​BRADENTON, FL — Steven Scott didn’t have to look far to find IMG Academy.The volleyball opportunities he wanted were another story.Scott, a Parrish, Florida, native, spent years driving roughly 90 minutes each way for club volleyball and traveling even farther to play high school volleyball. Florida’s boys volleyball scene has grown rapidly, with more than 250 schools now fielding teams. State participation reached 4,298 players in 2025-26, up from 2,591 a decade earlier, while national participation has grown even faster, from 55,417 to 98,395 over the same span. But Florida’s footprint remains concentrated in metros such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Tampa and Orlando.For Scott, high-level volleyball still meant a long drive. That changed this year when IMG Academy launched its first boys volleyball program.”You’re constantly in the gym, either working out or playing, and I don’t think that’s something anyone else in the country has here,” Scott said. “We have a great opportunity to really grow as a team.”IMG isn’t simply trying to add another team to Florida’s growing boys volleyball landscape. The Bradenton-based academy is attempting to establish itself as a destination for players who want a year-round development environment, particularly those who previously had to travel significant distances to find one. That can be hard in a state that takes 12 hours to get from Key West to Pensacola.And Scott is already providing an early example of what that could look like.The senior, who started playing volleyball in seventh grade, verbally committed to Pepperdine about a month ago. He said he never expected that path when he first picked up the sport.”I started playing for a homeschool team in this area, and then moved around high schools and clubs, and then now I’m here,” Scott said.IMG’s arrival has given Scott a chance to play close to home while training at a high level every day.”I feel like I have a little bit of team pride in the sense that this is my home,” Scott said. “This is where I’m from, and IMG is our area.”The opportunity is particularly significant because boys volleyball has historically been more established in pockets of Florida than others.Scott said Tampa, Orlando and South Florida have been among the areas with more opportunities, while the sport has continued to spread to new schools. He estimates four or five schools in his area have added boys volleyball teams since he began playing.”For it to be here and to start growing here, I’ve heard that a couple other schools in this area are looking into getting other teams,” Scott said. “It’s so cool that it’s starting to grow.”IMG wants to be part of that growth, and believes its biggest advantage is what it can offer beyond a traditional high school season or club schedule.Gilad Doron, IMG’s Director of Volleyball, said the program received significant interest immediately after its launch. But families had a fundamental question before committing to a new program: W