Rising Australian basketball prospect Josh Green has helped inspire the IMG Academy Ascenders to their the first national championship with a 65-55 win over No. 1 ranked Indiana powerhouse La Lumiere Lakers.
The Ascenders were led by McDonald's All-American and Nike Hoop Summit selections Green (Arizona commit) and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Villanova) who contributed 19 and 18 points respectively.
Green is ranked No. 7 in ESPN's top 100 high school basketball prospects, with Robinson-Earl at No. 20.
"Its a surreal feeling, I'm at a loss for words," Green said after the win. "I don't even call my teammates 'teammates' - they're really like family and that's how we approached this season, like a family. It really showed this whole week and showed how bad we wanted it."
Junior guard Jaden Springer, the Ascenders' leading scorer in the quarter and semifinal games with an average of 25.5 points, added another 12 points and seven assists against the Lakers.
The win capped off the best season in Ascenders history, setting a program record with 29 wins.
The team already made history by having three players selected to the McDonald's All-American Game. North Carolina signee Armando Bacot, who led the team in rebounding throughout the Nationals, joined Green and Robinson-Earl in Atlanta for the prestigious event.