Montverde, Fla.— The Montverde Academy boys' and girls' basketball teams will embark on their quest for the championships this weekend as both programs are set to square off against stellar competition the 2021-22 GEICO Nationals at the Sun Coast Arena in Fort Myers, Florida.
The boys come in as the No. 3 seed in the eight team tournament, and will face No. 6 seed AZ Compass in the quarterfinal round on Thursday at 2:00 pm. If the Eagles win, they advance and will play against the winner between No. 2 seed IMG Academy and No. 7 seed La Lumiere in the semifinal round, Friday at 2:30 pm. Should MVA win in the semifinal round, they will play in the championship game, Saturday at noon.
The Eagles are coming off a 20-4 overall record and have outscored opponents 70.9 - 53.5 average. MVA has been led by senior Dariq Whitehead who earned the Naismith Trophy for the most outstanding boys' high school basketball player. The 6-6 guard, who is committed to Duke University, averaged 17.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game this season.
Montverde Academy boys' basketball has won the tournament a record five times since its inception in 2009, taking first place in 2013, 14, 15, 18 and 21 (they were deemed national champions in 2020 upon the tournament's cancellation due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Eagles have also finished in the runner up spot three times, including in 2010, 12 and 17.
MVA girls are in the national tournament for the first time in program history. The Eagles are the No. 3 seed in the five team tournament and will take on DME Academy in the semifinal round on Friday at 10:30 am. If they win, they advance to the championship game on Saturday at 10:00 am against the winner of the other semifinal round game between No. 1 seed New Hope and its opponent which will be the winner of the play-in game between No. 4 seed IMG Academy and No. 5 seed Bishop McNamera.
MVA girls are coming off an 18-3 overall record and have outscored the opposition by a 58.8 – 44.6 margin. The Eagles have been led by senior Janiah Barker at 15.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. She was named a McDonald's All American.
All games will be televised live on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. Tickets for each day of the GEICO High School Nationals are available now and can be purchased at https://geicohoops.com/#tickets.
Boys Television Schedule:
03/31/22 Quarterfinals vs. AZ Compass, 2:00 pm, ESPNU
04/01/22 Semifinals vs. TBA, 2:30 pm, ESPN2
04/02/22 Finals vs. TBA, Noon, ESPN
Girls Television Schedule:
04/01/22 Semifinals vs. DME Academy, 10:30 am, ESPNU
04/02/22 Finals vs. TBA, 10:00 am, ESPN2
About Montverde Academy:
Montverde Academy is a private, independent college preparatory school for grades Pre-K3 through post-graduate studies, with a boarding program serving grades 7-12 representing 90+ nationalities. Our mission is to inspire students to become knowledgeable leaders with global vision and passion for learning, in a disciplined and diverse community that nurtures character development. For more information, visit us online at Montverde.org and at MVASports.com. On social media, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.
