Strictly BBall Newsletter 18

Chipotle Nationals Preview

Who will be crowned National Champs?

by Griffin Greenberg on April 3

It all comes down to this. The nation’s top teams play for their ultimate goal, winning Nationals. Geico Nationals is now Chipotle Nationals and is held in Brownsburg, IN. It’s a national championship event featuring the best 8 teams in the country. Chipotle Nationals features 58 ESPN-ranked players this year and 5 EYBL Scholastic teams. Let’s look through who is in the event and what it looks like for them as they aim to engrave their name into the history books.

#1 Montverde Academy Eagles (FL) Record: 30-0

Summary: Undefeated Montverde is the favorite in Chipotle Nationals, having one of the most dominant seasons of any high school squad ever. They have an average win margin of over 35 points and have won by single digits only three times (Prolific Prep twice and Paul VI). The Eagles look to avenge their trip to nationals last season where they were also the #1 seed but fell to #8 Sunrise Christian. They’re aiming for their third championship in four years. This is an experienced team, as we’ve seen all season.

Who to watch for: Montverde usually goes six deep and five of those six are top-50 recruits, so there isn’t anyone not to watch out for. No. 1 ranked senior Cooper Flagg is their most well-known and impactful player, he can contribute in almost every way you can think of. Derik Queen is also a huge piece to their success, a player who has been in their program for three years and the best playmaker at the center position in the nation. Aside from them, Liam McNeeley, Asa Newell, Robert Wright III, and Curtis Givens have all been key in the undefeated regular season.

Round 1 matchup: The Eagles take on 8-seeded AZ Compass Prep in the quarterfinals. AZ Compass is a gritty team that won their last 5 EYBL Scholastic games to punch their ticket. In their first matchup, the Dragons played Montverde the closest they had been played all season, cutting their lead to 6 with three minutes left. The star guard power for AZ Compass is something Montverde will look to limit.

#2 Paul VI Panthers (VA) Record: 33-2

Summary: Paul VI has had an incredible season, only losing to Montverde Academy and Columbus. Their biggest win came against Link Academy where Duke commit Darren Harris scored 25 points for the Panthers. Paul VI plays in a competitive DMV area against other top teams who are ranked nationally across different sites. They won the VISAA State Boys basketball championship against St. Anne’s-Belfield and are making their second straight Nationals appearance.

Who to watch for: Paul VI is loaded with talent across multiple classes. Despite missing 5-star Duke commit Patrick Ngongba for most of the season due to foot injury, they’ve been one of the most dominant teams. 4-star Duke commit Darren Harris has displayed his elite shooting all year long. Rhode Island commit Ben Hammond, UConn commit Isaiah Abraham, and 5-star sophomore guard Jordan Smith have all been big pieces to Paul VI’s success this year. Patrick Ngongba is expected to play this week as well.

Round 1 matchup: PVI is matched up with 7-seeded IMG Academy in Round 1, a team they played once this season and squeaked out a one-point win against. IMG leans toward Syracuse commit Donnie Freeman and 2025 5-star Darius Acuff. We expect PVI to come out physical and match Isaiah Abraham up with Freeman and Smith or Hammond with Acuff. IMG is a team that has a lot of shooters, something PVI needs to be aware of.

#3 Prolific Prep Crew (CA) Record: 33-5

Summary: Prolific has battled some injuries this season, but should have all of their main rotation players suited up for Nationals. The Crew has two wins to teams in this year's field in Link Academy and AZ Compass. The Crew have also had some of the most exciting games of the season, but fell short, in two thrilling efforts against Montverde Academy. Prolific is 13-0 with their top seven players active.

Who to watch for: Prolific has a ton of star power, headlined by No. 1 2025 recruit AJ Dybantsa, and 5-stars Derrion Reid and Tyran Stokes. Those are their three go-to guys. Aside from that, Aiden Sherrell, Zoom Diallo, Mikey Lewis, and Winters Grady all contribute a lot to the talented squad. A very different-looking Prolific squad fell short last season at Geico, losing to IMG in the first round. Prolific Prep looks to make a push for a championship in their 4th straight Nationals appearance.

Round 1 matchup: The rematch between Prolific and Link takes place in Round 1 of Chipotle Nationals. This could very well be the most exciting matchup of the first round as Prolific beat Link by just one point way back in December. These high-level squads provide some intriguing matchups, as Link is loaded with guard star power with Texas commit Tre Johnson, Kansas commit Labaron Philon, and 5-star junior Jasper Johnson.

#4 Long Island Lutheran Crusaders (NY) Record: 21-4

Summary: LuHi punched their ticket to Nationals for the second straight year. After being upset by AZ Compass as the No. 2 seed, the Crusaders get a matchup with Columbus this time around. This season they have strong wins against Oak Hill, Don Bosco Prep, Link Academy, La Lumiere, and IMG Academy. LuHi is a fast-paced team that plays with a ton of energy and is led by their guard star power. They average over 72 PPG in EYBL Scholastic play (2nd in the league).

Who to watch for: Baylor commit VJ Edgecombe is among the nation’s best, and their 2025 guard duo is intense with Kayden Mingo and Nigel James. Edgecombe and Mingo both average over 15 PPG in EYBL Scholastic play and their interior presence is led by junior 4-star Alier Maluk, who averages over 2 BPG. Kiyan Anthony and Jacob Ross are also a couple of more key contributors who can impact games with their high-flying and scoring abilities.

Round 1 matchup: LuHi matches up with Columbus once again after falling to them by 19 at Hoophall Classic. The main question for LuHi in this matchup is how will they defend 5-star Cameron Boozer, who had a near double-double and propelled Columbus to a huge 4th quarter over the Crusaders. LuHi will not only have their hands full with Cameron, but his twin brother Cayden, and the Richardson bros.

#5 Columbus Explorers (FL) Record: 27-4

Summary: Columbus started their season off with a bang by beating Prolific Prep and McEachern. They had another two big in-field wins later in the season over Long Island Lutheran and Paul VI. The public school is another thrilling team to watch. They recently competed in The Throne National Championship tournament but lost to Roosevelt (CA). They did win the 7A state title in Florida in OT.

Who to watch for: No. 2 2025 recruit Cameron Boozer is the team’s star player, but their squad isn’t complete without the others. Michigan State commit Jase Richardson has had a huge senior campaign with Columbus. Richardson is one of the most explosive guards of this senior class and a super high-energy player, as is the whole team. Cayden Boozer has served as another facilitator and effective scorer, and Jaxon Richardson has gotten better and better as the season has gone on. When Columbus is on, they’re on.

Round 1 matchup: Columbus has to emphasize stopping the pesky guard play of Long Island Lutheran. 2025s Kayden Mingo and Nigel James are two players who can get going in a hurry. Mingo is dominant with his scoring and James is a tough, gritty guard that can be a blur trying to chase around on the court. VJ Edgecombe could bring a handful of problems for Columbus as he can do it all on the court.

#6 Link Academy Lions (MO) Record: 25-6

Summary: Link has had an up-and-down season, but finished strong with a close win over Oak Hill and blowing out Wasatch. They have big wins against AZ Compass Prep, Columbus, and IMG Academy. The Lions are the defending champions, but this year's squad is a completely new team. Link has arguably the best 1-2-3 punch in the nation and is well-balanced in that aspect.

Who to watch for: Texas commit Tre Johnson is an elite scorer who can shoot the lights out, Kansas commit Labaron Philon is an intense player on each end and can change games with his aggressiveness, and 5-star Jasper Johnson can also shoot the lights out from deep. Arkansas commit Jalen Shelley is another player they’ve relied on at times for scoring as he can heat up quickly inside.

Round 1 matchup: Link gets a tough draw with Prolific Prep in the first round. This game has the potential to be a shootout, with both teams possessing elite scorers. This game can be won on the defensive end with who can come up with stops, especially down the stretch. If we get flashes of early-season Link which we have seen a bit throughout the year, there could be a 6-3 upset.

#7 IMG Academy Ascenders (FL) Record: 18-8

Summary: Despite having 8 losses, IMG snuck their way into Nationals and earned the 7th spot. A late-season push earned the Ascenders their bid, with huge wins over Prolific Prep, Oak Hill, and La Lumiere. This is IMG’s 5th consecutive appearance at Nationals. They seem to be clicking at the right time as the high school basketball year winds down.

Who to watch for: 5-star junior Darius Acuff averages the most points in EYBL Scholastic (21.3) Syracuse commit Donnie Freeman is right there with him (16.6). 4-star Khani Rooths has been huge for the Ascenders toward the end of the season, and Chase McCarty and Cole Certa are two shooters to watch out for on the court.

Round 1 matchup: IMG faces Paul VI in Round 1, a team they lost to by one earlier this year. IMG has an opportunity to do some damage with Freeman and Rooths against Abraham and Sundra. This has the potential to be another high-scoring affair. As long as the Ascenders limit turnovers and control the glass, they’ll be right there.

#8 AZ Compass Prep Dragons (AZ) Record: 27-5

Summary: AZ Compass has a big ending to their season, winning their last 5 straight EYBL Scholastic games to punch their ticket. The Dragons had blowout wins over IMG Academy, Oak Hill Academy, and their biggest, an OT win over Long Island Lutheran. The Arizona team has gotten better and better as the season has gone on. They have one of the best defenses in EYBL Scholastic and hold opponents to the fewest three-point percentage in the conference.

Who to watch for: 2025 5-star Illinois commit Jeremiah Fears has done it all for AZ Compass and has been able to score the ball at the right time and make winning plays. 4-star Vyctorius Miller and Arizona State commit Sammie Yeanay have also brought strong scoring presences. 2025 Cam Miles has been the missing piece that the Dragons Their defense is highlighted by Cam Miles and Fears who both are both top-5 in steals per game, as well as Luke Bamgboye who made the EYBL Scholastic all-defensive team.

Round 1 matchup: The Dragons face top-seeded Montverde in the first round, their second matchup of the year. AZ Compass has held Montverde to their fewest points all season with 58, losing by 12 to them back in December. The Dragons will aim to slow Montverde down again but need solid production on offense this time around.