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Head coach Kevin Sutton won a gold medal with the USA U17 team at the FIBA World Championship over the summer.
Photo by Steven Maikoski/USA Basketball
Head coach: Kevin Sutton
2009-2010 record: 24-5, National High School Invitational runner-up, No. 11 in final Xcellent 25 national rankings
Key returnees: Steve Moundou-Missi (6-6, Sr., F, Harvard), Mark Overdevest (7-3, Sr., C)
New additions: Enrico Buono (6-3, Jr., G), DeForest Carter (6-2, Sr., G), Chris Davenport (6-7, So., F), Joey De La Rosa (6-10, Sr., C), Patricio Garino (6-6, Jr., F),
Paul Gombwer (6-6, Sr., F, Colgate), Kasey Hill (6-1, So., G), Ian Malone (6-5, So., F), Jason Pimentel (6-8, Sr., F, Old Dominion), Jose Rodriguez (6-5, Sr., G), Kyle Simmons (5-10, Sr., G)
Scouting report: If the whole is even equal to the sum of the parts, Montverde Academy should be in good shape this season.
Harvard commitment Mondou-Missi is the only returnee that logged significant minutes for the team that beat Montrose Christian and Winter Park en route to the National High School Invitational finals last April.
But Sutton stocked the shelves nicely, getting key additions De La Rosa from New York City, Gombwer from Montrose Christian and Pimentel from West Port High School in Ocala.
And then there are the two sophomores Hill and Davenport, perhaps creating the biggest buzz among Montverde's incoming group. Hill earned a major rep coming out of the middle school ranks and backed it up last season at Mount Dora Bible, averaging 20.4 points, 6.8 assists, 4.8 steals and 4.3 rebounds per game to earn All-American honors from MaxPreps. It would be a surprise if he didn't run the show at the point guard position from the get-go. Davenport, an Atlanta native and part of the Southern Kings summer program there, is also regarded as an elite 2013 prospect.
The Eagles will participate in the Iolani Classic, the Junior Orange Bowl Classic and host their own Montverde Academy Invitational in late January, which will feature Findlay Prep among others.
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