Video: Montverde Academy tops final national rankingsEagles finish No. 1 under MaxPreps National Coach of the Year Kevin Boyle.The list of current professional players Kevin Boyle coached in high school would probably make for a good NBA team.
They include Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, D'Angelo Russell, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Dakari Johnson.
He's coached eight first-round NBA Draft selections and sent close to 100 to the Division I college ranks, including 32 alone over the last four seasons.
But Boyle doesn't just roll out blue-chip talent and expect gold results. He can really coach. Especially in big games.
The
Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) leader showed that once again in 2017-18, making all the right moves and pushing all the right buttons, most notably during a 76-58 victory over University (Fort Lauderdale) last week to win the program's record fourth GEICO Nationals title.
The victory secured a perfect 35-0 season and an undisputed claim to the national championship.
It also cemented Boyle's selection as the 2017-18 MaxPreps National Coach of the Year.
Graphic by Ryan Escobar/Photos by Steven Ryan
Boyle previously led the Eagles to three straight GEICO Nationals (previously sponsored by Dick's Sporting Goods) titles starting in 2013. Montverde has reached the championship game in seven of the last nine years.
The formula obviously isn't all talent, Boyle told reporters after Saturday's championship game.
Though it doesn't hurt to have a kid like
R.J. Barrett, the MaxPreps National Player of the Year, who is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-7 wing, who averaged 28.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists this season, including 25 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday's final, would join Irving and Simmons as other No. 1 NBA draft selections.
"We have a lot of maturity, the school is very structured and disciplined, with high standards outside of basketball," Boyle told reporters after Saturday's game. "I think it leads to structure and discipline on the court."
The combination of structure, attention to detail and talent has worked for Boyle at every turn. He led
The Patrick School (Hillside, N.J.) to five state titles before arriving at Montverde in 2011.
He's coached for USA Basketball at the Nike Hoop Summit and three times at the Jordan Brand Classic, where he led such players as LeBron James, Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose as high school seniors.
His current lot of Montverde seniors is pretty impressive as well. Beyond Barrett (Duke),
Andrew Nembhard (Florida),
Mike Devoe (Georgia Tech) and
Filip Petrusev (Gonzaga) are all college bound. The 81.8 points per game they scored this season against many of the nation's elite was eye-opening, but their defense (52.0 per game allowed) was a staple of a team coached by Boyle.
Past MaxPreps National Coaches of the Year2017 – Wes Swift, Jonesboro (Ark.)
2016 – Pat Donnelly, U-D Jesuit (Detroit, Mich.)
2015 – Sam Duane Jr., Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.)
2014 – Gary McKnight, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
2013 – Quincy Lewis, Lone Peak (Highland, Utah)
2012 – Danny Henderson, Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas)
2011 – Bob Hurley, St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.)
2010 – Ed Azzam, Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.)
