Among all the high school basketball traditions, the City of Palms Basketball Classic has grown to be one of the most revered. Numerous elite teams and players from all over the nation travel to Fort Myers, Florida for this event every year during the week leading up to Christmas.
Six NBA rookies of the year, six players who were chosen first overall in the draft, and over 100 NBA players have been added to the City of Palms alumni list over the years.
The event celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023 with a star-studded pitch, fittingly. After overcoming Paul VI (VA) in the semifinals, Montverde Academy emerged victorious, defeating Long Island Lutheran (NY) in the title match.
Fittingly, the event held a star-studded pitch in 2023 to commemorate its 50th anniversary. In the championship match, Montverde Academy defeated Long Island Lutheran (NY) after overcoming Paul VI (VA) in the semifinals.
Cooper Flagg, Florida’s Montverde Academy: How much Flagg’s role would change from the previous season, when he was Montverde’s fourth-leading scorer with nine points per game, was one of the major uncertainties going into the season. He had just finished a summer where every time Maine United took the court, he had to prove himself as their main creator. At least offensively, it was a very different Flagg from what we saw in the high school season. We’re witnessing the convergence of those two players this season. Flagg consistently plays in the flow and doesn’t push the ball offensively, yet he still scores more than 20 points most of the time. He appears to be progressing as aDon Bosco, New Jersey’s Dylan Harper: Harper led his Don Bosco team to victories over Ace Bailey and McEachern, the Boozers and Columbus, and IMG Academy this week with an average of 31 points per game. Their lone defeat of the week came from a close 58-55 loss to a Long Island Lutheran team that advanced to the championship game. No question about it—Harper is the best guard in high school basketball. He not only scored whenever he pleased, but he also appeared to make practically all the proper choices. He simply has a way of making anything the defence throws him look simple. Although his assist totals weren’t impressive, an NBA scout stated, “they really should track hisAce Bailey, Georgia McEachern: Harper and Bailey faced off first thing this week. Bailey played a great first half, but in the end Harper and his Bosco team came out on top. Despite McEachern’s early morning games and consolation bracket assignment following the loss, Bailey remained unfazed. On the contrary, he continued to play at a very high level throughout the remainder of the week. In victories over Westminster and
Cannon, he scored 26 points and pulled down 18 rebounds. Against Isaiah Evans and North Mecklenburg, he scored 32 points and pulled down 17 rebounds. It’s obvious that Bailey’s game will reach new heights. His wing size and quickness, along with his growing difficult shot-making ability, provide himTre Johnson, Missouri’s Link Academy: Johnson outdueled Evans in their first game of the week, and Link prevailed over North Mecklenburg. He scored 27 points while continuing to display the gritty shot-making that has grown to be his signature over the years. In addition, he was aggressive off the ball, pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out four assists. The next day, he put up a strong, if less effective, 21-point effort against the Boozers and Columbus. After that victory, Link advanced to the semifinals, but he couldn’t replicate that kind of performance in the remaining two games, finishing in fourth place. When Johnson is showcasing his entire scoring repertoire and dancing into deep jumpers, his positional size, length, and constantly changing frame,
