Arkansas bound Darius Acuff MVP of high-scoring 2025 Iverson Classic

In offensive showcase with 16 players scoring in double digits, the point guard from IMG Academy breaks loose for 32 points and 11 assists
IMG Academy’s Darius Acuff (5) dribbles the ball against an Orchard Lake St. Mary defender at Oakland University in Rochester on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. On Saturday, the Arkansas-bound Acuff scored a game-high 32 points and added 11 assists to win MVP honors of the ninth Iverson Classic All-American game in Hampton, Virginia.
IMG Academy’s Darius Acuff (5) dribbles the ball against an Orchard Lake St. Mary defender at Oakland University in Rochester on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. On Saturday, the Arkansas-bound Acuff scored a game-high 32 points and added 11 assists to win MVP honors of the ninth Iverson Classic All-American game in Hampton, Virginia. / David Rodriguez Munoz / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Allen Iverson himself would have and likely still is proud.

The 2025 Iverson Classic All-American Game in his honor lived up to all the offensive hoopla as Team Loyalty outlasted Team Honor 164-151 Saturday at the Hampton Coliseum in Virgina as Arkansas signee Darius Acuff scored a game-high 32 points and handed out a game-high 11 assists in the ninth annual event.

The 6-foot-2 point guard from IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), ranked the 10th best player overall in the Class of 2025 by 247Sports, made 14 of 23 shots including a couple of three-pointers leading nine Team Loyalty players in double figures.

All nine Team Honor players scored in double figures, led by Iowa State bound Jamarion Batemon, a 6-3 guard from Milwaukee Academy of Science (Wis.), who had 27 points.

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Darius Acuff Jr. from IMG Academy dunks against Oak Ridge during the third place game at the City of Palms Classic at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. IMG won. / Andrew West/The News-Press / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The game featured 14 lead changes and 12 ties and a remarkable 96 points scored by Team Loyalty in the second and third quarters alone.

Michigan State-bound 6-7 forward Cam Ward (Largo, Md.) had 23 points and nine rebounds for Team Loyalty, while teammate Chris Cenac Jr., a 6-10 center from Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) headed to Houston, contributed 20 pints and a game-high 15 rebounds.

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2025 Iverson Classic All-American box score / Courtesy Iverson Classic All-American staff

Other double-digit scorers for the winners were Westminister Academy (Fort Lauderdale) guard Alex Loyd, a Florida commit, with 20 points, Auburn-bound Kaden Magwood (Combine Academy, Charlotte, N.C.) and Georgia signee Jacob Wilkins (Grayson, Loganville, Ga.), with 16 points apiece, and Georgia Tech bound Sylia Mouhamed (15 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks), a 6-10 post from Bella Vista Prep (Scottsdale, Ariz.).

Backing up Batemon were Houston-bound Kingston Flemings (26 points, seven rebounds, nine assists), of Brennan (San Antonio), and Syracuse bound Kiyan Anthony (25 points), of Long Island Lutheran, who was MVP of the Jordan-Brand game and son of former NBA standout Carmelo Anthony.

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July 18, 2024; North Augusta, S.C., USA; Team Melo's Kiyan Anthony (7), son of NBA star Carmelo Anthony, shoots the ball during the Team Melo and Georgia Stars game at the Nike Peach Jam at Riverview Park Activities Center. The Georgia Stars won 64-63. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Network / Katie Goodale / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Mitch Stephens
MITCH STEPHENS

Mitch Stephens is a senior editor at SBLive Sports for California, a state he's covered high school sports since 1984. He won multiple CNPA and CPSWA writing awards with the Contra Costa Times, San Francisco Chronicle and MaxPreps.com before joining the SBLive staff in 2022. He's covered the beat nationally since 2007, profiling such athletes as Derrick Henry, Paige Bueckers, Patrick Mahomes, Sabrina Ionescu, Jayson Tatum, Chiney Ogwumike, Jeremy Lin and Najee Harris as preps. You can reach him at mitch@scorebooklive.com.