Tag: Dariq Whitehead

2023 NBA Mock Draft 1.0: An early look at the top prospects next year

Rookie Wire took a very early look at the next rookie class and some of the top prospects to monitor over the course of the 2022-23 season.

With the basketball world over a month removed from the NBA draft, many have started to look ahead to the next rookie class and which prospects may be available.

The class is headlined by French phenom Victor Wembanyama, who is considered one of the top prospects in recent memory. He has performed well in the top basketball league in France and looks to already be locked in as the top pick in 2023.

Elsewhere, there are several other prospects that will be worth monitoring over the course of next season. The rankings will certainly change but it can be a productive exercise to see how prospects moved up and down draft boards ahead of next year.

Rookie Wire took a very early look at the next rookie class and some of the top prospects to monitor as the 2022-23 season approaches in a couple of months.

Note: The order of the draft was determined by the reverse championship odds set by Tipico Sportsbook. The 2023 draft will only have 59 picks after the Bulls were stripped of their second-round pick by the NBA due to a tampering violation involving the signing of Lonzo Ball.

Iowa reportedly set to square off against Duke in the 2022 Jimmy V Classic

Iowa will meet the Duke Blue Devils in the 2022 Jimmy V Classic. Here’s a look at the all-time series history and Duke’s projected starters.

The start of Iowa’s 2022-23 men’s basketball season is still every bit of five months away. Still, the Hawkeyes just received fantastic news with the return of forward Kris Murray to Iowa City.

Paired with several other decisions by Iowa players to either return or exit via the transfer portal, fans now have a pretty clear idea of what the Hawkeyes’ starting five and key reserves will look like entering next season.

Now, Iowa fans know they can book flights and start planning a trip to New York City for a battle against a blue blood.

CBS Sports and College Hoops Today’s Jon Rothstein reported that Iowa is set to meet the Duke Blue Devils in the 2022 Jimmy V Classic from historic Madison Square Garden. Rothstein also reported that the other game in the event is expected to feature the Texas Longhorns against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Duke is one of the pillar programs in all of college basketball and will enter next season fresh off the Blue Devils’ 17th all-time appearance in the Final Four. Of course, legendary head coach Mike Krzyewski’s 13th and final Final Four appearance ended with the Blue Devils’ archrivals in the North Carolina Tar Heels sending Duke packing, 81-77.

The Kansas Jayhawks would go on to win the national championship over North Carolina, erasing a 16-point deficit in a historic second-half flurry for the largest title game comeback in NCAA Tournament history, topping the Tar Heels, 72-69.

In its history, Iowa has met up with Duke on eight different occasions. The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 7-1. The Hawkeyes and Blue Devils last played on Nov. 27, 2001, in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. It was not to be from the jump for an Iowa team led by guard Luke Recker and forward Reggie Evans.

Duke point guard Jason Williams scored 25 points, center Carlos Boozer added 22 and forward Mike Dunleavy chipped in with 18. The then-No. 1 and defending national champion Blue Devils routed Iowa, 80-62, inside the United Center.

Duke is set to replace some serious star power from last season’s Final Four team, but the Blue Devils have reloaded their roster with some serious talent. Here’s a look at the all-time series matchups between Iowa and Duke and a look at the Blue Devils’ projected starting five.

Kiki Rice, Dariq Whitehead win 2022 Naismith High School Player of the Year

Dariq Whitehead and Kiki Rice have been named the 2022 Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Players of the Year.

Montverde Academy (Fla.) senior forward and Duke commit Dariq Whitehead and Sidwell Friends School (Washington D.C.) guard Kiki Rice have been named the 2022 Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Players of the Year.

Whitehead helped Montverde — ranked sixth in the USA TODAY Sports Super 25 — to a 21-4 regular-season record with 17.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.2 blocks per game. He joins R.J. Barrett, Cade Cunningham and Ben Simmons as the fourth Montverde player to win the award.

“I am humbled and honored to become the fourth Montverde Academy player in the last eight years to receive the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Award,” Whitehead said, per release. “I want to thank Coach Boyle and the rest of my coaches along with my teammates, as well as Dr. Kasey Kesselring and the rest of the Montverde Academy community for helping to make this happen.” 

Rice, a UCLA commit, averaged 16 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.8 steals per game this season. She is the first McDonald’s All-American in Sidwell Friends School program history.

“This is a dream come true,” Rice said. “I am so honored to be recognized with the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy by the selection committee from a group of finalists that I personally know to be outstanding players. I am thankful for my family, teammates and coaches because I know without a doubt that without them this would not have been possible.” 

The Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Trophy for Player of the Year was first presented in 1987. The winners are selected by a group of basketball journalists from around the country who form the Naismith Awards national high school voting academy.

“In a highly competitive and thrilling basketball season, Kiki and Dariq were the most outstanding players in the nation and incredibly deserving to be honored with the Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Trophy as Players of the Year,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “They both have proven to be exceptional basketball players, and we wish them well as they continue their careers at the next level.”  

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5-star Baylor commit Keyonte George hits game-winner to lead No. 2 IMG over No. 1 Montverde

IMG Academy. Montverde. The battle between the two top-ranked boys basketball teams did not disappoint.

The matchup between two programs widely regarded as the best high school boys basketball teams in the country came down to the closing seconds on Friday.

No. 2 IMG Academy took down No. 1 Montverde on a second-chance layup from Baylor commit Keyonte George that came with less than 10 seconds remaining in the game. The IMG Academy Ascenders took down the Montverde Eagles 65-64 in an early-season battle between the two juggernauts loaded with collegiate talent.

But despite IMG being ranked lower, don’t tell George that this result was unexpected. After the game, he had a message for Sports Illustrated’s Jason Jordan:

“It’s not an upset.”

George finished with 14 points and five rebounds. His final score, the biggest of the night, can be found around the 1:33:40 mark of the game recording:

That wasn’t George’s only big shot. He ended the first quarter with an impressive drive and finish.

Highly ranked players around the five-star shooting guard also showed out in this battle. Five-star power forward Jarace Walker, a Houston commit, lead IMG with 20 points and added seven rebounds and five blocks.

Five-star small forward Dariq Whitehead, who is committed to Duke, led Montverde with 31 points 10-for-19 shooting and five 3-pointers.

That was just one of the highly anticipated games in the NIBC series. On Saturday, IMG Academy plays Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) while Montverde will play Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.)

Montverde’s match will be another big test — after all, Sunrise Christian defeated IMG Academy on Thursday.

All games in this series are broadcast on ESPN+ or ESPNU. Find the full schedule here.