Link Academy (Missouri)

Not to be confused with the The Link Academy, a secondary school located in the Netherton area of Dudley, West Midlands, England.

Link Academy
Address
1353 Lake Shore Drive Branson , Taney County , Missouri 65616 United States
Information
Type	Boarding school
Established	2011
President	Adam Donyes
Grades	9–12
Color(s)	Black and gold
Athletics conference	Nike EYBL Scholastic
Mascot	Lion
Website	linkacademylions.com linkhoops.com

Link Academy is a boarding school just outside of Branson, Missouri. ^{[1] [2]} Known for its basketball teams, it won the 2023 Men's GEICO National Championship ^[3] and the 2025 Nike EYBL Scholastic Conference Tournament Championship. ^[4] It was founded by former college basketball player Adam Donyes. ^[5]

McDonald's All American Players

• 2025 Chris Cenac Jr.
• 2024 Tre Johnson
• 2023 Ja'Kobe Walter
• 2022 Julian Phillips
• 2022 Jordan Walsh

National championship history

In Link Academy's inaugural year, the high school team secured the #4 seed in the 2022 GEICO National Championships and finished the tournament as the runner-ups. ^[6] In their second year, the Lions once again entered the tournament as the #4 seed, and won the overall championship title. ^[7] The Lions entered the 2023-2024 Chipotle National Championship Tournament (successor to the GEICO National Championships) as the #6 seed, and became the sole high school program to make the semi-finals for three seasons in a row (2021-2022, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024). ^[8] The 2024-2025 team earned the highest seed in Link Academy history, entering the 2025 Chipotle National Tournament as the #2 seed. ^[9]

Notable alumni

• JaMichael Morgan (2017), basketball player who played in Kosovo ^[10]
• Bryson Warren (2021 - transferred), basketball player for the Sioux Falls Skyforce ^[11]
• Felix Okpara (2022), basketball player for the Tennessee Volunteers ^[12]
• Julian Phillips (2022), basketball player for the Chicago Bulls ^[13]
• Tarris Reed (2022), basketball player for the Connecticut Huskies ^[14]
• Jordan Walsh (2022), basketball player for the Boston Celtics ^[15]
• Elliot Cadeau (2023), basketball player for the North Carolina Tar Heels ^[16]
• Ja'Kobe Walter (2023), basketball player for the Toronto Raptors ^[17]
• Tre Johnson (2024), basketball player for the Texas Longhorns ^[18]
• Labaron Philon (2024), basketball player for the Alabama Crimson Tide ^[19]
• Jasper Johnson (2025 - transferred), high school basketball player, committed to the Kentucky Wildcats ^[20]
• Chris Cenac (anticipated graduation - 2025), high school basketball player, committed to the Houston Cougars ^[21]

Head Coaches

• 2021-2022 Rodney Perry ^[22] Named Assistant Coach at Kansas State in July 2022. ^[23]
• 2022-2024 Bill Armstrong ^[24] Named Head Coach at McNeese State in March 2025 after serving as an assistant coach for the Baylor Bears from 2024 to 2025. ^[25]
• 2024-present Chad Myers ^[26]

References

1. "SCNext Top 25: The best 2022-23 high school boys' basketball teams". ESPN.com . April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
2. "Link Academy – Premier Boarding School for Grades 9-12 in Branson, MO". LinkAcademyLions.com. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
3. Simon, Bryce (May 2, 2023). "Behind the Scenes at Link Academy: The 2023 Men's GEICO National Champions". NBA Draft Digest. Sports Illustrated . Retrieved April 7, 2024.
4. "Link Academy Takes Inaugural Nike EYBL Scholastic Conference Tournament Crown". nikeeyblscholastic.com. March 8, 2025. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
5. Wheeler, Wyatt D. (August 10, 2021). "Link Academy: Meet the new Branson high school basketball power you've never heard of". Springfield News-Leader . Retrieved April 7, 2024.
6. admin. "2022 Winner and Results – Chipotle Nationals" . Retrieved March 24, 2025.
7. admin. "2023 Winner and Results – Chipotle Nationals" . Retrieved March 24, 2025.
8. admin. "2024 Winner and Results – Chipotle Nationals" . Retrieved March 24, 2025.
9. "Chipotle Nationals – Nationally-ranked high school basketball teams compete in a season-ending tournamen" . Retrieved March 24, 2025.
10. "JaMicheal Morgan Player Profile, OKK Novi Pazar - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com.
11. "Bryson Warren, Link Academy , Combo Guard". 247Sports.
12. "Felix Okpara College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
13. "Julian Phillips College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
14. "Tarris Reed Jr. College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
15. "Jordan Walsh". Arkansas Razorbacks. June 7, 2022.
16. "Elliot Cadeau - Basketball Recruiting - Player Profiles - ESPN". ESPN.com.
17. "Ja'Kobe Walter College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
18. "Tre Johnson - Men's Basketball". University of Texas Athletics.
19. "Labaron Philon Player Profile, Alabama - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com.
20. "Jasper Johnson, Overtime Elite , Shooting Guard". 247Sports.
21. "Chris Cenac Jr., Link Academy , Center". 247Sports.
22. Twitter, Jordan DivensFollow Jordan Divens on (July 28, 2022). "High school basketball: Link Academy head coach Rodney Perry takes assistant job at Kansas State". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved March 11, 2025.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
23. "Tang Names Rodney Perry as Assistant Coach". Kansas State University Athletics. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
24. Wheeler, Wyatt D. "Link Academy hires former LSU associate head coach Bill Armstrong as new head coach". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
25. Wheeler, Wyatt D. "Former Link Academy coach Bill Armstrong named head coach at McNeese State". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
26. Wheeler, Wyatt D. "Why the nation's best high school basketball players move to Branson to play at Link Academy". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved March 11, 2025.

36°39′23″N93°12′44″W / 36.6564989°N 93.2122252°W / 36.6564989; -93.2122252