In the recent history of Florida high school basketball, few teams have been better than the 2019-20 Montverde Academy Eagles. This talent-rich group posted a perfect 25-0 record while outscoring opponents 2,173-1,200. In fact, only one game ended with a single-digit margin, a 63-55 win over IMG Academy, and the Eagles’ high-powered offense eclipsed the 100-point mark three times in that season.
Many of the players from that team went on to play in the NBA. Let’s take a look at just where the 2019-20 Montverde Academy Eagles are now.
Seniors
- Cade Cunningham
- Scottie Barnes
- Moses Moody
- Day’Ron Sharpe
- Zeb Jackson
- Keegan Harvey
- Jesse Jones
The 2020 senior class is certainly a recognizable one for the Eagles, headlined by the nation’s No. 1 overall player at the time, point guard Cade Cunningham. The five-star prospect would go on to play a year at Oklahoma State prior to being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. As a Piston, he has posted an average of 18.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 6 APG in 101 career games.
Montverde Academy had two more five-star prospects on that 2019-20 team, power forward Scottie Barnes and center Day’Ron Sharpe, both of whom went on to be one-and-dones, at Florida State and North Carolina, respectively. They were 2021 NBA first-round picks as well – Barnes is with the Toronto Raptors, where he was the 2021-22 NBA Rookie of the Year, and Sharpe is a Brooklyn Net,
The other seniors were led by four-star shooting guard Moses Moody, who is in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors after spending a season collegiately in the SEC at Arkansas. Moody was an NBA champion with the Warriors in 2022, and he is the final senior from this Montverde team currently in the NBA.
Shooting guard Zeb Jackson was also a four-star prospect on that 2019-20 Montverde Academy team; he still plays collegiately at VCU. Keegan Harvey, who was a three-star power forward, is at George Washington, and Jesse Jones is at Florida State.
Juniors
- Langston Love
- Ryan Nembhard
- Abdou-Halil Barre
- Yonghao Michael Wu
Headlining the juniors on the 2019-20 Montverde Academy team were two highly regarded four-star prospects, shooting guard Langston Love and point guard Ryan Nembhard. Both still play collegiately, at Baylor and Gonzaga, respectively. The other two juniors were Abdou-Halil Barre and Yonghao Michael Wu. The former plays collegiately at Duquesne.
Sophomores
- Dariq Whitehead
- Caleb Houstan
Rounding out the 2019-20 Montverde roster were two talented sophomores in small forward Dariq Whitehead and power forward Caleb Houstan, both of whom went on to be five-star prospects and collegiate one-and-dones – Whitehead at Duke and Houston at Michigan. Both are now in the NBA, with the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic, respectively.
What do you think: Are the 2019-20 Montverde Academy Eagles the most talented team in Florida high school basketball history?
