IMG Academy Returns to McCallie’s Dr. Pepper Classic

One of the nation’s elite high school basketball teams plays at McCallie this weekend. IMG Academy is one of the four teams taking part in McCallie’s annual Dr. Pepper Classic. The Ascenders are ranked third in the nation.

IMG Academy gets invited to all the prestigious high school tournaments, and yet here they are again at the Dr. Pepper Classic for the second time in three years, throwing alley oops from the balcony in Friday afternoon’s dunk contest.
Said IMG head coach Sean McAloon:”I think what really makes tournaments outside of just match-ups are people. I really like the mission of the tournament in terms of how the school is tied into it. How the community was tied into it when we were able to do the clinic.”
Last time IMG faced McCallie in 2019, they featured three McDonald’s All-Americans, including guard Josh Green, who is already in the NBA with Dallas.
Imagine coaching against that kind of talent.
Said McCallie head coach David Conrady:”I can’t coach against a team that has three McDonald’s employees. It’s great for our players. They love to play against the best. It’s fun to try to coach against the best sometimes.”
Gotta watch plenty of film against a team like IMG.
Said Conrady:”Yeah I would say you have to break it down a little bit more maybe because you’ve got to try to find some, some way to maybe hang on a little bit.”
Said McCallie guard Eric Rivers:”It’s really exciting. Fun memories that we are able to play these teams. It’s always a blast getting out here being able to play in this.”
These games aren’t just fun for McCallie. They can also help mold Big Blue.
Said Conrady:”We have been better coming out of this event. Two years ago, it really galvanized our team. Like we were kind of searching a little bit for our identity. We played in the event and came out of it and really had a great understanding of who we were.”