18. Boyle-ing over
Kevin Boyle, after nearly winning national titles at St. Patrick for many years, finally earned a mythical national crown this season at Montverde Academy.
Photo by Lonnie Webb
The combination of
Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) and Kevin Boyle sounded like a winner from the moment it was announced in April of 2011.
One of the nation's top coaches was heading to an elite academic institution on a beautiful campus with the ability to attract talent from all over the country and even the world. And he wasn't starting from scratch, as Montverde Academy was ranked nationally several times under Kevin Sutton from 2004 to 2011.
Kevin Boyle and Dakari Johnson enjoy a title
moment.
Photo by Jim Redman
It didn't take long for Boyle to deliver the goods, as the Eagles used a dramatic three-day run over the weekend at the National High School Invitational to vault past three teams and earn the No. 1 ranking in the final MaxPreps Academy Top 10.
Seemingly a perennial national championship contender while at St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.), Boyle finally broke through to claim the crown with perhaps his deepest collection of talent.
The Eagles featured at least a handful players that will sign with high major college basketball programs. Seniors
Kasey Hill (Florida),
Dakari Johnson (Kentucky) and
Devin Williams (West Virginia) have made their respective decisions about the next level.
Two other seniors in
Miguel Cartagena and
Justin Bibbs along with juniors
Jordan Caroline,
Jalyn Patterson and
D'Angelo Russell — a potential five-star prospect — were regulars in the rotation.
Montverde Academy (25-2) beat eight teams ranked nationally at some point in the season, including an impressive 21-point victory over Xcellent 25 national champion Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) in the championship game of the prestigious City of Palms Classic.
There was also a 29-point win over eventual Illinois 4A champ Simeon (Chicago) and 26-point thrashing of New Jersey Tournament of Champions winner Roselle Catholic in January.
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