The annual City of Palms Classic did not disappoint once again. High school basketball powerhouses from all over the country gathered in Fort Myers, Florida to play in one of the most prestigious tournaments around. The City of Palms Classic is comprised of three main series, but only two of the series bring major national attention. These two series are the Traditional Tournament, featuring…
Ballard HS – Louisville, Kentucky
Berkmar HS – Lilburn, GA
Calvary Christian – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Charlotte HS – Punta Gorda, Florida
Dr. Phillips HS – Orlando, Florida
Gill St. Bernard’s School – Gladstone, New Jersey
Greensboro Day School – Greensboro, North Carolina
IMG Academy – Bradenton, Florida
Isidore Newman School – New Orleans, Louisiana
Milton HS – Alpharetta, Georgia
Montverde Academy – Montverde, Florida
North Little Rock HS – North Little Rock, Arkansas
Oak Hill Academy – Mouth of Wilson, Virginia
Orlando Christian Prep – Orlando, Florida
St. John’s College HS – Washington, D.C.
Whitney Young HS – Chicago
and the Signature Series, featuring…
AZ Compass Prep – Chandler, Arizona
Combine Academy – Lincolnton, North Carolina
Crestwood Preparatory – Toronto, Ontario
Victory Rock Prep – Bradenton, Florida
The Traditional Tournament is the typical tournament where powerhouse teams from all over the country gather to compete against each other. The Signature Series is comprised of teams that are not affiliated with state athletic associations, so this tournament gives them another opportunity to play other competitive teams from across the country. This year’s Traditional Tournament was loaded with talent. There were seven players ranked in ESPN’s Top 10 at the time of the event and a total of 49 student-athletes that competed who were already committed to Division I NCAA universities prior to the event.
The tournament tipped off at 2 p.m. Friday, December 17 at Suncoast Arena, on the campus of Florida Southwestern State College. The first round of the tournament resulted in dominant wins with only one close game between No. 31 Dr. Phillips HS and No. 11 North Little Rock HS. The headlining players for these teams are Kansas commit, Ernest Udeh Jr. (Dr. Phillips HS) and Arkansas commit, Nick Smith Jr. (North Little Rock HS). Nick Smith Jr. and North Little Rock HS were able to come out on top with a tight 63-62 win to keep them alive.
The second round was filled with more dominant wins and a close matchup between No. 50 Milton HS, led by Ohio State commit Bryce Thornton and five star junior, Kanaan Carlyle, and No. 6 Calvary Christian, led by a slew of division one commits, including five star junior, Marvel Allen. Milton HS was able to pull out a 67-62 win in a game that was tied up eight times with 11 lead changes, advancing them to the semifinals.
The semifinal round included Montverde Academy, IMG Academy, Milton HS, and Oak Hill Academy. Montverde faced off against Milton HS where they took care of business and moved on to the championship with a score of 59-44. On the other hand, the number two team in Florida, IMG Academy, and the number one team in Virginia, Oak Hill, were involved in a very close and competitive game. IMG Academy is led by five star, top-five player in the country, and Baylor commit, Keyonte George, and another five star and Houston commit, Jarace Walker, along with a very talented supporting cast. Oak Hill is led by two five stars, Chris Livingston, a Kentucky commit, and Caleb Foster, a Duke commit. In this exciting matchup, Oak Hill came away with a 76-72 win which included 17 lead changes and 12 ties.
The championship game was set. Oak Hill vs. Montverde Academy. Getting to the championship game of the City of Palms classic is an accomplishment in it’s own right, but actually winning the whole tournament is an achievement of its own as it solidifies your team as one of the best in the nation. Oak Hill’s very talented squad would match up against Montverde Academy, the number one ranked team in Florida, led by top recruit and Duke commit, Dariq Whitehead, and other major recruits including Skyy Clark, Vincent Iwuchukwu, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Kwame Evans, and Dillon Mitchell to name a few. Not to mention, Montverde was also looking to go back to back. Both teams match up on paper incredibly well and was anticipated to be a great game. It didn’t fail to live up to the hype. It was an action-packed shootout between two of the top teams in the country. The game came down to a hectic final 30 seconds as Montverde Academy defeated Oak Hill Academy 60-55 securing their third City of Palms Classic championship since 2016. The game featured six lead changes and six ties, but in the end, Montverde was able to hold off Oak Hill.
Dillon Mitchell was named tournament MVP after finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds while shooting 73% from the field. The players that received 2021 All-Tournament Team honors were Dariq Whitehead and Jalen Hood-Schifino of Montverde Academy and Chris Livingston and Judah Mintz of Oak Hill Academy. The talent at this tournament is off the charts, which gives even greater meaning to winning MVP and All-Tournament honors.
The City of Palms Classic Signature Series came down to a battle between AZ Compass Prep, who had a strong second-half performance which helped them knock off Combine Academy 58-43.
(All team rankings by MaxPreps)
