MaxPreps 2013-14 Preseason Xcellent 25 Basketball preview: No. 1 Montverde Academy

After winning a national title and saying goodbye to Kasey Hill (Florida), Dakari Johnson (Kentucky) and Devin Williams (West Virginia), it would be natural to assume Montverde Academy (Fla.) might take a slight step back in 2013-14.

Don't count on that happening this year – or any year as long as Kevin Boyle remains on the sideline at the Orlando-area school.

The Eagles have seven seniors already committed to Division I programs. Junior wing Ben Simmons – an Australian import firmly on the NBA radar – has already delivered a pledge to LSU.



"I feel that we can definitely be as good, but we will be different (than last year's team)," Boyle said. "We had a big, physical presence down low last year with Dakari Johnson and Devin Williams but this year's team will be quicker and more athletic."

The backcourt is stocked with experienced winners in D'Angelo Russell, Justin Bibbs, Ahmaad Rorie, Jalyn Patterson and coach's kid Brendan Boyle – who should become an eighth senior Division I signee at some point.

Russell is the most accomplished of the group, playing a prominent role during Montverde's run at the National High School Invitational last April and following with a title on Nike's EYBL summer circuit.

Jordan Caroline and Simmons add versatility as 3/4 combos while Canadian import Chris Egi and Makinde London will man the post. Egi was being pursued by Duke before electing to pursue his education and hoops career at Harvard.

Fans got just a brief glimpse of Simmons last season and he should blossom into a full-fledged star this winter. The 6-8 Australian arrived after Christmas and didn't debut until Montverde's appearance in the National High School Invitational.

247Sports.com has Simmons rated the No. 7 prospect in the 2015 class and Boyle described him as "Kyrie Irving-good" – referencing one of his former pupils at St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.).



At 7-foot-4, international transfer Jean Marc Koumadje will be worth keeping an eye on as well.

Two years after leaving New Jersey for Montverde, Boyle sounds like a man just getting started at his new school.

"I have great affection and love for St. Pat's," Boyle said. "That being said, I'm in such a great situation here at a school with great academics and athletic facilities, the campus, the weather. I can't imagine a better high school job than this."

The MaxPreps preseason No. 1 opens Friday night against Tift County (Tifton, Ga.) in the Montverde Academy Champions Classic. The Eagles play defending Georgia AAAAAA state champion Norcross in the same event Saturday.

View gallery of Montverde Academy preseason photo shoot

Montverde Academy last five years:
2012-13 (Kevin Boyle) – 25-2, Academy Top 10 national champions
2011-12 (Kevin Boyle) – 23-4, No. 4 final Academy Top 10 national ranking
2010-11 (Kevin Sutton) – 21-5
2009-10 (Kevin Sutton) – 23-5
2008-09 (Kevin Sutton) – 17-5

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Classification/Division:
Montverde Academy is an international, coeducational, independent college prep school. Though the basketball program does not compete in the state playoffs, the school is a member of the Florida High School Athletic Association.

Enrollment:
998 students (K-12)



Head coach:
Kevin Boyle

Career record:
560-138 in 25 seasons as a head coach, including 48-6 in his two seasons at Montverde Academy. Boyle spent 23 years as the head coach at St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.), winning eight state titles and four Tournament of Champions crowns during that time.

Former Eagles in college/pro basketball:

Solomon Alabi (playing professionally in Taiwan)

James Bell (Villanova senior wing)

Marcus Capers (former Washington State standout guard)



Miguel Cartagena (George Mason freshman guard)

Chris Davenport (North Florida sophomore forward)

Michael Frazier (Florida sophomore guard)

Dash Harris (former Texas A&M standout guard)

Kasey Hill (Florida freshman guard)

Dakari Johnson (Kentucky freshman center)



Steve Moundou-Missi (Harvard junior forward)

Landry Nnoko (Clemson sophomore center)

Devin Williams (West Virginia freshman forward)
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Key returners:

Justin Bibbs (6-4, Sr., G), Virginia Tech signee

Brendan Boyle (6-2, Sr., G)

Jordan Caroline (6-6, Sr., G/F), Southern Illinois signee



Jalyn Patterson (5-11, Sr., G), LSU signee

D'Angelo Russell (6-4, Sr., G), Ohio State signee

Ben Simmons (6-8, Jr., G/F), LSU verbal commitment

Newcomers:

Chris Egi (6-8, Sr., F), Harvard signee

Jean Marc Koumadje (7-4, Jr., C)



Makinde London (6-9, Sr., F), Xavier signee

Ahmaad Rorie (6-0, Sr., G), California signee

Circle the date:

There are no off nights built into Montverde Academy's schedule. The Eagles have games lined up with No. 12 Roselle Catholic (N.J.), No. 13 St. Joseph (Metuchen, N.J.) and No. 17 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.).

Then there are meetings with defending state champions Norcross (Ga.) and Providence (Jacksonville, Fla.), plus showcase showdowns with St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) and Curie (Chicago).

Tournament time:



Boyle has lined up a gauntlet of high-level tournaments for his squad. First up is the prestigious City of Palms Classic in Florida, where the Eagles will enter as defending champions against a field that includes four other nationally ranked teams.

After Christmas, Montverde heads to the Wild Wings Café High School Hoops Classic, where programs like Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.), Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) await.

Finally, the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions in January should get Montverde's full attention after suffering an upset loss in the final there last season. That loss came against No. 11 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), which is also returning to the event in 2014.