Columbus earns exclusive place in South Florida history after winning Chipotle Nationals

Miami Herald

05-04-2025

The goal when Cameron and Cayden Boozer first arrived at Columbus was to dream big.
Not just for state championships, which the school had never won to that point, but also for national championships, which no Dade team had ever won.
With the twin sons of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer at the forefront, the Explorers spent the past four seasons collecting state titles.
The missing piece, the one Cameron referred to as being on he and his brother's 'bucket list,' was a national championship.
Playing in their final high school game together on Saturday afternoon, the Boozers and the Explorers added the missing piece.
Led by Cayden Boozer's 27 points, Columbus pulled away in the second half and secured a 67-49 victory over Texas' Dynamic Prep to win its first championship of the Chipotle Nationals tournament in Fishers, Indiana.
The Explorers began the season ranked No. 1 in the nation.
They're in position to end it there after becoming the first team from South Florida to win the event, which is in its 16th year.
Columbus would be the first boys' basketball team from South Florida to be voted national champions.
'It's obviously amazing and an incredible feeling,' Columbus coach Andrew Moran said. 'It's the cherry on top. These kids won everything they set their minds to win. It was always their mindset and they played their (butts) off. It's an incredible feeling.'
Columbus, the top-seed in the tournament, was the first South Florida team to play in the event's championship game since 2018 after surviving a close call in the semifinals.
Cayden Boozer's buzzer-beating jumper as time expired lifted the Explorers to a 47-45 win over Brewster Academy of New Hampshire on Friday night.
Boozer carried over that momentum to Saturday's final with one of his most dominant performances.
Tied at 34 with 3:44 left in third quarter, Cayden Boozer sparked a 10-0 run that allowed Columbus to pull away for good. Meanwhile, Cameron Boozer took on more of a point forward role, facilitating teammates such as Cello Jackson, who finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Cameron finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Explorers' collective defensive efforts stifled Dynamic Prep's Jermaine O'Neal Jr., an SMU signee, holding him to only three points. O'Neal's father - former Pacers and Heat standout Jermaine O'Neal - is the coach at Dynamic Prep. He watched his team, seeded 10th in the tournament, beat three higher-seeded opponents on their way to Saturday's final.
But after two and a half quarters, Columbus imposed its will and ended Dynamic Prep's stellar run through the tournament.
'It's special and something we were dreaming about since we were freshmen,' Cayden Boozer said. 'To finish it the right way with the group we have is just an amazing feeling and doing it with my twin brother is a blessing.'
South Florida has long been known for producing top-tier talent and teams that have won national titles in sports like football, baseball and soccer.
But teams achieving even close to the level of dominance Columbus did this season on the national stage has been rare.
Teams such as the 1998 Miami High team, which ended the season ranked No. 2 nationally with Udonis Haslem, the 1985 Miami Carol City team that finished ranked in the top 10, the 1974 Miami Jackson, affectionately known as the 'Jackson Five,' which went undefeated, and the Miami Christian teams of the early 2000s with Jose Juan Barea come to mind.
The Explorers now have something none of those could claim - a national title.
They did it with the Boozers, both of whom have signed with Duke University.
They did it with Cameron, a two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year who's been named an All-American by multiple outlets and ranked the No. 3 overall prospect in the country. And Cayden, arguably the top point guard in the nation who is ranked No. 16 overall by ESPN.
The Boozers have had their jerseys retired at Columbus in honor of their vast list of accomplishments.
And Columbus achieved these heights with more than just the Boozers.
They also did it with talent such as 6-6 small forward Jaxon Richardson, as well as 6-7 forward Caleb Gaskins and 6-4 small forward Cello Jackson - all of whom are highly-ranked prospects for the class of 2026.
Moran, who will reportedly join new University of Miami head coach Jai Lucas on his coaching staff next season, led the Explorers to a 138-32 record during his six seasons at Columbus and 109-13 over the past four seasons.
Moran was named the Naismith National Coach of the Year recently after guiding Columbus to all four state titles and now this national crown.
If that junior core remains under a new coach, Columbus should remain among the nation's best and in good shape to challenge for a fifth consecutive state title, which would tie a state record.
'This was the last thing we needed on our bucket list and now we're just celebrating,' Cameron Boozer said. 'This is super sweet after last year, we knew we wanted to win it all and we came back and did it.'