Montverde Academy routs The Rock

MONTVERDE, Fla. -- The Montverde Academy Eagles and The Rock Lions traded early baskets before the Eagles went on a 14-0 run and never looked back on their way to a 97-55 win.

Four Montverde players scored in double figures led by R.J. Barrett (Duke), the nation's No. 1 prospect in the 2018 class, who had 29 points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block for the night.

Felip Petrusev (Gonzaga) had 18 points and seven rebounds, Michael Devoe (Georgia Tech) had 15 points and five assists while Mahki Mitchell (Maryland) added 12 points and seven rebounds for the Eagles.

Florida Gators signee, Andrew Nembhard tallied eight points but was in facilitator mode most of the night. Nembhard added five assists to his point total and he used his elite basketball IQ to create at least four other scoring opportunities. On the other end of the court, the future Gator contested shots, had a steal, a block, two deflections and drew a charge. Nembhard was very efficient on the night, but we'd love to see him take more shots.

“Coach has let me know that he wants me to be more aggressive so that when they need me to score in a game I haven’t been coasting for a couple of games," Nembhard said. "It’s tougher when you need to score in a couple of games and you haven’t been scoring in previous games. He’s telling me to always be aggressive."

Montverde Academy head coach Kevin Boyle echoed that sentiment.

“Drew gets almost more pleasure when other guys get the basket,” said Boyle. He’s worked on his jumper a lot and we want to get him to where he’s making two three’s a game."

Montverde Academy has a robust game and practice schedule, but Nembhard said that he found time to watch the Gators play.

"Yeah, I've watched every single game this year pretty much," he said. I love their style of play, I love the coaching staff up there, I think they’re doing really well and are going to have a great year."

Sitting on the baseline watching Nembhard was Gators head coach Mike White. The two spoke following the game before Nembhard headed to the locker room.

"Oh we were just talking about everyday life, nothing too crazy," said Nembhard. "He thought I played pretty well, be a little more aggressive. We talked about the team, they’re doing great. I was just excited to talk to him."