Latest news with #MontverdeAcademy
Washington Post
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Gonzaga hires former Fordham coach Keith Urgo to lead basketball program
It was in Gonzaga's gym that Keith Urgo realized his love of coaching. First as a fifth-grader at the Northwest Washington private school's basketball camp and later while coaching at the camp during high school and college, he learned about the impact a mentor could have. He became set on turning his passion into a profession. A 1997 graduate of Gonzaga and a former player under longtime coach Dick Myers, Urgo got his coaching start at his alma mater in 2004, leading the freshman team. He later moved on to the college ranks and spent nearly two decades at the Division I level. On Tuesday, it was announced that Urgo will be returning to Eye Street — this time as Gonzaga's head basketball coach. He will assume the reins of one of the D.C. area's most prominent high school programs. 'It's a full-circle moment to be the third coach in [50 years] at a place where I transitioned from a boy to a man,' Urgo said. 'It's a surreal moment and I feel incredibly privileged and honored to take the torch. Hopefully I can continue to keep the standard that's been created as high as it is.' Urgo most recently served as Fordham's head coach. He was fired by the Jesuit school in March after three seasons, during which he went 50-49. He replaces Steve Turner, who left Gonzaga in late March for Montverde Academy in Florida. In his 21 years leading Gonzaga, Turner won nearly 500 games and four Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championships as the Eagles ascended to national relevance. Urgo credits Turner for giving him his start in coaching in 2004, Turner's first year as varsity coach. Urgo joined Jay Wright's staff at Villanova as a video coordinator in 2006 before becoming the program's director of basketball operations and eventually an assistant coach prior. He left for Penn State in 2011. After 10 years with the Nittany Lions, he went to Fordham to be Kyle Neptune's associate head coach and was elevated to the top job after Neptune took the Villanova job in 2022. Only days after Urgo was let go by Fordham, Turner announced his move to Florida. 'It's incredible that essentially at the same time, everything happened with me, that the position opened up,' Urgo said. 'I would never have gone back to high school basketball if it wasn't at Gonzaga.' There were over 40 applicants for the position, according to Gonzaga athletic director Terry Kernan. The interview process required numerous Zoom meetings with administrators and a committee of former Gonzaga players and graduates. A day of in-person vetting for finalists was Urgo's first chance in years to explore the campus, with his most recent trips limited to the parking garage and gymnasium. In March, Fordham practiced at Gonzaga ahead of the Atlantic 10 tournament at Capital One Arena. 'Him being a Gonzaga alum, we knew who Keith was. We'd been following him for the last 20 years,' said Kernan, who played for Urgo on Gonzaga's freshman team in 2004. 'He made it evident throughout the process that he is all in for Gonzaga and that he's here for the long haul, and he's super excited about this opportunity.' Urgo needed almost no time to come to a decision once the offer came along. By Tuesday night, he was speaking with his new team and the players' families. Practices will start next week ahead of a busy summer that will include recruiting showcase events, most of which Urgo plans to be on the sidelines for. He'll also be running the school's summer basketball camp — the place where it all began. 'The relationships that I have built with so many from Gonzaga shaped me into kind of who I've become and who I want to be," Urgo said. 'I take immense pride in the front of that jersey — there's nothing like it.'
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What Dawn Staley said about Agot Makeer signing with South Carolina women's basketball
COLUMBIA — Agot Makeer is officially part of the South Carolina women's basketball program, after committing to coach Dawn Staley's team on March 1. The program announced on April 24 that the five-star, 6-foot-1 wing, has signed. Advertisement At the time of Makeer's verbal commitment, she was ranked No. 4 in the class of 2025 by ESPN. In the latest rankings, she is now the No. 6 ranked player. 'We're excited to bring Agot into our Gamecock family,' Staley said in a school release. 'She brings size, speed and versatility to our guard unit with her ability to play multiple positions. Her ball handling and passing skills enhance her ability to score and spread the defense. Agot is super competitive, talented and has an unlimited ceiling.' Makeer is from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada but she played her final season of high school basketball at Montverde Academy in Florida. As a senior, she averaged 10 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. In Canada, she played for Crestwood Prep and as a junior, she averaged 19.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists. Her team went undefeated in 2023-24, the same season that South Carolina went unbeaten at the college level. Makeer won the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association championship and in the title game, she scored 29 points which included nine three-pointers and was named tournament MVP. Advertisement Makeer joins Ayla McDowell, a 6-2 power forward who signed with the Gamecocks in November as part of Staley's freshmen class for the 2025-26 season. McDowell is also a five-star rated player out of high school and is No. 15 overall in ESPN's rankings. Both players played in the 2025 McDonald's All-American game on April 1. Makeer finished with seven points on 3-of-7 from the field, McDowell with 10 points on 4-of-5. Staley also added stars in the transfer portal in Madina Okot, a 6-6 forward from Mississippi State, and Ta'Niya Latson from Florida State, who led the nation in scoring in 2024-25. Latson signed April 17 and Okot signed April 22. NEW HIRES: Dawn Staley, South Carolina women's basketball hire Wendale Farrow of Southern Cal as assistant Advertisement Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@ and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Agot Makeer: Dawn Staley on South Carolina women's basketball 5-star signee
Washington Post
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Steve Turner leaves Gonzaga for Florida basketball power Montverde
Steve Turner likes mementos. The longtime Gonzaga basketball coach has collected plenty in his years on Eye Street, stockpiling trophies, jerseys, basketballs — anything to remind him of good times past. He even makes scrapbooks for each season, knowing that the press clippings and photos can transport him back to those winters whenever he likes. Now, after 26 years at Gonzaga — 21 as head coach — Turner will pack those memories away and bring them with him to Florida. After spending nearly half his life at the Northwest Washington private school, Turner, 53, is leaving for Montverde Academy, a Florida program considered one of the best in the country. 'I never really thought this day would come. I've always felt that I have the best job in the country here at Gonzaga,' Turner said. 'Being a part of this community, knowing these kids and this staff — this was home.' Turner said the opportunity came together quickly over the past two weeks. He recently flew to Florida for a visit and came away impressed at the school's operation beyond basketball. 'I've always been at a place where the whole school mattered,' Turner said. 'And if I was ever going to leave Gonzaga, it would have to be for a place like that. Once I was able to get that feeling from the community down there, it pulled me. … And I figured it's time for me to go out and do something I've always told my kids to do: be comfortable being uncomfortable.' The school recently announced that coach Kevin Boyle was leaving for Ohio's Spire Academy after 14 years at the helm. Boyle won eight of the past 12 national high school championships with Montverde, coaching NBA-bound stars such as Joel Embiid, Cade Cunningham and Cooper Flagg. '[Turner's] deep appreciation for the value of a college preparatory school environment and his commitment to nurturing student-athletes makes him a perfect fit for Montverde Academy,' Montverde Head of School Jon Hopman said in a statement. 'Coach Turner is what we call a transformational coach and mentor — one that will have a positive influence on his players … and the broader school community.' Turner took over Gonzaga's varsity team in 2004, inheriting a proud and successful program from longtime coach Dick Myers. Under Turner's leadership, the Eagles garnered national acclaim. But the coach, a Blair alum, always cared most about winning in his hometown. A fiery competitor, he relished the intensity of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, one of the country's most talented and competitive high school basketball leagues. 'There is nothing like the rivalries of the WCAC,' Turner said. 'Unless you're a part of it you won't understand it. I'll miss those packed houses and those teams. Fans going at me. I loved it.' He won the first of his four WCAC titles in 2008. He was named Gatorade's national coach of the year in 2016 and The Washington Post's All-Met Coach of the Year in 2019. He leaves Gonzaga with a record of 497-176 and a broad network of alumni playing across all levels of basketball. 'He's been one of the staples of the basketball scene in the DMV,' said Sidwell Friends Coach Eric Singletary, who previously served as an assistant under Turner. 'It's hard to think of Gonzaga without thinking of Steve Turner.' As his own program climbed the local and national ladders over the past decade, Singletary has had to face his former boss in several high-stakes meetings. A few weeks ago, Gonzaga topped Sidwell to win the D.C. State Athletic Association championship and snap the Quakers' streak of three straight titles. The win was Turner's third and final D.C. state crown. 'When you play a Steve Turner team, you know that because of his competitiveness his team is going to be competitive and well prepared,' Singletary said. 'You're going to face a team with an unbelievable tradition, so they believe they should win every time they play. You have to beat them because they're not going to beat themselves.' Turner produced a steady stream of Division I players over the years, molding All-Met talents Tyler Thornton (Duke), Kris Jenkins (Villanova) and Chris Lykes (Miami). 'He's a legend,' said Terrance Williams II, who played for Gonzaga from 2016 to 2020 and is now at USC. 'He leaves a legacy at Gonzaga. … I think when people talk about his teams, they'll say we were disciplined. We stayed within a system, and it worked.' This season, the Eagles were led by a starting lineup of five Division I-bound seniors. The Eagles (29-5) finished as D.C. state champions, WCAC runners-up and the No. 2 team in The Washington Post's local rankings. Turner was named WCAC coach of the year for a sixth time. 'Outside of all the accolades, his teams always stayed together and played gritty basketball,' senior Nyk Lewis said. 'You always knew we were going to want it more than the other team.' Turner said he will finish out the school year at Gonzaga before heading south. 'I'm looking forward to really saying goodbye to people, not just packing up and leaving,' Turner said. 'That way I can make it clear to them that I'm gone but I'm not. I'm just a phone call away.'
CBC
21-03-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Sprinting's latest doping scandal is bad timing in a sport that can't afford more controversy
Social Sharing The news that Gerald Phiri, the retired Olympic sprinter and current head track coach at the Montverde Academy in Florida, had been provisionally suspended by World Athletics' Athletics Integrity Unit following a doping investigation seemed to come out of nowhere. It hit the Internet on a slow sports news Tuesday, early in the week leading up to the World Indoor Championships, but still deep in track and field's preseason. Many of the sport's biggest stars skipped indoor meets this winter. Most won't start their outdoor campaigns until deeper into the spring. As for the allegations – AIU maintains that Phiri has possessed a pair of prohibited substances, Cardarine and meldonium, at various points in recent years, while three of his teenage athletes tested positive for Cardarine in 2023 and 2024. They also claim that Phiri provided "false and inaccurate information" to investigators. But when we remember that Phiri's most famous protogégé was Issam Assinga, the teenage phenom who rewrote the sprint record book in 2023 before flunking a doping test ahead of that year's world championships, we realize that these new sanctions, while unexpected, aren't surprising. Two years ago, Assinga looked like the future. He won a national high school title indoors, and early in the outdoor season he outran Noah Lyles – yes, that Noah Lyles – over 100 metres. But that positive test in late summer turned the sport's latest feel-good story into the biggest doping scandal of the year. The screening, conducted in July of 2023, revealed the presence of GW1516 Sulfoxide, a banned drug also known as Cardarine, but also raised questions about how the substance wound up in the teenager's system. Tuesday's revelation fills in some blanks but doesn't quite provide answers. This early in the year it's still not clear how news of Phiri's provisional suspension will affect the 2025 outdoor season from a marketing standpoint. The sport is set to welcome new competitions like Grand Slam Track, while a proposed showdown between Lyles and Tyreek Hill could help keep track on the mainstream sports radar in a non-Olympic year. But before we can discuss any of those developments, we're stuck dealing with this one. Track and field, after all, is not the NFL, where it's understood that players will take Toradol shots to numb pain before games, and where we just don't ask how players get bigger and faster and stronger and leaner every year. And it's not the NHL, where Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers can earn a 20-game PED suspension without us ever learning what substance triggered the sanction. Assinga's on the shelf for four years after a first offence. Ekblad can return during the postseason. This year. In track and field, failed drug screenings are treated as systemic problems, symptoms of a culture that prizes results over fairness. As far as mainstream sports fans are concerned, one athlete's positive test makes every athlete a suspect. So the news about Phiri isn't just a case of a coach getting rapped for obstructing an anti-doping investigation. It's one more drug scandal for a sport that can't afford more PED controversy. Unfortunate timing for the sport In one sense, the timing of this news is fortunate for the track and field business. The outdoor World Championships are still nearly six months away, and most big-name sprinters are still at least six weeks away from opening their seasons. But the callback to the doping drama that short-circuited the career of a promising teenager is particularly unwelcome this spring. Last Sunday, 17-year-old Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout ran 20.05 seconds in the 200 metres, then followed up that run with a wind-aided 19.98. The previous day Maurice Gleaton Jr., a two-sport star from Georgia, ran a wind-aided 10.01 to win the 100 metres at a high school meet in Florida. A week before that Brayden Williams, with the help of a slightly-stronger-than-legal tailwind, ran 9.99 at a high school competition in his native Texas We don't know for sure if any of those guys will grow up to run 9.7 and win Olympic gold, but one of them might. Or maybe one of the guys trailing Williams in Texas is a late bloomer who'll overtake all the big names four years from now. Point is, those epic early season sprints have propelled those athletes out of the track world's bubble and into the consciousness of everyday sports fans on social media. Their feats have both hardcore fans and the casuals who drop in for the Olympics feeling good about the sport's next generation of stars. And now comes Tuesday's news, a reminder, wrapped in a Catch-22. Mainstream fans and media can't trust that track and field is clean unless people test positive, but every positive test is also taken as proof that the sport's highest achievers might be doping. In 2023 here came Assinga, a high school senior who ran a wind-aided 9.83 to beat Lyles in the spring. Later that summer he posted a wind-legal 9.89. winning the South American championships and setting the U20 world record that has since been disallowed. His positive test went public a week before that year's world championships, where, by the numbers, he looked like a medal contender in the 100 metres. WATCH | Assinga beats Lyles, running wind-aided 9.83 time: In the immediate aftermath, Assinga blamed the Gatorade gummies he had eaten post-race a few weeks earlier. His lawyers later offered up the actual jar of gummies as proof, along with paperwork confirming that the candies contained traces of the banned drug. Last summer Assinga sued Gatorade, arguing that the gummies were tainted at the source. That explanation always seemed sketchy. Without samples from another sealed container, with the same lot and batch number as Assinga's gummies, we can't tell if the drugs came from the factory, or from after-the-fact tampering. Also, why would Gatorade doctor their own mass-market product with an expensive, possibly cancer-promoting black market drug? If the rule of law still applies in the U.S., it's a good way to get prosecuted, fined, and set up for a class action suit. As a business strategy, it's puzzling. Tuesday's news moves us a little closer to a solution. Phiri, after all, had three teenage athletes training under his supervision test positive for the same substance, but only Assinga blamed Gatorade. The AIU news release doesn't draw specific conclusions about how those teenagers all wound up with the same banned drug in their system, but it does lead the reader in a specific direction. Either those athletes had really bad luck with post-workout gummies, or something was happening between teenagers, that substance, and their coach. We don't know which of those scenarios is true, but we know which of them makes sense.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
USA TODAY Sports Super 25 boys basketball rankings as of Feb. 27, 2025
We'd have to go to the Wayback Machine to find the last time Montverde Academy (Fla.) was not represented in the Super 25. For those who may have to find a new date in the future, that day is Feb. 27, 2025. The Eagles, a perennial mainstay in all national rankings, suffered their sixth loss of the season. With a 19-6 record, they fell out of the Super 25. DeMatha, which also suffered its sixth loss, departed the national rankings as well, opening the door for Christ School to re-enter as champions and 36-win Highland to debut. More: The return of Air Bud? Dog takes the court at a Missouri girls high school basketball game The other major shakeup this week was Paul VI winning the WCAC Championship with a victory over Gonzaga, a team ranked in the top 10 all year. This title pushed Paul VI up several spots, and Gonzaga, with five losses, moved into the lower half of the rankings. (Records as of Wednesday, Feb. 26) Record: 25-3 Previous Rank: 1 Record: 30-1 Previous Rank: 2 Record: 32-2 Previous Rank: 3 Record: 33-1 Previous Rank: 4 Record: 33-0 Previous Rank: 5 Record: 31-2 Previous Rank: 6 Record: 24-2 Previous Rank: 7 Record: 20-1 Previous Rank: 8 Record: 27-2 Previous Rank: 10 Record: 26-3 Previous Rank: 11 Record: 30-1 Previous Rank: 13 Record: 26-3 Previous Rank: 13 Record: 24-0 Previous Rank: 14 Record: 27-4 Previous Rank: 16 Record: 32-2 Previous Rank: 15 Record: 28-2 Previous Rank: 17 Record: 26-5 Previous Rank: 22 Record: 25-3 Previous Rank: 19 Record: 24-4 Previous Rank: 9 Record: 18-5 Previous Rank: 20 Record: 20-2 Previous Rank: 21 Record: 26-2 Previous Rank: NR Record: 26-1 Previous Rank: 24 Record: 36-5 Previous Rank: NR Record: 30-4 Previous Rank: 25 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) Kenwood (Chicago) St. Francis Prep (Fresh Meadows, N.Y.) Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) More: 2025 college basketball recruiting rankings This article originally appeared on USA TODAY High School Sports Wire: Montverde falls out of latest Super 25 boys basketball rankings
