Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament Standouts – Florida

<p>The Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament (MAIT) is one of the country’s most prestigious tournaments. Year in and year out, the country’s best talent flocks to the small town of Montverde, Florida to compete with the best schools that high school basketball has to offer. This year, in a cut down version of the usually high-attendance tournament, two schools represented Florida: Calvary Christian (Ft. Lauderdale) and the host Montverde Academy. Here were the standouts for both of these teams!</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1062409" first="Jalen" last="Duren"], Montverde Academy, 6’10", 2022</strong></span></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1062409" first="Jalen" last="Duren"] is without a doubt the most elite prospect I’ve ever watched. Duren is the #2 prospect in his class, and for good reason. For starters, Duren is the most physically imposing prospect (and probably individual) I’ve encountered. His strength is elite, and with his massive frame, he is an issue on the low block. It’s hard to stop him around the rim. Even playing against elite prospects like Kenny Pohto and Fousseyni Traore, Duren is a man amongst boys. But while his post play is what makes him incredible, his bag is much deeper. He’s an elite athlete which leads to some amazing blocked shots and lobs. He also has a dependable mid-range jumper that he can utilize against defenders at ease. Duren averaged 15.2 PPG and 10 RPG across 6 games (MVA went 5-1 in that stretch) and proved that he is one of the most complete prospects in the country. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="712102" first="Caleb" last="Houstan"], Montverde Academy, 6’7", 2021, Michigan commit</strong></span></p> <p>Houstan is one of Florida’s most renowned prospects. In fact, he’s ranked by Prep Hoops as the #1 prospect in Florida for his class. The forward averaged 16 PPG over Montverde’s 5-1 performance and was a reliable option for the Eagles at all times. Houstan’s most elite skill is far and away his jumper. Houstan didn’t have the most efficient showing, but his 17 threes over 6 games were enough to get the job done for the Eagles. He shoots with confidence, and when he’s hot, he’s impossible to slow down. He shot 4/4 from downtown in the first quarter of Montverde’s win over Wasatch Academy, burying the Tigers and making the comeback attempts pointless. Houstan’s full skillset may be a bit muffled by his elite teammates, but next year at Michigan, I’m sure we’ll see a fully developed player who can only go up.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="577854" first="Jalen" last="Hood-Schifino"], Montverde Academy, 6’4", 2022, Pittsburgh commit</strong></span></p> <p>Hood-Schifino is not the first name that comes to mind when you think of MVA, but the 2022 Pitt commit shined in his whole way throughout the entire tournament. Hood-Schifino’s defensive prowess was key for the Eagles. Schifino is a strong and reliable player on the defensive end, and his big frame mixed with his mobility make him very hard to score on. In the tournament’s last game, Kentucky commit Nolan Hickman had 11 first quarter points for Wasatch Academy vs. Montverde. But when Hood-Schifino joined the mix, Hickman had a much more difficult time scoring and eventually finished the second quarter with no points. He can score and get downhill effectively as well, but his defense is definitely where Hood-Schifino will make his money at the next level. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="709228" first="Carl" last="Cherenfant"], Calvary Christian, 6’4", 2023</strong></span></p> <p>There’s no doubt that Calvary Christian, despite being MaxPreps’ #6 team in Florida and #40 in the country, were a bit out of their league playing against 5 of the country’s best teams. Nevertheless, they showed up and competed at a high level against their elite competition. A big part of their play was thanks to [player_tooltip player_id="709228" first="Carl" last="Cherenfant"], the 2023 guard who isn’t even a starter for the Eagles. Yet, you would never know that from watching his game. The smooth guard has a crazy wingspan and is an incredible scorer. He scores with ease on even the best defenses, as proven by his 13 points against Sunrise Christian and 12 points against La Lumiere. He’s a good shooter who is confident in his shot and is a strong slasher. He’ll be one of the best players in the state for the next 2.5 years and is a player to keep an eye on as he progresses.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="814895" first="Gregg" last="Glenn"], Calvary Christian, 6’6", 2022</strong></span></p> <p>Glenn was one of my favorite players to watch this tournament, mostly because of his heart and strength on the court. Glenn is by no means small at 6’6", but his height should have become less of a factor when competing against some of the biggest teams in the country. Nevertheless, Glenn was a dawg in the post and even finished with the 5th highest RPG at the tournament. His Calvary Christian may have gone 0-3 over the course of their weekend at the MAIT, but Glenn’s value should rise significantly after his strong showings. He’s got some work to do on his efficiency and control on the floor, but with another year, Glenn can become a scary sight both in the paint and going downhill. He’s going to be one of the best players in Florida next year and is someone coaches should start paying more attention to.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>