It’s pretty much impossible to simply stumble upon the campus of Montverde Academy, the Lake County boarding school that has become a pathway to the pros for a number of sports, most prominently basketball.
But tiny Montverde, a town nestled between Lake Apopka and picturesque rolling hills just west of metropolitan Orange County, will take center stage when the NBA holds its 2021 draft on July 29. The Eagles hope to see four former players taken in the first round to set a record.
It’s almost a lock that Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes and Moses Moody will be among the first 30 picks. And Day’Ron Sharpe — who played alongside that trio for Montverde’s historic 25-0 team of 2019-20 — is a maybe.
By comparison, NCAA champion Baylor figures to have one, maybe two, players picked in the first round. Gonzaga might have three. Duke is projected to have one. Kentucky, none, according to draft analysts.
Cunningham, a 6-foot-8 point guard who excelled in the playmaker role as a 19-year-old college rookie for Oklahoma State, is projected by almost all experts to be the No. 1 pick by the Detroit Pistons. Barnes (6-9) and Moody (6-6), also armed with length and all-around skills, are also forecast as lottery picks. Barnes worked out for the Orlando Magic — who have the No. 6 pick.
Sharpe, who played his one year of college ball for North Carolina, has slipped on some NBA draft boards but is projected as a first-rounder on others.
All four Montverde grads started as high school seniors two years ago for a team that ran roughshod over a number of nationally-ranked foes to go 25-0 and gain acclaim by many as the most talented high school basketball team of all time.
“For sure,” Barnes answered when asked if he played for the best team in high school history. “Our biggest matchup was in practice every day, going against each other. Coach Boyle just introduced that in practice. Just so we could get ready for that next level.
“We’re all very tight right now. We have that brotherhood where we just all love each other and wish each other success.”
The NBA Draft could add to the case made by Montverde. Never since 1990 have four players from the same high school team gone in the first round and it is believed that four would be an all-time record.
“It’s a big day for Montverde,” Barnes said. “Montverde’s the best program in high school basketball history.”
As a means of comparison, no college is projected to have three first-rounders this year. In an ESPN mock draft published last month, national champ Baylor had two players pegged to go in the first round, as did Gonzaga and Tennessee.
A fabled Baltimore Dunbar team of 1981-82 had 12 future college players and four NBA players: including three 1987 first-round picks: Reggie Lewis, Muggsy Bogues and Reggie Williams. The Poets went 29-0 in 1981-82 and 31-0 the next and have long been regarded by many as the greatest team ever seen — at least before academies like Montverde and Oak Hill of Virginia began stockpiling talent from multiple states and nations.
A Jersey City, New Jersey, St. Anthony team of 1988-89 went 32-0 with three future first-rounders: Bobby Hurley, Terry Dehere and Rodrick Rhodes.
And Montverde’s 2013-14 team is in the best-ever conversation because it scored a repeat national title and had the 2016 No. 1 draft pick, Ben Simmons, and the 2015 No. 2 pick, De’Angelo Russell.
Cunningham averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists while leading Oklahoma State to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He is almost certain to become the seventh top-three pick coached by Montverde Academy head coach Kevin Boyle since 2011, a feat surpassed by just one college coach: Mike Krzyzewski of Duke.
Barnes, a defensive-minded player who may also wind up at the point in the NBA, was the ACC Freshman of the Year.
Moody was the SEC Freshman of the year for Arkansas.
Sharpe, a 6-11 forward, was runner-up to Barnes in ACC freshman of the year voting. He came off the bench to average 9.5 points and 7.6 rebounds for UNC.
Montverde may also surpass the University of Kentucky’s record of six picks within the two rounds of the draft. Seton Hall’s Sandro Mamukelashvili, the Big East player of the year, a 2017 Eagles alum, and former Gonzaga standout Filip Petrusev (2018 grad), are projected by many to be second-round choices. Both are 6-11. And FSU 7-footer Balsa Koprivica is a dark horse contender.
The other former area player in the 2021 draft pool is 6-11 Kai Jones, who could be a top 10 pick. Jones, a native of the Bahamas and late arrival to basketball, came off the bench for Orlando Christian Prep’s 2017-18 state title team. He played the following season at Brewster Academy, a New Hampshire prep school, before his two college seasons at Texas.
Montverde remains a perennial powerhouse without its spectacular 2020 class. The Eagles went 25-1 in the 2020-21 season, finishing as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation for the sixth time since 2013. That squad graduated four high-major signees but is set to bring back blue-chip Class of 2022 prospects Jalen Duren (6-11) and Dariq Whitehead (6-6) and has added another influx of transfer. That includes a top 20 senior prospect in Kentucky commit Skyy Clark (6-3), who averaged 25.5 points as a sophomore playing for Heritage Christian of Northridge, California, and 26.4 points last season for Ensworth School of Nashville, Tennessee.
Duren might not still be at Montverde when the 2021-22 season tips off in November. Published reports have stated that he could skip his senior year of high school play to either play college basketball or become a professional in the NBA G League or Australia’s NBL. Duren recently listed Kentucky, Miami and Memphis as his three potential college choices.
This story was first published at OrlandoSentinel.com. Varsity Content Editor Buddy Collings can be reached by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.
