Oak Hill Academy, Montverde Academy to headline Dick’s Nationals field

The field is set and matchups have been announced for Dick's Sporting Goods High School Nationals.

Seven of the top 12 teams in MaxPreps.com's national Top 25 will participate in the event, which will be played April 2-4 at Christ the King High School in Middle Village, N.Y., and Madison Square Garden. All seven games will be broadcast across the ESPN family of networks.

This year's biggest storyline? No. 1-ranked Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and No. 2 Montverde Academy (Fla.) could meet to decide an undisputed high school basketball national champion.

The same two teams squared off in last year's championship game as Montverde Academy emerged with an impressive 71-62 victory and a final national No. 1 ranking by some media outlets.

Here's a look at the complete field and schedule followed by in-depth profiles for all eight participants:

Quarterfinals – Thursday, April 2 at Christ the King (All times Eastern)
Noon – #3 seed Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.) vs. #6 Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) [ESPNU]
2 p.m. – #4 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) vs. #5 Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.) [ESPNU]
4 p.m. – #2 Montverde Academy (Fla.) vs. No. 7 Greensboro Day (N.C.) [ESPNU]
6 p.m. – #1 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) vs. #8 Wings Academy (Bronx, N.Y.) [ESPNU]



Semifinals – Friday, April 3 at Christ the King
3 p.m. – Ely/Findlay winner vs. Montverde/Greensboro Day winner [ESPN2]
5 p.m. – Wheeler/Huntington Prep winner vs. Oak Hill/Wings winner [ESPN2]

Championship – Saturday, April 4 at Madison Square Garden
Noon – Dick's Nationals Championship Game [ESPN]

BREAKING DOWN THE FIELD
Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.)
Head coach: Melvin Randall (20th year, 484-136)
Dick's Nationals seed: No. 3
2014-15 record: 28-0
MaxPreps national ranking: No. 6
Media composite ranking: No. 10
Tournament titles: Kreul Classic, Broward County Athletic Association Big 8, FHSAA Class 7A state tournament
Star watch: The Tigers are a balanced scoring team without a Top 100 prospect on the roster. Therrell Gosier (16.7 points, 8.0 rebounds per game), LaQuincy Rideau (16.3), Javon Heastie (13.5) and Diandre Wilson all average in double figures.
Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.)
Head coach: Andy Johnson (First year)
Dick's Nationals seed: No. 6
2014-15 record: 28-2
MaxPreps national ranking: No. 12
Media composite ranking: No. 4
Tournament titles: None
Star watch: Senior guard Allonzo Trier is certainly one of the headliners in the Dick's Nationals field. A MaxPreps first team All-American candidate, the 6-foot-4 guard is putting up 26.6 points per game on a roster filled with future Division I players.
Greensboro Day (N.C.)
Head coach: Fred Johnson (38th year, over 900 career wins)
Dick's Nationals seed: No. 7
2014-15 record: 33-2
MaxPreps national ranking: No. 10
Media composite ranking: No. 15
Tournament titles: Northwest Guilford Holiday Shootout, Timco Invitational, NCISAA Class 3A state tournament
Star watch: Peter Agba, a 6-foot-6 power forward headed to Akron, and senior guard Darius Moore were both named to the NCISAA Class 3A All-State team. The Bengals are one of the nation's stingiest defensive teams, allowing just 40.2 points per game.
Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.)
Head coach: Arkell Bruce (First year)
Dick’s Nationals seed: No. 5
2014-15 record: 31-2
MaxPreps national ranking: No. 9
Media composite ranking: No. 11
Tournament titles: Huntington Invitational
Star watch: Thomas Bryant, a 6-foot-10 senior, is averaging 17.3 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. Also chipping in with a nightly double-double is junior wing Miles Bridges (15.7 points, 10.6 rebounds) – a Top 25 2016 prospect. Junior guard Curtis Jones is another dangerous offensive weapon.
Montverde Academy (Fla.)
Head coach: Kevin Boyle (26th year, 616-139)
Dick's Nationals seed: No. 2
2014-15 record: 28-1
MaxPreps national ranking: No. 2
Media composite ranking: No. 1
Tournament titles: Les Schwab Invitational, Sugar Bowl Classic, Montverde Academy Invitational
Star watch: The Eagles feature everybody's national player of the year in 6-foot-9 forward Ben Simmons. A native of Australia, the LSU signee is putting up 28.0 points, 11.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)
Head coach: Steve Smith (30th year, 979-90)
Dick's Nationals seed: No. 1
2014-15 record: 45-0
MaxPreps national ranking: No. 1
Media composite ranking: No. 2
Tournament titles: Iolani Classic, Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions
Star watch: Florida State-bound senior Dwayne Bacon, a 6-foot-6 guard, is one of the nation's elite scorers. Point guard Terrence Phillips (Missouri) is averaging over 10 assists per game while 6-10 Daniel Giddens (Ohio State) has developed into a force in the paint.
Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.)
Head coach: Doug Lipscomb (23rd year, 545-117)
Dick's Nationals seed: No. 4
2014-15 record: 30-2
MaxPreps national ranking: No. 5
Media composite ranking: 7
Tournament titles: City of Palms Classic, GHSA Class AAAAAA state tournament
Star watch: McDonald's All-American and 247Sports No. 2 senior prospect Jaylen Brown will be key to Wheeler's chances in NYC. The 6-foot-7 wing already showed he could put the team on his back once this season at the prestigious City of Palms Classic.
Wings Academy (Bronx, N.Y.)
Head coach: Billy Turnage (12th year, 291-53)
Dick’s Nationals seed: No. 8
2014-15 record: 25-3
MaxPreps national ranking: NR
Media composite ranking: NR
Tournament titles: PSAL Class AA city tournament
Star watch: At 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, Georgetown signee Jessie Govan is always a matchup nightmare. The Top 50 senior prospect averages 23.9 points and 12.9 rebounds per game for the Wings. Not to be overlooked, senior guard and Hofstra commitment Desure Buie adds 17.0 points and 6.6 assists per game.

Past Dick's Nationals winners
2014 – Montverde Academy
2013 – Montverde Academy
2012 – Findlay Prep
2011 – Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.)
2010 – Findlay Prep
2009 – Findlay Prep