Geico Nationals: Montverde Academy vs IMG Academy (Pt. 2)

Joel Francisco

April 8, 2022 @ 11:20 AM

Geico Nationals: Montverde Academy vs IMG Academy (Pt. 2) FORT MEYERS, FL—It’s hard to believe but Geico Nationals is in its thirteenth year of existence and its been quite a ride with a staggering amount of players that have ended up in the NBA, including Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Jaylen Brown to name a few. This year is no different as there are a plethora of highly-talented ballers in Jordan Walsh, Chris Livingston, [player_tooltip player_id="546187" first="Dariq" last="Whitehead"], [player_tooltip player_id="781876" first="Keyonte" last="George"], and Gatorade National POY Gradey Dick. In the first semi-final, IMG put together a stellar 3rd quarter to take command, but Montverde Academy showed some serious moxie as they fought back in the 4th quarter to win 62-57. More than a shooter [player_tooltip player_id="814897" first="Jett" last="Howard"] (IMG Academy) 2022, 6-foot-7, 215 pounds Joel’s take: Although Howard didn’t make his usual impact from the perimeter (0-of-5 from the 3-pt stripe), he displayed other aspects of his game that have evolved over the years. Despite not having an explosive 1st step, his triple-threat game is quite tight. Once he gets separation off the dribble or in transition, he utilizes the jump stop quite well and his step-through move is quite fundamental as well. Remember Sam Perkins ? [player_tooltip player_id="957019" first="Kwame" last="Evans"] (Montverde Academy) 2023, F, 6-foot-9, 225 pounds Joel’s Take: Evans is just scratching the surface of his immense potential. The rangy left-handed 4-man plays the game under control and rarely forces the issue. He hasn’t got hot from deep in either game, thus far, at Geico, but he has shown other aspects of his evolving game. He can face-up defenders, his shot mechanics are tight, and he resembles a bit of a young Sam Perkins (North Carolina/NBA player). He isn’t quite the rim protector Perkins was in college and the NBA, but Adams is a high-level rebounder and possesses a nice touch from all over. The Garbage Man [player_tooltip player_id="814898" first="Dillon" last="Mitchell"] (Montverde Academy) 2022, F, 6-foot-7, 195 pounds Joel’s take: Mitchell is the ultimate garbage man at this level where he uses his elite athleticism and nose for the ball to make play after play in the paint area. Whether it’s swatting away shots in the paint, getting deflections, filling the lane in transition, or gliding to the rim with one of his acrobatic finishes, Mitchell is all about production. In this game, he attacked the glass with an intense mindset as he grabbed double-digit rebounds, both on the offensive and defensive end. Mr. Fundamental [player_tooltip player_id="814905" first="Malik" last="Reneau"] (Montverde Academy) 2022, F, 6-foot-9, 225 pounds Joel’s Take: Mr. Steady had another productive outing in his team’s semi-final victory over IMG. Reneau has terrific fundamentals, can finish with either hand, and his touch in the paint is impeccable. He uses his solid footwork and up-fakes to get defenders off balance and he is always on balance when finishing. With Montverde’s depth and talent, Reneau is not one of the top options, but at the end of the game, he always gets his points in an efficient manner.