Montverde Academy’s RJ Barrett Collects MVP Honors In Prominent City Of Palms Classic Field

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Getting a moment with RJ Barrett was nearly impossible Wednesday night. Whether it was team pictures, selfies, or autographs, the Montverde Academy (FL) shooting guard was tugged and pulled in every direction following the Culligan City of Palms championship game at Suncoast Credit Union Arena.

Barrett had just scored a team-high 15 points for No. 3 Montverde in its 63-54 win over No. 10 Memphis East (TN) to take the tournament crown. He was the star of the night and capped off his performance with a pair of free throws late and the final bucket of the game. But that's not the only reason the super sophomore garnered so much attention.

Throughout the tournament, Barrett proved over and over why he is arguably the best prospect in his class. He was always in attack mode, finished high above the rim, and made his free throws -- there was no doubt he was the City of Palms' Most Valuable Player.

However, he was far from the only standout in the 36-game star-studded event.

THE SCORING MACHINE

There was a long list of premier bucket-getters entering the event. Seriously, nearly every game featured a Flo40 prospect who could go off at any moment. Yet, Jonesboro's M.J. Walker took it upon himself to make sure he was the most lethal of the bunch. The No. 22 player in 2017 averaged 30 points through four games, including a 41-point outing against fellow Flo40 guard John Petty (No. 29).




Although he only played one game in the Sunshine Series, Tampa Catholic's Kevin Knox dropped 30, too.

ONE SWEET HOMECOMING

Playing in front of his mom and other family members must have inspired IMG Academy's Emmitt Williams. Or perhaps he was just ready to make an even bigger name for himself while in his hometown. Whatever it was, the power forward was nothing short of dominant. He played strong, was relentless on the glass, and dunked everything in sight to earn all-tournament team honors.



Speaking of dunking, he also won the Edison National Bank Slam Dunk Contest.

THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE

Coming into the tournament, a lot of the attention was focused on several big men, including Deandre Ayton (No. 2), Mo Bamba (No. 3), and Wendell Carter (No. 4). Ayton and Bamba even played against each other. But no big guy had a tournament like Maret School (DC) center Luka Garza. The Iowa-bound post averaged 26 points and 13 rebounds for the tournament, which was far and away ahead of any player at his position all week.

TO THE POINT

From Trevon Duval to Collin Sexton to Darius Garland to Jahvon Quinerly, the floor generals at this tournament were so good. That doesn't even include Quade Green, who only played one of three games for Neumann-Goretti, and others. There's no doubt it was the top position to watch throughout the tournament.

A PENNY FOR HIS THOUGHTS

Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway likely could be doing just about anything he wants right now. So what has he chosen? Coaching. The former NBA All-Star is great at it, too. Memphis East (TN) is a squad to watch for throughout the remainder of the season with athleticism all over the place, and Hardaway is certainly a great speaker and motivator for the talented young men.

CULLIGAN CITY OF PALMS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

RJ Barrett (Montverde Academy -- MVP)

Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree (Neumann-Goretti)

Trevon Duval (IMG Academy)

Darius Garland (Brentwood Academy)

Luka Garza (Maret School)

Rayshaun Hammonds (Norcross)

Jamir Harris (The Patrick School)

Alex Lomax (Memphis East)

T.J. Moss (Memphis East)

John Petty (Mae Jemison)

Jahvon Quinerly (Hudson Catholic)

Cam Reddish (Westtown School)

Nick Richards (The Patrick School)

Collin Sexton (Pebblebrook)

M.J. Walker (Jonesboro)

Emmitt Williams (IMG Academy)