Tag: Link Academy

Basketball team hosting 4-star target this weekend

4-star Jalen Shelley is officially visiting Fayetteville this weekend, and is an important target for Eric Musselman and his staff.

Jalen Shelley, a 4-star forward from Link Academy in Branson, Mo., is visiting Fayetteville this weekend.

The 6’9, 185-pounder took an unofficial visit last year for the Missouri State football game and is taking an official this time.

Shelley spent last year at Prestonwood Christian in Texas, helping them win the TAPPS (private school) 6A state championship.

Now he is in Branson, where Jordan Walsh spent his final year of school after transferring in from the DFW metroplex while committed to the Razorbacks.

He has taken official visits to Louisville already and also has ones planned for Colorado and Ohio State.

If he were to decide to commit, he would be the first of the 2024 high school class for Eric Musselman & Co, although they are in the mix for a handful of other targets.

High school star Elliot Cadeau to enroll early at UNC, could enter 2024 draft

Five-star point guard Elliot Cadeau announced he will reclassify and enroll early at North Carolina. The UNC PG could enter the 2024 draft.

Throughout GEICO Nationals, questions about the future of star Link Academy point guard Elliot Cadeau were swirling: Would the five-star player reclassify and enroll early at North Carolina?

In the two months since Link Academy won the national tournament, Cadeau considered his decision while playing in the Nike EYBL. He told ESPN on Tuesday that he has decided to join UNC next season, saying he believes he’s ready.

“There’s no reason to stay in high school, because I can hang with college players right now,” Cadeau said to the outlet.

Cadeau will be eligible to enter the 2024 NBA draft.

The 6-foot-1, 165-pound point guard has elite vision and passing skills. He helped lead Link Academy to a 27-1 record capped by the GEICO Nationals championship, during which he broke the tournament’s assist record by dishing 29 dimes over three games. He is currently leading the Nike EYBL with 9.3 assists per game, according to ESPN, which reported that in his game on Monday, he led New Heights Lightning (13-4) with 29 points and 15 assists.

With his reclassification to the class of 2023, Cadeau is ranked on the 247Sports Composite as the second-best point guard and No. 12 player in the class.

Cadeau is North Carolina’s highest-ranked incoming freshman. The Tar Heels will have a very different roster next season, with a pair of four-star freshman joining Cadeau and four incoming transfers — led by former five-star player Harrison Ingram — who will suit up for the team.

Cadeau is the first five-star player to enter the North Carolina as a freshman since 2020, when the Tar Heels recruited a trio of elite prospects in Caleb Love, Day’Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler.

Link Academy beats AZ Compass Prep for GEICO Nationals championship

A year after losing the GEICO Nationals title game, Link Academy returned. This time, the Lions went home king of the jungle.

Link Academy boys basketball has arrived at the top. A year after falling in the title game, the Lions took down AZ Compass 73-55 to win the GEICO Nationals championship.

It puts a bow on a 27-1 season behind stars like Ja’Kobe Walter and Elliot Cadeau, the latter of whom broke the GEICO single-tournament assists record by recording 29 over the three games.

On Saturday, though, it wasn’t the Cadeau show. In foul trouble, the five-star North Carolina commit didn’t see a lot of time in the fourth quarter. Though it was the four fouls that required him to go to the bench, the play of sophomore guard Aaron Rowe allowed Link to keep Cadeau out until the final few minutes.

Rowe had eight points, three rebounds and three assists, but even that stat line doesn’t tell the story. He hit a pair of difficult shots late, including a contested mid-range and a finger roll around two defenders that sent the bench into a frenzy.

Unlike in the semifinals game against Sunrise Christian, in which Link Academy let a 20-point lead slip away, the Lions did not take their foot off the pedal on Saturday.

Rowe was key to that effort, as was Tyler McKinley, who made a pair of 3-pointers when Link’s offense started to go stagnant. He finished the game with 17 points, six rebounds and three assists, including an alley-oop to break press defense from Compass Prep.

Baylor commit Ja’Kobe Walter, ranked No. 22 on the 247Sports Composite, was once again a star, finishing with 21 points and three 3-pointers, including one late in the fourth quarter in which he created his shot with the shot clock winding down, released off-balance, and drained it.

Link Academy’s defense, which caused seven turnovers in the first quarter alone, didn’t allow AZ Compass Prep to make a real run at the game. The Dragons never fully figured out how to battle the press defense. The size and switchability of the Lions prevented consistent good looks. They stood tall on both ends of the court and won the GEICO Nationals.

The Lions are the kings of the jungle.

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Elliot Cadeau’s passing highlights Link Academy’s win over Sunrise Christian

Link Academy halted a furious comeback attempt by Sunrise Christian on the back of masterful passing and scoring from Elliot Cadeau.

After No. 8 Sunrise Christian took down top-seeded Montverde in the quarterfinals of the GEICO Nationals, No. 4 Link Academy started the game with a message: That stops now. No more upsets. The Buffaloes would not be a Cinderella team. And with a 22-point lead in the first half, it looked like Link would have no issues.

But then Sunrise Christian carved into that deficit. They cut it down to 15. Then 10. Then suddenly it was just a two-possession game and, finally, the Buffaloes took the lead.

But that lead was short-lived as Link Academy managed to pull back ahead and hang in front over the closing minutes to get the 67-61 win and advance to the championship game.

Throughout the contest, Link was highlighted by five-star point guard Elliot Cadeau.

In the quarterfinals, Cadeau only scored two points but he recorded 14 assists to break the GEICO record, previous held by Andrew Nembhard in 2018. He again played the floor general role in the semifinals, but also took the lead in scoring, recording a double-double with 16 points, four made 3-pointers and 10 assists.

That passing highlighted the game, with several successful alley-oops thrown down:

It wasn’t just working fast in transition and lobbing it to teammates. Cadeau had two late passes that were as good as any of his alley-oops.

The first clip on this video is maybe his best pass of the game, somehow seeing through two defenders to drop off the pass and get a much-needed basket late in the fourth quarter:

Then, with a three-point lead and the ball being inbounded underneath the basket, Cadeau made a quick inbounds pass to a teammate just a few feet to the left of the rim. Instead of allowing Sunrise Christian to foul and having to clinch the game at the line, the pass allowed his teammate to get an easy finish — and the foul, an and-one that iced the game.

With 24 assists in two games, Cadeau has shown he is an excellent floor general and has elite court vision. The broadcast mentioned the rumor that the junior may reclassify and join North Carolina next year – if the GEICO Nationals have shown anything so far, it’s that his methodical takedown of competition should absolutely translate to the next level.

Link Academy will take on AZ Compass Prep in the championship game on Saturday at 12 p.m. Eastern Time.

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GIECO Nationals: Preview the 8 boys basketball teams competing for the championship

With the GIECO Nationals boys basketball tournament approaching, get a preview of the eight teams competing for the championship.

The GEICO Nationals boys basketball tournament is set for another star-studded showdown between some of the best teams in the nation. Between the eight teams competing, there are 71 players listed on 247Sports’ recruiting rankings, which averages out to the entire starting lineup, plus at least a few guys coming off the bench.

The eight teams who will compete are Paul VI (Va.), Link Academy (Mo.), IMG Academy (Fla.), Prolific Prep (Calif.), AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.), Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.), Sunrise Christian (Kan.) and Montverde (Fla.).

To get you up to speed before the prestigious tournament, here is a quick rundown of each team. The quarterfinals tip off on Thursday at noon.

Find the GIECO Nationals schedule here.

No. 1 Sunrise Christian Academy secures top seed in GEICO nationals with win over No. 3 Link Academy

Sunrise Christian Academy locked up the top seed in the GEICO nationals on Friday night, defeating Link Academy by a final score of 74-65.

No. 1 Sunrise Christian Academy locked up the top seed in the GEICO nationals on Friday night, defeating No. 3 Link Academy by a final score of 74-65 at the Heartland Hoops Classic.

The loss was Link Academy’s first of the season after it entered the game 26-0.

Duke commit Dillon Mitchell led Sunrise Christian Academy with a game-high 23 points, while Kansas signee Gradey Dick scored 16 points and junior Scotty Middleton chipped in 13 points.

Sunrise Christian Academy jumped out to a 21-13 first quarter lead and looked poised to put Link Academy away early after going up by 12 early in the second quarter. Link Academy responded and ultimately cut Sunrise Christian Academy’s lead to 35-30 at halftime.

Link Academy trimmed Sunrise Christian Academy’s lead to 48-44 at the end of the third quarter. Sunrise Christian Academy made the plays to put the game away down the stretch, as four-star junior Layden Blocker came up clutch and Dick hit a three to make it an 11-point game with three minutes left.

Next up for Sunrise Christian Academy is a trip to the Dr. Pepper Classic next weekend. Link Academy will remain at the Heartland Hoops Classic for a Saturday night matchup with Wasatch Academy.

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