. We want to check some boxes,” McAloon said.
Meanwhile, Boyle said his team is looking to start building its résumé as the team of the 2020s. “We’d like to start this decade off and see if we can repeat it,” Boyle said. “So it would be good to start this season off as the No. 1 team and see if we can finish it as the No. 1 and get it jump-started.”