City of Palms Classic Live Updates
Fort Myers, FL — I’m back in Florida for one of my favorite events of the year, the City of Palms Classic. This is the 50th anniversary of the event and the slate is loaded. Follow along as I keep you up-to-date of all the happenings in live blog form.
City of Palms Classic: Day 1 Top Performers
Texas head coach Rodney Terry + Michigan assistant Saddi Washington in to see ’25 No. 1 PG Darius Acuff
Texas’ Rodney Terry is in the building to watch IMG Academy’s Darius Acuff, the No. 1 ranked point guard in the 2025 class.
Terry will also watch Longhorns signee Cam Scott next game.
Michigan assistant Saddi Washington is also in for Acuff and Wolverines’ signee Khani Rooths. The two are teammates at IMG.
Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell in to watch Ace Bailey’s morning game
Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell and his full staff are here Wednesday morning to see Scarlet Knights’ signee Ace Bailey and his McEachern (GA) squad play Westminster Academy (FL).
Dylan Harper and Don Bosco get the win over Ace Bailey and McEachern
In front of their future head coach at Rutgers Steve Pikiell, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper faced off in an electric game Tuesday night. Harper and his Don Bosco Prep squad were able to move on with 26 point win. Harper was terrific and made several tough shots, finishing with 28 points.
Despite the loss, Ace Bailey had a strong performance as well, finishing with 24 points.
Future Rutgers teammates Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey go head-to-head
Two of the top prospects in the country, Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, will faceoff tonight at City of Palms. The duo are headed to Rutgers next season. Normally, the two are close friends, but tonight, they’re opponents.
Kentucky assistant in to watch Five-Star Plus+ SG VJ Edgecombe
Kentucky assistant coach Chuck Martin is currently here watching five-star VJ Edgecombe, the No. 5 overall player in the country, and currently the top available prospect in the class.
The 6-5 senior visited the Wildcats in October and has also made trips to Duke, St. John’s, Baylor, and Florida.
Carmelo Anthony courtside for his son Four-Star SG Kiyan Anthony, joined by ‘Cuse assistant Gerry McNamara
10x NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony is courtside watching his son, Kiyan Anthony of Long Island Lutheran (NY). ‘Melo played college at Syracuse, winning an NCAA championship in 2003. The Orange are recruiting Kiyan.
Syracuse associate head coach Gerry McNamara, an integral piece of that same Cuse championship team, is also here watching Kiyan.
Cooper Flagg and Montverde get the blowout win over Cannon School
Montverde Academy (FL) came into this matchup as the overwhelming favorite. Within the first 30 seconds of this game, the crowd knew how this one was going to end. Cannon School (NC) is a talented team and fought hard but this loaded Montverde squad is difficult to stop.
MVA completed this game in dominant fashion with a final score of 110 to 57.
Duke signee Cooper Flagg finished with easy 22 points. Uncommitted elite big man Derik Queen added 19. It should be noted that Montverde played its reserves for the majority of the second quarter and the entire fourth quarter.
Five-Star Plus+ SG Tre Johnson (Texas) goes OFF
Tre Johnson, the top-ranked shooting guard in the 2024 class, had a strong first game here at the City of Palms Classic. The Texas signee is the ultimate shotmaker and knows how to get to his spots. The Link Academy (MO) senior led all scorers with 26 points in the win over North Mecklenburg and five-star Isaiah Evans (Duke). Evans finished with 20 points but struggled from three.