Brewster Academy, CIA-Bella Vista, Columbus, Gonzaga and Montverde Academy in position to earn invitation to 16th annual event.
Chipotle Nationals, the season-ending tournament designed to crown a high school basketball national champion, returns to the Indianapolis area for the second consecutive season as Hamilton Southeastern High School hosts the event April 3-5.
Known previously as the National High School Invitational (2009-2013), Dick's Nationals (2014-17) and GEICO Nationals (2018-23), Chipotle Nationals will field an eight-team bracket and crown its 16th champion this season.
Check back in March for the official announcement but for now here is a look at each of the eight teams who are expected to earn an invite.
Top 25 junior Jaxon Richardson looks to continue stellar junior season by helping projected top-seed Columbus capture Chipotle Nationals title. (Photo: Eugene Alonzo)
Record: 23-3
MaxPreps Top 25: No. 1
Projected seed: No. 1
Breakdown: The Explorers began their quest for a fourth consecutive state championship with a 93-54 victory over Doral Academy (Doral) in the opening round of the Class 7A state tournament last night. Top 25 Duke signees
Cameron and
Cayden Boozer along with top 25 juniors
Caleb Gaskins and
Jaxon Richardson headline the most talented starting five in high school hoops.
Record: 22-3
National Top 10: No. 1
Projected seed: No. 2
Breakdown: The Bobcats have a pair of losses to unranked opponents this season but they own a 5-1 record against teams currently ranked in the National Top 10 or MaxPreps Top 25. Three-star Stanford-bound
Ebuka Okorie, four-star Iowa State signee
Killyan Toure, top 40 junior
Sebastian Wilkins and three-star James Madison signee
Preston Fowler are among the top contributors. Brewster Academy is in search of its first Chipotle Nationals bid after transitioning from the prep school ranks last season. Top 30 Arizona signee
Dwayne Aristode has missed the entire season due to injury.
Record: 18-4
National Top 10: No. 2
Projected seed: No. 3
Breakdown: The defending champions may not have the star power of recent seasons but the roster is filled with high-major talent capable of beating any team in the country. The Eagles have a 5-4 record against nationally-ranked opponents but three of the losses came against the top-ranked team in either set of rankings. Top 25 Florida signee
C.J. Ingram, four-star Villanova signee
Dante Allen, top 50 Creighton signee
Hudson Greer, top 75 Indiana signee
Trent Sisley and five-star junior
Kayden Allen have been the top producers for Montverde Academy this season.
Record: 17-1
MaxPreps Top 25: No. 3
Projected seed: No. 4
Breakdown: It is unclear whether Calvary Christian Academy's affiliation with Overtime Elite will impact its eligibility for the postseason event. The Eagles captured the championship at the Classic at Tennessee High School, picking up four consecutive wins over top 100 teams. They also fared well at the Montverde Academy Invitational, picking up a big win over National Top 10 No. 8 AZ Compass Prep in the process. Top 30 Cincinnati signee
Shon Abaev, top 25 sophomore
Cayden Daughtry and four-star junior
Collin Paul lead the charge.
Record: 23-3
MaxPreps Top 25: No. 3
Projected seed: No. 5
Breakdown: Look to become the second Washington Catholic Athletic Conference team to earn a berth in the field after Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) earned an invite last season. The Eagles are 10-1 in conference play and own a signature win over MaxPreps Top 25 No. 7 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.). Top 50 North Carolina signee
Derek Dixon, top 60 Xavier signee
Nykolas Lewis and four-star Virginia Tech signee
Christian Gurdak are the catalyts for a talented rotation that includes three-star Harvard commit
Alex Touomou and three-star Richmond signee
William Harper.
Record: 17-4
National Top 10: No. 3
Projected seed: No. 6
Breakdown: The upstart program has exceeded all expectations this season, jumping onto the national radar after early-season victories over National Top 10 No. 7 Prolific Prep and No. 10 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) were paired with claiming the Beach Ball Classic championship. Top 40 junior
Miles Sadler has been the catalyst while four-star senior
Jaion Pitt, junior guard
Rokiem Green, senior guard
Aginaldo Neto and four-star junior
Aliou Dioum have been crucial role players. This group has four crucial conference showdowns remaining including games against National Top 10 No. 4 Wasatch Academy and No. 5 IMG Academy.
Record: 20-4
National Top 10: No. 4
Projected seed: No. 7
Breakdown: While the Eagles are just 2-2 against National Top 10 opponents, they own significant wins over No. 5 IMG Academy and No. 10 Sunrise Christian Academy to give them a chance to earn a spot in Chipotle Nationals for the first time since 2021-22. Wasatch Academy's rotation is led by top 20 Houston signee
Isiah Harwell, three-star junior
Mariano Manciel and four-star Class of 2026 prospect
Junior County. Top 70 junior
Katrelle Harmon and senior guard
James Miller lead the supporting cast. Upcoming showdowns with National Top 10 No. 5 CIA-Bella Vista Prep and Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) could determine their bubble fate.
Record: 20-4
National Top 10: No. 5
Projected seed: No. 8
Breakdown: A critical upcoming stretch on the schedule will likely seal IMG's fate as it faces National Top 10 No. 5 CIA-Bella Vista, No. 6 Long Island Lutheran and then No. 2 Montverde Academy to close out regular season play. IMG Academy is currently 2-4 against nationally-ranked opponents with their biggest wins coming against National Top 10 No. 8 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) and No. 9 Dynamic Prep (Irving, Texas). Five-star Arkansas signee
Darius Acuff highlights a talented roster that includes top 30 Syracuse signee
Sadiq White, top 70 Georgia signee
Kareem Stagg, three-star junior
Trey Beamer and top 40 junior
Jermal Jones.
Outside looking in
Record: 16-7
National Top 10: No. 8
Breakdown: Although the Dragons finished the season strong and own impressive wins over National Top 10 No. 1 Brewster Academy and No. 2 Montverde Academy, the losses piled up throughout the season. AZ Compass Prep needs a strong showing in the Nike EYBL Scholastic conference tournament to have a chance at the championship event.
Record: 16-5
National Top 10: No. 6
Breakdown: After a 3-5 start, the Crusaders have won 13 consecutive games and own a 4-0 record against nationally-ranked teams since that start. Long Island Lutheran has games against Oak Hill Academy and National Top 10 No. 5 IMG Academy upcoming with a strong chance to jump into the field with a pair of wins.
Record: 21-2
MaxPreps Top 25: No. 8
Breakdown: The two losses have come against the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked teams in the MaxPreps Top 25. Led by top 10 senior
Koa Peat, Perry is in search of its fourth consecutive state championship.
Record: 24-5
National Top 10: No. 7
Breakdown: No. 2-ranked senior
Darryn Peterson erupted for a career-high 61 points in a recent 88-86 victory over Utah Prep (Hurricane, Utah). The Crew have lost just two games with the Kansas signee in the lineup. Prolific Prep will have a chance to sneak into the field if it is able to win out.
Past winners
2009 (NHSI) — Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.)
2010 (NHSI) — Findlay Prep
2011 (NHSI) — Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.)
2012 (NHSI) — Findlay Prep
2013 (NHSI) — Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
2014 (Dick's) — Montverde Academy
2015 (Dick's) — Montverde Academy
2016 (Dick's) — Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)
2017 (Dick's) — La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.)
2018 (GEICO) — Montverde Academy
2019 (GEICO) — IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
2021 (GEICO) — Montverde Academy
2022 (GEICO) — Montverde Academy
2023 (GEICO) — Link Academy (Branson, Mo.)
2024 (Chipotle) — Montverde Academy
