The card
| Montverde Academy | IMG Academy | |
|---|---|---|
| CBR prep school board | No. 2 | No. 13 |
| FAB 50, final 2025-26 | No. 2 | No. 24 |
| 2025-26 record | 23-7 | 21-8 |
| Ranked recruits on the CBR boards | 4 | 6 |
| Best of them | Isaiah Hamilton, No. 4 in 2028 | Bentley Lusakueno, No. 8 in 2028 |
| 2027 ranked | Oneal Delancy No. 41 (Houston commit), Javion Tyndale No. 49 | Jordan Page No. 12, Josh Leonard No. 26, Lucai Anderson No. 82 |
| 2028 ranked | Hamilton No. 4, Xavier Skipworth No. 22 | Lusakueno No. 8, Dylan Betts No. 12, Will Brunson No. 24 |
| 2026 top-100 signees | Joe Philon (UCLA), Lincoln Cosby (Michigan), Dhani Miller (Kent State), Jayden Hodge (Northwestern) | Chase Foster (Pittsburgh), Ralph Scott (Tennessee), Aziz Olajuwon (Stanford), Trey Beamer (Florida International) |
The case for Montverde
Start with the only number that measures a team. Montverde finished 23-7 and No. 2 in the country on the FAB 50, behind only the Bella Vista team that won Chipotle Nationals. IMG finished 21-8 and No. 24. That is not a gap. That is a different tier. I'd trust the program whose defensive personality you can name in one sentence. Last season's results are that identity on a scoreboard. A recruit choosing a program is choosing who he plays with and who he plays against, and Montverde's schedule and results say its players spent the winter in the deep end.
Then look at the top of the pipeline. Isaiah Hamilton is No. 4 on our 2028 board. That is the best player on either roster by our ranking, and he is a sophomore. Programs that keep a top-five national player at home tend to keep attracting the next one, because the next one watches where the last one played.
And the 2026 class tells you what the exit looks like. Four top-100 signees, led by Joe Philon to UCLA and Lincoln Cosby to Michigan, the team that just won the national title. Two Power Four destinations from one class, from one gym.
Sam will say IMG has six ranked recruits to our four. He is right. I'd rather have the two best than the six most.
VerdictI'd pick Montverde. No. 2 in the country, the best sophomore on either roster, and two Power Four signees out of one class. The record is the resume.
I'd rather have the two best than the six most.
The case for IMG
Tomas just told you a 23-7 team is a different tier from a 21-8 team. Two wins. How the roster is assembled matters more than last year's record. Let me talk about the thing a recruit actually inherits when he shows up: the roster.
IMG has six ranked recruits on the CBR boards. Montverde has four. In the class of 2027, the one that matters most for a player deciding this fall, IMG has Jordan Page at No. 12, Josh Leonard at No. 26, and Lucai Anderson at No. 82. Montverde has Delancy at No. 41, already committed to Houston, and Tyndale at No. 49. That is not close either, and it runs the other way.
The 2028 class is where Tomas lives, and even there IMG has three ranked players to Montverde's two. Lusakueno at No. 8 and Betts at No. 12 is a frontcourt. Hamilton at No. 4 is a player.
And the exits are a wash. Four signees each. Montverde's went to UCLA, Michigan, Kent State, Northwestern. IMG's went to Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Stanford, Florida International. Pick whichever four you like better. I am not going to pretend one list is a different tier from the other.
Montverde had the better season. IMG has the deeper roster right now, at the position groups that matter for the next two classes. A recruit does not enroll in last season.
VerdictI'd pick IMG, and I think the board undersells it at No. 13. Six ranked recruits, the stronger 2027 group, and a frontcourt already ranked for 2028. The roster is the resume.
Better place to play right now?
Writers split. You break the tie.
