Darius Acuff Jr. put his hooping prowess on display; dropping 20 points in a tough 75-57 loss to Wasatch

By Rotsen Rick Tidoy

Modified Apr 03, 2025 14:38 GMT

Follow Us

Share

0 Discuss

The Chipotle Nationals have now started in Indiana, and Darius Acuff Jr. and IMG Academy were in action on Wednesday during the first round. However, the five-star point guard and his team found themselves eliminated in the first round against Wasatch Academy, with the final score of 75-57.

The Arkansas signee may have played his final game for the Ascenders, and he made it count despite the loss, scoring 20 points and handing out five assists.

Darius Acuff Jr. was 8-23 from the field and also had two rebounds and two steals in the ball game, where he played for 31 minutes. Sadiq White Jr. was also a big part in the IMG Academy effort, scoring nine points and getting 12 rebounds, one assist, two blocks, and one steal.

As for Wasatch Academy, the Tigers were led by Mariano Manciel, who had 17 points, four rebounds, and three steals. It was a relatively quiet game for Isiah Harwell, who, like Darius Acuff Jr., also competed at last Tuesday's McDonald's All-American Game in New York City.

The Houston signee had 15 points, one assist, one rebound, and four steals to help the Tigers move on to the second round, where they will face No. 1 seed Christopher Columbus High School, led by the Boozer Twins, Cayden and Cameron Boozer.

With IMG Academy now eliminated from the Chipotle Nationals, Darius Acuff Jr. can now turn his focus to Arkansas, where he is expected to team up with fellow five-star guard Meleek Thomas.

Darius Acuff Jr. exploded for the East during the McDonald's All-American Game and was helping recruit five-star prospect.

While it was the West that won the McDonald's All-American Game, 105-92, Darius Acuff Jr. was one of the stalwarts for the East, finishing the night with 12 points, four assists and one steal. Off the court, he was also trying to help Arkansas out in recruiting a top prospect who has remained uncommitted.

Acuff had been instrumental in helping get Meleek Thomas to commit to Arkansas, and during the McDonald's All-American Games, he and Thomas were actively trying to recruit five-star small forward Nate Ament.

Ament and Acuff were teammates for the East, though it was Thomas who revealed that they were trying to recruit the undecided five-star.

"My pitch to Nate has been, 'You want to come play with winners and players who will support you,'" said Thomas, who played for the West. "We're not just trying to add another five-star player—we want someone who can truly contribute to our team."

Ament has pushed back his commitment until after the NCAA Tournament's Final Four.