Indiana puts on ‘fullcourt press’ for Montverde Academy trio

By ADAM ZAGORIA

Indiana coach Mike Woodson and his staff are putting on a fullcourt press for a trio from national powerhouse Montverde (FL) Academy.

Woodson and the IU staff were at the Florida school on Monday for the trifecta of Liam McNeeley, Derik Queen and Curtis Givens following their official visit to campus the weekend of Sept. 8.

“Always great to see Coach Woodson and his staff,” Montverde coach Kevin Boyle told ZAGSBLOG. “They are really showing great interest and putting on a full court press for Liam, Derik and Curtis.”

Mike Woodson and the whole @IndianaMBB staff were at @MVABasketball today

They recently had @liammcneeley30 @derikqueen1 and @curtis_givens on officials pic.twitter.com/n41bIk1MmK

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) September 18, 2023

Indiana has established a pipeline to Montverde and hopes to keep it rolling. It began two years ago with guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, who became a one-and-done first-round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers after winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year at Indiana. His former Montverde teammate, forward Malik Reneau, is expected to start this year in Bloomington.

The 6-foot-9 Queen is ranked No. 12 in the 247 Composite rankings, while the 6-7 McNeeley is No. 15 and the 6-2 Givens No. 64.

Indiana, Kansas and Maryland are among the schools prioritizing Queen, while McNeeley is down to Indiana and Kansas. Givens is a Memphis native who has also taken visits to LSU and Georgia Tech and will visit Memphis this weekend.

As for Woodson’s attendance Monday, Kevin Boyle Jr., who also coaches with Montverde, said: “It indicates that they have a sincere interest, and they they have a real vision for how they could each fit the Indiana style of play and team culture.”

(This post was updated on 9/20 at 2 p.m.)

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