High School Basketball: Previewing Chipotle Nationals Tournament

The Chipotle Nationals tournament begins on Thursday where we get to watch the top eight high schools in the country compete for a national championship. Who are the top prospects in the tournament?

Andrew West/The News-Press / USA TODAY

Today is the 2024 Chipotle Nationals tournament where we get to watch the top high school teams and players in the country compete for a national championship. Let’s dive into each team participating in this year’s tournament.

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Montverde Academy | No. 1 Seed

Cooper Flagg of Montverde Academy / Amanda Inscore/The News-Press USA Today

Montverde is led by the projected top overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg. The team is heading into the tournament undefeated as they stand at 31 wins and zero losses. On the season Flagg averages 15.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.3 blocks. The projected No. 1 overall pick for next year’s draft will be playing college basketball at Duke.

Defensively is where Flagg makes his impact as he’s one of the best rim protectors and versatile defenders in all of high school basketball. Montverde has more five-stars than any other high school in the country. Some other notable players on this roster includes Caleb Gaskins, Asa Newell, Kayden Allen, Liam McNeeley, Derik Queen and Rob Wright. After losing in the first round of the tournament last year they will be looking for revenge and attempt to complete an undefeated season with a championship.

Paul VI | No. 2 Seed

Sophomore Guard Jordan Smith Jr. of Paul VI Catholic (Virginia) / Greta Cross/Springfield News-Leader /

Paul VI is coming off one of the most impressive seasons in program history and this team is led by four-star senior Darren Harris who is one of the most prolific scorers in the entire country. Harris averaged 17.3 points per game this season. It’s quite impressive how well this team performed this season considering they were without their five-star center for the season as Patrick Ngongba II had foot surgery back in December. Ngonba is a skilled center that’s able to stretch the floor, rebound and pass.

Their overall best prospect is sophomore Jordan Smith. Smith is a 6-foot-3 guard that plays with a ton of toughness. Despite being undersized for a shooting guard, he led this team in total rebounds on the season as just a sophomore. He’s a really good finisher due to his great athleticism and touch at the rim. The next step for Smith is to improve as a shooter as he’s a bit of a liability from the outside. Nonetheless the ceiling is extremely high for the talented sophomore.

Prolific Prep | No. 3 Seed

Prolific Prep's AJ Dybantsa / Marc Vasconcellos/The Enterprise / USA

Prolific Prep has the number one junior and sophomore in all of high school basketball on their roster. The potential top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft -- AJ Dybantsa -- leads this team in scoring at 18.8 points per game. He has three-level scoring ability with elite athleticism and is extremely polished for a 17-year-old. Tyran Stokes is a young sophomore who’s the very early favorite to be the top pick in the 2027 NBA Draft but that’s obviously years away and much change between now and then.

This squad has an absolutely stacked starting five. At point guard Zoom Diallo sets the offense up. On the wing you have Derrion Reid and Dybantsa. Filling out the starting five are the bigs with Stokes at power forward and Aiden Sherrell at center. This team is loaded with talent and has what it takes to win the Chipotle National championship but they will need Dybantsa to prove why he’s looked at as one of the best prospects in all of high school basketball. 

Long Island Lutheran | No. 4 Seed

Long Island Lutheran guard VJ Edgecombe / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

This team plays at an extremely fast pace without how much athleticism and how many talented guards they have. The clear top prospect and player on this squad is potential top-five pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, VJ Edgecombe. The 6-foot-5 wing is an explosive athlete who can score it at all three levels. On the season he averages 17.4 points per game which is a team-best. Edgecombe is arguably the best all-around athlete amongst all seniors due to how quick, explosive and strong he is for a wing.

Another talented scoring wing on this roster is Kiyan Anthony, who’s the son of future NBA Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony. He is a 6-foot-5 junior who plays with a ton of craft and has high-level shot-making ability. Some other impressive point guards on this roster include Kayden Mingo, Nijel James and Dylan Mingo. This team could have problems with its lack of true size and strength down low but this team has the talent and guards to make a run in the tournament.

Columbus | No. 5 Seed

Columbus player Cameron Boozer / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Columbus has two different sets of brothers on this team and they have helped each other finish the regular season with 27 wins and four losses. The Boozer twins are both juniors while the Richardson brothers are a senior and sophomore. Cameron Boozer leads the team in scoring at 22 points per game and rebound at 11.4 per game while Cayden Boozer leads this squad in assists per game with 7.6. The Boozer twins are the sons of former NBA player Carlos Boozer. Cameron is a potential number one pick in the 2026 NBA Draft with Dybantsa leading the early race.

Cameron is a very polished power forward that can score at all three levels and draws comparisons to the 2022 number one overall pick Paolo Banchero. Jase and Jaxon Richardon are the sons of former NBA player Jason Richardson. These sets of brothers contribute 72% of the team's points this season. They will be facing off against one of the most athletic players in the country in the first round in Edgecombe so it will be exciting to see these top talents go at it.

Link Academy | No. 6 Seed

Link Academy's Tre Johnson / Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader /

Link Academy has one of the most talented scorers in the entire country in Texas commit Tre Johnson. He is coming off of an impressive performance in the McDonald’s All-American game where his scoring upside was very clear. The 6-foot-6 wing dropped 17 points with five made 3-pointers in the game. This season for Link, the potential top-ten pick in next year’s draft is shooting 40% from behind the arc and he averages 15.5 points per game which is a team-best.

Johnson is a tough shot-maker who can really put up points in a hurry and will likely need to put on his best performance as they will be facing off against a tough Prolific Prep squad. He isn’t the only talented guard on this roster as they also have a really good true point guard in LaBaron Philon and combo guard Jasper Johnson. This team is fun to watch and they will need their guards to be playing at an extremely high level if they want to increase their chances of winning a championship.

IMG Academy | No. 7 Seed

Darius Acuff Jr. for IMG Academy / Amanda Inscore/The News-Press USA Today

IMG Academy has a dynamic duo in junior Darius Acuff Jr who averages 20.7 points and Donnie Freeman who averages 16.8 points per game. The next closest in points per game on this squad is eight points. Acuff and Freeman have scored 53.4% of their team points on the season which is insane to think about as that’s only between two players. Acuff is a dynamic lead guard that showcases a great chance of pace, speed, high-level passing, tough shot-making and creativity at the rim.

He’s the go-to guy on IMG with his all-around offensive game. Freeman is a tough shot-maker that can really score it inside the arc. Although he’s a bit raw he showcases enticing flashes for a power forward. The impressive athletic and physical tools paired with some real shooting touch gives you a very exciting prospect. Both Acuff and Freeman will need to be playing at their best in hopes of making a deep run in the tournament and potentially winning the first-ever Chipotle National championship.

AZ Compass Prep | No. 8 Seed

AZ Compass Jeremiah Fears / Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA

AZ Compass Prep is the lowest seed in the tournament and is looking to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the season as they play against undefeated Montverde Academy. This team is led by combo guard Jeremiah Fears who averages 13.3 points per game which is a team high. This squad also features four-star senior Vyctorius Miller who’s an athletic wing that averages just over ten points a game. Fears is a very good passer that has good vision, velocity on his passes and the ability to create open shots for his teammates.

He has a creative handle with versatile shot-making ability. He’s committed to Illinois despite still having his senior year left but you should expect Fears to continue flying up the ranks and eventually getting that five-star ranking he deserves. If AZ Compass was to pull off an upset in the first round of the tournament and gain some momentum they could have a chance at winning the championship but they have the toughest road to get there.

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