Chipotle Nationals Tips Off in Fishers, Bringing Elite Prep Basketball to Indiana

The 17th Chipotle Nationals returns to Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers tomorrow, and the field it brings with it makes the strongest case yet that Indiana has locked up the nation's premier prep basketball showcase. All 10 teams in the boys bracket are ranked in the top 15 nationally. Fourteen total All-Americans are entered across both fields. The top nine ranked boys programs in the country will compete on the same floor, with ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU carrying 12 games starting Thursday, April 2.

That broadcast reach is what elevates the hosting role. "The national stage, intensity and excitement surrounding Chipotle Nationals has the attention of NBA front offices and college coaches," said ESPN National Recruiting Director Paul Biancardi, who also calls the boys' games alongside Ted Emrich. The tournament has produced its share of future professionals, most recently Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in last year's NBA draft. Every college coach inside Hamilton Southeastern's gym this week is there to evaluate who gets that comparison next.

The boys tournament opens Wednesday, April 1, at 6:00 p.m. ET with No. 7 Wasatch Academy facing No. 10 Link Academy, followed by No. 8 SPIRE Academy against No. 9 Archbishop Stepinac at 7:45 p.m. ET. Both are play-in games with the winners advancing to Thursday's quarterfinals. Can Link Academy, the lowest seed in the bracket, produce an upset that scrambles the draw before AZ Compass Prep even takes the floor?

Thursday escalates quickly. Boys quarterfinals tip at 2:00 p.m. ET with No. 4 Prolific Prep against No. 5 Montverde Academy, a game that doubles as a test of tournament history: Montverde holds a perfect 6-0 all-time record at this event. No. 3 CIA Bella Vista Prep follows against No. 6 Paul VI at 4:00 p.m. ET. Then No. 1 seed AZ Compass Prep, out of Arizona, takes the floor at 6:00 p.m. ET against the SPIRE-Stepinac survivor, followed by No. 2 Dynamic Prep at 8:00 p.m. ET against the Wasatch-Link winner. The defining question of the quarterfinal slate: can a team coming off a Wednesday play-in game knock off AZ Compass Prep and blow up the top of the bracket?

On the girls side, Virginia's St. James Performance Academy holds the No. 1 overall seed in a six-team field where five programs are ranked in the top 15 nationally. ESPN's girls coverage tips Thursday at 10:00 a.m. ET, with semifinals Friday, April 3, also at 10:00 a.m. ET. Matt Schick and Brooke Weisbrod handle the girls' broadcast, with Lindsey Pallares reporting from the sideline across both events. Both championships air Saturday, April 4, at Hamilton Southeastern: girls at 10:00 a.m. ET on ESPN2, boys at noon on ESPN.

New champions are guaranteed on both sides. Last year's boys winners, Miami Columbus from Florida, and the girls' defending champions, IMG Academy, also from Florida, were not invited back to the 2026 edition. The tournament, launched in 2009 as the National High School Invitational by Paragon Marketing Group, previously operated under the DICK'S Nationals and GEICO Nationals banners across venues in Washington, D.C., New York City and Florida before landing in Indiana in 2024. The bracket is wide open, and it all starts at Fishers tomorrow at 6.