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Three NBA Draft announcements, a Europe trip to compete internationally, 11 March Madness appearances in 2018. IMG Academy basketball program's accomplishments this year alone rival high school and even collegiate programs around the world. Year after year, the program strives for success, challenging players who enter the program to achieve their dreams and to exceed even their greatest expectations.
Most recently, Anfernee Simons (2018), Trevon Duval (2017), and Bruno Fernando (2017) individually declared for the upcoming NBA Draft. Each of these players captured the crowd with their styles of play and showcased their talents from the IMG Academy campus. We checked in with Brian Nash, Director of IMG Academy Basketball, and John Mahoney, Post Grad Head Coach, to review how these three stars will impact the professional arena.
On his overall impact: "He has a good reputation, and, when you saw him, you knew he had special talent. He had size as a guard, could shoot the ball, played multiple positions, and was a really good kid and very coachable."
On his time as a post-grad: "He had a successful post-grad run, which is like college. He's a talented player who was humble as a teammate, and they respected him. Every game he played, he was always the target, but he learned how to use his teammates. John [Mahoney] did a really good job working with him, and he learned how to play against multiple defenses."
On his future: "The sky's the limit for him especially if he's given the time to develop."
*Quotes from Brian Nash
On what stood out: "Bruno was an engaging young man with an infectious smile that the kids just gravitated towards when he was in the gym. He played and practiced with passion, and that attracted the other kids to stop and watch him play."
On his progression in college: "By playing at the collegiate level, he has improved his overall game because the speed of the collegiate game is much faster."
On his overall game: "He is a physical player that excels at scoring in the post on the move. He is a very good rebounder and shot blocker with a great motor. What most people don't know is that he has a perimeter game that reaches out to the three point line."
*Quotes from Coach Mahoney
TREVON DUVAL:
On his immediate impact: "He was a phenom when he came in here just based on the followings he had. He stood out to most people."
On his time at IMG: "He was a really good kid who had no entitlement and embraced being here, loved being here and worked really hard. On the court, he was gifted. He could get to one side of the court faster, jump over people, was a gifted passer, and could get into the paint. He made guys better and averaged 7-8 assists per game. He was a McDonald's All-American, Jordan Brand Classic participant, Nike Hoops Summit participant, played in the Dicks National Classic, and had many college visits."
On his next steps: "He had the expectation to go to college and the NBA. He knows his weaknesses and continues to work on those - he'll play in the NBA. That's a realistic goal. He's motivated and he'll get there if he works hard enough because he's talented enough."
*Quotes from Brian Nash
Overall, the program as a whole has never been stronger, more determined, or contained so much talent. Nash says that the program "has put an emphasis on having really good teams, with players who are serious about basketball and understand they get the whole gamut here. We're very proud of what happening, and the coaches have done a really great job." Currently, the Post-Grad team is 23-9 and the Varsity National team is 23-4.
A BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK FROM EUROPE:
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