GEICO Nationals: How to watch, storylines, team breakdowns

The 2022 GEICO Nationals field is loaded with elite high school basketball talent as 13 of the 24 McDonald's All-American selections are in action beginning Thursday at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla..

Annually the top postseason event in high school basketball, GEICO Nationals brings a true national championship feel to the Sunshine State this weekend with the top seven programs from MaxPreps National Top 20 rankings represented in the eight-team field.

The 13th annual event sees one first-time participant — Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) — joining returning national powerhouses Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.), La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) and Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) in the field.

Streaming/TV: ESPNU (quarterfinals), ESPN2 (semifinals), ESPN (finals)

In what appears to be the most wide open field in event history, top-seed Sunrise Christian Academy comes in as the slight favorite based on an impressive body of work in the regular season that includes winning the NIBC title.

The Buffaloes have never won a GEICO Nationals title, but have the capability to cap an impressive regular season with the program's first national championship behind their dynamic duo of Gradey Dick and Mark Mitchell.

Sunrise Christian opens with a first-round matchup against Prolific Prep, which is led by McDonald's All-Americans Adem Bona and M.J. Rice.

Another team with the capability of capturing the event title is second-seed IMG Academy. Despite being without five-star point guard Jaden Bradley due to injury, the Ascenders have an opportunity to put things together when it matters most this weekend behind five-star prospects Keyonte George and Jarace Walker.

IMG Academy opens with an opportunity to avenge its 91-88 double-overtime loss back in February against La Lumiere.

Although La Lumiere is the seven seed, the Lakers have proven capable of beating teams in the field, with wins over Oak Hill Academy and AZ Compass Prep along with the aforementioned victory over IMG Academy. The Hoosier State powerhouse is led by their McDonald's All-American selection J.J. Starling.

Montverde Academy comes into the event as the three seed, but the Eagles may have the most talented and deep roster of any team in the field. The most successful team in event history with five GEICO Nationals titles has an opportunity to build on that success this year led by five-star seniors Dariq Whitehead and Dillon Mitchell.

Montverde Academy has a challenging first round opponent in AZ Compass Prep, however. The Dragons qualified for GEICO Nationals for the second consecutive season and have the personnel to challenge any team in the field with elite execution on both sides of the ball.

The most intriguing matchup of the first round may be the showdown between Link Academy and Oak Hill Academy. A showdown with many storylines sees the team with the most appearances in event history facing a first-year program looking to make an historic run.

Oak Hill Academy coaching legend Steve Smith announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, making this run all the more important for the Warriors. Senior leaders Chris Livingston and Judah Mintz need to play a significant role to see Smith go out on top.

Link Academy's lone loss is to Sunrise Christian Academy. The upstart group from Missouri have an opportunity to prove they belong on the biggest stage this weekend with ample talent to compete with any team in the event.

Check out the full event schedule along with a quick look at each team below. Field at a Glance

Record: 25-1

National Top 20: No. 1

GEICO History: Third appearance | (2-2)

Layden Blocker (6-2, G) No. 36 prospect in Class of 2023

Cameron Corhen (6-9, C) No. 77 prospect in Class of 2022 | Florida State

Gradey Dick (6-7, W) No. 24 prospect in Class of 2022 | Kansas

Mark Mitchell (6-8, F) No. 13 prospect in Class of 2022 | Duke

Scotty Middleton (6-6, W) No. 50 prospect in Class of 2023

Omaha Biliew (6-8, F) No. 6 prospect in Class of 2023

Trey Green (5-10, G) No. 66 prospect in Class of 2023

Julian Phillips (6-8, F) No. 12 prospect in Class of 2022

Tarris Reed Jr. (6-10, C) No. 35 prospect in Class of 2022 | Michigan

Jordan Walsh (6-7, W) No. 18 prospect in Class of 2022 | Arkansas

Caleb Foster (6-5, G) No. 12 prospect in Class of 2023 | Duke

Chris Livingston (6-6, W) No. 7 prospect in Class of 2022 | Kentucky

Judah Mintz (6-3, G) No. 53 prospect in Class of 2022

Devin Ree (6-8, W) No. 82 prospect in Class of 2022

Christian Reeves (7-1, C) No. 167 prospect in Class of 2022 | Duke

Jeremy Fears (6-1, G) No. 26 prospect in Class of 2023 | Michigan State

Aden Holloway (6-0, G) No. 63 prospect in Class of 2023

Kebba Nije (6-8, C) No. 98 prospect in Class of 2022 | Penn State

*Rankings are according to 247Sports Composite Class of 2022 and Class of 2023

Full scheduleNoon — Championship Game