Tag: Chipotle Nationals

Cooper Flagg named Chipotle Nationals MVP, Darren Harris makes all-tournament team

Duke signee Cooper Flagg helped his high school team win a national title on Saturday en route to tournament MVP honors, and future teammate Darren Harris joined him on the all-tournament team.

After he helped lead Montverde Academy to a national title at Chipotle Nationals on Saturday afternoon, Duke signee Cooper Flagg was named the MVP of the boys’ tournament.

Flagg, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2024 and the face of Duke’s vaunted recruiting class, scored 16 points and added eight rebounds and six blocks in the title game victory over Paul VI Catholic.

Flagg also dropped 28 points in the semifinal win over Columbus and 16 points in the quarterfinal game against AZ Compass Prep to end the three-game run with an average of 20 points per game.

Darren Harris, another future Blue Devil who led runner-up Paul VI, also made the five-player all-tournament squad. Harris broke through with a 36-point performance against IMG Academy in the quarterfinals.

Duke legend Carlos Boozer’s son, Cameron Boozer, made the five-man team as well for his efforts with Columbus High School.

No. 1 girls basketball prospect Sarah Strong commits to UConn Huskies

Big news for the Huskies’ future.

UConn and its fans are frustrated about the end of the extremely close semifinals game against Iowa on Friday night, but Saturday opened with some good news for the program.

Sarah Strong, the No. 1 girls basketball prospect on ESPN’s rankings, committed to the Huskies this afternoon. The 6-foot-2 power forward led Grace Christian to a 30-0 season and berth in the prestigious Chipotle Nations this year, graduating with three-year career averages of 23 points, 16.0 rebounds (5.3 on the offensive glass), 4.7 assists, 3.3 steals and 2.3 blocks per game.

She won two gold medals in the 3×3 U18 World Cup, and this year, was the McDonald’s All-American Game co-MVP.

Strong, who committed very late in this cycle, gives UConn a final win this season. The highly touted senior chose the Huskies over a plethora of schools, including Duke and North Carolina, which rounded out her top three.

She showed her talent best against the top competition in high school. She was named McDonald’s MVP after posting a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, and she one-upped that performance in the Chipotle Nationals as she recorded a remarkable 31 points, 19 rebounds, three assists, and five 3-pointers.

Strong was also a Naismith All-American this year.

UConn has a very strong class of 2024 that is plenty good to help continue their long rein of excellence. Allie Ziebell, ranked No. 4 in the class, and Morgan Cheli, ranked No. 18, join Strong as the new additions to the esteemed program.

They’ll be looking to join the likes of Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, and other UConn alumni who have made an impact at the collegiate and WNBA levels.

Related: USA TODAY High School Sports Stars of the Week: Sarah Strong, Joyce Edwards, Dylan Harper, Cooper Flagg, Jayden Heavener

Montverde boys basketball completes undefeated season with win at Chipotle Nationals

Cooper Flagg and Montverde took down Paul VI to win the prestigious Chipotle Nationals and complete the undefeated season.

All season, Montverde boys basketball was, on paper, the best team in the league. Stacked with five-star talent, stopping the Eagles wasn’t as simple as stopping No. 1 2024 recruit Cooper Flagg — it was about stopping everyone.

The paper translated to the court. Nobody could stop the unit. The regular season came and went without a loss; the Eagles proved themselves once again in the prestigious Chipotle Nationals.

They took down Paul VI, ranked No. 4 in the Super 25, by a score of 79-63 to hoist the hardware and cap the undefeated, 34-0 season.

The offensive star today was Curtis Givens, who poured in 24 points off the bench. He made six 3-pointers and shot 7-for-11 from the field while adding three assists and three rebounds. A four-star LSU commit, Givens’ role of coming off the bench wasn’t because of his skill — it was a testament to that of the team, and his willingness to fulfill what the group needed most. His 26 minutes on Saturday were third-most on the team.

The most minutes went to Flagg, whose six blocks, one steal and eight offensive rebounds were as integral as his offensive performance. He had 16 points, but largely deferred on that end as he only attempted nine shots.

You can see in this short highlight clip that both a block and a steal from him led to immediate points:

Five-star Maryland commit Derik Queen, who won the McDonald’s MVP award last week, had a nice game, scoring 19 points, six rebounds, and four assists.

Paul VI was led once again by Darren Harris, whose superb Chipotle Nationals run came to a close with 16 points on inefficient shooting. He was electric in the opening rounds, but Montverde managed to hold him to just 5-for-14 shooting. It sealed a remarkable season for the Panthers, who went 35-3 and whose only losses were to Montverde (twice, including the championship) and Columbus (who fell to Montverde in the semifinals).

Montverde’s run of excellence sends its seniors out on a high note. The entire starting lineup was made up of five-star players, and with four-star Givens coming off the bench, they met — and perhaps exceeded — the immense expectations put upon them this year. The Eagles also set up a future run, with five-star sophomores Caleb Gaskins and Kayden Allen getting in on the action.

It’s Montverde’s seventh Chipotle (formerly GEICO) championship, and they’re hoping to be back next year for another run.
They join their sister Eagles as champions, who completed the three-peat earlier in the morning.

It’s a good day and a good year to be an Eagle.

Related: Montverde girls basketball three-peats as Chipotle Nationals champions

Cooper Flagg, Montverde win Chipotle Nationals title

Flagg, the No. 1 overall recruit in the class, helped Montverde Academy defeat Paul VI Catholic and some future teammates in the Chipotle Nationals title game on Saturday.

Duke signee Cooper Flagg and Montverde Academy won the Chipotle Nationals title on Saturday afternoon, defeating Paul VI Catholic 79-63 in the championship game.

Flagg, the top recruit in the Class of 2024, scored 16 points in the final game after he made six of his nine field-goal attempts. He made two 3-pointers, came down with eight rebounds, and rejected six blocks in 31 minutes of playing time.

The win caps off an undefeated 33-0 season for the Florida powerhouse.

Flagg defeated two future teammates on Paul VI’s side. Four-star recruits Darren Harris (16 points, three rebounds, three assists) and Patrick Ngongba (11 points, four rebounds, three assists) will both join Flagg in Durham as part of Duke’s top-ranked 2024 recruiting class.

Montverde also took down Cameron and Cayden Boozer, the twin sons of former Duke star Carlos Boozer and five-star 2025 prospects, in the semifinals.

Montverde girls basketball three-peats as Chipotle Nationals champions

Led by Ohio State signee Jaloni Cambridge, Montverde girls completed the three-peat of the Chipotle Nationals by beating IMG Academy.

The Chipotle Nationals look different from last year after its sponsorship changed from GEICO, but on the girls’ end of the bracket, there’s still a constant:

The Montverde Eagles. The Montverde Eagles. And, for the third time in a row, the Montverde Eagles.

Led by Jaloni Cambridge, the team defeated IMG Academy in the championship 61-53 to complete the three-peat. Cambridge scored 17 points, nine assists, and six rebounds, capping an all-around excellent tournament run. She also posted a triple-double in the opening round and scored 33 points in the second round.

USC commit Vivian Iwuchukwu also had 17 points. She served as a reliable scorer alongside Cambridge this run, helping set the tone on the offensive end.

Montverde’s defense clamped down, particularly on the defensive end, where IMG made only two of 13 shots from behind the arc. Kelis Fisher was phenomenal for the Ascenders, scoring 24 points and going 8-for-11 from the free throw line, and Tajianna Roberts chipped in 16 points, but only three players scored at least 10 points. Outside of Fisher, Roberts and Deniaya Prawl, only three points were scored between five players, two of whom appeared for no more than three minutes.

The impact of Heloisa Carrera was limited. She grabbed a whopping 16 rebounds in the semifinals, but Montverde held her to just six this game.

Maybe most important was Montverde’s work against five-star Leah Harmon. The Miami commit only got up three shots and scored just one point, a testament to the defensive effort from the Eagles.

Montverde finishes its season 24-4 and got back one of those losses against IMG in February by winning on Saturday. It’s the perfect season-clincher for the senior class, which includes Cambridge, Iwuchukwu, and four-star Eris Lester. With three in a row, this team has the look of a dynasty.

The Eagles stormed both the boys and the girls brackets, sweeping the tournament and walking out as champions on both ends.

Related: Montverde boys basketball completes undefeated season with win at Chipotle Nationals

Watch: Duke signee Cooper Flagg gets T’ed up for hanging on rim after dunk

Cooper Flagg got a technical foul for hanging on the rim after dunking in the semifinals game against Columbus on Friday.

The nation’s top high school boys basketball recruit Cooper Flagg was playing at full intensity in the semifinal round of the prestigious Chipotle Nationals tournament on Friday, facing off against top-5 team Columbus, also from Florida. On Columbus is one of the top players in the class of 2025, Cameron Boozer, who at one point battled for the top spot in the 2025 rankings — with Boozer leading for an extended period.

Time has passed; Flagg has reclassified to the class of 2024, and has since sat atop the group of upcoming graduates. But in this game on Friday, it appeared there may still be some rivalry, which Flagg gave evidence to as he put on some light dramatics after throwing down a dunk.

You can see it in the first clip of this highlight package:

It wasn’t much, but you can see him use the rim to raise himself after he jammed it. It was enough for the referee to give him a technical.

It wasn’t enough to derail Montverde, who coasted to an 84-70 win over Columbus. Flagg recorded 28 points on 9-for-14 shooting, six rebounds, three assists, and a block and steal apiece.

Boozer scored 29 points, but was inefficient as he shot 10-for-24 from the field and 3-for-11 from 3. He showed his all-around skill, also posting four rebounds and five assists.

Montverde went on to beat Paul VI in the championship, securing the Chipotle Nationals championship and an undefeated season.

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Duke commits Cooper Flagg, Darren Harris, and Patrick Ngongba to battle in Chipotle Nationals finals

Duke five-star signee Cooper Flagg leads Montverde Academy against Paul VI and future teammates Darren Harris and Patrick Ngongba in Saturday’s title game at Chipotle Nationals.

The Chipotle Nationals boys title game on Saturday will feature a trio of Duke signees from the esteemed 2024 recruiting class.

Darren Harris and Paul Ngongba led Paul VI Catholic to a 58-44 semifinal win over Link Academy earlier in the day on Friday.

Harris, one day removed from his 36-point game against IMG Academy, finished with 20 points after he buried a trio of 3-pointers. He tacked on four rebounds and two assists to his stat line. Ngongba only took two shots, but he held his own on the glass with seven rebounds in just 17 minutes.

In Friday’s later game, Cooper Flagg, the top overall recruit in the nation, led top-seeded Montverde Academy to an 84-70 victory over Columbus. Flagg finished with 28 points, six rebounds, and three assists in the victory after he made three of his four 3-point attempts.

Cameron Boozer, the son of Duke legend Carlos Boozer and the No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2025, added a game-high 29 points for Columbus on the other end. Boozer also gathered seven rebounds, and he finished the game 10/24 from the floor.

His twin brother, fellow five-star prospect Cayden Boozer, added four points and five rebounds.

Saturday’s title game will start at noon and can be watched on ESPN2.

Cooper Flagg faces Carlos Boozer’s son in Chipotle Nationals on Friday afternoon

Cooper Flagg, the Duke signee and top recruit in the Class of 2024, faces off with the son of Duke legend Carlos Boozer in the Chipotle Nationals semifinals on Friday.

Cooper Flagg, the five-star Duke signee and the top overall recruit in the Class of 2024, has already had an eventful week. He helped lead the East team to a comeback win in the McDonald’s All-American Game on Tuesday night before he scored 16 points in a quarterfinal victory on Thursday night at Chipotle Nationals.

The future Blue Devil won’t slow down on Friday, however, as he and Montverde Academy take on Cameron Boozer and Columbus High School.

Boozer, the son of Duke legend Carlos Boozer, is the No. 2 overall prospect in the Class of 2025. He scored 20 points and contributed 10 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks in a 71-58 victory over Long Island Lutheran in the quarterfinals.

The 6-foot-9 forward has yet to commit to a school, but the Blue Devils have extended him an offer.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with tipoff set for 4:30 p.m.

GEICO Nationals high school basketball tournament rebrands as Chipotle Nationals

The GEICO national high school basketball tournament has a new sponsorship and location. The Chipotle Nationals will be held in Brownsburg, Indiana.

The high school basketball showcase known for nearly two decades as the GEICO Nationals has new sponsorship.

The tournament is rebranding as the Chipotle High School Basketball Nationals, it was announced on Thursday. It will now take place at Brownsburg High School in Brownsburg, Ind., about 20 miles outside of Indianapolis, after being played in Fort Myers, Fla., since 2021.

The 2024 boys and girls basketball showcase will take place from April 4-6. All games will be broadcast on ESPN platforms, whether ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.

Competing teams will be announced in mid-March.

Last year, Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) took down AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) to win the boys title and Montverde Academy (Fla.) beat Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) to win the girls championship. The final tournament under the sponsor of GEICO turned out to be a record-breaking event, as Link’s Elliot Cadeau set the record for assists in the tournament (29) and LoLu’s Kate Koval set a single-game scoring record with 38 points.

Now, the rights are turned to Chipotle, and the hosting honor goes to Indiana, which just had some practice with the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.

As the calendar turns to April, we’ll see some future NBA and WNBA all-stars play in Brownsburg.