Montverde Academy boys’ and girls’ basketball teams have both received No. 1 seeds for their respective postseason tournaments in the 2023 GEICO High School Nationals championship taking place March 30 – April 1 in Fort Myers, Florida.
The boys’ team, after a 23-2 regular season and a first-place finish in the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference regular season, will face No. 8 seed Sunrise Christian (KS) in the quarterfinal round on Thursday, March 30 at 6:00 pm. If the Eagles win, MVA will play in the semifinal round against the winner between No. 4 seed Link Academy (MO) and No. 5 seed St. Paul VI (VA) on Friday, March 31 at 4:30 pm. The championship game is slated for Saturday, April 1 at 12:00 pm against one of the other four teams in the tournament, including Long Island Lutheran (NY), AZ-Compass (AZ), IMG Academy (FL), Prolific Prep (CA).
The MVA boys’ team is looking to win its eighth championship in the last 11 years after having won the national championship in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022. The Eagles have eight ESPN-ranked players on their roster, including seniors Kwame Evans (No. 13 ranked, Oregon commit), Sean Stewart (No. 16 ranked, Duke commit) and Chris Johnson (No. 35 ranked, Kansas commit), along with juniors Derik Queen (No. 9 ranked), Liam McNeeley (No. 10 ranked), Asa Newell (No. 18 ranked) and Curtis Givens (No. 58 ranked), as well as sophomore Cooper Flagg (No. 2 ranked).
Statistically, the Eagles have been led in scoring by McNeeley at 12.4 points per game, followed by Queen at 11.8. Queen has led the Eagles in rebounding at 6.7 per game, while Johnson had led in assists at 3.7 per game.
One the girls’ side of the bracket, MVA earned the No. 1 seed after finishing a program best 24-1 overall this past regular season. The Eagles will play No. 4 seed Westtown (PA) in the semifinal round on Friday March 31 at 12:30 pm. If the Eagles win, MVA will play for the championship against either No. 2 seed Long Island Lutheran (NY) or No. 3 seed McDonogh (MD) on Saturday April 1 at 10:30 am.
The defending GEICO High School Nationals champion girls’ team has four players ranked by ESPN including seniors Lety Vasconcelos (No. 36 ranked, Baylor commit), Sahnya Jah (No. 40 ranked, South Carolina commit) and Mjracle Sheppard (No. 86 ranked, Mississippi State commit) as well as junior Vivian Iwuchukwu (No. 34 ranked).
Statistically, Sheppard has led the Eagles in scoring at 11.2 points per game, assists at 3.2 per game and steals at 4.7 per game. Vasconcelos has led in rebounding at 6.6 per game and blocked shots at 1.0 per game.
Each game of the tournament will be televised live on the ESPN platform, including ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.
About Montverde Academy:
Montverde Academy is a private, independent college preparatory school for grades Pre-K3 through post-graduate studies, with a boarding program serving grades 7-12 representing 90+ nationalities. Our mission is to inspire students to become knowledgeable leaders with global vision and passion for learning, in a disciplined and diverse community that nurtures character development. For more information, visit us online at Montverde.org and at MVASports.com.
