Tag: Vivian Iwuchukwu

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

Vivian Iwuchukwu, younger sister of Vince Iwuchukwu, joins USC women’s basketball 2024 recruiting class

Lindsay Gottlieb brings in another elite recruit, adding to what is already the top recruiting class in the nation for 2024.

The No. 1 women’s basketball recruiting class in the nation just got stronger. The USC Trojans women’s hoop team and head coach Lindsay Gottlieb just landed Vivan Iwuchukwu.

Ranked as the No. 47 recruit in the nation by ESPNW, Iwuchukwu is a 6-foot-3 forward out of Florida’s Montverde Academy. Her older brother, Vince, is a sophomore forward on the USC men’s team.

Vivian helped Montverde to a 26-1 record last season, averaging 7.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. She and Montverde claimed back-to-back GEICO High School Nationals championships in her sophomore and junior seasons.

“We are thrilled to announce that Viv has signed with our USC squad. We identified Viv as one of the most athletic, high-motor, high upside post players the moment we saw her play,” Gottlieb said of Iwuchukwu. “That her brother Vince was already a valued member of the USC family was simply a bonus. Viv is a unique talent. She is a leader and a dominant inside force that will be a seamless fit with not only her classmates in the ’24 class, but also with the style of play we are establishing with our returning veterans.”

Iwuchukwu chose USC over Ohio State, Florida, Kentucky, Arizona, Georgia and Texas.

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