RELATED: | ? | The Future Of Big-Time HS Basketball?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria?| How To Make A HS Version Of March Madness? |

COACHES: Please fill out a 2024-25 Preseason FAB 50 Questionnaire - CLICK HERE to fill it out!

We recently had a prominent event operator state to us that the gap between independent, academy--type programs and those belonging to state associations is "getting real noticeable". He's right, and there doesn't appear to be any end in sight by these programs recruiting players off homegrown clubs.

There are two misnomers about programs such as those belonging to the EYBL Scholastic League and similar being much stronger than parochial schools and public schools. One, the best public school teams have been able to compete with parochial and independent clubs since the advent of mainstream team rankings in the 1980s. In fact, 12 special public schools teams have finished No. 1 in the FAB 50 and the lowest the best public season at the end of the season has ever been ranked is No. 10. Second, not everyone who plays for a full-time state association member school or a public school plays for their hometown team. Talented players are recruited and pushed to play at schools all over their region once it's obvious their talents can help a program win or they are good enough to play at the next level. That recruitment is not like what we're seeing in recent years when it comes to independent clubs playing for a FAB 50 title, but it has and does exist.

With that in mind, we take a look at the highest ranked public school team for each season in the FAB 50 era (1987-88 through the present). We are just taking a look at public schools, since in many states private and public schools are separated when it comes to competing for state titles. You might be surprised how close the best public school teams are to competing for a FAB 50 national title.

FAB 50 ERA

2024 -- Plano East (Plano, Texas)
Record: 40-0
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 4
Lowdown: The Panthers started out No. 14 in Southwest Regional Rankings, but exceeded expectations by capturing a University Interscholastic League (UIL) state title in the highest classification (Class 6A). Coach Matt Wester’s team steadily climbed in the rankings and turned heads with a 55-50 win over Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas) in the championship game of the long-running Whataburger Tournament. That was Stony Point’s only loss of the season until the two teams once again locked horns in the state title game at the The Alamodome in front of 8,812. Plano East was in control and posted a historic 53-41 victory over the then No. 6 ranked team in the FAB 50. D.J. Hall led the way for Plano East with 18 points, while Rachard Angton, a 5-foot-10 senior, came on the bench to score 13 crucial points.

2023 -- Duncanville (Texas)
Record: 28-1
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 3
Lowdown: It was another remarkable season for a program that finished as the University Interscholastic League’s (UIL) best for the fifth consecutive season after starting out at No. 8 in the FAB 50. Based on its on-court results, Duncanville captured the FAB 50 title in 2021-22, but the UIL later stripped the Panthers of their Class 6A state title after ruling forfeits of all games in which an ineligible player (eventual NBA draftee Anthony Black) participated in. Last November after the preseason rankings dropped, Duncanville opted out of participating in the 2022-23 UIL playoffs, but did go on to defeat eventual Class 6A champ and No. 8 Lake Highlands (Dallas, Texas), 53-52, in November. The only loss for a Panthers club that played tough out-of-state competition was a 62-50 setback to No. 30 West Linn (West Linn, Ore.) in the championship of the Les Schwab Invitational in what was essentially a road game. That loss likely cost the Panthers back-to-back FAB 50 crowns, even if this club was a shade below the 2021-22 juggernaut. McDonald’s All-American Ronald Holland, a two-time District 11-6A Player of the Year, Holland was a key cog in Duncanville’s rise to national prominence and the team went 123-6 in his four years on the varsity.

2022 -- Duncanville (Texas)
Record: 35-1
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 1
Lowdown: The Panthers began the season No. 7 and had aspirations to compete for the FAB 50 title after finishing as Texas' top-ranked team three years running. The team got its big chance when it faced No. 1 and defending FAB 50 champ Montverde Academy (Fla.) at Hoophall West in Phoenix after it moved up to No. 5. Duncanville battled back from a 21-8 deficit after one period to win the game at the buzzer, 67-66, on a 3-pointer by junior guard Aric Demings. At that point in the season, Duncanville had beaten six FAB 50 ranked foes in 10 games. The Panthers did lose in overtime by two points (60-58) to Richardson (Texas) and that team got as high as No. 7 in the FAB 50, but the Panthers never fell behind Montverde Academy in the rankings. Duncanville was behind No. 1 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) for the second half of the season, but when the Buffaloes were upset in the first round at GEICO Nationals and Montverde Academy went on to win the prestigious end-of-season tournament over five teams that were in the Top 10, it opened the door for the Panthers to re-gain the top position after the Richardson loss. In addition to Demings (9 ppg, 42 percent 3-point), junior forward Ashton Hardaway (9 ppg, 66 3-pointers), junior power forward Cam Barnes (6 ppg, 5 rpg, 53 percent FG) and senior forward Davion Sykes (9 ppg, 5 rpg) made first team all-district. McDonald's All-American Anthony Black (13 ppg, 58 percent FG, 5 rpg, 3.5 apg) was named District 11-6A Offensive Player of the Year and junior Ron Holland (15 ppg, 60 percent FG, 8 rpg, 2 spg) its overall player of the year.

2021 -- Camden (Camden, N.J.)
Record: 13-0
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 5
Lowdown: The High was highly-regarded in the preseason (No. 15) and ended up playing just enough games to move up from its preseason perch to finish in the top five. Perhaps Camden gets the benefit of the doubt as an unbeaten team, but finishing undefeated in a power state that has produced a plethora of FAB 50 ranked teams in recent years definitely helps in the final analysis. Led by National Sophomore Player of the Year D.J. Wagner, the Panthers have gone 42-1 the past two seasons, but Wagner will enter his junior campaign still seeking a coveted NJ Tournament of Champions crown after the 2019-20 season was cut short due to COVID-19 and there was no post-season in 2020-21.

2020 -- Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.)
Record: 30-1
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 10
Lowdown: The Cavaliers got plenty of ink in the preseason, starting out at No. 39, but they ended up being better than expected on their way to a fourth consecutive SCHSL Class 5A state crown. Dorman was creeping its way into contention for that coveted No. 2 FAB 50 spot after winning the Beach Ball Classic with a win over No. 33 St. John’s of Washington, D.C., but when the Cadets began dropping WCAC games after the New Year’s and dropping in the rankings, it made sense Dorman be behind the Oak Hill Academy of Virginia team it lost to, 63-52, earlier in the season. Dorman was selected to participate in GEICO Nationals, and even was going to host it after the COVID-19 Pandemic broke out in New York City, but eventually the event had to be cancelled altogether. Led by Butler-bound point guard Myles Tate and Clemson-bound forward P.J. Hall, Dorman not only became the first South Carolina team to capture the Beach Ball Classic since 1986, it tied the SCHSL modern era record of four straight state titles first set by Calhoun County in 2006-09.

2019 -- McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.)
Record: 32-0
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 2
Lowdown: The Indians completed a magical season with a GHSA Class 7A state crown, which eluded them the previous two seasons and prevented a high final ranking. McEachern, No. 16 in the preseason, defeated No. 41 Meadowcreek in the state final, 62-54, as point guard Sharife Cooper battled foul trouble to finish with 20 points, while Auburn-bound Isaac Okoro finished with 16 points, four rebounds and four assists. McEachern’s season included titles at the City of Palms Classic and the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, not to mention eight victories over FAB 50 ranked teams. The highest ranked team it ended up beating (No. 5 Mountain Brook by a 50-29 margin) was the one team that No. 1 IMG Academy lost to. That was a significant positive in McEachern’s resume, and at least one long-time poll did move the Indians up to No. 1 after GEICO Nationals even though it didn’t play, but it wasn’t enough for them to be elevated in the FAB 50. While IMG Academy defeated No. 3 La Lumiere and No. 4 Montverde Academy and No. 8 DeMatha Catholic, the next highest ranked team the Indians beat was No. 11 Sunrise Christian Academy. McEachern beat them in overtime, while IMG beat them 65-50

2018 -- Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.)
Record: 31-3
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 4
Lowdown: This was a team seriously considered for preseason No. 1, but started out No. 2 because our hunch that all the on-court breaks not going its way as it did in 2016-17, and potential off-court distractions with regards to eligibility rulings, having some affect proved to be correct. Despite James Wiseman and Ryan Boyce missing six games because of the TSSAA’s transfer eligibility ruling and Shelby County Schools filing a lawsuit on behalf of Memphis East against the TSSAA which allowed the duo to play after an appeal was denied, the Mustangs did win their third consecutive AAA state title and only lost to other FAB 50 ranked teams. The Mustangs recorded a key win over No. 6 Findlay Prep and advanced to the City of Palms Classic title game with wins over No. 8 Oak Ridge and No. 33 Simeon before losing to No. 2 University, 77-72.

2017 -- Nathan Hale (Seattle, Wash.)
Record: 29-0
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 1
Lowdown: The Raiders played above pre-season expectations and captured the WIAA Class 3A state title with an unbeaten mark. The mythical national crown came into focus after the Raiders defeated preseason No. 9 Sierra Canyon, 67-65, to win the Les Schwab Invitational when that team was battling for a legitimate shot at No. 1. By that point in the season, Hale had already defeated Metro League rivals Rainier Beach and Garfield (both of whom started out the season FAB 50-ranked) and went on to defeat Garfield four times, including 68-51 in the state title game.

grabbed 27 points and 17 rebounds and the Mcdonald's All-American Game MVP finished his senior season with averages of 37.6 ppg, 14.5 rpg, and 5.2 apg. The Raiders edged out La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) for top rankings billing in a decision that was heightened when Hale was invited but decided not to participate in Dick's Nationals, an end-of-season tournament the Lakers won over a field that included six other FAB 50-ranked teams.

Lonzo Ball

6'6"   -   PG   -   2016

2016 -- Chino Hills (Calif.)
Record: 35-0
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 1
Lowdown: The Huskies started out as California's No. 1 ranked team and No. 9 in the FAB 50, but a national title became in reach after the Huskies defeated preseason FAB 50 No. 1 and three-time defending champion Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) by a point in the quarterfinals of the City of Palms Tournament in Florida and went on to win that tourney title. After that, the Huskies won the Maxpreps Holiday Classic and defeated seven preseason ranked FAB 50 teams after New Year's, including No. 36 Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) 71-67 in one of California's most anticipated regular-season games ever. In the playoffs, the Huskies were even more dominant against the toughest playoff competition in California, defeating eight opponents by an average of 29 points in the CIF Southern Section and SoCal Open Division playoffs, including Bishop Montgomery 84-62. By finishing unbeaten with 35 wins, the Huskies tied the state record for most wins by an unbeaten team first set in 2013-14 by Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), according to Cal-Hi Sports. Led by UCLA-point

, Chino Hills averaged 98.5 points per game and tied a state record with 18 100-point games.

2015 -- Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.)
Record: 28-1
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 8
Lowdown: Unranked in the preseason, coach Melvin Randall's club made history as the first Broward County public school to win a FHSAA title with an unbeaten mark. Ely was then invited to Dick's Nationals and lost in the quarterfinals to No. 5 Findlay Prep, 63-50. The Class 7A champions defeated Osceola of Kissimmee in the state final, 72-60, with its big regular season win a 69-63 triumph over No. 15 Cardinal Gibbons of Ft. Lauderdale. Ely has won four state titles overall under Randall since 2007 and five overall.

2014 -- Arsenal Tech (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Record: 27-2
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 4
Lowdown: On the bubble in the preseason, the toughest decision for the final FAB 50 was which team to place in the No. 4 position. We didn’t want to move up previous No. 5 Whitney Young since that team still needed to be behind dropping previous No. 2 Rainier Beach. Previous No. 14 Findlay Prep also had too many losses but had to be in front of Rainier Beach. Tech was the logical choice. There were two in-state losses to Bowman Academy and Hamilton Southeastern, but those were overcome by winning the Class 4A state title. Tech also had three wins against teams that were in the Dick’s National tourney – two over Huntington Prep and one over La Lumiere. For Tech, Kentucky-bound McDonald’s All-American Trey Lyles led the way and already has been named Mr. Basketball for Indiana.

2013 -- Lone Peak (Highland, Utah)
Record: 26-1
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 4
Lowdown: It was evident coming into the season Lone Peak had a special team, but it turned into a one-in-a-lifetime type season for a small state program that began at No. 5 in the FAB 50. Lone Peak played a national schedule and breezed to its third consecutive Class 5A crown. The only team coach Quincy Lewis' club couldn't handle was No. 1 Montverde Academy (66-45) in the final of the City of Palms Tournament. Guard Nick Emery and center Eric Mika drew All-America acclaim and junior guard T.J. Haws will be in line for similar honors next season. Before this team came around, the highest ever ranking for an Utah team was No. 12 by Provo for the 1997-98 season.

2012 -- Chester (Pa.)
Record: 32-0
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 4
Lowdown: The Clippers repeated as Class AAAA state champion with a record eighth overall crown and took a win streak of 58 games into 2012-13. With three junior starters, including 6-foot-7 all-stater Rondae Jefferson, things look bright next season for the Eastern Pennsylvania power.

2011 -- Norcom (Portsmouth, Va.)
Record: 30-1
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 4
Lowdown: State Player of the Year and Virginia Tech recruit Dorian Finney-Smith sparked the Greyhounds to a second straight Group AAA state championship. They also avenged their lone loss to rival Booker T. Washington (Norfolk, Va.). Victims included FAB 50 No. 14 Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.).

2010 -- Yates (Houston, Texas)
Record: 34-0
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 1
Lowdown: En route to winning its own Class 4A state crown, coach Greg Wise's unit set a national record with 15 straight 100-point games and also established a new state record with 170 points in a single outing. Despite the high-scoring antics, Yates didn’t come close to having the best record of an unbeaten team from Houston that finished No. 1 in the nation. That total is 46-0 for Kashmere High, which the National Sports News Service (FAB 50 precursor) named the No. 1 team for 1974-75 in the end of the season poll. In this year’s Class 4A state final, the Lions swamped Lancaster, 92-73, and won their second straight title. They also extended their two-year winning streak to 58 games. A 97-96 victory over No. 2 Neumann-Goretti in the final game at the Iolani Classic in Hawaii wound up being the mythical national title decider. Key players for head coach Greg Wise’s team were senior Joseph Young (Providence), senior Brandon Peters (Western Kentucky) and senior Darius Gardner (Stephen F. Austin).

2009 -- Westchester (Los Angeles)
Record: 35-2
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 3
Lowdown: The Comets won their fifth CIF Division I championship since 1998 with a 49-31 victory over McClymonds (Oakland, Calif.). They have also finished ranked No. 1 in the state of California five times in that same time period. In 2004, they were the top-ranked team but unable to participate in the L.A. City Section playoffs. In 2003, Westchester won the Div. I state title, but finished No. 2 in the state behind Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.). This team, which began No. 27 in the preseason, will be dynamite in 2009-10 as it returns four starters, although dynamic point guard Dominique O'Connor must be replaced.

2008 -- North Crowley (Fort Worth, Texas)
Record: 38-1
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 3
Lowdown: The Panthers simply dominated Lone Star State foes after starting out the season unranked and losing to Hightower of Sugar Land, 56-50, in their fourth game of the season. The year culminated with 35 consecutive wins and a Class 5A state title courtesy of a seven-point win over No. 26 Dulles. Willie Warren, the Dallas Morning News Player of the Year, led the charge all season long and he came through in the clutch, scoring 15 fourth-quarter points and finishing with a game-high 27 in the state title game. The big win along the way was the 61-57 regional semifinal victory over No. 10 Duncanville, as Warren paced the victors with 17 points. The McDonald's All-American and EA SPORTS National Player of the Year candidate ended his season averaging 24.7 points per game.

2007 -- Huntington (W. Va.)
Record: 25-2
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 3
Lowdown: The Highlanders became the first West Virginia Class AAA team to win three straight state titles by winning three state tournament games by an average 48-point margin. With two McDonald's All-Americans in the lineup, 6-5 National Player of Year candidate O.J. Mayo, a USC recruit, and 6-8 Patrick Patterson, Huntington rolled over in-state competition by 42-point margins and defeated FAB 50 No. 10 Artesia, No. 34 DeMatha, and split with No. 17 Scott County with Mayo not playing in the win. The other loss was in overtime to No. 2 St. Patrick. Mayo, who scored 4,113 career points in six varsity seasons in three states, averaged 28.2 points and 7.2 assists a game. Patterson averaged 17.2 points, 11.9 rebounds and 4.2 blocked shots per game. This team started out at No. 8, but should have been higher as their talent level was once in a lifetime type for a public school program from West Virginia.

Greg Oden

7'0"   -   C   -   2006

2006 -- Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Record: 29-0
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 1
Lowdown: The Wildcats went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 ranked FAB 50 team and stamped itself among the legendary squads in the basketball-rich Hoosier State. Lawrence North became only the third state team to win three consecutive state crowns by capturing the Class 4A title with an 80-56 finals' romp over eight-time champion Muncie Central. The other two teams were Marion from 1985-87 and Franklin from 1920-22. The win streak of 45 games ties the state mark set by the Oscar Robertson-led Indianapolis teams of 1955-56 at Crispus Attucks. The average winning margin was 20.3 points and victims included Ohio Division II champion Dayton Dunbar, No. 19 in the FAB 50, and defending Illinois Class AA champion Glenbrook North, No. 30 in the FAB 50. Leading North were two four-year regulars, and Ohio State recruits, who helped teams compile a 103-7 record --

, the 7-foot consensus National Player of Year honoree, and guard

. Oden averaged 22 points, 10.5 rebounds and shot 74% from the floor. Conley averaged 16.5 points.

2005 -- Niagara Falls (Niagara Falls, N.Y.)
Record: 28-1
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 1
Lowdown: Our FAB 50 national championship nod to Niagara Falls is as much a nod to how strong New York teams were this year than any other factor. The Wolverines, coached by Dan Bazzani, won their first mythical national championship on the strength of titles at the City of Palms tourney in Florida and the New York Federation state playoff tourney. In Florida, Niagara Falls defeated FAB 50-ranked Arlington Country Day of Jacksonville, Fla., the Florida 2A state champion, and Raines of Jacksonville, a 4A power. On their way to the New York Federation championship, the Wolverines defeated FAB 50-ranked New Rochelle and regionally ranked John F. Kennedy and Xaverian. The only loss for the Wolverines was to FAB 50-ranked Vashon of St. Louis, 69-66, in OT. Leading the way for Niagara Falls was junior wing Paul Harris, arguably the nation’s best on-ball defender who scored 19 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists with a broken thumb on his shooting hand in the state title game. He averaged 19.7 points and 12.6 rebounds while sophomore point guard Johnny Flynn contributed 15.2 points, 5.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds.

2004 -- Milby (Houston)
Record: 39-0
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 2
Lowdown: The Buffaloes captured the state Class 5A title with a finals' victory over FAB 50 No. 10 Cedar Hill. They also defeated No. 11 Fairfax and No. 12 Montrose during the regular season after opening the season at No. 17. University of Arizona recruit and All-America honoree Jawaan McClellan led the way.

2003 -- Pike (Indianapolis)
Record: 29-0
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 2
Lowdown: The Red Devils sealed up the first unbeaten season in 18 years in the state's largest, or one-class, tournament with a 65-52 Class 4A title game win over 26-2 record Waterloo DeKalb. Junior Robert Vaden scored 21 points. It was Pike's third straight state final and fourth in six years. Pike is 79-7 the last three years and started out the season at No. 17. Like other good teams this season, Pike's accomplishments were dwarfed by was No. 1 St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) was able to accomplish nationally.

2002 -- Lincoln (Dallas, Texas)
Record: 40-0
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 1
Lowdown: The Tigers won the Class 4A title by routing nationally-ranked and defending champion Beaumont Ozen, 71-51, in the final. Lincoln, led by center Chris Bosh (Georgia Tech recruit) and Bryan Hopkins (Southern Methodist), went unscathed against a schedule that included three other FAB 50 teams besides Ozen. An early-season win over FAB 50 ranked Midwest City (Okla.) vaulted the Tigers into the rankings and they also recorded wins over No. 23 Fort Worth Dunbar and No. 24 Cedar Hill. Coach Leonard Bishop's club took over the No. 1 spot when defending national champion Oak Hill Academy suffered its only loss versus No. 28 Mater Dei in the Golden State.

2001 -- Willowridge (Sugar Land, Texas)
Record: 39-0
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 2
Lowdown: T.J. Ford (who signed with Texas) and Daniel Ewing (Duke) are just two of many Willowridge players who will go on to star at the college level. That talent also led to a UIL Class 5A state crown after expectations were high in the preseason with this team starting out No. 3. Willowridge capped an unbeaten season by beating Converse Judson, 67-64, in double overtime, and Bryan, 65-58, in the state final to capture the Texas Class 5A state title. Ford, a 6-foot point guard, averaged 12.0 ppg, 9.4 apg, and 7.8 spg. Ewing also earned All-American acclaim while 6-3 Kenny Taylor is headed to Baylor. The Eagles, who finished the season riding a 61-game winning streak, got it done inside with Andre Watson (6-7) and Curtis Walker (6-9).

Tyson Chandler

7'0"   -   PF   -   2001

2000 -- Dominguez (Compton, Calif.)
Record: 35-2
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 1
Lowdown: The Dons took over the No. 1 spot in the FAB 50 after a 60-47 victory in February over defending national champion Oak Hill Academy of Virginia. That 13-point victory avenged an earlier 54-50 loss to the Warriors at the Iolani Classic in Hawaii. The Dons' other loss was in their fourth game in overtime to No. 17 Clovis West of Fresno, which played in the California Div. I state final. They did not avenge that defeat, but beat No. 23 Artesia of Lakewood 72-63 in the finals of the Best of the West Tournament one day after the Pioneers defeated Clovis West in the semifinals, 72-47. The Dons capped their season by winning a fourth Division II state title in five years and finished with a 28-game win streak. The ringleader for Dominguez was 7-foot center Tyson Chandler, who dominated state and numerous national opponents as well with athletic play and shot-blocking ability. Chandler had 17 points and defended well in the return win over Oak Hill, which finished No. 2 in the FAB 50, and finished with game norms of 20.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.7 blocks and 3.2 assists while earning National Junior Player of the Year honors. Steve Moore and point guard Micah McKinney were other key players although McKinney missed the state tournament final with a broken hand.

National Prep Poll Era

1999 -- Dominguez (Compton, Calif.)
Record: 33-3
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 3
Lowdown: The Dons came to national prominence in 1993-94 by defeating Oak Hill Academy and this was the deepest and best defensive squad among school’s many fine teams of 1990s. Coach Russell Otis' club captured its third state Division II title in the last four years with a 72-59 victory over Grant of Sacramento. The Dons lost by only 64-60 to No. 1 Oak Hill Academy in a game that was tied late in fourth quarter after opening up the season No, 12 in the preseason. The team was led by Division II State Player of the Year Keith Kincade, senior guard Marcus Moore and super soph center Tyson Chandler.

1998 -- Miami Senior (Miami)
Record: 36-1
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 2
Lowdown: Seniors Udonis Haslem and Antonio Latimer, along with junior guard Steve Blake and sophomore Jernel Davila, led a club that opened at No. 9 in the FAB 50 and routed Edgewater of Orlando, 89-56, in the Class 6A state title game. The Stingarees have now won state Class 6A championship eight times in the last 12 years and 18 overall. The program also enters 1998-99 having won 65 of last 66 games and compiled 13 straight seasons with 30 or more victories. Coach Frank Martin's club only lost on-court to Provo, Utah at the Iolani Classic in Hawaii, but the team was later stripped of its Class 6A state crown for recruiting violations which basically brought an end to the Stingarees' dynasty.

1997 -- Manual (Peoria, Ill.)
Record: 31-1
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 1
Lowdown: The Illinois High School Association coined the phrase “March Madness” years ago, but this year the moniker really hit home as the Manual Rams has to survive – and win – three games within a 24-hour period to claim the mythical national title. Manual dropped an overtime game to Carver of Chicago in December and needed some divine intervention to set up a historic Class 2A semifinal showdown with Thornton on Harvey. Defending national champion St. Anthony’s of New Jersey was knocked off in overtime, 82-80, by Rice of New York after sophomore Kenny Satterfield drained a 17-footer to send the game into overtime. St. John’s Prospect Hall of Maryland was then moved up to No. 1, but the next weekend they were stunned by St. Francis of Baltimore, 75-74, at the Charm City Classic as All-American pivot Mark Karcher swished a 25-footer with 2.9 seconds left. Manual was in position to claim the mythical national title after that as it beat Chicago Public League champ Whitney Young in the quarterfinals, although a shoulder injury to emotional leader Sergio McClain put a scare in Rams’ fans. In the titanic meeting with No. 14 Thornton before 11,522 fans, the Rams fell behind 18-4, but junior Frank Williams got them back in the game and Manual led 29-26 at halftime. Thornton then took a 37-29 lead but an injured McClain led a 20-0 charge and his team took a 49-37 lead. Amazingly, Thornton made one last push before falling, 65-62. The Rams then beat West Aurora 47-41 in the final, their 24 consecutive victory and 32nd consecutive playoff win that secured an unprecedented fourth straight Class AA state title. In addition to McClain and Williams, McDonald’s All-American center Marcus Griffin contributed to the team’s historic run.

1996 -- Dominguez (Compton, Calif.)
Record: 34-2
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 2
Lowdown: This team eventually captured the state Division II crown with a 65-49 victory over Walnut Creek of Northgate after being shocked in the 1995 final by St. Francis of Mountain View. which will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest upsets in state playoff history. The Dons, which opened up at No. 5 in the FAB 50, got off to a slow start because of its standouts who played on a talented football team, but they ended the season with 31 straight wins. Led by junior point guard Kenny Brunner, and Grid-Hoop stud Jason Thomas, a sophomore named D2 state Player of the Year, the Dons could be even better in 1996-97 and are a shoo-in to start out preseason No. 1.

1995 -- East Central (San Antonio)
Record: 35-0
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 5
Lowdown: The Hornets were expected to be terrific and they were, starting out No. 18 in the National Prep Poll (FAB 50 precursor) and ending the season with a UIL Class 5A state title courtesy of a 108-86 victory over Dallas (Carter). For a program located east of San Antonio in China Grove, it was a historic run as East Central routinely hit triple digits, including a 107-94 semifinal victory over El Paso Riverside, and suffocated teams defensively. Guards Stanley Bonewitz Jr. and Chaz Jackson led the way from the backcourt and Bonewitz, the coach's son, went bonkers in the state title game, hitting 4-of-6 3-pointers and finishing with 36 points. The Hornets' tallest player was 6-foot-3.

1994 -- Crenshaw (Los Angeles)?
Record: 29-2
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 2
Lowdown: This team is considered the best of the eight Shaw clubs that captured CIF D1 state crowns. Keep in mind the 1987-88 club that spent most of the season ranked No. 1 in the country didn't win the state crown after the 1971-72 club came during in a time when there was no CIF State playoffs and was not allowed to play in the post-season that year. This Wille West-coached club had talent at each of the five traditional positions after “Tank” Davis came over from L.A. Fremont to take over the point guard duties. This club won its second straight D1 state crown even after center Leon Watson missed some games after injuring his shoulder while breaking a glass backboard at the Thousand Oaks Tournament. The team didn’t miss a beat with the junior Ronnie “Pooh” Arch inserted into the lineup. The Shaw opened up No. 1 in the nation after Kevin Garnett didn’t enroll at Oak Hill Academy and a decision by West to bench 1993 L.A. City Player of the Year Kris Johnson at the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina likely cost the Cougars the national title after the team won the City of Palms Tournament in Florida. Johnson was suspended for drinking an extra soda without permission and without him Crenshaw lost in the Beach Ball semifinals with the second loss coming the next night in a third place consolation contest. Behind Johnson and Tremaine Fowlkes, the 1994 L.A. City City Player of the Year, Crenshaw defeated Mater Dei when it was in position to climb to No. 1 in the national rankings, 71-67, in the SoCal D1 final.

1993 -- Simon Gratz (Philadelphia)
Record: 31-0
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 2
Lowdown: The Philly Public League champions started out No. 2 and finished No. 2 behind wire-to-wire No. 1 Oak Hill Academy of Virginia, which went 36-0 and arguably fielded its best team ever and one of the best independent clubs in U.S. high school history. Oak Hill finished No. 3 in USA Today’s Super 25 with coach Bill Ellerbee's club at No. 1. The third dominant club this season was Chicago King, which also finished unbeaten (32-0), as none of the three clubs were able to face each other. Gratz was led by Mr. Basketball USA Rasheed Wallace and was named the third best team all-time in city history by the Daily News. Simon Gratz captured the Beach Ball Classic with a 50-47 win over Shawnee (N.J.) and defeated teams from seven states, including national power DeMatha Catholic of Maryland. This team strength was its size and depth, but the backcourt contributions of junior Shawn "Reds" Smith and sophomore Terrell Stokes cannot be overstated.

1992 -- Dunbar (Baltimore, Md.)
Record: 29-0
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 1
Lowdown: The Poets went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team and finished the season riding a 52-game winning steak against some of the finest competition in the nation. Considering No. 2 Oak Hill Academy finished with two losses, including one to the Poets, there’s no question this Dunbar team is one of the best public school teams we ever evaluated. Coach Pete Pompey's unit will always be judged against the Poets’ legendary 1983 unit, the club most veteran observers feel is the best high school team of the modern era. "With the '92 team, it was almost like 'now it's my turn to take over the game' with each of the players," explained Sam Davis of the Baltimore Sun, who followed both teams on the prep beat and traveled to see them play in showcase games. This year’s Poets faced tougher competition overall than the 1983 unit as they won a tournament in Erie, Pennsylvania, played at the KMOX Shootout in St. Louis and also played at the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Dunbar defeated No. 12 Simon Gratz of Philadelphia in the Beach Ball finals after Gratz had defeated No. 7 St. Joseph’s of Alameda, California in the semifinals, 60-53. Jason Kidd and company from St. Joseph’s were edged in the finals of the Great Florida Shootout by St. Raymond’s of the Bronx, but that New York club was no match for Dunbar as they beat the New Yorkers, 93-82, in the semifinals of the Charm City Classic. In finals, Pompey’s club beat No. 14 St. Anthony’s of New Jersey and also embarrassed highly regarded Vashon, 75-49, in front of that school's hometown fans at the KMOX Shootout. Leading the way for Dunbar was a pair of McDonald All-Americans in 6-foot-6 Donta Bright, the National Sophomore of the Year in 1990, and 6-foot-2 Michael Lloyd. Six-foot-6 junior Keith Booth will likely play in the McDonald’s game next year and the play of unsung hero Cyrus Jones was a main reason Dunbar was able to survive its moments of individualism.

1991 -- Simon Gratz (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Record: 27-1
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 1
Lowdown: The Bulldogs of coach Bill Ellerbee repeated as the Public League champion with a 47-43 victory over Franklin Learning Center at the Civic Center. A year earlier, Gratz had rolled past Franklin LC, 80-60, as then 6-foot-8 freshman Rasheed Wallace scored 23 points in the easy win. Gratz didn’t seal the win this year, however, until second team all-city guard Levan Alston (11.4 ppg.) sealed the game with two free throws after no-nonsense post presence Wilfred Kirkaldy drew an offensive foul on FLC's Faron "Meatball" Hand with eight seconds left. Alston and National Sophomore of the Year Wallace (13.8 ppg.) were the double-digit scorers in a balanced starting lineup that included forward Andre Griffin, center Calvin Wingfield and junior guard Contrell Scott. No. 4 Oak Hill Academy handed Gratz its only loss, 67-59, in the semifinals of the Great Florida Shootout. The Bulldogs, however, won the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina with a 44-40 victory over St. Joseph’s of Cleveland and were able to move back in front of the Warriors in the polls after Oak Hill suffered an uncharacteristic 28-point loss to a Robert Hughes-coached club at Dunbar of Fort Worth, Texas. Another public school club, Detroit Southwestern was No. 1 by USA Today at 26-1.

1990 -- King (Chicago, Ill.)
Record: 32-0
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 1
Lowdown: This Chicago Public League power coached by Sonny Cox opened up the season as the National Prep Poll's and USA Today's No. 1 ranked team. King then went wire-to-wire as the nation's top team and won the Illinois Class AA state title with a 65-55 victory over cross-town Gordon Tech. In the first all-city final in state tournament history, 6-foot-4 McDonald’s All-American Jamie Brandon netted 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while bruising 6-foot-6 forward Johnny Selvie added 17 points and 11 rebounds. Selvie was a four-year starter as was Brandon, who ended his career with 3,174 points, second on the state's all-time career scoring list and was called the, “Money player every truly great team has,'' by veteran talent scout Bob Gibbons. Although the Jaguars played down to the competition at times, they indeed faced tough teams in the public league and during the Windy City Classic while remaining undefeated despite the distractions of Selvie’s arrest on drug charges. The IHSA also made King forfeit 13 games for using an ineligible player, a ruling that was overturned after an appeal by King. Cox had a senior-oriented team, as five of the top six players were seniors, including Brandon, Selvie, 6-foot-3 guard Ahmad Shareef, 5-foot-10 Fred Sculfield and top sub Damian Porter, a 6-foot-10 center. Sculfield backed up 6-foot-11 Rashard Griffith, the National Freshman of the Year who is expected to help keep King in the national rankings picture over the next three years.

1989 -- Miami Senior (Miami)
Record: 35-1
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 2
Lowdown: The FHSAA Class 4A champion lost only to FAB 50 No. 1 St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), 68-55, in the title game of the 8th annual Great Florida shootout at Osceola High School. Coach Marcos "Shakey" Rodriguez's deep club was led by forwards Douglas Edwards and Gimel Martinez. While this team was considered the nation's second best, Edwards was widely considered the No. 2 recruit in the country behind point guard Kenny Anderson of New York City.

1988 -- Patrick Henry (Roanoke, Va.)
Record: 30-1
Final FAB 50 Rank: No. 3
Lowdown: This team started off unranked, but finished third in the first ever weekly National Prep Poll behind No. 2 St. Anthony's of New Jersey and national champ Tolentine (Bronx, N.Y.). The Patriots won a competitive Arby's Classic in Bristol, Tenn., and went on to capture the Group AAA state championship. Led by junior forward George Lynch, Patrick Henry dispatched Lee, 54-47, as Lynch, Curtis Blair and Melvin Davis each scored 12 points for a club that won its final 21 games of the season. Henry's ranking was solidified when all four Arby Classis semifinalists went on to capture state titles.

Note: The FAB?50 National Team Rankings?powered by www.ebooksnet.com?is a continuation of the?National Sports News Service?ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and they were compiled by the late?Art Johlfs?of Minnesota. They were compiled for many years by the late?Barry Sollenberger?of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 for the 1999-2000 season. The FAB 50 is the longest-running weekly national rankings.

The post FAB 50: Public School No. 1s appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

RELATED: 2024-25 Preseason FAB 50 Questionnaire - CLICK HERE to fill it out!

When it comes to the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com, we actually compile them based on what happens on the court and weigh the results. It's not just about who has the most recruitable players or who is playing on television; it's about building a team's resume to a certain point and then maintaining that level based on the on-court results.

Here are three simple steps you can take to give your team the best chance to get ranked this upcoming 2024-25 season:

Give Your Team A Chance

1. Let Us Know About Your Team
It's never too early to let us know you have a good team. In fact, we are starting to gather team info for the 2024-25 season right now. Coaches, please completely fill out the preseason FAB 50 questionnaire. CLICK HERE to go to the form. The more info we have on your team, the better!

2. Compile and Promote Relevant Team Info
Once in a while a coach or team director will reach out to us about being ranked. Our response is usually, "send me your roster and your stats." You'd be surprised by how many do not have the basics for their team. A functional website is great and the best, but if that's not possible, an up-to-date social media handle with all the results and stats does the trick, too. Some schools are terrific at getting out information and others are not so good. It's Ballislife's job to seek information and know the teams, but with so many teams out there and so much competition to be ranked, it's only common sense to want to help make that task easier since recognition for the players is what it's all about.

3. Be Honest and Consistent
There are programs that hit us up every year to let us know about their team, even if it's not good enough to be nationally or regionally ranked. We appreciate that. Sometimes, we know if a team is expected to be really good because the coach will reach out early and often. And then there are those that embellish the truth or exaggerate. We know some are just trying to get their team out there, but being dis-honest usually comes back around and after doing rankings for so many years, we have a good idea when information about a team or player is not accurate. High school stats are not common (especially since the newspaper industry no longer has the staff to publish them) so getting accurate info from a third party source is not as easy as it was 20 years ago. In press releases for college signings, high school stats are not referenced as much as they were 15 years ago. That info is still relevant and is actually helpful to evaluate players for the next level.

Reaching out early in the preseason is a great step. Below are eight ways your team can get ranked, whether you reach out or not, when the games start and results begin to pour in.

How Your Team Can Get Ranked

1. Play the Strongest Schedule Possible.
Teams that desire to be ranked in the FAB 50 play competitive schedules, including tournaments or showcases with opponents that are good enough to be ranked, too. The adage "If you want to be the best, beat the best" holds true.

2. Defeat a FAB 50-Ranked Team.
Upsets are common in boys' hoops, but beating a ranked team -- especially a winning team with a good track record -- can make a huge statement.

3. Own Significant Head-to-Head Victories.
These results carry weight among FAB 50 editors. A non-ranked team has a strong argument if it defeats a ranked team -- or previously ranked team. Sometimes in basketball, there are "fluke" wins, where a non-ranked team upsets a highly-ranked team, then goes back to playing at the level it previously was at. That's why a pattern of success or winning a tournament with multiple FAB 50-ranked teams is a sure way to move?up or into the rankings.

4. Earn a High Ranking in Your State or Region.
The FAB 50 takes into consideration credible state rankings. If a team wants to be nationally ranked, it should consistently show up in state or local rankings.

5. Root For Your Rivals.
If an opponent you've defeated beats other highly ranked teams during its season, it bodes well and makes a great case for you team to move up in the rankings.

6. Come From one of the Traditional Hoops Hotbeds.
A successful program’s location in a traditional hotbed for boys' basketball such as New York City, Philadelphia, Southern California, or Chicago certainly doesn't hurt its chances to be ranked. This category has expanded and contracted over the years. For instance, high school basketball in Texas once lagged behind spring football. Not anymore. Phoenix is quickly becoming a great place for college coaches to find players.

7. Dominate a Non-Power State.
Plenty of ranked teams fit into this category. That is why teams with extended and dominant in-state successes make the cut. They've earned their spot by setting standards in those states (multiple state title streaks, record victory streaks, etc.).

8. Have a Top Recruit on Your Team.
"Wait a minute,"?you might say.?"I thought the FAB 50 rankings were based on game results, not player rankings." That is true, the FAB 50 is based on game results. But with the explosion of national events, holiday tournaments and intersectional competition, boys' basketball has the most solid foundation to rank teams among the high school sports. That relates to individual talent because in basketball, one player can make a big difference. Having a player near the top of the 247Sports, Rivals.com, Scouts.com, ESPN.com or Hoop Scoop player rankings increases the likelihood of being invited to a tournament or showcase. That’s where the opportunity to defeat another ranked team lies.

FAB 50 Basketball Policy:?We do not rank teams with players on the roster that have completed eight semesters of high school i.e. 5th-year players. We do not rank programs that don't follow age cutoff guidelines of the state association in which the program resides or the recommended date outlined by the NFHS ?(19 before September 1). Programs also must be recognized by a high school athletics governing body or be an associate member of a state association. Generally, programs must be allowed to play members schools of the state association in which the program resides and, outside of recruiting, follow all other rules of the high school governing body in that particular state. If coaches intentionally provide false or misleading information about his/her program, it automatically disqualifies that particular program from inclusion in the FAB 50 this year and each subsequent year.

2023-24 Preseason FAB 50 Questionnaire: CLICK HERE to fill it out!

FAB 50 Basketball Policy:?We do not rank teams with players on the roster that have completed eight semesters of high school i.e. 5th-year players. We do not rank programs that don't follow age cutoff guidelines of the state association in which the program resides or the recommended date outlined by the NFHS ?(19 before September 1). Programs also must be recognized by a high school athletics governing body or be an associate member of a state association. Generally, programs must be allowed to play members schools of the state association in which the program resides and, outside of recruiting, follow all other rules of the high school governing body in that particular state. If coaches intentionally provide false or misleading information about his/her program, it automatically disqualifies that particular program from inclusion in the FAB 50 this year and each subsequent year.

The post Let Us Know About Your Team! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Compiled by Ronnie Flores

(Preseason ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included.)

RELATED: ?? | The Future Of Big-Time HS Basketball?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria?| Ballislife Podcast Network?|?How To Create A High School March Madness?| History of High School Team Rankings |?All-Time No. 1's | Final East Top 20??| Final Southeast Top 20??| Final Midwest Top 20?| Final Southwest Top 20 | Final West Top 20??| ?2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA | 2023-24 Underclass POYs | Final 2022-23 FAB 50 | Final 2021-22 FAB 50 | Final 2020-21 FAB 50 | Final 2019-20 FAB 50 |?Final 2018-19 FAB 50 | Final 2017-18 FAB 50 | Final 2016-17 FAB 50 | Final 2015-16 FAB 50 | Final 2014-15 FAB 50 | Final 2013-14 FAB 50 | Final 2012-13 FAB 50

1. (1) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 33-0
This team made history for a variety of reasons, as it became the third team under coach Kevin Boyle (344-26 at MVA, 854-158 overall) to claim a FAB 50 title with an unbeaten record. The 2020 team didn’t get an opportunity to compete in Chipotle Nationals because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but this year’s team was able to match the 2018 team by going wire-to-wire as the FAB 50 No. 1 team. The 2021 MVA team also went wire-to-wire No. 1 but was not unbeaten. The Eagles closed out their season with a Chipotle Nationals crown, courtesy of a 79-63 win over No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) in the championship game, their second victory over that same club. Curtis Givens came off the bench to nail 6-of-9 3-pointers and score 24 points while All-Americans Cooper Flagg and Derik Queen added 16 and 19 points, respectively, as the program upped its record to 29-6 all-time at the end-of-season tournament. Between those three players, there was only nine shots missed while Flagg (16.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.7 bpg, 1.6 spg) blocked six shots. Flagg averaged 20.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg in three Chipotle Nationals victories, as the Eagles recorded a whopping 24 victories over teams that were FAB 50 ranked at some point during the 2023-24 season. Queen was the Eagles’ leading scorer (16.4 ppg) and shot 68.3 percent from the field while attempting only three 3-pointers, as this club had uncanny balance and thrived by taking quality shots from the field. Montverde Academy’s other three starters averaged double figures for a team that played as tough a schedule as any MVA team ever and only had three games decided by single-digits. For its dominance, this club will ultimately be compared to its 2020 unit and by living up to expectations was able to claim the program’s seventh Chipotle Nationals crown and seventh No. 1 FAB 50 crown. The No. 1 finish means MVA ties Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) for the most all-time FAB 50 national titles. Regardless of where it stands on the list of most dominant teams the program has ever produced, it will be remembered for playing up to expectations against one of the toughest schedules ever seen among FAB 50 ranked teams.

2. (3) Columbus (Miami, Fla.) 28-5
Similar to No. 3 Paul VI and No. 5 Long Island Lutheran, the Explorers lost to No. 1 Montverde Academy twice, but are able to finish one spot ahead of Paul VI because of their 70-61 victory over the Panthers at the Spalding Hoophall Classic. Columbus lost to Montverde Academy in the semifinals of Chipotle Nationals after falling behind big just as it did in its first matchup with the eventual FAB 50 champions. Junior Cameron Boozer finished with 29 points and seven rebounds in Columbus’ final game of the season and was remarkably consistent throughout the year for a team that lived up to expectations, averaging 22.2 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 2.7 apg and 2.1 bpg. Columbus qualified for Chipotle Nationals by defeating No. 15 Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) in overtime, 72-67, in the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 7A championship game. Boozer’s slam dunk with five seconds remaining sent the game into overtime and he finished it with 24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Columbus also got strong seasons from Cam’s brother, Cayden Boozer (12.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 7.6 apg) and Michigan St.-bound Jase Richardson (15.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.3 spg). In addition to defeating No. 3 Paul VI, the Explorers also downed No. 4 No. 4 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.), No. 6 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) and No. 8 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.), the latter in the title game of the Les Schwab Invitational in Portland, Ore.

3. (5) Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) 35-3?
As the season came to a close, the big ranking decision involved placing the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) champs at No. 2 or leaving them behind Columbus of Florida, which lost in Chipotle Nationals semifinals to the same Montverde Academy team the Panthers fell to in the event’s title game, 79-63. The Panthers did have two fewer losses than the Explorers, but MVA’s victory margins over Paul VI in comparison to the margins vs. Columbus are in similar range that a rankings flip to go against a head-to-head result (Columbus defeated Paul VI) was unwarranted. Although that decision was a close call, what cannot be disputed was the expectation for Paul VI to be in the thick of the FAB 50 title race for the second consecutive season and being able to live up to that. Although this year’s club wasn’t able to ascent to the No. 1 spot as the 2022-23 club did, coach Glen Farello’s club was able to capture its second WCAC title in there years with a 63-51 win over No. 30 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) at American University. Duke-bound Darren Harris, the WCAC MVP, led the way with 20 points and seven rebounds. Harris (17.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.0 spg) scored 36 points in Paul VI’s first round win at Chipotle Nationals over No. 17 IMG Academy (101-89), netted 20 points in the semifinal victory over No. 7 Link Academy (58-44) and averaged 24.0 ppg in three games at the event. Also playing key roles on a deep team that won its third consecutive VISAA D1 state crown and finished 15-0 in WCAC regular and tourney play were sophomore guard Jordan Smith Jr., a third team All-Met selection by the Washington Post, and honorable mention choice Isaiah Abraham, a senior forward. An unbeaten WCAC run like Paul VI’s last occurred in 2011-12 when the Panthers finished No. 12 in the FAB 50.

4. (BB) Plano East (Plano, Texas) 40-0
The Panthers were the definition of team, and check in as the highest rated public school team for 2023-24. Plano East started out No. 14 in Southwest Regional Rankings, but exceeded expectations by capturing a University Interscholastic League (UIL) state title in the highest classification (Class 6A). Coach Matt Wester’s team steadily climbed in the rankings and turned heads with a 55-50 win over Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas) in the championship game of the long-running Whataburger Tournament. That was Stony Point’s only loss of the season until the two teams once again locked horns in the state title game at the The Alamodome in front of 8,812. Plano East was in control and posted a historic 53-41 victory over the then No. 6 ranked team in the FAB 50. D.J. Hall led the way for Plano East with 18 points, while Rachard Angton, a 5-foot-10 senior, came on the bench to score 13 crucial points. Stony Point led by two points early in the game momentarily, as Plano East not only won its first UIL state crown, but the first state title in school history in any sport. Hall (15.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg) was named Class 6A Tourney MVP and TABC all-state, while Jordan Mizell, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, was a TABC all-Region 1 choice.

5. (4) Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 21-5?
The Crusaders were expected to challenge Montverde Academy for the EYBL Scholastic (formerly NIBC) League title and they played up to par all season long. They finished 10-2 in league play, losing once to the top-ranked Eagles and dropping a game to No. 16 AZ Compass Prep. LuHi was able to overcome that loss with two victories over No. 6 Link Academy, a win over No. 17 IMG Academy and one over No. 19 Don Bosco Prep. LuHi qualified for Chipotle Nationals, where it saw its season come to an end with a 71-58 setback to No. 2 Columbus in the quarterfinals. Leading the way for coach John Buck’s successful program for the second consecutive season was Baylor-bound shooting guard V.J. Edgecomb (17.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, 2.3 spg), who made many big plays on both sides of the ball and was named all-league for the second consecutive year. Also putting forth a terrific season was junior point guard Kayden Mingo, a third team all-EYBL Scholastic choice. Mingo averaged 15.2 ppg in league play for a team whose four of its five losses were to the two top-ranked teams in the country.

6. (2) Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) 26-7?
After capturing the 2023 FAB 50 national crown in only its second season eligible for the national rankings, Link Academy was expected to be a main challenger to Montverde Academy for a chance at back-to-back No. 1 finishes. That didn’t materialize, although the Lions had only one loss that can be pointed to that was to a team out of their rankings range. That was a loss in EYBL Scholastic play to No. 34 Brewster Academy, as Link Academy fell twice to No. 5 Long Island Lutheran and to No. 3 Paul VI. Coach Billy Armstrong’s club was able to avenge its regular season loss to No. 7 Prolific Prep with a 80-76 double overtime victory in the opening round of Chipotle Nationals before falling in the semifinals to Paul VI, 58-44. Link Academy, which finished in third place in the EYBL Scholastic standings one game behind (9-3) No. 5 Long Island Lutheran, were led by All-American and first team all-league choice Tre Johnson. The Texas-bound shooting guard averaged 15.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 3.6 apg. Alabama-bound guard Jasper Johnson earned third team all-league honors while averaging 11.9 ppg, while LaBaron Philon, also bound for Alabama, scored 24 points in the avenging win over Prolific Prep and sported norms of 10.0 ppg and a team-high 4.3 apg.

7. (6) Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) 31-6
The Crew played right in the range expected of them in the preseason and earned a Chipotle Nationals berth for the fifth consecutive season. On a team built to challenge for the FAB 50 title, the big problem was health, as the team went 13-0 heading into Chipotle Nationals with its top seven players healthy. In the first game of the season for sophomore forward Tyran Stokes, The Crew upped their record to 9-1 with a 77-76 win over Link Academy when that club was No. 2 in the FAB 50. In the rematch with all top seven players available, Prolific Prep fell in double overtime, 80-76. There were three McDonald’s All-Americans on the team (Washington-bound point guard Zoom Diallo, Alabama-bound forward Derrion Reid and Alabama-bound center Aidan Sherrell), but the top player was junior A.J,. Dybansta. He helped Prolific Prep win its second consecutive Grind Session regular season and tourney title by finishing with team highs in points (21.2 ppg) and rebounds (9.4 rpg), while adding 3.5 apg.

8. (11) Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) 33-3
The Wolverines lived up to expectations and then some, as No. 2 Columbus was the only team it didn’t beat on a tough schedule, falling to the Explorers on a controversial call in the waning moments of the Les Schwab Invitational championship game, 55-54. Coach Dave Rebibo’s club lost back-to-back Mission League games the same week after a MLK Monday victory over No. 24 McEachern, but the Wolverines avenged those losses by beating Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) by four points in the Mission League Tournament semifinals and by defeating Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 72-38, in the CIF Southern Section open playoffs. By going on to defeat No. 13 Roosevelt in the CIFSS open title game and CIF open final, Harvard-Westlake became the first team since Sierra Canyon in 2019-20 to start as preseason No. 1 in California and officially finish as the Cal-Hi Sports State Team of the Year. It was a preseason goal of Harvard-Westlake to win both section and state open crowns, after winning only at the state level in 2022-23 and behind the play of Trent Perry, basically refused to lose down the stretch. The McDonald’s All-American closed his senior strong, scoring 42 points in Harvard-Westlake’s 73-72 SoCal open semifinal win over Carlsbad (Calif.), netting 28 points in a come-from-behind win over Roosevelt in the SoCal open final, and scoring the last six points of the game and coming up with a clutch steal down the stretch in a 17-point performance in a 50-45 win over No. 32 Salesian in the CIF open title game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Senior Robert Hinton and junior Nik Khamenia also stepped up in the playoffs with the team’s role players knowing exactly what was expected of them.

9. (NR) Fishers (Fishers, Ind.) 29-1
The Tigers didn’t crack the preseason Midwest regional rankings, but served notice they were a force to be reckoned with by defeating preseason No. 8 Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.), 74-61, and preseason No. 3 Kokomo (Ind.), 77-55, early in the season. Ben Davis was the defending Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Class 4A state champs and Kokomo the defending runner-up, but Fishers proved to be the class of the Hoosier field in 2023-24. Fishers avenged its only loss to Carmel (Ind.) with a 54-41 victory and beat Kokomo once again in the IHSAA Class 4A playoffs. Coach Garrett Winegar’s club went on to face Ben Davis for a second time in the Class 4A state final and with the stakes at their highest, came away with a 65-56 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The defending champions led Fishers heading into the final period, 48-47, but the Tigers scored the first six points of the final period to take control of the game. Fishers junior guard JonAnthony Hall and senior forward Keenan Gardner led the way down the stretch, as Hall finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds while Gardner had 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Garner, a 6-foot-6 senior bound for IUPUI, was the ringleader all-season long and was named to the first team A.P. all-state team. Taden Metzger, a 6-foot-2 senior guard who scored 10 points in the state title game, and Hall, a Grid-Hoop standout, were honorable mention choices. Ben Davis was coming off a 33-0 season in which it finished ranked No. 4 and had the Tigers not dropped the one contest, it would have finished in that range, too.

10. (NR) Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.) 30-0
Another team we didn’t have on our preseason Midwest Region radar was the Vikings, who ran roughshod through their Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) competition en route to a D2 state crown. Wisconsin Lutheran was able to defeat preseason FAB 50 No. 17 De Pere, 70-68, during the regular season to snap that team’s 42-game winning streak, as Duke-bound Kon Knueppel racked up 38 points in the big win. De Pere was the defending D1 state champs and the Vikings went on to defeat three-time defending D2 state champ Pewaukee three times during the season, including a 83-62 victory in the D2 state title game. Pewaukee came into that contest a FAB 50 bubble club, but was no match for Wisconsin Lutheran as Knueppel shared the sugar with 11 points and 11 assists. In the state semifinals, Wisconsin Lutheran downed Nicolet (Glendale, Wis.), 56-54, on a lay-up right before the buzzer by junior Alex Greene (7.6 ppg) off a pretty feed from sophomore Zavier Zens (9.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.7 apg). Knueppel (25.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 5.3 apg) was named WBCA state Mr. Basketball and was a three-time all-state choice, while senior Logan Rindfleisch, a 6-foot-5 wing headed to UW-Oshkosh, also earned all-state mention while averaging 13.9 ppg.

?11. (BB) Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas) 38-2?
This team had a season to be proud of even though the results came up one game short of their desired goal of a UIL Class 6A state crown. Similar to eventual champ Plano East, Stony Point started a bit too low in our regional rankings forecast at No. 12 in the Southwest (two spots higher than the Panthers), but steadily climbed after rebounding from its 55-50 loss to Plano East in the Whataburger Tourney title game. Stony Point’s big win in the postseason came in the regional semifinals when it defeated preseason FAB 50 No. 30 Brennan (San Antonio, Texas), 69-68, and secured a high FAB 50 ranking with its 54-46 state semifinal victory over No. 48 Beaumont United. Stony Point had a chance to avenge its only loss in the highly-anticipated final but came up short, 53-41. Josiah Moseley was Stony Point’s only double-digit scorer in the game, finishing with 18 points, 12 rebounds and four assists for a club that was outscored in each quarter. The Villanova-bound Moseley (22.8 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.8 bpg) earned second team All-American Elite team honors and was a TABC all-state choice, while junior Uzziah Bunton (12.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 5.1 apg, 1.8 spg) and senior Junior Goodlet (10.9 ppg) were named TABC all-Region 4.

12. (BB) Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.) 33-0
In 2022-23, the Vikings began as the No. 2 North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) team in our Southeast Region pecking order behind Myers Park of Charlotte, but ended up as the state’s best team. This season, Central Cabarrus actually opened up at No. 18 in the Southeast Regional Rankings behind NCHSAA schools Myers Park and Chambers of Charlotte, but exceeded expectations en route to a second consecutive Class 3A state title. Central Cabarrus did have some key graduation losses, but coach Jim Baker’s club was able to run the table for the second consecutive season, downing 71st of Fayetteville, 90-62, in the state title game. Lees-McRae commit Desmond Kent Jr. (19.8 ppg, 9.0 rpg) had 20 points in the first half and added nine rebounds, five steals, two assists and two blocks, while senior forward Josh Dalton (15.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg) scored a game-high 22 points. The Vikings also recorded a key semifinal win by downing previously unbeaten Hickory (N.C.), 87-78, as Kent went for 25 points. Baker had three other double-digit scorers at his disposal in junior Emari Russell (10.3 ppg), and Catawba College-bound twin brothers Carson Daniel (11.7 ppg, 8.1 apg, 4.5 spg) and Chase Daniel (11.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 7.2 apg, 3.2 spg). With their success the past two seasons, the Vikings enter 2024-25 with the nation’s longest winning streak at 65 games. The program has won 95 of its last 96 contests.

13. (44) Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) 31-4
It was a successful season for Mustangs coach Steve Singleton, who coached Roosevelt to a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) D1 state title in 2017 and a Tyson Chandler-led Dominguez (Compton, Calif.) team to a D2 state title and No. 17 FAB 50 ranking. Despite not winning a section or state title, this team is actually ranked higher than that Dominguez club led by a 7-footer a few months from being the No. 2 pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. Roosevelt fell to No. 8 Harvard-Westlake in both the CIFSS open title game and SoCal D1 title game and split with the other two teams it lost two, including Big VIII League rival Centennial (Corona,. Calif.). In the preseason, we knew Roosevelt was going to be dynamic with the eligibility of junior guards Brayden Burries and Isaac Williamson restored after sitting out the 2022-23 season, but the Mustangs were even better than expected, as they beat Centennial in the league title game and avenged the loss to JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) with a 64-51 victory in CIFSS open pool play. With Burries (24.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.5 apg and 2.7) and Williamson back next season along with point guard Myles Walker and glue player Dom Copenhagen, this team should begin next season much higher than its 2023-24 preseason spot.

14. (BB) St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.) 29-2
After advancing to the NJSIAA Non-Public Group B title game in 2022-23, we got tipped off the Purple Roses would be terrific in 2023-24 by an event operator, and he turned out to be spot on. St. Rose started out at No. 14 in the East Region Top 20, one spot outside of the FAB 50 and that tuned out to be too low. After losing their first game to Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.), 62-59, the Purple Roses were too cohesive and talented for any other team to handle expect No. 1 Montverde Academy (beat them 84-55). The Purple Roses defeated No. 18 Archbishop Stepinac at the Jordan Holiday Classic and went on to capture the Non-Public B state crown with a 73-29 whitewashing of Immaculate Conception (Montclair, N.J.). That win cemented their status as New Jersey’s No. 1 team, as Villanova-bound Matt Hodge finished his career with 14 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. St. Rose relied on defense the entire season, and it came up with 10 blocks in the title game, including five from 6-foot-6 Gio Panzini, who netted a game-high 16 points and nine rebounds. The third senior in the eight-man rotation, Maryland-bound Jayden Hodge (12.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.6 apg), was the team’s top overall talent and helped this program win its first state title since 1977.

?15. (28) Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) 27-4
Similar to No. 14 St. Rose, the Pioneers lost big to No. 1 Montverde Academy (97-66), but it’s losses to Bishop O’Connell of Virginia (preseason No. 44 in FAB 50) and to unranked Westminster Academy of Florida that keep them behind that New Jersey state champion. Oak Ridge certainly showed what type of team it was when it gave No. 2 Columbus all it could handle in the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 7A championship game, going into overtime before falling, 72-67. After a slam dunk tied the game near the end of regulation, Oak Ridge junior guard Jalen Reece’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer rimmed out. The Pioneers were down 16 at one juncture, but made a huge comeback behind the efforts of junior Jamier Jones, who canned three 3-pointers in the third period and finished with 16 points and six rebounds. Senior Jordan Tillery (16 points, 13 rebounds, five assists) also played well in his final game for coach Steve Reece. His club was able to down then No. 46 Winter Haven (Fla.) in the semifinals, 85-74, to snap that team’s 27-game winning streak as Jones (19.2 ppg) went bonkers from the field (12-of-15) and finished with 29 points. With Jones and Reece (15.4 ppg), the coach’s son, back in the fold along with the rapidly improving Tim Winkler (4.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg), the Pioneers could start next season higher than this ending position.

?16. (16) AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) 27-6
The Dragons finished exactly in the spot forecasted for them in the preseason and qualified for Chipotle Nationals for the fourth consecutive season. Coach Pete Caffey’s club was the No. 8 seed and fell to top seed and season-long FAB 50 No. 1 Montverde Academy, 64-49. The Dragons finished the EYBL Scholastic League in fourth place (9-4) behind No. 6 Link Academy (9-3). AZ Compass Prep was able to record a victory over No. 5 Long Island Lutheran (10-2), but also fell to unranked Wasatch Academy of Utah in league play. Outside of Wasatch Academy, Caffey’s crew lost only to teams ranked ahead of it, with two of the losses coming to Montverde Academy. Junior guard Jeremiah Fears led the way, averaging 13.8 ppg and earning third team all league honors. The Dragons will have a fine team once agains next season, but must replace the grit and rim protection of Grand Canyon-bound Sammy Yeanay and VCU-bound Luke Bamgboye.

17. (7) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 18-9
The Ascenders weren’t quite as good as forecasted in the preseason, but they were formidable and could compete with the nation’s best teams. The high overall loss count means a 10-spot drop from the preseason, but a victory over No. 7 Prolific Prep offsets its 96-92 loss to No. 19 Don Bosco Prep and a loss to No. 28 Bullis. The Ascenders were the No. 7 seed at Chipotle Nationals and fell to No. 2 seed Paul VI, 101-89, and now sport a 6-5 all-time mark at the event. Point guard Darius Acuff, a junior, was the leading scorer in EYBL Scholastic games (21.3 ppg) and averaged 20.4 ppg and 5.5 assists to earn first team all-league honors. Donnie Freeman (16.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg) had 21 points and seven rebounds in his final game for the Ascenders and the third team all-leaguer is now headed to Syracuse, while bookend forward Khani Rooths is bound for Louisville.

18. (13) Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) 26-4
The Crusaders won their second straight Catholic High School Athletic Association AA crown and were one of the nation’s best teams throughout the season. In 2022-23, they were FAB 50 ranked until losing in the New York State Federation Tournament of Champions AA final, an event that was discontinued. Before last season, Stepinac last captured the Catholic League title in 2018, as it was the favorite in 2020 before COVID-19 abruptly stopped the post-season in New York, while there wasn’t much of a 2020-21 season. Patrick Massaroni (169-80) coached a unit that only lost one game to an unranked team it had already beaten twice, St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.), in the New York Archdiocesan Class AA title game. The Crusaders other three losses are to higher ranked teams (including No. 1 Montverde Academy) and they own victories over No. 19 Don Bosco Prep and No. 21 Perry. They defeated Nazareth (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 66-51, in the state title game as three-time all-CHSAA pick Boogie Fland (19.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.6 apg and 2.4 spg) scored 18 points, while sophomores Jasiah Jervis and Hassan Koureissi added 15 points each. Stepinac downed PSAL champ Eagle Academy (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 75-64, to close its season as Fland (Alabama) and Quinnipiac-bound Braylan Ritvo (14.2 ppg) netted 22 and 21 points, respectively, in the inaugural Catholic vs. Public League AA title game at Long Island University.

19. (18) Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) 29-3
With the New Jersey Tournament of Champions discontinued after the 2021-22 season, the Ironmen were not able to take on NJSIAA Non-Public Group B champ No. 14 St. Rose after capturing its own state title in Group A. Similar to that club, Don Bosco Prep lost to Patrick School, but must remain behind St. Rose since its second loss is to No. 5 Long Island Lutheran with the third loss a 74-67 setback to No. 18 Archbishop Stepinac. Led by Rutgers recruit Dylan Harper, the Ironmen captured the New Jersey Non-Public A title with a 56-29 victory over Paul VI (Haddonfield, N.J.). Harper produced as well as any player in America down the stretch, nearly outscoring Paul VI by himself (26 points) and going for 38 points and eight rebounds in the prior game versus highly-regarded St. Peters Prep in the North Jersey Non-Public A title game. Harper, the son of former NBA guard Ron Harper who averaged 22.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 2.7 apg, also led his team to a win over No. 24 McEachern.

20. (35) St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 27-1
Coach Todd Colvert’s club was preseason FAB 50 ranked in three of the last four seasons and more than lived up to expectations with this year’s unit, capturing the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) D1 state crown. St. Mary Prep had its top seven returnees back from a mildly surprising semifinalist unit in 2022-23, so it wasn’t a big surprise the Eaglets only dropped one game in the Catholic League to University of Detroit-Jesuit in December. The Eaglets came back to avenge that loss with a 76-68 victory, as All-American Trey McKenney and junior power forward Jayden Savoury combined for 48 points. McKenney (22.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 2.5 apg) scored 21 points in the first half and finished with 32 points in the state D1 title game victory over North Farmington (63-52) to give the program its first state title since 2000, when the program finished 28-0 and was ranked No. 10 in the FAB 50. McKenney proved to be one of the most difficult checks in the country and yet another junior honors candidate for Colvert was 6-foot-3 Sharod Barnes, who averaged 12.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 4.4 apg.

21. (NR) Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.) 27-2?
Dorman of Roebuck opened up as the top-ranked team from the Palmetto State at No. 20 in the Southeast Region Top 20, but when the dust cleared it was evident the Blazers should have been regionally ranked. Ridgeview did drop two in-state contests to Westwood of Blythewood and cross-town A.C. Flora, but were able to avenge both losses. Coach Joshua Staley’s club also defeated No. 23 Grayson (58-53) and No. 27 John Marshall (also 58-53). The Blazers downed Riverside, 58-52, in the South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) AAAA title game after jumping out to a 20-6 lead and holding on to capture their fifth state title. Ridge View was led by Korie Corbett with 18 points and Jayden Pretty with 15 points. Corbett, a sophomore wing, was named all-state after averaging 16.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.1 apg and 2.3 spg.

22. (33) Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) 24-6
For a while, it looked like the Pumas would finish ranked in the range of their preseason forecast or even a bit lower after they lost twice to Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) teams. Perry, however, closed strong and so did the out-of-state teams they lost to. No. 18 Archbishop Stepinac won a New York state title and No. 8 Harvard-Westlake, which beat the Pumas twice, won California’s open state title. After losing to Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.), the team it beat in the first AIA open title game in 2022-23, the Pumas actually dropped out of the nation's longest-running weekly national rankings but returned at No. 34 after downing then No. 38 Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.), 71-67, to repeat as AIA open division state champs. Incredibly, Perry was down 17 points but chipped away at its deficit behind some big shots by guard Barron Silsby and the clutch play of Koa Peat, already a two-time All-American with his senior season to go. Silsby had 10 second half points to help Perry overcome a 41-32 halftime deficit and Peat finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. Perry won the Class 6A crown in 2021-22 and is 14-0 in the playoffs the past three seasons with Peat (20.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.2 bpg) in the lineup. Arizona high school hoops fans are already anticipating his quest for an unbeaten career postseason run.

23. (29) Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 30-2
The Rams opened the season as the No. 2 Georgia High School Association (GHSA) team behind McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) and in front of Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.), the team it fell to in the 2022-23 GHSA Class AAAAAAA semifinals. Grayson got over the hump and erased some demons by capturing its first-ever state crown with a 51-41 victory over then No. 20 McEachern, the same team it beat 79-62 in a true road game at the Georgia Elite 8 Tip-Off Classic. Junior Georgia commit Jacob Wilkins made some big plays down the stretch after McEachern made one final push, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Purdue signee Gicarri Harris, a 6-foot-4 senior, added nine points and five rebounds for the victorious Rams, who also defeated No. 37 Kell (70-54), the Class AAAAA champion. In 2019-20, Grayson got all the way up to No. 4 in the FAB 50 before falling in the AAAAAAA title game, but this year’s ranking cake is baked, so to speak, because of its two out-of-state losses. Grayson fell to No. 21 Ridge View and No. 22 Perry.

24. (21) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 26-6
McEachern started the season ranked higher in the FAB 50 than Grayson by eight spots and came into the GHSA Class AAAAAAA title game ranked higher in the FAB 50 than that club because of its previous national results, including a win over No. 25 North Mecklenburg and an overtime loss to No. 8 Harvard-Westlake. McEachern played the Rams better than it did in their first game, but eventually fell 51-41 after making one final push in the fourth quarter. The Indians’ other losses were to No. 2 Columbus, No. 3 Paul VI and to No. 19 Don Bosco Prep, so it’s only natural they finish one spot behind their in-state nemesis. National player of the year (Mr. Basketball USA) finalist Ace Bailey had 18 points in his final game, but only four in the second half. Against national competition, Georgia’s Mr. Basketball finished with norms of 32.5 ppg, 15.5 rpg, 3.5 apg and 2.4 bpg.

25. (26) North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) 30-3
The Vikings moved down one spot after capturing the NCHSAA Class 4A state crown to make room for a McEachern of Georgia club that had to drop, too, after losing in its respective state title game. On the flip side, North Meck also finish one spot higher than forecasted in the preseason when it opened as the NCHSAA’s No. 2 team behind the Myers Park of Charlotte club it lost to in the 2023 Class 4A Western Regional Final. McEachern was one of the three losses for North Mecklenburg, with the others coming against No. 36 Camden and No. 6 Link Academy. North Meck downed No. 26 Myers Park in the state quarterfinals, 79-63, as Duke-bound All-American Isaiah Evans went bonkers with a season-high 48 points, including 21 consecutive in the third period. In the semifinals, it took North Meck overtime to down Lake Norman, 65-61, as Evans scored four points in the final 40 seconds to force overtime. His jumper with 40 seconds remaining in OT gave his team the lead and his two free throws down the stretched sealed the victory. New Hanover came into the state title game unbeaten, but Evans’ 23 points and eight rebounds propelled North Meck to a 57-47 victory. For the season, the N.C.B.C.A. State Player of the Year led the program to its third state crown by averaging 27.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.2 apg and 2.3 spg.

?26. (15) Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.) 27-3
The Mustangs were the preseason No. 1 NCHSAA for the second consecutive season and were coming off a year in which they captured the Class 4A title. With their three big guns back, Myers Park had its eyes on a FAB 50 title run, but ran into a North Mecklenburg team that wouldn’t be denied in the Class 4A state quarterfinals. Myers Park led until late in the second quarter, but the wheels fell off in the third, as it trialed by 20 points (56-36) heading into the final period of an eventual 79-63 loss. Notre Dame-bound Sir Mohammed (13.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.8 apg, 2.3 spg) led the way in a losing effort with 20 points, while Tennessee-bound Bishop Boswell (11.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 5.9 apg) and junior Ashton King added 14. The Mustangs showed they were a serious FAB 50 threat when they took No. 3 Paul VI into overtime before losing, with the other loss coming versus in-state Combine Academy. In addition to King (7.4 ppg), Myers Park (which beat No. 27 John Marshall), return highly-regarded Sadiq White Jr. (16.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg) next season.

27. (8) John Marshall (Richmond, Va.) 25-3
Similar to No. 26 Myers Park, the Jayem Justices had FAB 50 title aspirations in the preseason, but came up just short of that level. Unlike Myers Park (which beat John Marshall), the Justices were able to capture a third consecutive Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 2A state crown. Their 2020-21 club might have been the most talented on paper, but didn’t play any games because of the COVID-19 Pandemic so technically its a fourth consecutive title after wining it all in 2020. John Marshall’s FAB 50 ranking is easily laid out, as it lost to No. 21 Ridge View, while its loss to St. Christopher’s of Richmond is offset by a win over No. 29 Sidwell Friends. Led by VHSL Class 2A Player of the Year Damon “Redd” Thompson (18.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 4.1 apg), John Marshall easily downed Virginia High, 89-32, in the state title game with its James Madison signee going for 12 points, four rebounds, six assists and two steals in a game that went to a running clock early. Without a VHSL Tournament of Champions or open division, the Justices’ dominance in its division is nearly counter productive to its greatness. The program’s average margin of victory in its six playoff games was 60 points, while its 2023 post-season winning margin was 65.5 ppg. Under coach Ty White, the program has now won five state titles in the past seven seasons and six since 2014. In all, the Justices enter 2024-25 having won 24 consecutive playoff games and have all-state talents Latrell Allmond (6-9 sophomore) and Aiden Argabright (5-11 junior) returning, along with 6-foot-9 junior Marcus Jackson and 6-foot-6 junior Desmon Rose.

28. (38) Bullis (Potomac, Md.) 27-3
The Bulldogs started out as our No. 4 team for the DMV and there could have been six or seven ranked teams, as the region is that talented. For the second consecutive season, coach Bruce Kelley’s club captured the Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) title, defeating Georgetown Prep (Bethesda, Md.), 70-52, behind a balanced offensive attack and good rebounding. Junior Adrien Stevens led the way with 14 points, while junior center Eric Reibe added 13 points with senior Caden Diggs chipping in 12 points. After a short-handed Bullis club was upset in the first round of the 2023 Maryland Private School State Tournament, this year the Bulldogs fared much better, advancing to the title game before falling in double overtime to DeMatha Catholic, 74-68. Bullis’ also lost another overtime game to No. 44 Jackson-Reed and a third game to Moravian Prep of North Carolina, but those losses are offset by victories over No. 17 IMG Academy and No. 29 Sidwell Friends. Stevens (14 ppg, 43 percent 3-point) was the top honors candidate and will be back along with the highly-regarded Reibe, but the club will miss Diggs (Old Dominion) and two-time All-Met choice Tyler Boston (Holy Cross).

?29. (9) Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) 27-4
The Quakers didn’t fare quite as well as they wanted to versus FAB 50 title contenders, but it was another terrific season for coach Eric Singletary (279-133). His club lost to No. 28 Bullis (60-56), in overtime to No. 27 John Marshall (63-55), to No. 6 Link Academy and to No. 3 Paul VI. Sidwell Friends did finish strong, however, capturing the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) Class AA title with a 47-37 victory over St. John's (Washington, D.C.). From a rankings standpoint, the big playoff victory was a 52-52 semifinal victory over then No. 16 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), which finishes right behind the Quakers in the rankings. Acaden Lewis, a play-making point guard, had 16 points vs. St. John’s and was the difference-maker vs. Gonzaga with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists. Georgetown-bound forward Caleb Williams had another terrific season on both ends of the floor. He joined Lewis (14.5 ppg) on the Washington Post All-Met team, with junior forward Jalen Rougier-Roane also earning post-season acclaim. Sidwell Friends has now won three consecutive DCSAA state titles and four in the past five seasons heading into 2024-25 with Lewis, Rougier-Roane and guard Caleb Gillus all returning.

30. (12) Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 28-6
The Purple Eagles opened as the No. 2 team in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) and finish as its No. 2 ranked team behind FAB 50 No. 3 Paul VI, the preseason favorite. The one-point (53-52) loss to No. 29 Sidwell Friends in the DCSAA semifinals dropped the Purple Eagles 13 spots the week after the game and prevents them from finishing in the range expected in the preseason. Sidwell Friends was the only non-WCAC or EYBL Scholastic member coach Stephen Turner’s club lost to, as it also fell to No. 1 Montverde Academy and No. 5 Long Island Lutheran. Gonzaga split with Bishop O’Connell and the loss to Paul VI in the WCAC title game was actually it second setback to the Panthers. Nyk Lewis (13 ppg, 6 rpg, 4.5 apg) was first team All-Met for the second consecutive season with his senior year two go. Turner (468-171) also has second team All-Met selection Derek Dixon (6-3) and honorable mention choice Christian Gurdak (6-10) returning.

31. (19) St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 28-7
The Braves rebounded from failing to advance to the CIF Southern Section open title game and losing the Trinity League title to No. 46 Mater Dei by capturing the CIF D1 state crown. Coach Matt Dunn’s club defeated San Ramon Valley (Danville, Calif.) in the state final, as Loyola-Chicago-bound Jack Turner led the way with 20 points, including 4-of-6 3-pointers. After losing to Trinity League champ Mater Dei twice in league play, Bosco got its avenging victory with a 71-68 overtime win in the SoCal D1 final. Junior point guard Elzie Harrington had 22 points in the win over Mater Dei and sophomore Brandon McCoy had 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocks and averaged 19.7 ppg and 11 rpg in the regional playoffs. St. John Bosco lost to then FAB 50 ranked Sierra Canyon and to No. 8 Harvard-Westlake in CIFSS open pool play, to No. 13 Roosevelt (the team that played Harvard-Westlake for the section title), to No. 3 Paul VI and to Chris The King of New York in the semifinals of the Iolani Tournament in Hawaii.

32. (BB) Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) 31-2
The Pride began No. 19 in West Region Top 20, but they were much better than that and were one game away from finishing in the Top 15. It got over its demons in the NorCal open regionals (0-5 between 2013-23) to advance to the CIF open championship game, where it gave No. 8 Harvard-Westlake all it could handle before falling, 50-45. Two late turnovers doomed any chance Salesian had to pull off the mild upset and allowed the Pride to hop the No. 31 St. John Bosco team it lost to in overtime at The Classic at Damien. Salesian might have been the most balanced NorCal team we’ve ever evaluated, as six players averaged between 6.3 and 9.0 ppg. The ringleader was Hawaii-bound point guard Aaron Hunklin-Claytor, the Tri-County Rock League Player of the Year for the second consecutive season who averaged 8.4 ppg (tied for second on the team with fellow all-stater De’Undrae Perteete), 3.9 rpg and 3.8 apg.

33. (25) La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) 23-5
After going 5-7 in the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (now EYBL Scholastic) in 2022-23, LaLu had a more talented team, closed games better and was able to finish in a four-way tie for fifth place in the conference standings. At 7-5, the Lakers tied with No. 17 IMG Academy (which they lost to), No. 34 Brewster Academy (which they beat) and with unranked Wasatch Academy. Coach Patrick Holmes’ team key conference win came against fourth place and No. 16 AZ Compass Prep to help offset the above mentioned losses and those to conference foes Oak Hill Academy and No. 1 Montverde Academy. Junior Jalen Haralson and Jerry Easter received the most post-season acclaim, while fellow junior Chuck Love was another standout.

34. (BB) Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) 27-7
In its first season being eligible for the FAB 50 after joining the EYBL Scholastic League, the longtime New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) power (which now has a prep and a national high school team) started No. 16 in the East Regional Rankings. That was only three spots outside the FAB 50, but coach Jason Smith’s club started a tad bit low after ended up finishing in a four-way tie for fifth place in the conference standings. Brewster not only lost to No. 33 La Lumiere head-to-head in two overtimes (74-66), it lost to No. 17 IMG Academy and to Veritas Prep of California, two EYBLS clubs La Lumiere defeated. Brewster Academy, competitive in every game outside its loss to No. 1 Montverde Academy, was led by third team all-EYBLS choice and Gatorade State Player of the Year Nojus Indrusaitis (14.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.3 apg), whose headed for Iowa State, and BYU-bound point guard Elijah Crawford (13.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 5.1 apg).

35. (NR) Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) 28-4
The Celtics quietly had a terrific campaign as an independent program. Yes, the Patrick School did lose games to Bridgton Academy of Maine, Phelps School of Pennsylvania, and to Our Savior Lutheran of New York, but the Celtics deserve rankings credit for the quality of their wins. They downed No. 14 St. Rose and No. 19 Don Bosco Prep, the two highest ranked New Jersey state champions. Patrick School’s top talents were St. John’s-bound guard Jaden Glover, junior guard Brandon Lee and Manhattan College-bound forward William Sydnor.

36. (BB) Camden (Camden, N.J.) 30-2
The High had a team not quite as talented nor acclaimed as its 2022-23 unit, but became embroiled in a major playoff controversy for the second straight year. The ’23 unit led by D.J. Wagner wasn’t able to defend its ’22 state title after a melee in the first-ever Camden County Tournament led to the team being booted from the playoffs. In this year’s NJSIAA Group 2 state semifinal, it appeared Manasquan defeated The High on a buzzer-beating field goal as time expired before a game official waived off the basket to give Camden the 46-45 victory. Manasquan filed a lawsuit before Camden met Arts of Newark for the state crown to overturn the result, but the NJSIAA stuck to its bylaws that the game was over the moment the referees left the gym despite admitting the mistake. Led by Louisville recruit Billy Richmond (17.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.6 apg), Camden went on to win the state crown and only lost to St. Frances Academy of Maryland and to No. 24 McEachern. Our rankings are always results based and from a national perspective based on our criteria it wouldn’t have made sense to penalize Camden, as controversies, blown calls and off-court rulings have been part of the high school landscape for decades.

37. (NR) Kell (Marietta, Ga.) 28-3
The Longhorns missed the Southeast Regional Top 20 in the preseason and got off to a slow 1-3 start. One of the teams they lost to, Newton, ended up only losing to No. 24 McEachern by only three points (67-64) in the playoffs and Kell’s other early losses were to that same McEachern team and to No. 23 Grayson, the two teams that ended up playing in the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAAAAAA title game. Kell went on to end the season on a 27-game winning steak that culminated with a 62-51 victory over Eagle’s landing in the AAAAA title game. Coach Jermaine Sellers’ club won its second consecutive state crown behind the play of AAAAA Player of the Year C.J. Brown, a University of South Florida recruit, and his backcourt mate and Alabama A&M recruit Jaylen Colon, a second team all-state choice by sandysspeil.com.

38. (NR) Homewood Flossmor (Flossmor, Ill.) 33-4
The Vikings have a proud history and for the first time ever won the Illinois High School Association’s top prize by defeating a talented Normal Community unit, 60-48, in the Class 4A state title game. Junior Bryce Heard led the way with 21 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, while Jayden Taylor, a 5-foot-11 sophomore, added 15 points for a club that only lost two games in-state. The Vikings lost to Bradley-Bourbannis, split with Bolingbrook, defeated Bloom, Chicago Public League champ Curie and a Thorton of Harvey team that spent plenty of time FAB 50 ranked twice. As Illinois’ top-ranked team, the Vikings cannot be ranked any higher because of the defeat margins vs. No. 30 Gonzaga (77-47) and Fishers of Indiana (78-57).

39. (NR) Reidsville (Reidsville, N.C.) 29-0?
After going 26-1 and losing in the NCHSAA Class 2A state title game in 2022-23, this season the Rams upped the ante by a game, capturing the Class 2A crown with a perfect mark. The Rams defeated Farmville Central (Farmville, N.C.), 78-77, in overtime, in a terrific title game. Reidsville junior Johnniyus Sharpe Jr. made all 10 of his free throw attempts, as the Rams went 13-of-13 from the line in the hostly contested contest. Sharpe Jr. finished with a game-high 29 points, including 3-of-6 3-pointers, while Grid-Hoop dynamo Kendre Harrison finished with 19 points, 17 rebounds and blocked five shots. Harrison, a sophomore, was the ringleader all season long by recording 25 double-doubles and averaging 19.4 ppg, 15.1 rpg, and 3.7 bpg while shooting 67 percent from the field.

40. (NR) Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) 26-3
The Cahillites captured their 34th Philadelphia Catholic League title in dramatic fashion, as they defeated Archbishop Ryan, 46-45, in overtime. It looked like Archbishop Ryan was going to claim the crown when Ryan Everett hit a 3-pointer to give his team a 45-44 lead with 8.5 seconds remaining, but Roman’s Kabe Gass hit the game-winner on a pull-up 17-footer as the clock hit 0.00 after he dribbled the length of the court without the Cahillites calling a timeout. Yes, Roman Catholic did lose to Parkland in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals, but that doesn’t change the fact the Cahillites avenged their loss to Father Judge in the PCL semifinals, 65-57, while the dramatic win over Archbishop Ryan also avenged another of their three losses. Junior Shareef Jackson (17.3 ppg) earned first team all-PCL honors, while senior Travis Reed (Chestnut Hill) earned second team laurels for a club that won its second consecutive league title.

?41. (37) St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) 26-3
Some Midwest prognosticators felt we had the Wildcats a bit too high as our No. 6 team from the region, but that spot ended up being in the range for a club that won the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) D1 crown. Coach Cam Joyce’s club defeated Centerville, 66-56, before 5,189 at University of Dayton Arena as four players scored in double figures led by 6-foot senior guard Jack Zapolnick with 14 points, plus seven assists, and 6-foot-1 senior guard Matt Ellis’ 12 points. The difference in the game was St. Ignatius’ 3-point shooting, as it made 7-of-15 3-pointers, including a 3-for-3 performance by senior forward Michael Lamirand. This is a natural spot for the Wildcats as they only suffered one in-state loss with the others coming against No. 15 Oak Ridge and St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.), which lost to No. 40 Roman Catholic. The Wildcats won their first state title since 2001 when they finished No. 40 in the FAB 50 after capturing St. Ignatius’ first D1 state crown.

42. (BB) Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) 25-5
The Tigers started out at No. 17 in West Region Top 20, as the fourth highest rated Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) team behind Desert Mountain, Sunnyslope and top-rated Perry. It was a terrific regular season in which coach Ty Amundsen’s club defeated Desert Mountain and Sunnyslope twice. The Tigers look like they were going all the way after opening up a big lead on Perry in the AIA open title game. Millennium's Sabien Cain knocked down seven 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes of the title game, as then No. 38 Millennium built an early 17-point lead. In the end, Perry stormed back and won, 71-67, as Millennium dropped its first game to an AIA foe at the most inopportune time. Cain, who had 33 points in the title game, sophomore Cameron Holmes and junior Kingston Tosi led a team that only lost to teams ranked ahead of it: No. 11 Stony Point, No. 3 Paul VI and No. 25 North Mecklenburg at the City of Palms, and to No. 32 Salesian.

43. (NR) Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.) 27-2
The Blue Devils played a national level schedule and beat qualify FHSAA teams, including six that made the final four in their respective classifications. They lost their first game of the season to Burlington School of North Carolina, then rattled off 27 consecutive victories, including one over two-time Alabama Class 7A state champ hoover, before running into No. 15 Oak Ridge in the Class 7A state semifinals. Winter Haven was looking to capture its first state crown since the Otis Birdsong-led 1973 team, but came up two games short after falling to the Pioneers, 85-74. Yale-bound Isaac Celiscar (21.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 5.0 apg, 2.0 spg) and Stetson-bound Jamie Phillips Jr. (15.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 6.3 apg) led a team with four double-digit scorers.

44. (NR) Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.) 33-3
The Tigers lost to St. John’s in the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) Class AA semifinals, but their overall resume was just too strong to keep them out of the FAB 50. Jackson-Reed defeated No. 28 Bullis in overtime, 61-58, defeated Philly Catholic League finalist Archbishop Ryan, South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah). We considered Chicago Public League champ Curie, Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class 6A state champ Imhotep Charter and Independence (Thompson’s Station, Tenn.) for the FAB 50, but all three lost to South Shore. Jackson-Reed, whose other losses are to No. 30 Gonzaga and No. 37 Kell, had a balanced attack led by second team All-Met selection Jayden Fort (11.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg), a junior, and senior guard Scottie Hubbard (8.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg).

?45. (48) Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) 27-1
We figured the Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) Class A state championship would come down to Millard North and the Thunderbirds. After all, the two clubs had met in the previous four state title games. Sure enough, the two clubs met again for all the marbles and it was Bellevue West defeating its rival, 57-48. The win gave Bellevue West its second straight state crown, avenged the club’s only regular season loss and allowed it to finish in the range expected in the preseason. South Dakota St-bound Jaden Jackson led the way in the state final with 21 points, seven rebounds and three steals. For the season, the state player of the year averaged 17.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.9 apg and 2.0 spg and helped the Thunderbirds go 106-8 in his four-year career.

46. (42) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 29-6
Good offensive execution and terrific outside shooting allowed the Monarchs to advance to the SoCal D1 final, where they fell in overtime to Trinity League rival and No. 31 St. John Bosco, 71-68. Gary McKnight (1,272-140) had a club that won its 40th league crown in his 42nd season as head coach by defeating Bosco twice during the regular season. After losing sophomore Brannon Martinsen for the post-season to injury, Mater De went 0-2 in CIFSS open play, but bounced back to beat a Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks club that spent some time FAB 50 ranked in the regional semifinals. Martinsen will return along with sharpshooters Owen Verna and Luke Barnett, the latter whom McKnight feels might be the best shooter in program history.

47. (BB) Lyon County (Eddyville, Ky.) 36-3
The Lyons, a program with 277 students, opened up No. 14 in Midwest Region Top 20, but ended up breaking in the FAB 50 by capturing the Kentucky High School Athletics Association (KHSAA) Sweet 16. Lyon County downed Harlan County (Rosspoint, Ky.) in the Sweet 16 final, 67-58, before 13,568 at historic Rupp Arena. Travis Perry, Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball, hit 5-of-9 3-pointers en route to 27 points, along with five assists and two steals vs. Harlan County. Jack Riddick and Brady Shoulders added 15 points each for the Lyons, who downed then No. 25 Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.) 58-49 in the semifinals a few hours before taking on Harlan County behind Perry’s 24 points. Lyon County also beat state champions from Alabama (Buckhorn) and South Carolina (Lexington). Kentucky still employs the one-class system (as does Delaware) and because of Eddyville’s and Harlan’s size, Perry (29.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 5.0 apg, 3.9 spg) is now a state folk hero after leading his team to its first state title.

48. (BB) Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) 34-4
The Timberwolves began No. 17 in Southwest Regional Rankings, but for the second consecutive year exceeded national expectations. After winning back-to-back University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 5A state crowns in 2021 and 2022, Beaumont United was moved up to Class 6A last season and advanced to the state title game. This season, TABC All-State picks Kayde Dotson (18.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.2 apg) and Clarence Payia III (17.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg) led a Timberwolves club that advanced to the Class 6A semifinals before falling to No. 11 Stony Point, 54-46. The program has now finished FAB 50 ranked for four consecutive seasons.

49. (NR) Northwest (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) 25-0
Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) was our top-ranked Kansas team in the preseason, two spot behind Beaumont United at No. 19 in the Southwest Region, but it was Northwest that emerged as the state’s best team. The Cougars culminated their perfect run to the KSHSAA Class 6A state title with a 47-38 victory over Wichita Heights. Northwest defeated Sunflower League foe Mill Valley in the semifinals and captured its first state title on its 14th trip to state since 1973 using an all-underclass starting lineup led by all-staters Keaton Wagler, a junior, and Ethan Taylor, a sophomore. The Cougars are the sixth and final team from the Southwest to earn a ranking, edging out Oklahoma’s top team, Owasso, and New Mexico’s best club, Volcano Vista, the latter which started at No. 18 in the region sandwiched between Beaumont United and Blue Valley Northwest.

50. (NR) Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.) 36-2
The Warhawks are the eighth and final Midwest club to crack the FAB 50, beating out Chicago Public League champ Curie, St. Joseph of California from the West Region, Imhotep Charter of Philadelphia from the East Region and Lexington of South Carolina from the Southeast Region. Great Crossing’s season ended in the KHSAA Sweet 16 semifinals with a 58-49 loss to eventual champ No. 47 Lyon County, with its only regular season loss coming in double overtime to Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) member Bishop O'Connell of Virginia. Helping the Warhawks earn the final spot in the final rankings despite falling in the semis is O’Connell defeating two FAB 50 ranked teams and similar to Lyon County, owning a win over Lexington of South Carolina. After losing in the Beach Ball Classic final to O’Connell, Great Crossing downed Chaminade of Missouri, 72-46, and before the Beach Ball won the King of the Bluegrass Tournament with a win over Central of Little Rock, Ark.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post Final, Expanded 2023-24 FAB 50 Rankings! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Final 2023-24 FAB 50
Region-By-Region Rankings

(Preseason ranking in parentheses)

By Ronnie Flores

RELATED: Final East Top 20 | Final Southeast Top 20??| Final Midwest Top 20 | Final Southwest Top 20 | Final 2023-24 FAB 50 Rankings

WEST Region Top 20
(Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming)

1. (1) Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) 33-6
2. (2) Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) 33-3
3. (9) Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) 31-4
4. (3) AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) 27-6
5. (7) Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) 24-6
6. (4) St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 28-7
7. (19) Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) 31-2
8. (17) Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) 25-5
9. (8) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 29-6
10. (NR) St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.) 31-4
11. (10) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 26-4
12. (15) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 31-4
13. (5) Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 15-7
14. (NR) Olympus (Salt Lake City, Utah) 24-3
15. (18) Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco, Calif.) 25-5
16. (NR) Carlsbad (Carlsbad, Calif.) 30-3
17. (NR) Clovis North (Clovis, Calif.) 28-7
18. (NR) St. Pius X-St. Matthias (Downey, Calif.) 24-7
19. (NR) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 24-5
20. (NR) Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Col.) 26-2

*Indicates forfeit wins/losses not included.
**Indicates default wins/losses not included.

Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 24 years ago.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

The post FINAL 2023-24 Top 20 Regional Rankings! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

RELATED: Final East Top 20??| Final Southeast Top 20??| Final Midwest Top 20?| Final Southwest Top 20 | Final West Top 20

The big question heading into 2024 Chipotle Nationals was if any team could seriously challenge season-long FAB 50 No. 1 Montverde Academy of Florida. The Eagles were facing as talented a crop of teams the program has ever faced in the end-of-season event that has been played for 16 years. The Eagles were also facing seven potential teams, all ranked within the top 14 of the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com prior to the start of the event, that they beat at least once earlier in the season.

There is an old saying it's hard to beat a good team twice, but the battle tested and top seeded Eagles won three games at Brownsburg (Ind.) to capture the event title for the seventh time in the last 11 times the event was held. Montverde Academy's 79-63 victory over No. 2 seeded and FAB 50 No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) makes the Eagles the official 2023-24 FAB 50 National Champs.

Many veteran onlookers felt Paul VI was the best bet to upset Montverde Academy, but the all-around brilliance of Duke-bound Cooper Flagg and the shot making ability of LSU-bound Curtis Givens was the difference in the championship contest. Flagg, the leading Mr. Basketball USA candidate, was named tourney MVP after scoring 16 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and blocking six shots versus Paul VI. In Montverde Academy's three victories, Flagg averaged 20.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg and had only blocked one shot in the first two games before his big defensive performance in the final.

Montverde Academy led 45-32 at halftime, as both Givens and Flagg hit big field goals right before intermission. Whenever Paul VI looked to make a run, Givens would hit a big 3-pointer to play the role of rally-killer. Flagg's block and run out dunk right before the third period buzzer which gave his team a 60-46 lead summarized the game and the event. No matter what any team tried to do, Montverde Academy had an answer.

Givens finished with 24 points, including 6-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. Also making a big impact as a matchup nightmare was Maryland-bound forward Derik Queen. He used his big body, passing ability and uncanny moves around the basket to finish with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists. Queen, who averaged 16.3 ppg and 6.7 rpg at the event, should also be considered a Mr. Basketball USA candidate.

"In almost 40 years of coaching this year's team was as close has any I’ve ever had both on and off the court," Montverde Academy head coach Kevin Boyle told www.ebooksnet.com. "They won seven games versus nationally-ranked top five teams and 14 versus nationally-ranked top ten teams. They are in the conversation as the greatest team of all-time and clearly along with Montverde Academy 2020, Dunbar 1983, Oak Hill Academy 1993 and Montverde 2018 one of the five best teams of all- time."

The big ranking decision coming out of the event was one to move up Paul VI one spot to No. 2 as the runner-up or leave Columbus (Miami, Fla.) in that spot after the Explorers fell in the semifinals to Montverde Academy, 84-70. Even though Paul VI advanced one round further at Chipotle Nationals, the Panthers lost a head-to-head matchup to Columbus, 70-61, at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Massachusetts, so the Explorers remain at No. 2. Although Columbus did fall behind big early in its game with MVA just as it did in the first meeting between the two, MVA's victory margins over the Explorers and the Panthers were in similar range that a rankings flip to go against the head-to-head result was unwarranted.

Flagg finished with 28 points in the win over Columbus while Queen added 16 points and six rebounds. Cameron Boozer, last season's Mr. Basketball USA as a sophomore, led Columbus with 29 points (3-of-11 3-point) and seven rebounds.

Paul VI knocked off then No. 11 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) in its semifinal, 58-44, as Duke-bound Darren Harris led the way with 20 points. Harris also scored a team-high 16 points in the championship final loss to Montverde Academy and had 36 points (5-of-9 3-point) in the 101-89 first round win over then No. 14 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.). Link Academy is able to move up five spots after defeating then No. 6 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), 80-76 in double overtime, in the first round. Link Academy and Prolific Prep split games this season, but with Link Academy avenging the regular season loss, it finishes ranked one spot ahead of The Crew from Napa, Calif.

In its first round victory, Montverde Academy took down then No. 12 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.), 64-49, as Flagg had 16 points while Queen finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.

This is Montverde Academy's third FAB 50 national title team to finish unbeaten, joining the already legendary 2020 team that didn't get the opportunity to compete in Chipotle Nationals because of COVID-19 and the 2018 team. The 2018 team also went wire-to-wire as FAB 50 No. 1 team just as this year's close knit group did.

For Montverde Academy, the program has now finished No. 1 in the FAB 50 seven times, which ties Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) for the most all-time FAB 50 national titles. We'll have more detail on that achievement and this year's MVA team in our annual "Salute to All-Time FAB 50 No. 1 Teams".

There was also some movement in the final rankings after we reviewed the entire season log for each team that we'll explain in our Final, Expanded FAB 50 Rankings with detail on each team.

RELATED: Final East Top 20??| Final Southeast Top 20??| Final Midwest Top 20?| Final Southwest Top 20 | Final West Top 20 |?Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | | ? | Chipotle Nationals Record Book

Final FAB 50 National Team Rankings
Powered by www.ebooksnet.com

(16th and final poll of 2023-24 regular season; Through games played on Saturday, April 6; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

No.	Prev.	High School (City)	Record
1	1	Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)	33-0
2	2	Columbus (Miami, Fla.)	28-5
3	3	Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.)	35-3
4	5	Plano East (Plano, Texas)	40-0
5	4	Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)	21-5
6	11	Link Academy (Branson, Mo.)	26-7
7	6	Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.)	33-6
8	7	Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.)	33-3
9	9	Fishers (Fishers, Ind.)	29-1
10	9	Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.)	30-0
11	13	Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas)	38-2
12	8	Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.)	33-0
13	20	Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.)	31-4
14	15	St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.)	29-2
15	26	Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.)	27-4
16	12	AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.)	27-6
17	14	IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)	18-9
18	16	Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.)	26-4
19	17	Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)	29-3
20	18	St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)	27-1
21	19	Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.)	27-2
22	21	Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.)	24-6
23	22	Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)	30-2
24	23	McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.)	26-6
25	24	North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.)	30-3
26	26	Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.)	27-3
27	27	John Marshall (Richmond, Va.)	25-3
28	28	Bullis (Potomac, Md.)	27-3
29	29	Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.)	27-4
30	30	Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)	28-6
31	31	St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)	28-7
32	32	Salesian (Richmond, Calif.)	31-2
33	33	La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.)	23-5
34	34	Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.)	27-7
35	35	Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.)	28-4
36	36	Camden (Camden, N.J.)	30-2
37	37	Kell (Marietta, Ga.)	28-3
38	38	Homewood Flossmor (Flossmor, Ill.)	33-4
39	39	Reidsville (Reidsville, N.C.)	29-0
40	40	Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.)	26-3
41	41	St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio)	26-3
42	42	Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.)	25-5
43	43	Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.)	27-2
44	44	Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.)	33-3
45	45	Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.)	27-1
46	46	Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)	29-6
47	47	Lyon County (Eddyville, Ky.)	36-3
48	48	Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas)	34-4
49	49	Northwest (Shawnee Mission, Kan.)	25-0
50	50	Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.)	36-2

Dropped Out: None.

Editor's Note: No bubble clubs are included in the final FAB 50, as the final 2023-24 Top 20 Regional Rankings include all the teams considered for the bubble.

Note:?The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 24 years ago.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post Final 2023-24 FAB 50: MVA Wins Chipotle Nationals! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

RELATED: Chipotle Nationals Record Book (2009-2023)

By Ronnie Flores

With only one state tournament still going this past week, it wasn't too difficult to make the updates for the second-to-last FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com for the 2023-24 season. The only thing we had to do to update the won-loss record for No. 10 Fishers (Ind.) and give the Tigers one more victory to finish their historic season at 29-1.

On Saturday evening, the Tigers captured the coveted Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Class 4A with a 65-56 victory over Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Fishers won its first ever state crown after making its first appearance in an Indiana state final since 1922. Ben Davis (23-6) was the defending champions coming off its own historic season with a 33-0 record and No. 4 FAB 50 finish in 2022-23.

Fishers, whose only loss is to a Carmel (Ind.) team it split with, stays at No. 10 this week. There is no other movement in the rankings as teams' overall resume will be considered for the final 2023-24 edition throughout the week.

The defending champions led Fishers heading into the final period, 48-47, but the Tigers scored the first six points of the final period to take control of the game. Fishers' guard JonAnthony Hall and forward Keenan Gardner sparked Fishers in the critical movements of the fourth period and throughout the game. Hall, a Grid-Hoop standout junior, had 23 points and 10 rebounds, making two 3-pointers and coming up with two seals in the process. Gardner, a 6-foot-6 senior forward, had 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Ben Davis never seemed to recover after that early fourth period spurt by Indiana's top-ranked team and were outscored 18-8 in the final period. Ben Davis outscored Fishers, 18-11, in the third period after the Tigers led 36-30 at halftime.

Taden Metzger, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, was the third Fishers players in double figures with 10 points. Ben Davis had four players in double figures, led by 5-foot-10 Grid-Hoop standout Mark Zachary with 14 points.

With Fishers closing out its season with 13 consecutive victories, including an avenging win over Carmel, all that is left to conclude the season is Chipotle Nationals, which will be held just outside Indianapolis at Brownsburg (Ind.), April 4-6.

Unbeaten, top seeded and top-ranked Montverde Academy (Fla.) leads a field that includes eight teams in the top 14 of the FAB 50. Montverde is looking to capture its third FAB 50 title with an unblemished record in program history.

RELATED:  Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | |   | Chipotle Nationals Record Book

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
Powered by www.ebooksnet.com

(15th poll of 2023-24 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, March 30; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates season not complete.)

Dropped Out: None.

Bubble Teams: Arrowhead (Heartland, Wis.) 27-3; Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.) 32-5; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 24-5; Brennan (San Antonio, Texas) 31-5; Centerville (Centerville, Ohio) 20-9; Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.) 28-3; Christian (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 26-3; Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.) 23-3; Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 31-3; Dale (Dale, Okla.) 30-2; De Paul Prep (Chicago, Ill.) 35-2; De Pere (De Pere, Wis.) 26-2; Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 24-4; Fort Bend Clements (Sugar Land, Texas) 32-1; Hayes (Delaware, Ohio) 27-2; Hickory (Hickory, N.C.) 31-1; Hoover (Hoover, Ala.) 30-3; Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 29-3; Independence (Thompson’s Station, Tenn.) 32-6; Kennedy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) 25-1; Kokomo (Kokomo, Ind.) 25-4; Lehi (Lehi, Utah) 24-4; Lexington (Lexington, S.C.) 28-2; Lexington Catholic (Lexington, Ky.) 32-3; Liberty Magnet (Baton Rouge, La.) 33-4; Lincoln (Warren, Mich.) 24-4; Lincoln Park (Midland, Pa.) 27-3; Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wis.) 26-4; Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) 23-3; Minnetonka (Minnetonka, Minn.) 25-6; Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) 26-2; Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 36-5; Noblesville (Noblesville, Ind.) 22-3; Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 31-4; Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 21-6; Owasso (Owasso, Okla.) 26-4; Pewaukee (Pewaukee, Wis.) 25-5; Raymond (Raymond, Miss.) 31-4; Seven Lakes (Katy, Texas) 35-4**; Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 26-4; St. Anne’s-Bellfield (Charlottesville, Va.) 26-4; St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.) 31-4; St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, N.J.) 26-3; Totino-Grace (Fridley, Minn.) 27-5; Valley (West Des Moines, Iowa) 21-5; Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Col.) 26-2; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 26-6; Volcano Vista (Albuquerque, N.M.) 30-1; Lincoln (Warren, Mich.) 24-4; Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 15-7; Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) 29-2; Westfield (Westfield, Ind.) 19-3; Whitmer (Toledo, Ohio) 25-3; Woodside (Newport News, Va.) 27-1.

Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 24 years ago.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

The post Updated FAB 50: Hoosier Hysteria! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

RELATED: Chipotle Nationals Record Book (2009-2023)

By Ronnie Flores

The Sweet 16 field is set for March Madness and there is still some high school madness happening around the country. In fact, right before the Sweet 16 field was set on Sunday evening, the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) wrapped up its state tournament with the state's top ranked-club, St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio), capturing the Division I state crown with a hard-fought 66-56 win over Centerville (Ohio) before 5,189 at University of Dayton Arena.

Four players scored in double figures for coach Cam Joyce's crew, led by 6-foot senior guard Jack Zapolnick with 14 points and seven assists and 6-foot-1 senior guard Matt Ellis with 12 points. Michael Lamirand, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, nailed all three of his 3-point attempts and finished with 11 points as the Wildcats made 7-of-15 3-pointers.

St. Ignatius won its first OHSAA state crown since 2001, when the Wildcats finished No. 40 in the FAB 50 that season after winning their first state D1 title with a 25-2 mark. This year's team only suffered one in-state loss, with its other losses to St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.) and FAB 50 No. 25 Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.). With St. Joseph's Prep having a loss to No. 40 Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.), it only makes sense the Wildcats move up three spots to No. 41 in this week's updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com.

St. Ignatius nipped Hayes (Delaware, Ohio) in the semifinals, 54-53, while Centerville defeated bubble club Whitmer (Toledo, Ohio), 58-39. Six-foot-10 junior forward Damon Friery (16 points) and 6-foot-1 junior guard Quinn Woidke led the way for balanced St. Ignatius in the win over Hayes. The semifinal game came down to Woidke's running lay-up with 10 seconds remaining and a defensive stand following his clutch shot that turned out to be the game-winning points.

In Kentucky, The prestigious Kentucky High School Athletics Association (KHSAA) Sweet 16 was captured by Lyon County (Eddyville, Ky.) with a 67-58 Saturday evening victory over Harlan County (Rosspoint, Ky.) before 13,568 at historic Rupp Arena. It was incredible state championship game and everything that is right about high school basketball. Kentucky still employs the one-class system, so the event is already electric and highly-anticipated. The fact both finalists were small schools made this year's Sweet 16 even more memorable.

According to the 2010 census, Eddyville has a population of 2,554 and Harlan 1,745. Lyon County, which has a student body of 277, can now be called state champions for the first time after taking a 18-10 lead after one period and ending the game with a 22-13 advantage in the final period. The Lyons' best player is not just an All-American headed to UK and Kentucky's all-time leading scorer, he's now a state folk hero after leading his team to a state title. Travis Perry, the state's Mr. Basketball, hit 5-of-9 3-pointers en route to 27 points to go along with five assets and two steals.

Jack Riddick netted 15 points and Brady Shoulders had 15 points and seven rebounds for the Lyons, who not only beat state champions from Alabama (Buckhorn) and South Carolina (bubble club Lexington), but also previous FAB 50 No. 25 Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.) in the semifinals, 58-49, earlier on Saturday afternoon behind Perry (24 points), Shoulders (13 points) and Reddick (11 points). That Lyon County trio have been teammates since second grade and erased some of the sting of losing at the Sweet 16 the previous two seasons after capturing its regional. Perry scored 5,481 points in his high school career playing for his father, Ryan, and broke the hallowed state scoring record of the late "King" Kelly Coleman of Wayland in the process.

In the championship game, Harlan County was led by Maddox Huff with 22 points while Trent Noah, a South Carolina commit, had 17 points and 9 rebounds.

With the four wins at the Sweet 16, including two on Saturday, Lyon County breaks into the FAB 50 at No. 47. Great Crossing, which didn't lose to another Kentucky team and fell in the regular season in overtime to Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) member Bishop O'Connell of Virginia (which beat two FAB 50 ranked teams), remains in at No. 50 this week.

The highest ranked newcomer this week is actually No. 44 Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.), which played its final game on March 1. While considering many teams for this week's second newcomer along with Lyon County, the resume of the Tigers kept coming up. Jackson-Reed owns an overtime victory over No. 29 Bullis (Potomac, Md.) and owns wins over South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah).

We strongly considered Chicago Public League champ Curie (Chicago, Ill.), but that club has a loss to South Shore. Imhotep Charter, who captured the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class 6A state title on Friday, didn't lost any games in state and also has a loss to South Shore. With Independence (Thompson’s Station, Tenn.), another team from the Southeast Region we considered for entry also losing to South Shore, it was clear Jackson-Reed from the East Region was the logical choice.

The only state still playing is Indiana because of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament first two rounds being played at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. On March 30, No. 10 Fishers (Fishers, Ind.) will face Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.).

RELATED: ?Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | | ? | Chipotle Nationals Record Book

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
Powered by www.ebooksnet.com

(14th poll of 2023-24 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, March 24; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates season not complete.)

No.	Prev.	High School (City)	Record
1	1	Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)	29-0***
2	2	Columbus (Miami, Fla.)	27–4***
3	3	Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.)	33-2***
4	4	Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)	21-4****
5	5	Plano East (Plano, Texas)	40-0
6	6	Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.)	33-5***
7	7	Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.)	33-3
8	8	Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.)	33-0
9	9	Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.)	30-0
10	10	Fishers (Fishers, Ind.)	28-1***
11	11	Link Academy (Branson, Mo.)	25-6***
12	12	AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.)	27-5***
13	13	Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas)	38-2
14	14	IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)	18-8***
15	15	St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.)	29-2
16	16	Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.)	26-4
17	17	Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)	29-3
18	18	St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)	27-1
19	19	Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.)	27-2
20	20	Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.)	31-4
21	21	Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.)	24-6
22	22	Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)	30-2
23	23	McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.)	26-6
24	24	North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.)	30-3
25	26	Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.)	27-4
26	27	Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.)	27-4
27	28	John Marshall (Richmond, Va.)	25-3
28	29	Bullis (Potomac, Md.)	27-3
29	30	Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.)	27-4
30	31	Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)	28-6
31	32	St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)	28-7
32	33	Salesian (Richmond, Calif.)	31-2
33	34	La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.)	23-5
34	35	Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.)	27-7
35	37	Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.)	28-4
36	38	Camden (Camden, N.J.)	30-2
37	39	Kell (Marietta, Ga.)	28-3
38	40	Homewood Flossmor (Flossmor, Ill.)	33-4
39	41	Reidsville (Reidsville, N.C.)	29-0
40	42	Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.)	26-3
41	44	St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio)	26-3
42	43	Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.)	25-5
43	45	Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.)	27-2
44	NR	Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.)	33-3
45	50	Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.)	27-1
46	46	Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)	29-6
47	47	Lyon County (Eddyville, Ky.)	36-3
48	48	Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas)	34-4
49	49	Northwest (Shawnee Mission, Kan.)	25-0
50	25	Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.)	36-2

Dropped Out: Previous No. 36 Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.), No. 47 Newport (Newport, Ky.).

Bubble Teams: Arrowhead (Heartland, Wis.) 27-3; Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.) 32-5; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 24-5; Brennan (San Antonio, Texas) 31-5; Centerville (Centerville, Ohio) 20-9; Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.) 28-3; Christian (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 26-3; Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.) 23-3; Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 31-3; Dale (Dale, Okla.) 30-2; De Paul Prep (Chicago, Ill.) 35-2; De Pere (De Pere, Wis.) 26-2; Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 24-4; Fort Bend Clements (Sugar Land, Texas) 32-1; Hayes (Delaware, Ohio) 27-2; Hickory (Hickory, N.C.) 31-1; Hoover (Hoover, Ala.) 30-3; Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 29-3; Independence (Thompson’s Station, Tenn.) 32-6; Kennedy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) 25-1; Kokomo (Kokomo, Ind.) 25-4; Lehi (Lehi, Utah) 24-4; Lexington (Lexington, S.C.) 28-2; Lexington Catholic (Lexington, Ky.) 32-3; Liberty Magnet (Baton Rouge, La.) 33-4; Lincoln (Warren, Mich.) 24-4; Lincoln Park (Midland, Pa.) 27-3; Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wis.) 26-4; Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) 23-3; Minnetonka (Minnetonka, Minn.) 25-6; Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) 26-2; Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 36-5; Noblesville (Noblesville, Ind.) 22-3; Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 31-4; Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 21-6; Owasso (Owasso, Okla.) 26-4; Pewaukee (Pewaukee, Wis.) 25-5; Raymond (Raymond, Miss.) 31-4; Seven Lakes (Katy, Texas) 35-4**; Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 26-4; St. Anne’s-Bellfield (Charlottesville, Va.) 26-4; St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.) 31-4; St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, N.J.) 26-3; Totino-Grace (Fridley, Minn.) 27-5; Valley (West Des Moines, Iowa) 21-5; Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Col.) 26-2; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 26-6; Volcano Vista (Albuquerque, N.M.) 30-1; Lincoln (Warren, Mich.) 24-4; Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 15-7; Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) 29-2; Westfield (Westfield, Ind.) 19-3; Whitmer (Toledo, Ohio) 25-3; Woodside (Newport News, Va.) 27-1.

Note:?The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 24 years ago.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post NEW FAB 50: Upsets & Thrillers! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

RELATED: Chipotle Nationals Record Book (2009-2023)

By Ronnie Flores

The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, known as March Madness, released its brackets on Sunday and for high school basketball, the Madness has taken place the past two weeks with one more big weekend to go. After an epic weekend for high school hoops March 8-10, last weekend was big too, with results that shook up the new FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com.

In North Carolina, three North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) teams won state titles and cemented their spot in the final FAB 50 set for April 8. NCHSAA Class 3A Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.) defeated Seventy-First (Fayetteville, N.C.), 90-62, to finish 33-0 and move up a spot to No. 8 in this week's rankings. Senior forward Josh Dalton scored a game-high 22 points and Lees-McRae commit Desmond Kent Jr. had 20 in the first half in the win for the Vikings, who defeated previously unbeaten Hickory (Hickory, N.C.) in the semifinals, 87-78.

The Vikings will enter the 2024-25 season riding a 65-game winning streak, the nation's longest active streak, after finishing No. 7 in the FAB 50 last season at 32-0. Central Cabarrus has won 95 of its last 96 games.

North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) moved up a spot this week to No. 24 after capturing the Class 4A crown with a 57-47 victory over New Hanover (Wilmington, N.C.). The Vikings were led to the program's third state crown behind the play of Duke-bound Mr. Basketball USA candidate Isaiah Evans, who scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds as North Meck handed New Hanover its only loss of the season. North Meck state title was a good omen for No. 23 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), which handed the Vikings one of its three losses with the others coming against No. 11 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) and No. 38 Camden (Camden, N.J.). North Meck also recorded a big victory over No. 27 Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.) in the state quarterfinals, as Evans scored 48 points.

Reidsville (Reidsville, N.C.) moved up seven spots this week to No. 41 after capturing the NCHSAA Class 2A crown with a perfect 29-0 mark. The Rams defeated Farmville Central (FarmVille, N.C.), 78-77, in overtime, in one of the most well-played championship games of the season. Reidsville was led to victory by junior Johnniyus Sharpe Jr., who netted a game-high 29 points, including 3-of-6 3-pointers. In a pressure-packed game, Sharpe made all 10 of his free throw attempts, as Reidsville went 13-of-13 from the line.

Similar to Central Cabarrus, Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.) secured a Top 15 final FAB 50 ranking by capturing a state title, in its case the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) D2 state crown. The Vikings defeated bubble club Pewaukee (Pewaukee, Wis.), 83-62, as Evan's future teammate at Duke, Kon Knueppel, has 11 points and 11 assists. The big win for Wisconsin Lutheran came in the semifinals, when it downed Nicolet (Glendale, Wis.), 56-54, on a lay-up right before the buzzer by Alex Greene off a pretty left-handed feed from sophomore Zavier Zens. Zens got the ball as Knueppel was looking to make a move before falling down and passing it off before any violation was called.

Right behind Wisconsin Lutheran in the rankings at No. 10 is Fishers (Fishers, Ind.), the favorite to capture the Indiana High School State Athletic Association (IHSAA) Class 4A state title over Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) on March 30 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Fishers' only loss is to a Carmel (Ind.) team it split with.

The Kentucky High School Athletics Association (KHSAA) Sweet 16 will take place March 20-23 at Rupp Arena. Two FAB 50 ranked teams could meet in the March 23 Final: No. 25 Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.) and one of three newcomers this week, No. 47 Newport (Newport, Ky.), who has already lost to Great Crossing. One of the 16 remaining teams has to win twice on March 23 to capture one of the two remaining single-class state tournaments in the country (Delaware is the other).

No. 36 Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) is seeking its third Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) Class 4A state crown in four years after knocking off Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) for the second time in three games this season in the sectional final, 105-76. The Trojans were led to victory by Creighton recruit Jackson McAndrew, who finished with 40 points.

In Ohio, No. 44 St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) is the newcomer, joining Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) Class A state champ Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.), who joins the fray at No. 50 this week. The Thunderbirds captured their second consecutive state title by defeating rival Millard North (Omaha, Neb.), 57-48, to avenge an earlier loss to the team it met for the state title for the fifth consecutive year. As for St. Ignatius, it will take on bubble club Hayes (Delaware, Ohio) in the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) D1 semifinals on March 23 at University of Dayton Arena. The other semifinal pits Centerville (Centerville, Ohio) versus Whitmer (Toledo, Ohio). Centerville knocked off previous No. 43 Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) to advance to the Final Four. The championship game is set for Sunday at 8:30 pm ET.

Pennsylvania and Alaska will also conclude the 2023-24 season in the coming week.

Chipotle Nationals Announced
Every team's final ranking will not be finalized until the completion of Chipotle Nationals, which is set for April 4 - 6 at Brownsburg (Ind.). Five of the top six teams and eight of the top 14 FAB 50 teams will compete in the event (formerly known as GEICO Nationals). The quarterfinal matchups are as follows (seeds listed in parenthesis) and all will be televised by ESPNU:

No. 1 Montverde Academy (1) vs. No. 12 AZ Compass Prep (8), 8 pm ET
No. 4 Long Island Lutheran (4) vs. No. 2 Columbus (5), 4 pm ET
No. 6 Prolific Prep (3) vs. No. 11 Link Academy (6), 6 pm ET
No. 3 Paul VI (2) vs. No. No. 14 IMG Academy (7), 2 pm ET

The semifinals on April 5 will be televised on ESPN2, as will the title game on April 6 (12 pm ET).

CLICK HERE to check out the all-time Chipotle Nationals Team and Individual Record Book (2009-2023).

RELATED: ?Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | | ? | Chipotle Nationals Record Book

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
Powered by www.ebooksnet.com

(13th poll of 2023-24 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, March 17; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates season not complete.)

No.	Prev.	High School (City)	Record
1	1	Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)	29-0***
2	2	Columbus (Miami, Fla.)	27–4***
3	3	Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.)	33-2***
4	4	Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)	21-4****
5	5	Plano East (Plano, Texas)	40-0
6	6	Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.)	33-5***
7	7	Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.)	33-3
8	9	Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.)	33-0
9	10	Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.)	30-0
10	12	Fishers (Fishers, Ind.)	28-1***
11	8	Link Academy (Branson, Mo.)	25-6***
12	11	AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.)	27-5***
13	13	Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas)	38-2
14	14	IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)	18-8***
15	15	St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.)	29-2
16	16	Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.)	25-4***
17	17	Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)	29-3
18	19	St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)	27-1
19	22	Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.)	27-2
20	21	Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.)	31-4
21	23	Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.)	24-6
22	24	Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)	30-2
23	26	McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.)	26-6
24	25	North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.)	30-3
25	32	Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.)	34-1***
26	33	Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.)	27-4
27	27	Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.)	27-4
28	28	John Marshall (Richmond, Va.)	25-3
29	29	Bullis (Potomac, Md.)	27-3
30	30	Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.)	27-4
31	31	Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)	28-6
32	36	St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)	28-7
33	37	Salesian (Richmond, Calif.)	31-2
34	34	La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.)	23-5
35	35	Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.)	27-7
36	42	Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.)	27-1***
37	39	Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.)	28-4
38	40	Camden (Camden, N.J.)	30-2
39	41	Kell (Marietta, Ga.)	28-3
40	45	Homewood Flossmor (Flossmor, Ill.)	33-4
41	48	Reidsville (Reidsville, N.C.)	29-0
42	18	Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.)	26-3
43	44	Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.)	25-5
44	NR	St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio)	24-3***
45	46	Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.)	27-2
46	47	Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)	29-6
47	NR	Newport (Newport, Ky.)	32-3***
48	49	Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas)	34-4
49	50	Northwest (Shawnee Mission, Kan.)	25-0
50	NR	Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.)	27-1

Dropped Out: Previous No. 20 Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.), No. 38 Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.), No. 43 Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio).

Bubble Teams: Arrowhead (Heartland, Wis.) 27-3; Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.) 32-5; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 24-5; Brennan (San Antonio, Texas) 31-5; Centerville (Centerville, Ohio) 19-8***; Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.) 28-3; Christian (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 26-3; Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.) 23-3; Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 31-3; Dale (Dale, Okla.) 30-2; De Paul Prep (Chicago, Ill.) 35-2; De Pere (De Pere, Wis.) 26-2; Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 24-4; Fort Bend Clements (Sugar Land, Texas) 32-1; Hayes (Delaware, Ohio) 27-1***; Hickory (Hickory, N.C.) 31-1; Hoover (Hoover, Ala.) 30-3; Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 27-3***; Independence (Thompson’s Station, Tenn.) 32-6; Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.) 33-3; Kennedy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) 25-1; Kokomo (Kokomo, Ind.) 25-4; Lehi (Lehi, Utah) 24-4; Lexington (Lexington, S.C.) 28-2; Lexington Catholic (Lexington, Ky.) 32-3; Liberty Magnet (Baton Rouge, La.) 33-4; Lincoln (Warren, Mich.) 24-4; Lincoln Park (Midland, Pa.) 25-3***; Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wis.) 26-4; Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) 23-3; Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) 26-2; Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 36-5; Noblesville (Noblesville, Ind.) 22-3; Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 31-4; Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 21-6; Owasso (Owasso, Okla.) 26-4; Pewaukee (Pewaukee, Wis.) 25-5; Raymond (Raymond, Miss.) 31-4; Seven Lakes (Katy, Texas) 35-4**; Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 26-4; St. Anne’s-Bellfield (Charlottesville, Va.) 26-4; St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.) 31-4; St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, N.J.) 26-3; Valley (West Des Moines, Iowa) 21-5; Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Col.) 26-2; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 26-6; Volcano Vista (Albuquerque, N.M.) 30-1; Lincoln (Warren, Mich.) 24-4; Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 15-7; Westfield (Westfield, Ind.) 19-3; Whitmer (Toledo, Ohio) 25-2***; Woodside (Newport News, Va.) 27-1.

Note:?The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 24 years ago.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post Updated FAB 50: March Madness Indeed! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

The weekend of March 8-10 was an epic one for high school basketball across the country. That's because many power states conclude their state championship events, and it caused plenty of change to the new FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com. Let's run down the key results:

* Plano East (Plano, Texas) made history by capturing a University Interscholastic League (UIL) state title in the highest classification (Class 6A) by going undefeated. In the final, the Panthers downed then FAB No. 6 Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas), 53-41, before 8,812 at The Alamodome in San Antonio. Leading the way was junior forward D.J. Hall with 18 points in a game Plano East was in control of throughout. Joining Hall on the all-tournament team was Plano East's Jordan Mizell, a 6-foot-2 senior guard.

With the victory, No. 5 Plano East (40-0) guaranteed itself a top five finish in the final 2023-24 FAB 50, which will be published on April 8. Stony Point, which downed No. 49 Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) in the semifinals, 54-46, dropped seven spots this week to No. 13, although its final ranking will not be determined until all the results across the country play out. Stony Point's only two losses in 40 games were to the Panthers.

* In the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAAAAAA title game, No. 35 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) captured its first-ever state crown with a 51-41 victory over then No. 20. McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.). Junior forward Jacob Wilkins, already committed to Georgia, led the way for the Rams with some big plays down the stretch after McEachern was threatening with one final push. Wilkins finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Purdue signee Gicarri Harris, a 6-foot-4 senior, added nine points and five rebounds for the victorious Rams. Grayson (which beat McEachern twice this season), held Indians star forward and Mr. Basketball USA candidate Ace Bailey to four points in the second half, as he netted 18 points on 8-of-20 shots from the field.

McEachern came into the game ranked higher in the FAB 50 because some of its previous national results, including a victory over new No. 25 North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) and an overtime loss to No. 7 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.). Benefitting from Grayson's title game victory the most is new No. 23 Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.), which moves up 11 spots this week because it handed the Rams one of its only two losses with the other coming to No. 22 Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.). Perry was able to avenge two of its in-state losses with the out-of-state losses coming against Harvard-Westlake (twice) and No. 16 Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.).

"It’s something these kids will take with them forever," Grayson coach Geoffrey Pierce told www.ebooksnet.com. "They will forever be know as state champions in the largest classification in Georgia. I can guarantee there are a lot of former players and coaches from Grayson that are celebrating with us."

*At the Golden One Center in Sacramento, Calif., Harvard-Westlake downed No. 37 Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Open Division title game, 50-45, in a hard-fought game before approximately 5,000 fans. The game was close for the final three quarters after the Wolves took a 21-11 lead after one period. Salesian took its final lead (45-44) with 1:31 to go on a lay-up by sophomore Elias Obenyah, but Harvard-Westlake's McDonalds' All-American, USC-bound Trent Perry, scored the game's final six points and came up with a steal with just under a minute remaining to put his team in position to win its second consecutive CIF open state crown, the third program to do that since the advent of the open division in 2013. Perry, who finished with 17 points, hit an elbow jump shot with 26 seconds remaining and two free throws with under 10 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Harvard-bound Robert Hinton scored a team-high 19 points for Harvard-Westlake, which defeated No. 21 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) in Tuesday's SoCal open final, 63-59, behind 28 points from Perry. It was the same team the Wolverines defeated for the CIF Southern Section open title. Harvard-Westlake not only beat Roosevelt and Perry twice, it also defeated McEachern and No. 36 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), which captured the CIF D1 crown on Friday night and handed Salesian its only regular season loss in overtime. The out-of-state loss for Harvard-Westlake came in a one possession game to No. 2 Columbus (Miami, Fla.).

* Columbus became eligible for the Chipotle High School Basketball Nationals (April 4-6) by capturing the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 7A title, the Explorers' third consecutive state crown. The Explorers needed overtime to turn back then No. 31 Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.), 72-67, after giving up a 13-point lead in the third period. Battle-tested Oak Ridge, which downed No. 46 Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.) in the semifinals, 85-74, used a 13-0 run late in the third quarter to get back in the game.

Cameron Boozer, last season's Mr. Basketball USA as a sophomore, came up with a thunderous slam dunk with five seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. Boozer finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals in the big victory. His brother Cayden Boozer added 16 points, while Michigan St.-bound Jase Richardson added 14 points.

In addition to defeating Harvard-Westlake, which moves up three spots to No. 7 this week, the Explorers own victories over No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.), No. 4 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) and No. 6 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.).

Expect the FAB 50's No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6 teams to join top-ranked Montverde Academy at Chipotle High School Basketball Nationals. The eight-team field for the event is expected to be announced this week and all its games will be broadcast live on ESPN platforms.

There will be more movement in the coming weeks based on the results in the states where the playoffs are still going such as Indiana and Pennsylvania, plus Chipotle Nationals. For many of the nation's best teams, however, this past weekend was big and capturing state titles on-the-court is something that can never be taken away, regardless of their final position in the FAB 50.

We'll give our take on the big off-court happenings in New Jersey later this week.

RELATED: ?Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | | ??

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post NEW FAB 50: EPIC Weekend! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

It's not how you start, but how you finish and for teams that do suffer a loss at an inopportune time, the hope should be that their foes do well the rest of the way. That theme definitely applied to the team at Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.). The Pumas began No. 33 in the preseason FAB 50 after capturing the first ever Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) open division state tile in 2222-23. Perry dropped out of the nation's longest-running weekly national rankings earlier this season after dropping games to Arizona clubs, including Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.), the team it beat in last year's open title game.

This week the Pumas made a grand return as the highest of six newcomers at No. 34 after defeating then No. 38 Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.), 71-67, to repeat as AIA open division state champs. Millennium had an early 17-point lead, but Perry chipped away at its deficit behind some big shots by guard Barron Silsby down the stretch and the clutch play of All-American Koa Peat. Silsby had 10 second half points to help Perry overcome a 41-32 halftime deficit, while Peat, still a junior and a returning first team Elite All-American, finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.

Millennium's Sabien Cain finished with 33 points, including an incredible seven 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes of the game for a team that drops five spots this week. Sunnyslope was the only in-state team Perry didn't end up defeating, as its out of state losses were to No. 18 Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) and to No. 10 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.), twice. On Tuesday, Harvard-Westlake hosts No. 24 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) in the California InterscholasticFederation (CIF) SoCal open division regional title game with the winner taking on either No. 37 Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) or unranked Riordan (San Francisco, Calif.) for the CIF Open Division state title on March 9 at the Golden One Center in Sacramento.

It goes without saying Perry would benefit from Harvard-Westlake winning back-to-back open state crowns, while Salesian would hop the Pumas if it goes on to win its final two games to capture its first CIF open state title. Perry has now won three consecutive AIA state titles and Peat has never lost a AIA playoff game in his stellar three-year career. Perry defeated Basha (Chandler, Ariz.) in the semifinals, 83-79, as Peat poured in 35 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.

Another team enjoying a three-peat that finished strong is No. 28 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.), which captured the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) Class AA title with a 47-37 victory over St. John's (Washington, D.C.). The Quakers got 16 points from Acaden Lewis and 15 from Jalen Rougier-Roane in the title game victory. The big win in terms of rankings position, was the 53-52 semifinal victory over then No. 16 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), as the Quakers' Lewis was a difference-maker in a tight game with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Sidwell Friends has now won three consecutive DCSAA state titles and four in the past five seasons and is up 18 spots this week. The Purple Eagles, who were runners-up in the WCAC Tournament to No. 3 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) on Monday, drop 13 spots but can't go down any further. No. 30 Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.) has only lost in overtime to WCAC member Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.), a team Gonzaga split with. No. 31 Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) has also lost to Bishop O’Connell with another loss to a club Gonzaga beat: Westminster Academy (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.). Oak Ridge's third loss is to FAB 50 No. 1 Montverde Academy of Florida.

This Friday, Oak Ridge will battle No. 46 Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.) in the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 7A semifinals. The other semifinal pits Evans (Orlando, Fla.) vs. No. 2 Columbus (Miami) with the winners of each game playing on Saturday evening.

In addition to Florida and California, another power state that will crown state champions this week is Texas. The University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 6A Final Four will take place at The Alamodome in San Antonio. No. 5 and unbeaten Plano East (Plano, Texas) will take on Lake Ridge (Mansfield, Texas) in one semifinal, with No. 6 Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas) facing new No. 49 Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) in the other. Beaumont United will be making its fourth consecutive state Final Four appearance, while Stony Point has only lost to Plano East.

Another attractive state final takes place in Georgia, where the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAAAAAA title game at the Macon Coliseum pits No. 20 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) vs. No. 35 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) on Saturday evening. Grayson has only lost to state champ and No. 25 Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.) and to Perry.

The 2023-24 season will conclude with the Chipotle High School Basketball Nationals, April 4-6, at Brownsburg (Ind.) just outside of Indianapolis. Expect an invite for Columbus provided it captures a state title and the other top four teams in the FAB 50. All games at the event will be broadcast live on ESPN platforms.

RELATED: ?Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | | ??

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post UPDATED FAB 50: State Championships On The Line! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

Good team have a group of realistic goals it sets at the beginning of each season. One is to win league or conference titles and go on to capture regional or sectional titles. The big prize for many, obviously, is a state championship.

For some, those goals were realized this past week and for another highly-ranked club the dream came to fruition on Monday evening.

One club that is actually outside the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com is bubble club Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.). The Gaels took some lumps early, but avenged losses to Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) and Coronado (Henderson, Nev.) to capture the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) Class 5A state title.

Coach Grant Rice's club defeated Coronado in the state championship game, 63-60, as senior Noah Westbrook, playing high school basketball for the first time, had 13 points and nine rebounds and did his best to thwart Coronado junior big man Tee Bartlett. Bishop Gorman doesn't quite have a resume strong enough to crack into the FAB 50, but its final positioning won't be determined into all the results of the season are complete. For now, Gorman and other state champions who have competed its season is listed by an asterisk (***).

Rice has now coached the Gorman program to 14 state titles, and its first since 2020 right before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rice has coached many FAB 50 ranked state champs, but even though this team is a notch below its national competition, this is one of the most satisfying of the 14 state titles considering where the program began last fall with player defections and a young roster.

Hawaii has also crowned its state champs and after this week Mississippi will also be complete. This week's lone newcomer is No. 50 Pascagoula (Pascagoula, Miss.), the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) top-ranked Class 6A club that is two wins away from a coveted state crown. On Wednesday, the Panthers take on 23-9 Ridgeland (Miss.) and will face either Olive Branch (Miss.) or Terry (Miss.) on Saturday for the title if they win in the semis. Pascagoula has avenged its only loss to Madison Central (Madison, Miss.).

For some teams that took a recent loss, such as No. 19 Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.), the season is not over and those teams will look to bounce back in the regional or state playoffs. Stepinac fell to unranked St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.), a team it had already beaten twice, in the New York Archdiocesan Class AA Championship and will look to bounce back in the upcoming Intersectional AA tourney after dropping two spots this week.

Last season, Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) captured the coveted California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Open Division state crown after bouncing back from losing in the CIF Southern Section Open Division pool play format and failing to advance to the section title game. This year, one of the Wolverines' main goals was to win the Mission League Tournament (which they did) and repeat as state champions while capturing the sectional crown.

The No. 10 ranked Wolverines completed goal No. 2 by defeating then No. 21 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.), 54-47, in the CIFSS open title game at Cal Baptist University in Riverside to capture the program's first ever section open crown. As has been the case in the post-season, Harvard-Westlake clamped down on defense and worked the boards, holding Roosevelt to 30 percent shooting from the field while limiting star guard Brayden Burries to 4-of-14 shooting from the field in a 14-point performance. Doing alot of the work defensively on Burries was junior forward Nik Khamenia, who has drawn many tough assignments in the playoff the past two seasons and came up with passing grades. Khamenia had 15 points and seven rebounds, while Harvard-bound Robert Hinton also had 15 points, including two free throws that iced the game with 13 seconds to go after a loose ball foul was called on the snake-bit Mustangs off a Harvard-Westlake missed free throw.

Harvard-Westlake is now the No. 1 seed in the upcoming CIF SoCal Open Regional Playoffs, which get underway on Wednesday. The Mustangs come in as the No. 2 seed and FAB 50 No. 26 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) is the No. 3 seed. The top seed in the NorCal open playoffs is No. 36 Salesian (Richmond, Calif.), which has only lost to No. 35 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), the top seed in the CIF SoCal D1 regional tournament.

The top two seeds in both the NorCal and SoCal open regional have byes. The open regional finals are set for March 5 with the CIF Open State Championship set for March 9 at the Golden One Center in Sacramento.

League/Conference titles are huge in many regions of the country, and not many are more prestigious than the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) tournament title. The WCAC title game was held on Monday night, so its result won't be credited until next week's FAB 50, but the result is more than newsworthy now.

FAB 50 No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) captured its second WCAC title in three seasons with a 63-51 victory over No. 16 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) at American University. Duke-bound Darren Harris led the way with 20 points and seven rebounds for a program that is in the thick of the FAB 50 national title race.

With the win, Paul VI is the first team to go unbeaten in WCAC play and capture the tournament title in the same season since 2011-12. That season, Paul VI pulled off the WCAC double in addition to winning the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) title when it finished No. 12 in the FAB 50.

In what spot will the Panthers finish this season?

RELATED: ?Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | | ??

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post NEW FAB 50: Champions Crowned! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

This weekend some big matchups will take place that will crown league or section titles for highly-regarded teams in the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com. In the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Open Division title game, No. 10 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) will take on No. 21 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.), as no matter the outcome there will be a first-time winner for the prestigious sectional crown.

Teams advance to the CIFSS open championship game by winning their respective pool of four teams each among the eight teams chosen by the section's open playoff committee. It's only right the Wolverines and Mustangs face each other Friday night at Cal Baptist University in Riverside after each going 3-0 in pool play the past two weeks.

For Roosevelt, which moves up one spot in this week's FAB 50, it clinched a spot in the section title game after its second of three pool games, a 64-59 victory over bubble club St. Pius X-St. Matthias (Downey, Calif.). Roosevelt trailed by eight points in the third period and didn’t take control of the game until the final six and a half minutes of the game. Junior guard and All-American candidate Brayden Burries scored a game-high 21 points for Roosevelt. Even though a trip to the section title game was already secure, the Mustangs pulled out a 80-76 overtime victory over 11-time CIF state champ Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) after junior guard Isaac Williamson sent the game in an extra stanza with a clutch 3-pointer.

We gave some thought about moving up Roosevelt a few more spots, but for now it can't be in front of No. 20 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.). The Indians took Harvard-Westlake to overtime before bowing to the CIF's top-ranked team in a showcase game at the Spalding Hoophall Classic on MLK Monday, 60-59. Obviously, that comparative score criteria between Roosevelt and McEachern could change next week.

McEachern, the Region 3-AAAAAAA champions, will enter the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAAAAAA state tournament as one of its favorites along with No. 40 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), which has lost to No. 39 Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.) and to highly-regarded Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.). Should our rankings hold up, McEachern would meet Grayson in the GHSA's highest classification state title game on March 9.

After returning from Springfield, Mass., Harvard-Westlake had a tough week, losing to both Mission League foes Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) and Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.). Harvard-Westlake is able to move up two spots this week after avenging the loss to Sierra Canyon in resounding fashion in its second pool play game, 72-38. The Wolverines defense was stifling last week and role players Christian Horry and Amir Jones were hitting their outside shots to make this team the favorite to capture the CIF state open title on March 9 at the Golden One Center in Sacramento.

It's no secret Harvard-Westlake is extremely motivated to win both the section and state open titles after winning last year's CIF open crown in Sacramento after failing to advance to the CIFSS open final two weeks prior. Harvard-Westlake, which avenged the earlier loss to Notre Dame this season with a 60-56 victory in the Mission League Tournament semifinals, punched its ticket for this year's CIFSS title game with a 64-40 victory over No. 34 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) in its third pool game. McDonalds' All-American Trent Perry had 24 points and the defense once again was the difference-maker, as Bosco converted a mere three field goals in the first half and trialed 29-9 at halftime in a game that wasn’t really as close as the final score indicated.

This week's top newcomer is Notre Dame, which was not chosen for the CIFSS open playoffs even though it split with Harvard-Westlake, the top seed. Notre Dame is the top seed in the CIFSS D1 playoffs and advanced to Saturday's title game at the Toyota Arena in Ontario vs. No. 2 seed Windward (Los Angeles) courtesy of victories over state ranked clubs Santa Margarita of Orange County (63-50) and Redondo Union of Los Angeles County (67-60).

Notre Dame was able to leapfrog St. John Bosco and No. 35 Salesian (Richmond, Calif.), which has only lost to Bosco in overtime, because of Harvard-Westlake’s dominance in its pool game victories over St. John Bosco and Sierra Canyon. The Wolverines dominated those two teams and for now, Notre Dame owning a victory over the CIF’s top ranked team and playing them close in another game carries plenty of weight in our rankings criteria. Obviously, that could change going into next week when we once again update the FAB 50.

We'll look to get it out as soon as we can, because next Monday evening the Philadelphia Catholic League final will take place at The Palestra. Wednesday's semifinals will pit No. 24 Roman Catholic (Philadelphia) vs. Father Judge (Philadelphia) and No. 38 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) vs. Archbishop Ryan (Philadelphia). Roman Catholic could avenge on of its two losses in the semifinals vs. Father Judge.

Also taking place on Feb. 26 is the championship game of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) tournament at American University. WCAC regular season champion and FAB 50 No. 3 Paul VI is the top seed and has only lost to the two teams ranked ahead of it in the nation's longest running weekly national poll.

RELATED: ?Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | | ??

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post UPDATED FAB 50: Showdowns Await! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

Super Sunday has passed and as football season officially closes that can only mean one thing: high school basketball is about to heat up! Top ranked teams usually win in league or conference play and that is reflected at the top of the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com. Only one team dropped in the Top 15 after a loss last week.

That team is new No. 26 Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.), one of the favorites in the upcoming Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs, which tip this Wednesday. The PCL championship game is set for Feb. 26 at The Palestra. The other team expected to have a great shot at the title aside from Roman Catholic (the defending champion) is No. 37 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.), one of five newcomers to the FAB 50 this week.

The playoffs have already commenced in other areas of the country, and even though there hasn't been monumental upsets, the competition will get thicker in the coming weeks That's when a few FAB 50 ranked teams will inevitably go down. Sometimes it's not if you lose, but when you lose that can be gut-wrenching.

The final of the five newcomers at No. 50 is Curie (Chicago, Ill.), which captured in third Chicago Public League title on Saturday night with a 65-59 victory over Kenwood (Chicago, Ill.). Curie, which has losses to No. 47 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) and unranked Lindblom (Chicago, Ill.), was led to victory by University of Illinois-Chicago commit Carlos Harris with 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Curie's opportunity to move up in the FAB 50 will come on the road to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 4A state tournament, as the Condors could face No. 49 Homewood Flossmor (Flossmor, Ill.) in the SuperSectionals. Homewood-Flossmor has been in the FAB 50 for a month, but it is a slow climb for it because of its margin of defeat to No. 20 Fishers (Fishers, Ind.), which beat the Vikings, 78-57. Fishers beat No. 41 Westfield (Westfield, Ind.) by two points, 51-49.

Curie also won CPL crowns in 2019 when it finished third in the IHSA Class 4A tourney and No. 44 in the FAB 50 and in 2014 when it was led by Mr. Basketball USA Cliff Alexander and rose to No. 1 in the FAB 50 for a period of that season.

Neumann-Goretti is one of two teams that dropped out of last week's FAB 50 that returns. The other is new No. 48 Huntsville (Huntsville, Ala.), which has a loss to top-ranked Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) with the other loss coming on a Monday to No. 42 Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.), 58-55. Bartlett jumps into the rankings because it has to be in front of Huntsville in our rankings formula. Bartlett also took a loss to Montverde Academy in its Winter Classic, 80-55, on February 10.

Montverde Academy will take on No. 4 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) on February 16 at the inaugural Bob McKillop Invitational. The key EYBL Scholastic league game is part of the event held at Hofstra University and hosted by LuHi. The two teams met in the title game of the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, Fla. in December, with MVA posting a 73-59 victory.

RELATED: ?Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | | ??

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post NEW FAB 50: Playoff Madness! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

No high school team in the country wants to take a loss, of course, but when it does it's our job to make sure where it ends up in the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com reflects its overall body of work. For teams that choose to avoid the most difficult competition, or are kept from playing in the events they would love to because of state association rules, it's simple. When they lose, they'll drop plenty and perhaps all the way out. For the teams fortunate to have played other FAB 50 ranked clubs, there are more barometers to accurately slot them in the following week's rankings. That's why strength of schedule is so paramount in any credible national rankings.

Teams don't always fall behind the team it just lost to, if it previously recorded other quality victories. That's the case this week for a select group of FAB 50 ranked teams that recently took losses.

For previous No. 3 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), it fell to then No. 45 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) at The Grind Session event in San Jose, Puerto Rico. Darius Acuff Jr., one of the top junior (2025) guard prospects in America, led the way with 28 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists. IMG's Khani Rooths, a 6-foot-8 forward committed to Michigan, also had a big game for the Ascenders with 30 points.

IMG Academy gets plenty of credit for the win, moving up 32 spots this week to No. 13, but doesn't move ahead of The Crew in the FAB 50. Prolific Prep other losses are to top-ranked Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) twice in relatively close games, an overtime loss to No. 2 Columbus and a loss to a team carrying post-graduate players. The Crew owns victories over No. 9 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) and No. 11 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.), so they remain ahead of IMG Academy at No. 9, down six spots from last week.

IMG Academy remains behind the No. 14 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) team it lost to, but is able to leap frog other teams it lost to such as No. 43 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah), No. 42 Bullis (Potomac, Md.) and No. 18 Don Bosco Prep. The Ironmen of Don Bosco Prep lost to No. 17 Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) in a showcase game at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, 74-67. Archbishop Stepinac had to take a one spot ding because it has a loss to No. 16 St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.), which lost to Montverde Academy, 84-55, at the Metro Classic in New Jersey last weekend. Stepinac lost to the top-ranked Eagles, 95-55.

Montverde Academy has defeated 14 teams currently ranked in the FAB 50, and the victory margins against those ranked teams helps us place teams after taking a loss.

While still unbeaten teams continue to move up, another team that has a loss that took a big jump up is new No. 23 Fishers (Ind.). The No. 1 ranked team among Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) clubs has a loss to a hot Carmel (Ind.) team hovering at .500, but Fishers just knocked off previous No. 28 Westfield (Ind.), 51-49, in a terrific team defensive effort. Keenan Garner, a 6-foot-6 senior, led the way with 15 points for Fishers. Two nights later, Fishers absolutely throttled No. 49 Homewood Flossmor (Flossmor, Ill.), the top-ranked team in Illinois, 78-57, at the Bank of O'Fallon Shootout in Illinois.

The highest ranked team to drop out of the FAB 50 this week is No. 18 Huntsville (Huntsville, Ala.), which lost to the Bartlett (Tenn.) team that new No. 48 Cordova (Tenn.) recently avenged its only loss to, 49-43. Cordova lost to Bartlett in the first round of Class 4A, District 15 play in overtime, 63-60.

No. 20 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) also dropped out after losing to No. 12 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.), 60-56, in the Mission League Tournament semifinals. It was the Knights' third consecutive loss and they got left out of the eight team CIF Southern Section open division playoffs. Notre Dame, which split with Harvard-Westlake during the regular season, had a resume strong enough to be included. The section open field includes the Wolverines, No. 21 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), No. 24 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.), No. 28 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), and No. 34 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.).

Two weeks ago before the three consecutive losses, Notre Dame was the highest ranked CIF club in the FAB 50.

RELATED: ?Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | | ??

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post UPDATED FAB 50: Big Wins, Big Change! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

Most of the nation's best teams are in league, conference or district play and most are winning as they gear up to earn favorable seeds in the post-season. That is reflected in the latest edition of the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com.

There are only two newcomers to the fold: No. 28 Westfield (Westfield, Ind.) and No. 50 Alta (Sandy, Utah). Westfield is now the No. 2 ranked team in Indiana after previous state No. 1 Fishers (Ind.) fell to always-tough Carmel (Ind.), 54-46, as junior guard Alex Couto netted 26 points. Fishers always have trouble with Carmel on the road, and the win is the 22nd in a row by the Greyhounds at home. Fishers is now No. 3 in the state and falls 40 points in the FAB 50 to No. 48.

The highest ranked team that fell out after a loss last week was previous No. 22 Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.), which fell to always-tough Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.), 80-69, in a Lake Conference match-up of traditional state powers. Junior Anthony Smith III led the way for Hopkins with 22 points, including four 3-pointers, while sophomore Jayden Moore added 12 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists and four steals.

Breaking in for Wayzata is Alta (Sandy, Utah), Utah's top-ranked team and the favorite to capture the Class 5A state title. The Hawks have done enough to overcome their 81-69 loss to unranked St. Pius X-Matthias (Downey, Calif.) in the quarterfinals of the Tarkanian Classic in December, an event in which that club eventually won the championship.

It would bode well for Alta if St. Pius X were to be selected to play in the upcoming CIF Southern Section open division playoffs, where the Warriors are one of approximately 10 teams being considered to play in one of the two pools of four teams each, with the winner of each pool meeting in the CIF Southern Section championship game. That's where playing in a strong league or conference comes into play in the FAB 50 formula. For the first time in over 40 years of weekly state rankings, the top three teams by Cal-Hi Sports are from the same league: the Mission League in the San Fernando Valley. This week, No. 15 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), No. 20 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) and No. 22 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) will all be competing in the Mission League Tournament. One of the teams is going to win the tourney on February 2 and earn a top two seed in the CIFSS open playoffs. Either Notre Dame or Harvard-Westlake is going to lose in the semifinals and that team will be dropping down in the rankings. That drop, however, will not be happening until next week as those teams get rewarded for playing in tough conferences for now. For instance, Notre Dame lost to Sierra Canyon last week and dropped another showcase game to Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) at the Nike Extravaganza, but only drops one spot in the state rankings and nine in the FAB 50.

The Trinity League, which is made up of parochial schools primarily in Orange County, could also have three teams in the CIFSS open playoffs. No. 25 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) now has a split with unranked JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) after the Monarch lost the return match last week, 68-62, even though JSerra coach Keith Wilkinson was still serving a six-game suspension for tossing his shoes in protest of the officiating in the first round of league play. JSerra has lost twice to No. 33 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), but also owns a double overtime win over No. 26 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.). The best scenario for St. Pius X will be to win its Del Rey League title with an unbeaten slate, have unranked Centennial (Corona, Calif.) beat Roosevelt for the second time this week in the Big VIII League title game and for JSerra to lose to a unranked team in the Trinity League.

The tough league slates will undoubtedly change the FAB 50 next week, as the Mission League teams will not be 1-2-3 in California. Already we know some results from Monday that will also affect next week's FAB 50. In a Border Battle, bubble club Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.) downed No. 18 Huntsville (Huntsville, Ala.), 58-53. Coming into the game, Huntsville had only lost to No. 1 Montverde Academy, which captured its own Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament (MAIT) with a 78-72 victory over No. 3 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.). It was the Eagles' second win of the season over The Crew. In other Monday action, St. John's (Washington, D.C.) downed No. 30 Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) in a contest that was a make-up game from the Capitol Hoops Challenge on January 20 that counts towards the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) standings.

RELATED: ?Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | | ??

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post NEW FAB 50: Gearing Up! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

Much of the focus since the turn of the New Year has been on teams at high powered events, but the focus this week will be on individual, elite talent. That's because the rosters for the 2024 McDonald's All-American Game will be unveiled on January 23 on ESPN's "NBA Today" broadcast between 3-4 pm ET. We'll have our breakdown and reactions to the team following its announcement on the latest episode of the .

RELATED: ?Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | | ??

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post UPDATED FAB 50: Calm Before The Storm! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was first officially observed in 1986 (15 years after his assassination) and 20 years later, high-level high school basketball showcases across the country became a staple of the MLK holiday weekend. The MLK weekend eventually involved so many good national level matchups, it was decided the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com should include all the MLK Monday results and it was a policy other national polls now emulate.

It's ironic that after MLK Monday results poured in, it's a school named after another famous individual who also has an observed federal holiday in his namesake that is the big winner in this week's special MLK edition of the rankings. That school is Christopher Columbus, and it was the Roman Catholic preparatory school located in the Westchester region of Miami, Dade County that defeated two of the top three schools in the FAB 50 at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., which has developed into the best MLK showcase over the past 15 years.

On Saturday, the Explorers of coach Andrew Moran took on then No. 2 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.), which had only lost to season-long No. 1 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 73-59 in the title game of the City of Palms Classic in Florida. Columbus trialed 39-36 at halftime and the third quarter was a stalemate, with both clubs scoring 16 points. In the fourth quarter, however, it was all Columbus, as the Explorers outscored LuHi, 29-7, to pull away with a 81-62 victory. Cameron Boozer, last year's Mr. Basketball USA choice as a mere sophomore and still only 16 years old, had a big impact on the contest with 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, seven rebounds, four assists, and five blocked shots. Michigan St.-bound guard Jase Richardson also made a big impact with 20 points of 8-of-12 shooting, six rebounds, nine assists, two blocks and four steals.

In our latest edition of the "In The Paint" Podcast, we predicted Boozer was due for a breakout performance and that an upset could be brewing, and the power forward deluxe put his stamp on the holiday weekend by leading the Explorers to their second big win of the weekend on MLK Monday. Once again Columbus closed strong, outscoring then No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.), 45-35, in the second half to record a 70-61 victory. Boozer didn't shoot well from the outside (0-4 FG 3-PT), but his looming presence was felt in a major way and he finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and four steals. Richardson once again, made all the difference, netting a game-high 21 points, six rebounds and four assists.

What made Columbus' second victory of the Hoophall Classic even more meaningful was the fact Paul VI was attempting to capture the "Springfield Double" after capturing the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Missouri with a 71-53 championship victory over then No. 46 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.). Duke-bound Darren Harris led the way for the Panthers with four 3-pointers and a game-high 23 points. Paul VI knocked off then No. 27 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) in the semifinals, 48-37, as Harris scored 20 points. It looked good for Columbus that McEachern nearly came back to beat then No. 10 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.), taking that club into overtime after trialing by 18 points and coming up just short, 60-59. McEachern defeated then No. 25 Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) in the Bass Pro TOC third place game, 61-59, on a game-winning jumper by Mr. Basketball USA candidate Ace Bailey, who had 23 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in the loss to the Wolverines.

Another result that broke Columbus' way was No. 1 Montverde's 76-71 Sunday win at Hoophall Classic over then No. 8 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), the Eagles' closest margin of victory to date so far in an unbeaten slate. Indiana-bound Liam McNeeley led four MVA players in double figures with 22 points, including 4-of-5 3-pointers. When the game was on the line, however, the Eagles smartly went inside to power forward Derik Queen, who scored a bucket and also got fouled on MVA's next possession and went to the free throw line to keep Prolific Prep at bay. The Crew's effort versus MVA looks good for the Explorers because they defeated Prolific Prep in overtime. With their own tough schedule, Paul VI's quality of wins, Prolific Prep's showing and Long Island Lutheran's loss to then No. 11 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.), Columbus ia able to move up six spots this week to No. 2 with Prolific Prep checking it at No. 3.

No. 4 Paul VI has only lost to No. 1 Montverde Academy and No. 2 Columbus. No. 5 Link has lost to No. 1 MVA, No. 3 Prolific Prep, No. 4 Paul VI and to No. 7 LuHi, which has to drop five spots to account for the upset loss to AZ Compass Prep.

Columbus' showing is also a swoon for new No. 6 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.), ?which lost its only game in an ultra-tight contest to Columbus in the title game of the Les Schwab Invitational in Oregon on Dec. 30. What wasn't mentioned during the national telecast of the Harvard-Westlake-McEachern contest (instead Bailey's NBA prospectus was mentioned every other time he touched the ball) is Harvard-Westlake has a tough turnaround on the way back from the Spalding Hoophall Classic, not just on the way there as McEachern and Paul VI did. The Wolverines traveled back to the West Coast in inclement weather and are gearing up to host No. 21 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) on Wednesday and travel to face No. 26 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) on January 19.?

There are only four newcomers this week as teams that play national schedules are rewarded and don't fall all the way out after a showcase loss.

Notre Dame is one of the still unbeaten clubs that gets a noticable and sizable bump up this week. Among those still unbeaten clubs are No. 8 Plano East (Plano, Texas), No. 9 Fishers (Fishers, Ind.), No. 11 Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.), No. 13 Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.), No. 22 Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.) and No. 28 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.). For those that don't venture far from home or test themselves on a regional or national level, a loss could mean a big drop that following week.

RELATED: ?Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | | ??

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post NEW FAB 50: Columbus Shines on MLK Day! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

After all the dust has settled from the holiday events, there is a plethora of newcomers to the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com, the first weekly update of the New Year. In the previous update on Dec. 11, there was a whopping 13 newcomers, which was the most we could recall in recent memory up to that point. This time around, there is even more, as 15 teams crack the nation's longest-running weekly national rankings. Since the current FAB 50 format was adopted for the 1999-2000 season, it's the most we can recall joining the fray in a single update.

Does the change mean the rankings are less accurate than previous seasons or that we didn't do our homework in the preseason? No, not necessarily. In fact not at all. It's more a case of rewarding teams that play strong schedules and more of the nation's top talent congregating at fewer schools. The schools in the middle of the FAB 50 pack tend to beat up on each other and expect teams to continue to shuffle in the rear 25 as the season wears on. As far as the Top five, it's a completely different story.

Preseason No. 1 Montverde Academy continues to lead the pack, as the Eagles captured the 50th annual City of Palms Tournament in Ft. Myers, Fla., and lead the EYBLS league standings. Montverde Academy has defeated 10 teams ranked in this week's FAB 50, including the other four teams in the top five and six teams in the top 11.

It will take a monumental effort to take down the Eagles, as coach Kevin Boyle's club took down No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.), 69-62, in the COP semifinals and No. 2 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.), 73-59, in the title game. The Paul VI score was the closest margin of victory so far for a team that is already being compared to the best for a program that has won six FAB 50 national titles, but is Paul VI better than LuHi? Veteran observers at the COP were split on that question, but the debate is likely to be settled on the court. Paul VI still has many landmines remaining in Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) play and LuHi will get another shot at MVA on Feb. 16 at the Bob McKillop Invitational.

Speaking of landmines, there will be plenty for teams this week, as the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo. (Jan. 11-13) and the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. (Jan. 11-15), headline the slate of MLK weekend events. Paul VI will make the vaunted “Springfield Double” trek as it will look to take the Bass Pro TOC crown over the likes of No. 25 Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.), No. 27 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) and No. 46 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.). After a travel day on Sunday, Paul VI will battle No. 8 Columbus (Miami, Fla.) on MLK Monday at 1 pm ET.

McEachern will also double dip, taking on No. 10 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) on Monday at 11 am ET. Columbus will play another game in Massachusetts, taking on Long Island Lutheran on Saturday at 4 pm ET. LuHi's second game will take place on Monday at 3 pm ET vs. No. 11 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.). Top-ranked MVA will play three games, including one on Sunday vs. No. 9 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) at 7:30 pm ET.

Our next rankings update will be on Tuesday, January 16 and will include all the MLK Monday results.

RELATED: ?Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | | ??

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post UPDATED FAB 50: New Year, 15 New Teams! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

The highly-anticipated No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup between top-ranked Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) and No. 2 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) didn't quite materialize as expected on Dec. 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. as part of the EYBL Scholastic Showcase. Coming into the contest, Link Academy already took a 77-76 loss on Dec. 2 to then No. 8 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) at the Derek Smith Shootout in Louisville, Ky.

Regardless of the prior results or ranking coming in, Link Academy figured to be one of the few teams capable of upsetting the top-ranked Eagles. If anything, it was expected to be a competitive game and it turned out to be that even though Montverde Academy led by 23 points (56-33) after three quarters. The Lions played a spirited fourth quarter and got their deficit down to six (48-42), but shot selection and lack of defensive stops proved to be their downfall as Montverde Academy moved to 8-0 with the 71-59 victory.

Texas-bound Tre Johnson was the catalyst that made the game interesting in the fourth quarter, as the Mr. Basketball USA candidate finished with 25 points, including 6-of-8 3-pointers, for the Lions. Montverde Academy out-rebounded Link Academy, 40-25, and was credited with 16 assists to Link Academy's six.

Mr. Basketball USA front-runner and Duke-bound forward Cooper Flagg was one of four Eagles in double figures with 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Undecided big man Derik Queen led MVA in the scoring department with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Baylor-bound point guard Robert Wright had 16 points and six assists.

Saturday afternoon at the Las Vegas Aces practice facility in Henderson, Nev., No. 15 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) actually gave the Eagles a tough game as well, but never led and trialed by 19 points mid-way through the third period. Still the 16-16 fourth quarter stalemate was a moral victory of sorts for the Dragons, who similar to Link Academy, got within 48-42 before falling 58-46.

Georgia-bound power forward Asa Newell led Montverde Academy with 16 points and also had eight rebounds. Junior point guard Jeremiah Fears had a productive game for the Dragons, finishing with 13 points.

There are no moral victories in credible national rankings, although losing to the Eagles didn't hurt AZ Compass Prep or hurt the other teams that have lost to MVA so far. Each week across the country there are controversial finishes, disputed calls and notable circumstances that could cause a team to lose a game it felt it should have won. We have hundred of results to pour over and consider each week, and even though winning in the bottom line, sometimes those circumstances come into play.

One such case occurred when Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas) met Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) in a battle of unbeaten clubs on Dec. 2. The game was decided at the buzzer when Stony Point's Uzziah Bunytn, a 6-foot- junior guard, intercepted a mid-court heave, squared up and launched a shot from half-court that went in to give his team a dramatic 66-63 victory. There was 0.8 seconds showing on the game clock when the long inbounds pass was thrown. There was some controversy as to if the shot should have counted, but what there was no question about is Stony Point tied the game with two seconds and Lake Travis still doesn't have any other loss on its resume.

As a result, Lake Travis is one of 13 newcomers this week at No. 26, two spots behind the highest ranked newcomer, fellow University Interscholastic League (UIL)club Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) at No. 24. The Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) has Beaumont United, last season's Class 6A state runner-up, as its top-ranked club, but we go with Stony Point as Texas' top-ranked club based on national results. Not only have the Tigers' handed Lake Travis its only loss, they have handed No. 35 Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) its only loss, 82-69.

Millennium is another newcomer and replaces previous No. 29 Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) as the top-ranked Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) club. Perry lost to Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.), 53-53, and one of Sunnyslope's two losses is to Millennium. Its other setback is to No. 18 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.). Because Desert Mountain (Scottsdale, Ariz.) lost to unranked Pinnacle (Phoenix, Ariz.) and defeated previous No. 38 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) in overtime, no other Arizona team can crack the back end of the FAB 50.

There are tons of other results in the past two weeks that caused as much change as we've seen in any poll in recent years, but the one event that has the biggest impact on the rankings was the National High School Hoops Festival at DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) over the weekend. When the dust settled two FAB 50 mainstays returned to the FAB 50 this week: The host Stags at No. 39 and Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) at No. 31.

On Dec. 10, DeMatha downed previous No. 42 Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.), 75-51, to remain unbeaten on the young season, as Ashton Meeks finished with a game-high 23 points. On Saturday, DeMatha easily downed Campbell Hall (North Hollywood, Calif.), 80-54.

Earlier on Sunday, new No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) defeated then No. 10 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.), 65-47. Sidwell Friends other loss was to No. 13 John Marshall (Richmond, Va.) in overtime. On Saturday evening, John Marshall dominated the overtime period, 11-3, to defeat Sidwell Friends, 63-55. Paul VI also needed a dominant overtime (16-8) on Saturday to knock off No. 12 Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.), 78-70. Myers Park's second loss is to No. 43 Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.), which suffered its only loss to battle-tested Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas).

Oak Cliff Faith Family is one of this season's surprising teams to take multiple losses and fall from the rankings. Perhaps no bigger surprise is preseason No. 10 Richmond Heights (Richmond Heights, Ohio) losing its first three games of the season to fall all the way out this week.

As for Oak Hill Academy, the Warriors are back in the FAB 50 with a 11-1 mark, with their only loss a 84-57 setback to new No. 2 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) at the Marshall County Hoopfest in Kentucky. Oak Hill Academy wasn't ranked in this year's preseason for the first time since 1988-89.

RELATED: ?Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | | ??

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post NEW FAB 50: Holiday Madness! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

As we stated in the preseason, the teams that made up the back end of the FAB 50 National Team Rankings?powered by?www.ebooksnet.com have plenty to prove and work to do in order to move up into the top half of the nation's longest-running national rankings. The gap between the majority of the Top 25 and the bottom 25 is growing wider each year and the teams at the top of the rankings generally play tough schedules and tend to beat up each other.

These two rankings factors are especially true for teams that belong to the newly-announced Nike EYBL Scholastic League, a 14-team loop previously called the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC). One of its members, preseason No. 23 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah), pulled off the first upset of the 2023-24 regular season when it took down previous No. 3 Columbus (Miami, Fla.), 75-73, in one of the marquee games of the Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta, Ga.

The Tigers shot the ball well from the outside, canning 12-of-31 3-pointers, while the Explorers made 5-of-24 in a two point game. Coach Paul Peterson got a big game from 6-foot-8 2024 (senior) forward Bhan Buom with 19 points, six rebounds and 4 assists. Junior guard Isiah Harwell also played well, scoring 15 points and canning 3-of-7 3-pointers, while 6-foot-4 senior Fischer Brown nailed four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points for a team that moves up 17 spots in the first rankings update of the regular season.

The reason the Tigers are able to move up (despite a 65-56 loss to Dream City Christian of Arizona at the Holiday Hoopsgiving) is they have plenty of landmines upcoming in league play, plus Columbus can't fall too far in the rankings (falling four spots to No. 7) as it owns victories over previous No. 21 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), 86-59, and over previous No. 6 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), 81-78 in overtime. On top of that, Columbus will get its crack on the road at top-ranked Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) on December 1 (5:30 pm ET, ESPN2). That game will feature last year's Mr. Basketball USA, junior Cameron Boozer of Columbus, and this year's preseason front-runner, Duke-bound senior forward Cooper Flagg of Montverde Academy.

Boozer, the only sophomore to ever earn a production-based national player of the year honor, had 26 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in a losing effort versus Wasatch. Incredibly, in the overtime victory over Prolific Prep, Boozer fouled out with 55.9 seconds remaining in regulation and with the Explorers trialing 68-61. That's when his twin brother Cayden Boozer, a 6-foot-4 junior point guard, spark the comeback. Columbus cut its deficit to 70-69 on his 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds remaining, then Prolific Prep's Winters Grady put his team up three after two made free throws. Columbus' Jase Richardson then sprinted to the 3-point line and threw in a banked 3-point shot as time expired to send the game into overtime and the Columbus faithful into a frenzy.

Richardson, a Michigan St. pledge who began his career at Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), finished with 19 points, including five in overtime after going for 17 points and seven rebounds in the close loss to Wasatch Academy. Cayden Boozer finished with 25 points, while top-rated junior A.J. Dybansta scored 35 points for Prolific Prep.

Prolific Prep will look to rebound from the loss this Saturday in Louisville, Ky., when The Crew takes on No. 2 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) at the Derek Smith Shootout. Link Academy will take on top-ranked Montverde Academy on December 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

This week, four University Interscholastic League (UIL) teams fell from the rankings, but Lone Star State hoop fans shouldn't fret. There are many fine teams in Texas and two that were on the preseason FAB 50 bubble and in the Southwest Region Top 20 moved in as unbeaten clubs: No. 30 Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas) and No. 43 Plano East (Plano, Texas). Texas' preseason top-ranked teams have also played many more games already than many teams from other regions in the country and started off playing tough schedules, particularly at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest in Dallas. We envision a scenario where some of the UIL's top state title contenders can and will move back in after the rest of the country begins to play games. Some of the teams with 0-0 records at this point, and those that remain in the rankings that don't play high-powered schedules, are susceptible to being hopped down the line by those that took on tough teams early or play a schedule more national in scope.

We nearly decided to keep Texas power Duncanville (Texas) in the FAB 50, but eventually decided the margin of defeat versus Stony Point was a bit too large (90-65). We also had to make room for Alta (Sandy, Utah), which defeated preseason No. 14 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), 75-56, at the 5 for The Fight Hoopfest in Utah on Nov. 20.

Alta will take on No. 46 Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) on December 5. That club dropped an early season contest to still unbeaten and newcomer Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.), which jumps into the FAB 50 at No. 28 after starting out two spots outside of the FAB 50 at No. 11 in the preseason Southeast Region Top 20.

The next FAB 50 update is scheduled for Monday, December 11.

RELATED:??Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 National Rankings | Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | | ??

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post 1st Regular Season FAB 50: Lots of Movement! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

RELATED: Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (31-50) | Preseason East Region Top 20 | Preseason Southeast Region Top 20 ?| Preseason Midwest Region Top 20 | Preseason Southwest Region Top 20 | Preseason West Region Top 20 | Preseason FAB 50 Show (REPLAY) | ?Ballislife Podcast Network?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | History of High School Team Rankings

Rankings To Be Proud Of

Montverde Academy (Fla.) at No. 1 in 2012-13
When things go wrong, more things seemingly go bad, and when things are going well in basketball, the breaks seem to go a program’s way for a long time. At the end of the 2011-12 season, it seems as if things were going right for Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.). After a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback in the National High School Invitational (now GEICO Nationals) title game led by Arizona recruit Brandon Ashley, it looked like the Pilots would dominate high school hoops in the near future. They had just won their third NHSI title in four years and the program seemingly was in good hands with Mike Peck and Todd Simon. Had Montverde Academy or Findlay Prep won convincingly it would have had a strong case for No. 1 over Oak Hill Academy of Virginia, which chose not to participate in the event. What was even more obvious watching that game was how good the Eagles were going to be in 2012-13. Point guard Kasey Hill was dynamic, the team added strongman Devin Williams (West Virginia) and center Dakari Johnson, who sat out the 2011-12 season after earning national freshman of the year honors in 2010-11 at St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.). They were a cinch preseason No. 1 and that’s before the program added Ben Simmons later on during the season. Montverde went on to capture GEICO Nationals at the end of the season, and the program was preseason No. 1 for the next two seasons and won three consecutive FAB 50 titles. More, importantly that 2012-13 team set the tone for what was to come for the program over the next 10 years, and no other credible rankings service had the Eagles preseason No. 1.

Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) at No. 7 in 2016-17
Even though this team was a bit short-handed in its first game, it still didn’t look anything like a preseason No. 1 team from California and a top 10 team after it lost that opener at the NorCal Tip-Off Classic to unranked Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), 79-63. It certainly didn’t look better than preseason No. 9 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) in its early season games. At least one poll had that team preseason No. 1 in the nation. If anything, the Trailblazers were one of those physically dominant teams, similar to the 2012-13 Montverde Academy team, that we evaluated in recent years. After we witness star forwards Marvin Bagley (Duke) and Cody Riley (UCLA) dislodge a backboard, we said to ourselves, “what in the world were we thinking” as Bishop Montgomery had no one taller than 6-foot-5. We knew the Knights would get better, and the big payoff came in the CIF Southern Section open semifinals at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, when coach Doug Mitchell’s club took down Sierra Canyon, 70-63, in a memorable contest played in front of 12,000 fans as part of the double-header involving Chino Hills and Mater Dei. Some pollsters still hadn’t learn their lesson, as the next week Mater Dei came in to the CIFSS open final as the higher ranked team both nationally and locally by everyone expect one poll. Bishop Montgomery had a memorable fourth quarter run to pull out a 70-55 win to capture its second CIFSS open crown in three seasons. The Knights went on to beat Chino Hills and Mater Dei a second time en route to their first and only CIF open state crown. They finished No. 6 in the FAB 50, but more importantly served as a stark reminder that sometimes great high school teams don’t need NBA-type size, or the highest rated individual recruits, to be considered one of the best in the country. Sometimes great high school teams have great chemistry and great high school players, regardless of what is expected of them at the collegiate or NBA levels.

Glenbard West (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) at No. 29 in 2021-22
We always like it when we’re ahead of the curve on a team without alot of fan-fare that has the potential to be a great team. That was the case with the Hilltoppers, who eventually got the national acclaim they deserved after a 13-1 season shortened by COVID-19 in 2020-21. Glenbard West captured the IHSA Class 4A state title with a dominant 56-34 win over Whitney Young (Chicago) with a group of seniors that got little to zero national acclaim until it kept winning. We wish we had placed them inside the Top 25 and it would have been even more interesting to see what would have happened had this club finished 38-0 instead of 37-1. This well-oiled unit led by center Braden Huff and Paxten Warden goes down as one of the best teams in Illinois history, but from a FAB 50 perspective it couldn’t finish higher than No. 13 in the final rankings. That’s because the Warriors lost to No. 32 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, while No. 12 Camden (N.J.) defeated the Trailblazers, 66-62. Huff (16.8 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg, 1.5 spg and 1.5 bpg) was named the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year and earned a scholarship to Gonzaga, while three other teammates were D1 bound. Glenbard West built a national following in three months and its story is what high school basketball is all about.

Rankings We Wish We Had Back

St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) at No. 1 in 2004-05
By this time, Bob Hurley Sr.’s program at St. Anthony was a perennial contender and had already won two FAB 50 national titles (in 1989 and 1996). This club looked like it had the makings of one that could give the eventual Naismith Hall of Fame coach his third crown, so it was pegged as preseason No. 1 in a close call over Oak Hill Academy of Virginia, the defending FAB 50 national champs. We knew the Friars might start off slow because of injuries, but we never expected them to finish 21-6. The Friars ventured down to San Diego, Calif., for the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic and were upset in the semifinals by Steve Canyon (Spring Valley, Calif.), 67-65, behind a terrific performance by future San Diego St. guard Richie Williams (24 points). Hurley’s club never seemed to recover and the injury problems mounted. St. Anthony is the only preseason No. 1 team to finish unranked. Only two other preseason No. 1 teams have even finished outside the top 10, with the lowest being Findlay Prep (28-4) at No. 14 in 2010-11. Oak Hill Academy, led by senior Jamont Gordon (Mississippi St.) and juniors Kevin Durant and Ty Lawson, both future NBA players, was definitely the more talented team and probably should have been No. 1. The only returning starter from the 2003-04 team, K.C. Rivers (Clemson), missed the entire season and Oak Hill lost two games and finished No. 2. Oak Hill lost to South Gwinnett of Georgia and to Homewood-Flossmorr of Illinois, neither of which won state titles. The FAB 50 No. 1 team that season was Niagara Falls (N.Y.), which began at No. 48 in the preseason.

Flint Hill Prep (Roanoke, Va.) at No. 1 in 1988-89
Just as we had one St. Anthony club too high, we wish we had another higher back in our second year of doing a National Prep Poll. St. Anthony (which is now closed) finished No. 2 in 1987-88 and was the only team to defeat No. 1 St. Nicolas of Tolentine (Bronx, N.Y.). We tabbed talented Flint Hill Prep (Oakton, Va.) as preseason No. 1 in a close call over the Friars, as coach Stu Vetter had two legitimate McDonald’s All-Americans in Aaron Bain (Villanova) and George Lynch (North Carolina) and came into the season having won 74 of its previous 76 games. Flint Hill Prep finished 23-3 and No. 9, but the Friars were even better than advertised. That St. Ants unit is considered one of the best in high school basketball history even though Danny Hurley, the top player on the junior varsity team as a freshman who was expected to be the top guard off the bench as a sophomore, shattered his finger and missed the season and 6-foot-7 Sean Rooney, the team’s top rebounder, tore ligaments in his ankle after the season began. Regardless, this team didn’t miss a beat, capturing the Great Florida Shootout, defeating Flint Hill Prep in the finals of the King Cotton Classic in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, defeating teams from 10 states and capturing the first state Tournament of Champions title with a 62-55 victory over regionally-ranked Elizabeth to finish 32-0. The mainstays on the team were point guard Bob Hurley Jr. (Duke), shooting guard Terry DeHere and power forward Jerry Walker (both Seton Hall), while 6-foot-5 freshman Rodrick Rhodes rounded out the starting lineup. The New Jersey TOC was discontinued after the 2021-22 season.

Montverde Academy (Fla.) at No. 2 in 2019-20
If a defending FAB 50 champ has the ingredients to defend its national title, we almost certainly give it the benefit of the doubt in the preseason pecking order over another talented club. That’s what happened after IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) captured the 2019 GEICO Nationals title. It was a close call, but we gave it the benefit of the doubt over Montverde Academy, the club it took down in the tournament semifinals, 74-73. Has MVA won that game, it most certainly would have began No. 1 in 2019-20 and with the late addition of Scottie Barnes (FSU), it probably should have been anyway. It’s not as if IMG Academy was a bad choice; after all it finished No. 5 in the FAB 50 at 19-6. It’s a choice we want back because Montverde Academy ended up being the best team since the turn of the century. The Eagles defeated 12 FAB 50 ranked teams en route to one of the largest winning margins (39.0 ppg) among elite high school teams we’ve ever uncovered. Only one team played coach Kevin Boyle’s team in single digits and that, of course, was IMG Academy in the title game of the City of Palms Classic (63-55). Led by Mr. Basketball USA Cade Cunningham (13.9 ppg), Barnes (11.6 ppg) and a third McDonald’s All-American in Day’Ron Sharpe (12.1 ppg), MVA handed the Ascenders three of their six losses and no other team came within 20 points. IMG Academy played the Eagles within 20 points (76-64) and 10 so there is always that preseason nod that we’ll have to live with. Two other factors that make that preseason order even more poignant is the fact MVA didn’t have the luxury of closing out with a GEICO Nationals title, as the event was canceled because of COVID-19, and the fact IMG Academy didn’t have its most talented player, returning All-America Jalen Johnson, on the roster after Thanksgiving. Had Johnson not been on the club at all, or had MVA not blown that 16-point lead the year before against IMG, it would have been a wire-to-wire No. 1 club similar to its 2017-18 unit. Could IMG have pulled off an upset in one of the games with Johnson in the lineup?

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post FAB 50: The Good & Bad! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

RELATED:? Preseason 2022-23 FAB 50 (1-15) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (31-50) | Preseason East Region Top 20 | Preseason Southeast Region Top 20 ?| Preseason Midwest Region Top 20 | Preseason Southwest Region Top 20 | Preseason West Region Top 20 | Preseason FAB 50 Show (REPLAY) | ?Ballislife Podcast Network?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | History of High School Team Rankings

Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50
Region-By-Region Rankings

By Ronnie Flores

(Final 2022-23 ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

FAB 50 Preseason?
SOUTHWEST Region Top 20
(Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas)

1. (1) Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) 27-1?
2. (4) Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 22-8?
3. (7) Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas) 31-3**?
4. (NR) Brennan (San Antonio, Texas) 32-8
5. (9) Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 26-2?
6. (NR) South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie, Texas) 20-14
7. (2) Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) 28-1?
8. (6) Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) 29-0
9. (12) Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 24-7?
10. (NR) W.T. White (Dallas, Texas) 17-13
11. (NR) Cardinal Ritter (St. Louis, Mo.) 29-4?
12. (NR) Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas) 32-2
13. (NR) Seven Lakes (Katy, Texas) 34-5
14. (NR) Plano East (Plano, Texas) 31-5
15. (NR) Little Rock Christian Academy (Little Rock, Ark.) 27-7
16. (NR) Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) 21-9
17. (5) Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) 36-2?
18. (13) Volcano Vista (Albuquerque, N.M.) 29-1?
19. (19) Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) 21-4?
20. (16) Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, Okla.) 27-2?

RELATED: Preseason 2022-23 FAB 50 (1-15) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (31-50) | Preseason East Region Top 20 | Preseason Southeast Region Top 20 ?| Preseason Midwest Region Top 20 | Preseason Southwest Region Top 20 | Preseason West Region Top 20 | Preseason FAB 50 Show (REPLAY) | ?Ballislife Podcast Network?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | History of High School Team Rankings

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

The post Preseason 2023-24 Top 20 Regional Rankings! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

RELATED: Preseason 2022-23 FAB 50 (1-15) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (31-50) | Preseason East Region Top 20 | Preseason Southeast Region Top 20 ?| Preseason Midwest Region Top 20 | Preseason Southwest Region Top 20 | Preseason West Region Top 20 | Preseason FAB 50 Show (REPLAY) | ?Ballislife Podcast Network?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | History of High School Team Rankings

Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50
Region-By-Region Rankings

By Ronnie Flores

(Final 2022-23 ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

FAB 50 Preseason?
EAST Region Top 20
(Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia)

1. (2) Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 23-3
2. (7) Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) 31-4
3. (1) John Marshall (Richmond, Va.) 28-0
4. (5) Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) 29-4
5. (16) Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 26-11
6. (14) Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) 22-10
7. (NR) Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) 26-3
8. (12) Lincoln Park (Midland, Pa.) 30-1
9. (NR) Archbishop Ryan (Philadelphia, Pa.) 17-11
10. (NR) Hudson Catholic (Hudson, N.J.) 16-12
11. (NR) Bullis (Potomac, Md.) 26-5*
12. (NR) Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) 19-9
13. (NR) Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) 16-14
14. (NR) St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.) 23-5
15. (4) Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 30-3
16. (NR) Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) 35-6
17. (9) Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 38-4
18. (NR) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 24-15
19. (15) Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 23-5
20. (3) Camden (Camden, N.J.) 23-2**

RELATED: Preseason 2022-23 FAB 50 (1-15) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (31-50) | Preseason East Region Top 20 | Preseason Southeast Region Top 20 ?| Preseason Midwest Region Top 20 | Preseason Southwest Region Top 20 | Preseason West Region Top 20 | Preseason FAB 50 Show (REPLAY) | ?Ballislife Podcast Network?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | History of High School Team Rankings

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post Preseason 2023-24 EAST Region Top 20 Rankings! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

RELATED: Preseason 2022-23 FAB 50 (1-15) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (31-50) | Preseason East Region Top 20 | Preseason Southeast Region Top 20 ?| Preseason Midwest Region Top 20 | Preseason Southwest Region Top 20 | Preseason West Region Top 20 | Preseason FAB 50 Show (REPLAY) | ?Ballislife Podcast Network?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | History of High School Team Rankings

Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50
Region-By-Region Rankings

By Ronnie Flores

(Final 2022-23 ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

FAB 50 Preseason?
SOUTHEAST Region Top 20
(Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee)

1. (1) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 23-3
2. (2) Columbus (Miami, Fla.) 26-4
3. (4) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 17-8
4. (10) Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.) 28-4
5. (16) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 23-7
6. (NR) Winston-Salem Christian (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 39-5
7. (NR) North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) 29-3
8. (NR) Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) 19-10
9. (NR) Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 24-6
10. (NR) Chambers (Charlotte, N.C.) 23-7
11. (5) Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 27-7
12. (15) DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.) 26-8**
13. (NR) Madison Prep (Baton Rouge, La.) 35-14
14. (NR) Isidore Newman (New Orleans, La.) 32-6
15. (13) West Oaks (Orlando, Fla.) 21-9
16. (NR) Gray Collegiate Academy (West Columbia, S.C.) 25-6
17. (NR) Buckhorn (New Market, Ala.) 27-7
18. (3) Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.) 32-0
19. (NR) Raymond (Raymond, Miss.) 27-7
20. (7) Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) 29-2

RELATED: Preseason 2022-23 FAB 50 (1-15) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (31-50) | Preseason East Region Top 20 | Preseason Southeast Region Top 20 ?| Preseason Midwest Region Top 20 | Preseason Southwest Region Top 20 | Preseason West Region Top 20 | Preseason FAB 50 Show (REPLAY) | ?Ballislife Podcast Network?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | History of High School Team Rankings

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post Preseason 2023-24 SOUTHEAST Region Top 20 Rankings! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

RELATED: Preseason 2022-23 FAB 50 (1-15) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (31-50) | Preseason East Region Top 20 | Preseason Southeast Region Top 20 ?| Preseason Midwest Region Top 20 | Preseason Southwest Region Top 20 | Preseason West Region Top 20 | Preseason FAB 50 Show (REPLAY) | ?Ballislife Podcast Network?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | History of High School Team Rankings

Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50
Region-By-Region Rankings

By Ronnie Flores

(Final 2022-23 ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

FAB 50 Preseason?
MIDWEST Region Top 20
(Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin)

1. (4) Richmond Heights (Richmond Heights, Ohio) 29-0
2. (2) De Pere (De Pere, Wis.) 29-0
3. (9) Kokomo (Kokomo, Ind.) 24-5?
4. (NR) La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) 19-10?
5. (NR) St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 15-11
6. (NR) St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) 19-8
7. (18) Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) 22-2?
8. (1) Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) 33-0
9. (NR) Totino-Grace (Fridley, Minn.) 24-8
10. (NR) Kenwood Academy (Chicago, Ill.) 28-7?
11. (NR) Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.) 19-6?
12. (17) Centerville (Centerville, Ohio) 25-4?
13. (8) Metamora (Metamora, Ill.) 34-2?
14. (NR) Lyon County (Eddyville, Ky.) 31-6
15. (NR) Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wis.) 21-7
16. (12) Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) 27-4?
17. (NR) Thornton (Harvey, Ill.) 14-12
18. (19) Valley (West Des Moines, Iowa) 21-5?
19. (NR) Park Center (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) 28-3
20. (20) Dakota Valley (North Sioux City, S.D.) 26-0??

RELATED: Preseason 2022-23 FAB 50 (1-15) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (31-50) | Preseason East Region Top 20 | Preseason Southeast Region Top 20 ?| Preseason Midwest Region Top 20 | Preseason Southwest Region Top 20 | Preseason West Region Top 20 | Preseason FAB 50 Show (REPLAY) | ?Ballislife Podcast Network?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | History of High School Team Rankings

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post Preseason 2023-24 MIDWEST Region Top 20 Rankings! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

RELATED: Preseason 2022-23 FAB 50 (1-15) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (31-50) | Preseason East Region Top 20 | Preseason Southeast Region Top 20 ?| Preseason Midwest Region Top 20 | Preseason Southwest Region Top 20 | Preseason West Region Top 20 | Preseason FAB 50 Show (REPLAY) | ?Ballislife Podcast Network?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | History of High School Team Rankings

Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50
Region-By-Region Rankings

By Ronnie Flores

(Final 2022-23 ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

FAB 50 Preseason?
WEST Region Top 20
(Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming)

1. (NA) Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) 35-2
2. (2) Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) 33-2
3. (1) AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) 23-7
4. (7) St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 26-7
5. (NR) Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 19-10
6. (11) Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) 25-3**
7. (3) Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) 30-1
8. (NR) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 29-7
9. (NR) Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) 23-7
10. (17) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 23-11
11. (NR) Owyhee (Meridian, Idaho) 21-6
12. (4) Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 30-4
13. (NR) Sunnyslope (Pheonix, Ariz.) 25-6
14. (NR) Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) 20-10
15. (12) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 27-10
16. (NR) Desert Mountain (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 26-5
17. (NR) Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) 27-5
18. (NR) Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco, Calif.) 23-7
19. (NR) Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) 26-9
20. (NR) American Fork (Utah) 19-9

RELATED: Preseason 2022-23 FAB 50 (1-15) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (31-50) | Preseason East Region Top 20 | Preseason Southeast Region Top 20 ?| Preseason Midwest Region Top 20 | Preseason Southwest Region Top 20 | Preseason West Region Top 20 | Preseason FAB 50 Show (REPLAY) | ?Ballislife Podcast Network?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | History of High School Team Rankings

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post Preseason 2023-24 WEST Region Top 20 Rankings! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

We conclude our 2023-24 preseason FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com with an in-depth look at the nation’s top 15 teams. We began with teams No. 31-50, continued with teams No. 16-30 and this is an in-depth look at the nation’s 15 best teams. Montverde Academy of Florida is the nation’s preseason No. 1 team for the ninth time as it seeks its seventh FAB 50 title in the past dozen seasons.?

All 50 teams are written up with explanations for why they are placed in these positions. Montverde Academy is in the top-ranked preseason club for the ninth time, tying the all-time FAB 50 era record held by Oak Hill Academy of Virginia. Montverde Academy has finished lower than No. 1 when starting out No. 1 three times, including No. 2 finishes for the past two seasons. In 2019, the Eagles finished No. 4 after losing in the GEICO Nationals semifinals to eventual national champ IMG Academy of Florida.

RELATED: Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (31-50) | Preseason East Region Top 20 | Preseason Southeast Region Top 20 ?| Preseason Midwest Region Top 20 | Preseason Southwest Region Top 20 | Preseason West Region Top 20 | Preseason FAB 50 Show (REPLAY) | ?Ballislife Podcast Network?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | History of High School Team Rankings

GO TO: No. 1 / No. 2 / No. 3 / No. 4 / No. 5 / No. 6 / No. 7 / No. 8 / No. 9 / No. 10 / No. 11 / No. 12 / No. 13 / No. 14 / No. 15

2023-24 High School Basketball: Raised Expectations

COVID-19 still lingers but the world is in a quite different place that it was in March of 2020 when the pandemic began. High school basketball across America is in a different place, too. Much of the difference lies in the fact players have more participation options to showcase themselves for the next level other than traditional high schools. Those options for the next level have also grown.

In addition to college basketball, elite prospects have the option to go pro overseas, as Top 50 prospect A.J. Johnson of SoCal Academy (Valencia, Calif.) chose to do so by signing a pro contract with Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL). Three Top 25 prospects in the 2023 national class signed with the NBA’s G League Ignite to play for former NBA guard Jason Hart: 6-foot-7 Dink Pate of Dallas (Pinkston, Texas), 6-foot-9 Matas Buzelis of Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) and 6-foot-8 Ronald Holland of Duncanville (Texas).

Arguably the biggest change in the landscape was the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policies that went into effect in July 2021 for collegiate athletes after NIL legislation in various states modeled after California’s “Fair Pay to Play Act” forced the NCAA’s hand. The financial freedoms associated with the revenue streams NIL created has quickly trickled down to the high school landscape. At this time last year, nine state associations that fall under the leadership of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) sanctioned NIL freedoms for its participating student athletes. Currently that number is 33 (plus Washington, D.C.) and it’s not hard to figure out it’s only a matter of time before state associations in all 50 states allow NIL freedoms.

Because of NIL and the economic impact it’s had on the college game in just over two years, more elite high school players are signing later than they have since the introduction of the NCAA’s early signing period 40 years ago. Elite players are clearly looking for the best financial package, and for some that means de-committing late and looking for greener pastures elsewhere. For Holland, that meant decommitting from Texas after the season in late April and announcing he would sign a pro contract with the G League Ignite team the last day of May.

At one time, Overtime Elite (OTE) was striving to be a viable option for aspiring professional players, but the Atlanta-based organization changed its tune when NIL became a reality for high school players, especially after elite high school players quickly realized they didn’t want to give up the collegiate basketball option by signing a professional contract, something OTE’s first wave of players did.

OTE has morphed into a quasi high school league by expanding to eight teams and there is plenty of talent that matriculated to OTE from programs eligible for the FAB 50 National Team Rankings, which have been published weekly since the 1987-88 preseason. OTE is now recruiting players to its teams as young as the 2027 class, so the talent pool at traditional public and parochial schools continues to be affected by NIL legislation.

In addition to the increased player options and NIL, the third big landscape change is the recommended rule change announced by the NFHS for 2023-24. The one-and-one free throw situation is now eliminated. The bonus situation now involves two guaranteed free throws that will occur after five fouls per quarter, instead of seven fouls per half. (High school hoops consists of four, 8-minute quarters.) The fouls will reset after each quarter and the opposition is shooting two on the fifth foul.

We’ve evaluated countless high school games over the past 30 years and the missed front end of 1-and-1’s have been the catalyst for many memorable comebacks. The gap between FAB 50 ranked teams and also-rans continues to grow and our take is the elimination of the 1-and-1 situation favors the team ahead on the scoreboard, which is usually the more talented team.

The game will flow better in the second and fourth period and the games could be faster, but it just became a bit harder to win for the team trailing on the scoreboard. Expect FAB 50 ranked teams to record even more blow out wins than they already do each year and for there to be an adjustment period for coaches, fans and occasionally referees who have been used to the game being played with no reset fouls per quarter and with the bonus situation.

The National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) will reportedly expand for the second consecutive season, after adding two teams, Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) and AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.), in 2022-23. Now entering its third full season of conference play, the NIBC will consist of 14 teams in 2023-24. There hasn’t been a formal announcement for each program, but it looks like Canyon International Academy (Glendale, Ariz.), Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.), Link Academy (Branson, Mo.), Orangeville Academy of Ontario, Canada and Veritas Prep (Chino Hills, Calif.) will be the new additions.?

And for the twelfth consecutive season, one of the NIBC’s member programs opens up preseason No. 1 in the nation’s longest-running weekly rankings.

Montverde Academy: No. 1 Again

Last season, there wasn’t a slam dunk preseason No. 1 team in the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com. Montverde Academy of Florida was more of a safe pick, but this season the Eagles are more of a slam dunk because of their returning talent.

Montverde Academy also has plenty of incentive after capturing the 2022-23 regular season National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) championship only to lose in the first round at GEICO Nationals to Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), 46-45. The Buffaloes were the 2021-22 regular season NIBC champion while Montverde Academy won the inaugural title in 2020-21, the season the NIBC began its league with a makeshift schedule. That season was also the last time Montverde Academy captured the FAB 50 national title.

With three returning starters, all of whom earned some All-American acclaim, and six lettermen back, this team is about as sure-fire of a preseason No. 1 as any of the previous eight clubs under head coach Kevin Boyle good enough to earn the prestigious pole position. This includes the first MVA team to open No. 1 back in 2012-13 when no other credible national rankings had the Eagles as preseason No. 1 despite fielding one of the most physically imposing teams we’d ever seen up to that point.

This year’s Montverde Academy club is not as physically imposing as that one 11 years ago, but is as skilled as any team in the country led by Cooper Flagg, the 6-foot-8 do-it-all dynamo who earned All-American Elite Team honors (second five) as a sophomore after averaging 9.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.0 apg and 2.2 bpg on a balanced team where four players averaged between 9-14 points. Flagg, who re-classed up and is now part of the senior (2024) class was the team’s best all-around player in 2022-23 and he’s improved since then.

Winning in the NIBC will be tougher than ever, but perhaps even more important to the Eagles’ chances of capturing NIBC and FAB 50 crowns than the talent or motivation is the experience factor.

“It’s really beneficial when you have veteran guys who know the system and been in it a couple of years,” said Montverde Academy assistant coach Dan Schantz. “The guys took the first round (GEICO) loss hard in the locker room. We have a hungry, veteran squad.”

Who is the best bet to challenge Montverde Academy for the 2023-24 FAB 50 National crown?

RELATED: Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (31-50) | Preseason East Region Top 20 | Preseason Southeast Region Top 20 ?| Preseason Midwest Region Top 20 | Preseason Southwest Region Top 20 | Preseason West Region Top 20 | Preseason FAB 50 Show (REPLAY) | ?Ballislife Podcast Network?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | History of High School Team Rankings

GO TO: No. 1 / No. 2 / No. 3 / No. 4 / No. 5 / No. 6 / No. 7 / No. 8 / No. 9 / No. 10 / No. 11 / No. 12 / No. 13 / No. 14 / No. 15

Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 National
Team Rankings Powered by www.ebooksnet.com

By Ronnie Flores

(Final 2022-23 ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; Look for preseason Region-By-Region Top 20 Rankings on Tuesday, November 7 and for the preseason Mr. Basketball USA Tracker on Tuesday, November 21.)

1. (2) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 23-3?
Key Players: SF Cooper Flagg 6-8 2024 (No. 1 247Sports.com, Ballislife First Team All-American, Duke commit), PF Derik Queen 6-9 2024 (No. 12 247Sports.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), PG Rob Wright III 6-0 2024 (No. 20 Rivals.com, Ballislife Second Team All-American, Baylor Commit), SF Liam McNeeley 6-7 2024 (No. 15 247Sports.com, Ballislife Second Team All-American), PF Asa Newell 6-9 2024 (No. 10 Rivals.com, Georgia commit), PG Curtis Givens III 6-2 2024 (No. 33 On3.com, LSU commit).
Why This Ranking: Whereas there was no consensus No. 1 player in the senior class last year and the Eagles were not an overwhelming preseason No. 1, that is not the case this year. Flagg is now the consensus No. 1 player in the senior class while his team is a logical preseason No. 1. Some feel he’s the best player and prospect in the country, even though last season’s Mr. Basketball USA is back. Flagg, with his impact on both ends of the floor, is that good. Flagg is a gifted scorer, a versatile defender and arguably the best shot-blocker in the country. Look for him to take a step up in production and leadership with this group. “We’ve had No. 1 and No. 2 ranked guys in the country before, but never a guy with his social media presence,” Montverde Academy assistant coach Dan Schantz said. “The amount of 12-year olds that want to get close to him or people on IG, it’s constant. He’s still the same kid, one of the guys, and is handling it well.” While MVA’s players and coaching staff are used to handling the limelight, teams are going to have a nightmare of a time handling Queen (11.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.1 apg). We didn’t see a better performer this summer and if it wasn’t for Flagg on his same team, Queen would be a big-time Mr. Basketball USA candidate as well. He was the National Freshman of the Year in 2020-21 at St. Frances Academy of Baltimore, but didn’t have a huge sophomore impact on a MVA club that finished No. 2 in the FAB 50. With improved conditioning, he started to show All-American glimpses last season and put it all together this past summer. Kids across the country aspire to be like the Warriors’ Steph Curry, but for big men the model is NBA World Champion Nikola Joki? and with his versatile game, soft touch around the basket, passing ability and ability to relieve pressure in the backcourt, Queen is the closest thing to Joker in the high school game. While Flagg and Queen were second team all-NIBC choices, McNeeley was a first team choice after averaging a team leading 12.4 ppg and 4.0 rpg while shooting 45 percent from 3-point range and 85 percent from the line. According to the coaching staff, McNeeley is working on the little things to be a more potent offensive player and make MVA that much harder to guard. “He is honing in on playing under control,” Schantz said. “At times he was trying to do too much. He’s always been a great shooter, but he’s working on recognizing the game, and getting better off the dribble, as well as off pin downs.” There is a lot to like about this club and really no glaring weakness.
The Skinny: So just how dominant has Montverde Academy been in the last decade? This is the ninth time Montverde Academy has started as preseason FAB 50 No. 1, tying the record held by Oak Hill Academy of Virginia. Montverde has started lower than No. 1 three times in the past 12 seasons, whereas the Warriors under Steve Smith (who retired following the 2021-22 season) was No. 1 nine times in a span of 27 seasons (first in 1990-91 and last in 2016-17). Should this MVA unit finish No. 1, head coach Kevin Boyle (311-26 at MVA, 821-158 overall) would tie Smith as the coach with the most all-time FAB 50 No. 1 teams (7). Newell (6.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg) would be an All-American candidate at nearly every other school and is an oozing talent who is working hard to expand his defensive versatility. Last season, Newell and Queen couldn’t play much together because it caused the perimeter defense to weaken too much for Boyle’s taste, but that duo is ready to be on the court more often together. Givens (4.0 ppg, 2.2 apg) is a steady veteran who pushed starting guard Chris Johnson (Kansas) last season and is unselfish. The coaching staff really likes what he brings to the table because of his understanding of the game. The player who could take this team to the next level is Wright, who plays like he was born for the point guard position. “He’s a special player who can get the paint touches we need and has a great feel for the game,” Schantz said. If all the pieces mesh together, the starters stay relatively healthy and Newell and Queen learn how to maximize each other’s abilities, this unit could be comparable to the best teams Boyle has had in his time at Montverde. The program’s 26-6 (.813) all-time record at GEICO Nationals still is much better than the second best team to regularly play in the end-of-season event and anything less that the program’s seventh event title will be an internal disappointment. Montverde’s conference and national schedule is as tough as ever and there are few easy wins. Not to mention, every team is going to be gunning for the Eagles. MVA will open with No. 23 Wasatch Academy and highly-regarded American Fork at the Five For The Fight National Hoopfest (Pleasant Grove, Utah) on Nov. 20-21. The great thing about Montverde’s schedule is it will lead to the preseason rankings taking care of itself on the court and that will take place early. The Eagles will host No. 3 Columbus on Dec. 1 and could potentially meet that club (or No. 2 Link Academy) once again in the finals of the City of Palms Classic on Dec. 23. Either way, the Eagles will have already played Link Academy on Dec. 8 in Las Vegas, Nev., as part of the Nike/NBA Showcase. Montverde Academy (who could face No. 5 Paul VI or No. 7 IMG Academy on its side of the COP Bracket) will face No. 6 Prolific Prep on Jan. 14, at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. This year’s Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament (Jan. 25-27) includes Prolific Prep and No. 28 Oak Ridge. With the 14 teams that are now part of the NIBC, there are less regular season matchups with fellow NIBC clubs, but with its schedule MVA likely will play a couple of the other top-ranked teams in the country more than once. The 2017-18 R.J. Barrett club is the only MVA FAB 50 champ to finish its season unbeaten (36-0). Even if this MVA team doesn’t match that, if it avenges any regular season loss the Eagles have a chance to be considered one of the program’s best teams in their incredible dozen-year run.

2. (1) Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) 27-1?
Key Players: SG Tre Johnson 6-6 2024 (No. 4 ESPN.com, Ballislife First Team All-American, Ballislife National Junior Player of the Year), PG Labaron Philon 6-4 2024 (No. 27 247Sports.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American, Kansas commit), C James Brown 6-9 2024 (No. 57 Rivals.com, North Carolina commit), PG Jasper Johnson 6-4 2025 (No. 8 ESPN.com), PG Aaron Rowe 6-0 2025 (No. 19 ESPN.com), SF Jalen Shelley 6-8 2024 (No. 35 Rivals.com, Arkansas commit), SG T.O. Barrett 6-4 2024 (No. 88 247Sports.com, Missouri commit).
Why This Ranking: This program has made a quick ascension in the high basketball world, going from FAB 50 eligible for the first time in 2021-22 to capturing 2023 GEICO Nationals, which propelled the Lions to the No. 1 spot in the FAB 50. Another remarkable aspect of their 2022-23 FAB 50 National crown is head coach Billy Armstrong was in his first year under the helm. With stalwarts such as Ja’Kobe Walter (Baylor) and Elliot Cadeau (North Carolina) moving on, the Lions have their work cut out for them and they actually have to replace basically the entire roster. That was the case last season, too, and Armstrong had the formula to get his team through a tough schedule and peaking for GEICO Nationals at the end of the season, so we like them in this spot by a whisker over No. 3 Columbus. Walter was the Lions’ go-to player last year who played great at GEICO Nationals and this year Armstrong expects the same output from Johnson, last year’s National Junior Player of the Year who led Lake Highlands (Garland, Texas) to a Texas Class 6A state title and No. 8 FAB 50 ranking by averaging 21.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.7 apg and 1.7 spg. Before Montverde’s Cooper Flagg moved in the 2024 class, many considered Johnson its best prospect and he’s eager to show he can be just as effective with the day-in-day-out competition the NIBC affords. “I knew coming in Tre was a winner and competitive, but I didn’t realize to that extent how competitive,” Armstrong said. “He’s also a bit bigger than I thought and has a nice pace to his game. Really, he’s better than I thought he was.” Johnson has a chance to be the best player Armstrong has coached and is doing a good job of blending his game with more talented players during fall camp. The program’s other Johnson, Jasper, will man one of the guard slots and could be the top point guard in the junior class. Philon was Alabama’s Class 7A Player of the Year as a mere sophomore and averaged 34.7 ppg and 6.0 rpg as a junior when he was Gatorade State Player of the Year for Baker (Mobile, Ala.). He obviously won’t score like that on this unit, but Philon is a big matchup problem in Armstrong’s three-guard attack. Link Academy had plenty of front court depth on its title club last year, but this time around the Lions will be more uptempo offensively, looking to turn teams over, and make up for what they lack in size and girth with speed and length. “We have a real opportunity to win back-to-back nattys (finish No. 1) if we can get out of our comfort zone and approach each play to get better,” Armstrong said.
The Skinny: It was a close call to place the Lions at No. 2 over Columbus, but we like their talent level and track record in a short period of time. Two years ago, the Lions began at No. 40 and last year at No. 11, which was more realistic for their talent level. In two trips to GEICO Nationals in two years, the Lions are 5-1 (.833), which is actually a better winning percentage at the event than Montverde Academy, albeit over a shorter period of time. The Lions will have the opportunity to live up to their preseason billing and build on that excellent winning percentage if they rebound and defend the interior on a NIBC championship level. “We are dynamic and the sky’s the limit offensively, but we have a ways to go defensively,” Armstrong said. “We have to find a way to hang in there on the glass.” Brown is a strong piece who can move his feet defensively and switch. Brandon Benjamin (6-8, 2024) hardly played on the championship club last season, but his defensive length will be key this season. Shelley is a natural 3-man, but will be more of a face-up 4-man in Link’s lineup because of his ability to defend and rebound. Armstrong feels the health and availability of that trio will be key with Andre Iguodala Jr. (6-6, 2025) and Brandon Crawford (6-10, 2024) adding depth. Armstrong feels T.J. Stuttley (6-4, 2025) and Iguodala could really step up and help this club and with its schedule, developing depth is necessary. Last year’s regular season was lighter, and the Lions were not ready for Montverde Academy (84-58 loss), but the setback helped them re-group to come into GEICO Nationals with a chip on their shoulder. Link Academy, which is sanctioned to play Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) schools, have two early games before taking on NIBC clubs Canyon International Academy (Glendale, Ariz.) and No. 16 AZ Compass Prep at the Five For The Fight National Hoopfest (Pleasant Grove, Utah) on Nov. 21-22. Link Academy has two quality opponents at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest in Texas (Nov. 24-25), and will take on No. 6 Prolific Prep on Dec. 2 at the Derek Smith Shootout in Louisville, Ky. The Lions will play in the City of Palms Classic and could face No. 3 Columbus in a monster quarterfinal matchup if they get past No. 26 North Mecklenburg in the opening round. After the New Year’s, the Lions face No. 7 IMG Academy (Jan. 15) at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. After a trip to the Quincy Shootout (Jan. 19-20), the Lions will face No. 4 Long Island Lutheran at the Metro Classic in New Jersey (Feb. 2). The regular season will conclude with the NIBC Final Showcase (March 8-9) with games versus No. 23 Wasatch Academy and Oak Hill Academy of Virginia.

3. (6) Columbus (Miami, Fla.) 26-4?
Key Players: PF Cameron Boozer 6-9 2025 (No. 2 247Sports.com, Mr. Basketball USA), PG Cayden Boozer 6-3 2025 (No. 16 ESPN.com), PF Malik Abdullahi 6-7 2024, PG Jase Richardson 6-2 2024 (No. 28 ESPN.com, Michigan St. commit), SG Jaxon Richardson 6-5 2026 (No. 14 247Sports.com), SG Benny Fragela 6-2 2025.
Why This Ranking: The difference between the programs at Columbus and No. 2 Link Academy is stark. One is a parochial school in a large metropolitan region and the other is an academy-program in a city of 15,000 located in the Ozark Mountains, but from a rankings perspective they have plenty in common. Both were small players on the national scene two seasons ago, but enjoyed strong seasons and finished FAB 50 ranked, as Link Academy advanced to GEICO Nationals title game and Columbus won the FHSAA Class 7A state title. In 2022-23, the two programs took it one step further, as Link Academy started out No. 11 and won the mythical FAB 50 title while Columbus was a major FAB 50 title contender, finishing No. 6. This year both are prime national champion candidates and the results of their early-season games will impact the teams in the FAB 50 for the entire season. Columbus has the ingredients to become the first parochial team to capture the FAB 50 crown since the now defunct St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) in 2010-11. The only major difference this year from last is big game experience and expectations, as coach Andrew Moran’s club has the opportunity to take down some of the nation’s best academy-type programs on a national schedule. It starts with Cameron Boozer, who last season averaged 21.1 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 4.2 apg and 2.0 bpg, while shooting 62.1 percent from the field, 41.6 percent from the 3-point line and 89.1 percent from the line on a team that captured a second consecutive state crown. He was so dominant he became the first sophomore ever (dating back retroactively to 1955) to earn Mr. Basketball USA honors as the best player in the country. It was quite a statement as a 15-year old and Boozer has plenty of firepower around him for his team to rank as the heavy favorite to win a third straight Class 7A crown and perhaps a first-time No. 1 FAB 50 finish for a FHSAA program. Fellow junior Cayden Boozer (15.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.3 apg, 2.0 spg), Cam’s brother, displayed marked improvement over the summer and is a bonafide All-American candidate as a strong play-maker who can get downhill or stroke it from the outside. Abdullahi, an athletic forward who excels on set plays, often sparks the Explorers with a big offensive finish or a big defensive play and is a key cog defensively during Columbus’ big games. Fragela (7.2 ppg) is a floor-spacer who plays an important role in keeping the defense honest and not collapsing on the team’s star player.
The Skinny: Only three times in the last 70 years has the best player in high school basketball returned the following season: Jerry Lucas in 1958, Lew Alcindor in 1965 and LeBron James in 2003. Boozer will be the fourth and sometimes when you have a star player of his caliber you have to place his team high and see where the chips fall. We made the mistake of not placing Michael Porter’s team at Nathan Hale (Seattle, Wash.) high enough in the 2016-17 preseason (No. 38) when he had just enough of a supporting cast around. Last year in the preseason, we mentioned the whispers surrounding Cam Boozer stating he was the nation’s best player regardless of class were growing louder and he ended up kicking in the door. In the end, we decided Link Academy’s post-season pedigree and depth of players gave the defending FAB 50 champion the slight edge over the Explorers. Graduated guard Garyn Bess gave Columbus plenty of pop and athleticism from the guard position, but the Richardson brothers, transfers from FAB 50 power Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas, add another dimension and could make all the difference in the close games. Jase Richardson can run a club or slide to the two-guard as a crafty finisher, while Jaxon Richardson is an explosive wing guard who can make big plays on both ends of the floor. Added depth comes in the form of two talented freshmen: Anthony Walcott (6-5, 2027) and Zacarus Dawson (5-9, 2027). Obviously keeping the star players on the floor will be key in the big games, but do the Explorers have enough interior strength to survive their early-season and schedule and head into 2024 the No. 1 team in the country? We’ll find out when they host No. 6 Prolific Prep on Nov. 22, take on No. 21 McEachern at the Holiday Hoopsgiving (Nov. 24-25) and travel upstate to face top-ranked Montverde Academy on Dec. 1. The Explorers could face MVA a second time later in the month at the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, Fla., but they’ll have to get by plenty of landmines before they can think about any potential COP title game date with the Eagles. Columbus opens with No. 32 Archbishop Ryan and will likely face No. 2 Link Academy in a COP quarterfinal showdown.

4. (10) Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 23-3?
Key Players: SG V.J. Edgecombe 6-5 2024 (No. 4 On3.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), PF Godswill Erheriene 6-9 2024 (No. 108 Rivals.com), C Alier Malik 6-10 2025 (No. 21 Rivals.com), SG Kiyan Anthony 6-4 2025 (No. 36 On3.com), PG Nigel James Jr. 6-0 2025, SF Jacob Ross 6-5 2025 (No. 75 247Sports.com), PG Kayden Mingo 6-1 2025 (No. 75 Rivals.com), PG Dylan Mingo 6-3 2026 (No. 13 247Sports.com).
Why This Ranking: LuHi cracks the preseason FAB 50 for the seventh consecutive season and this could be the program’s best unit in that time frame. It’s not only that coach Jon Buck (290-59) returns seven lettermen, it’s LuHi's combination of talent level and experience in high level games that puts the Crusaders in this position. It starts with Edgecombe, who broke out and was impressive enough as a junior to earn NIBC Player of the Year honors with some eye-popping performances in leading LuHi to nine consecutive conference victories. Edgecombe averaged 15.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.3 apg and is a shoo-in Mr. Basketball USA candidate if LuHi’s surrounding talent meshes and plays to his talents. Erheriene (7.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg) is flanked by newcomer Maluk, an elite rim-protector who can score effectively and is rapidly becoming one of the top junior prospects in the country. The Crusaders did lose two fine backcourt men in Jayden Reid (South Florida) and Jayden Ross (UConn), but have nice inside-out balance. They actually could be deeper on the perimeter this year than last, with the addition of James, who averaged 13 ppg, 6 rpg, and 4 apg at Cushing Academy (Mass.) and with the continued maturation of Ross and the Mingo brothers, who are considered two of the best lead guard prospects in their respective class. If Anthony has a breakout season, LuHi will be as tough to guard as any team in the NIBC and with the depth could rack up wins even if Edgecombe doesn’t have a big scoring night.
The Skinny: In its first season in the NIBC, LuHi finished 10-2, one game behind Montverde Academy in the conference standings and qualified for GEICO Nationals for the first time. LuHi is a more talented team this season but so are the Eagles so we’ll wait and see if the Crusaders can make another big conference run with a 12-game conference schedule (each of the 14 teams doesn’t play one conference foe). There is also plenty of motivation as LuHi, the defending New York Federation Tournament of Champions winner, defeated AZ Compass Prep during the regular season but fell to that same team at GEICO Nationals by one point, 73-71, in a quarterfinal game in which Edgecombe shot 4-of-12 from the field. LuHi has a daunting schedule, but has the depth and length to navigate through it. According to assistant coach Jay David, the team also is building good continuity, stating “our schedule is daunting, but I’m excited for the challenge; we have 10 D1 guys on this roster and some really good youth.” LuHi will head to the Marshall County Hoopfest in Kentucky (Nov. 30), the Hoopfest in Paradise (Dec. 15-16) and are part of the loaded field at the City of Palms Classic in Florida. LuHi will likely play the Don Bosco Prep-McEachern winner in the tourney quarterfinals. In addition to its loaded conference schedule, the Crusaders will take on No. 3 Columbus at the Hoophall Classic over MLK weekend.

5. (18) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) 31-4?
Key Players: SF Darren Harris 6-5 2024 (No. 45 ESPN.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American, Duke commit), SF Isaiah Abraham 6-6 2024 (No. 41 On3.com, UConn commit), C Garrett Sundra 6-10 2024 (No. 124 247Sports.com, Notre Dame commit), PG Ben Hammond 5-11 2024 (Rhode Island commit), C Patrick Ngongba II 6-11 2024 (No. 19 ESPN.com), SF Adlan Elamin 6-8 2025 (No. 69 247Sports.com), SF Jaquan Womack 6-7 2025.
Why This Ranking: Since the abbreviated 2020-21 season, the Panthers have been quite dominant in the rugged Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) and are deserving of a high ranking for the second consecutive season. In 2021-22, the Panthers captured the program’s first WCAC tourney crown since 2013-14 and last season came within one possession of becoming the first conference team since their 2012 unit to go unbeaten through the WCAC regular season and playoffs. With four starters and 10 lettermen returning and plenty of depth and experience, Paul VI is once again a legit FAB 50 title contender and could potentially be better than last year’s club that began at No. 3 and spent some time at No. 1. The lone graduating starter is a big loss, WCAC MVP DeShawn Harris-Smith (Maryland), but Harris will smoothly step in the go-to role and is capable of 20-point plus nightly outings. He was an all-WCAC and second five Washington Post All-Met choice last year and comes into this season on a high note, after earning Nike Peach Jam MVP honors in leading Team Final to the prestigious tourney title. Abraham is a solid shooter who can play both forwards sports and gets it done on both ends of the floor. The interior is covered by Sundra, who gained plenty of experience in a supporting role last season while Ngongba is fast-riser who should parlay a big summer into a terrific senior season. Elamin, a transfer from No. 43 Bishop O’Connell, is a fluid athlete that will help the Panthers go small or big when the situation calls for it. It’s hard to find a shortcoming with this unit and it should be in the thick of the FAB 50 title mix even if it drops a game early.
The Skinny: Last year’s young team spent some time at No. 1, but a majority of the roster is more physically stronger and experienced than a year ago and that should pay dividends. Hammond returns as a lead guard and Harris has experience at that position, too, if coach Glenn Farello (549-207) wants to keep teams off balance with various lineups. Not only that, Jordan Smith Jr. (6-3, 2026) is one of the best guards in the nation in his class and had plenty of standout games as a freshman. Anthony Brown Jr. (6-1, 2026) is not too far behind, Jordan Hunter (6-2, 2026) would be a starter at a vast majority of the programs in the country and Troy Homlin (6-3, 2027) joins the fold. The speed, quickness and length is impressive and there is enough firepower and experience for the Panthers to start out as the No. 1 WCAC club over No. 12 Gonzaga, which lost to the St. John's club that beat the Panthers in the 2023 WCAC tournament championship game. Paul VI has been preseason ranked 10 of the past 12 years, started out No. 4 in 2019-20 and 2020-21 and No. 3 last season, but even though this club starts off a tad lower it might have the best chance of Farello’s recent units to finish No. 1. The Panthers will take part in the D.C. Hoopfest (Dec. 9-10) and then will enter the City of Palms Tournament (Dec. 18-23), along with 12 other FAB 50 ranked foes, as the No. 4 seed. They open with Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) and will face the IMG Academy-Richmond Heights winner in the quarterfinals. After New Year’s, a game with No. 3 Columbus at the Spalding Hoophall Classic (Jan. 15) will have major FAB 50 title implications. This year, Paul VI will make the vaunted “Springfield Double” trek, participating in the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo. (Jan. 11-13) along with No. 19 St. John Bosco, No. 21 McEachern, and No. 34 Edmond North.

6. (NA) Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) 35-2
Key Players: SF Tyran Stokes 6-7 2026 (No. 1 247Sports.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), SF A.J. Dybansta 6-8 2025 (No. 1 247Sports.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), PG Zoom Diallo 6-4 2024 (No. 19 247Sports.com), SF Derrion Reid 6-7 2024 (No. 9 ESPN.com), C Aiden Sherrell 6-11 2024 (No. 14 On3.com, Alabama commit), SG Mikey Lewis 6-3 2024 (No. 52 Rivals.com, St. Mary's commit).
Why This Ranking: The Crew, an academy-type program based out of Napa Christian (a member of the California Interscholastic Federation’s North Coast Section) is not new to the national high school scene by any means. They are FAB 50 eligible for the first time and should be instant title contenders with their blinding talent, big game experience and national schedule. Prolific Prep has played for nine seasons on the Grind Session, a loose conglomerate of academy-type programs around the country. One of the prerequisites to be FAB 50 eligible is to play in a league or conference with structured bylaws and this season Grand Session programs with the strongest infrastructure and best reputations have formed a 12-team league called the Power 10 Conference. All Power 10 members must be recognized by the NCAA Eligibility Center and each program must have a designated school official, that’s not part of the coaching staff, to review eligibility matters. Prolific Prep has been knocking on the door of the nation’s FAB 50 powers for over five years and Ryan Bernardi, an extremely positive 26-year old coach, will field the program’s finest team to date. Diallo, Reid and Sherrell are legitimate McDonald’s All-American candidates and it says something that the senior trio is not the program’s best talent. That would be Dybansta, a dynamic wing scorer whose physical makeup is nearly as impressive as his elite scoring package. As a freshman, Dybansta was an all-New England Prep School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class A choice and was a standout on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) 17U circuit. He’s going to end up the biggest sports name out of Brockton, Mass., since the late, great boxing champ Marvin Hagler and there are some who feel he’s the best prospect in all of high school basketball. The Crew has three lettermen back and the one who got significant minutes was freshman starter Stokes, who is not far behind Dybansta as a prospect and is now the consensus No. 1 prospect among sophomores now that his teammate has re-classed up to the 2025 class. He’s more physically dominant than his teammate and keeps on adding to his shooting range and play-making ability. The other two holdovers are Vladimir Kharyapa (6-6, 2024) and Alek Giotopoulos-Moore (6-5, 2024).
The Skinny: Not only is the Crew talented, they are good and deep at each position, with a terrific lead guard, wings galore and an interior presence. Diallo runs the show and is a quintessential point guard with instincts who can also get paint touches and make the right play. Sherrell is a traditional post who controls the paint and Reid is a terrific all-around talent that will be the difference-maker in plenty of games. He’ll have plenty of opportunities to punish defenses when the opposition focuses too much on Dybansta or Stokes. Lewis is the first man off the bench and brings instant offense, while Winters Grady (6-6, 2025) brings positional size and a nice shooting stroke. Emmanuel Jamgbadi (6-7, 2026), a physical specimen with broad shoulders, is the first big off the bench and is a bit more skilled than Joel Mokweza (6-8, 2026), who has incredible length. The main focus for Bernardi is getting the pieces acclimated but so far in fall training camp the practices have been spirited and high level to prepare the team for its loaded schedule. The Crew will play talented Our Savior Lutheran of New York on Nov. 9 and take on No. 24 Winston Salem Christian in Ft. Erie, Canada two nights later. Bernardi’s boys have a huge test on Nov. 22 when they face No. 3 Columbus in Miami. The Crew will face No. 2 Link Academy on Dec. 2 at the Derek Smith Shootout in Louisville and have a Jan. 14 date with top-ranked Montverde Academy at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mo. In between their games with the preseason top two, The Crew will play at the Tarkanian Classic (Dec. 16-17) and the Chick Fil-A Classic in Columbia, S.C. (Dec. 28-30). Prolific Prep expects to make the Grind Session Final 4 (Mar. 15-17) and will look to qualify for GEICO Nationals for the fifth consecutive year, where it holds a 2-3 (.400) all-time mark.

7. (19) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 17-8?
Key Players: PF Khani Rooths 6-8 2024 (No. 22 On3.com), PF Donnie Freeman 6-9 2024 (No. 28 247Sports.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American, Syracuse commit), PG Darius Acuff Jr. 6-2 2025 (No. 7 247Sports.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American, Syracuse commit), SG Cole Certa 6-4 2024 (No. 74 247Sports.com, Notre Dame commit), SF Chase McCarty 6-5 2024 (No. 55 247Sports.com, Houston commit), SF Amari Allen 6-5 2025 (No. 65 247Sports.com).
Why This Ranking: The Ascenders are in a similar position to where they were last season when they began No. 6 in the FAB 50: One of the nation’s most talented clubs, but in a range where there is a thin line between challenging for the NIBC title and being in the middle of the pack in a 14-team conference. Coach Sean McAloon has a club that can challenge the conference’s top teams and knows what it takes to get to the pinnacle of high school basketball. To get there McAloon wants players who want to buy into his system and Acuff, who led Cass Tech (Detroit) to a Division I state title and averaged more than 21.4 ppg points and 5.7 apg as a sophomore, is one of those types of players. He should bring some of the calming court influence Jacoi Hutchinson (George Washington) brought to last year’s club. Certa is another winner, as he led Central Catholic (Bloomington, Ill.) to a state title game and is a long range sniper who will easily adjust to scoring less (26 ppg). Freeman is an active and rangy forward who can step out and guard on the wing and also has a winning pedigree. McCarty is a talented wing who averaged 23.7 ppg and 6.5 rpg as a junior in leading Westminster Christian (Huntsville, Ala.) to the Class 4A state title game. There is plenty of talent on deck, it’s just a matter of developing chemistry and getting over the hump against a loaded national schedule.
The Skinny: The Ascenders are preseason FAB 50 ranked for the eighth consecutive season and McAloon has been at the helm the last seven of those. The program began at No. 1 the season after capturing the 2018-19 GEICO Nationals title and was No. 2 the following two seasons. Looking back on the roster last season, it looked like IMG Academy would be in the position it was from 2020-22 to begin 2023-24, but three of the more talented underclassmen didn’t return. The Ascenders fielded a fine 2022-23 team, but there were roster defections in the middle of the season and the final rotation wasn’t what the coaching staff envisioned during fall training camp. McAloon is looking for continuity and does have two veterans back in Rooths, a returning starter who can block shots and stroke the perimeter shot with consistency. Allen is also back and should have an expanded role, as he has a good feel and change of pace to his offensive game. McAloon can also go big if necessary or push the tempo with the depth provided by Felipe Quinones (6-6, 2026), Kareem Stagg (6-8, 2025) and Oliver Roux (7-7, 2024). Another reason to like a club that finished tied for third place in conference play last season is its track record at GEICO Nationals. The program is now 6-4 (.600) all-time after advancing to the semifinals in 2022-23, the third consecutive season IMG won at least one game at the end-of-season event. The schedule is the usual gauntlet and includes a City of Palms Classic appearance, where McAloon’s club is the No. 5 seed and opens with No. 10 Richmond Heights. The winner likely faces No. 5 Paul VI in the quarterfinal round. The Ascenders will take on No. 2 Link Academy on MLK Monday at the Spalding Hoophall Classic.

8. (5) John Marshall (Richmond, Va.) 28-0?
Key Players: PG Damon “Redd” Thompson Jr. 6-0 2024 (James Madison commit), PF Marcus Jackson 6-7 2025 (No. 106 247Sports.com), C Latrell Allmond 6-8 2026 (No. 21 ESPN.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), PG Aiden Argabright 5-11 2025, PG Dominique Bailey 6-2 2024 (Chowan commit).
Why This Ranking: The Jayem Justices captured their second consecutive Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 2A state and once again are easily the team to beat among Virginia public schools. Coach Ty White welcomes back a whopping 12 lettermen from last year’s club that completely dominated in-state competition and also recorded key wins at the Chick-fil-A Classic in South Carolina. It begins with the quick Thompson, who averaged 14.5 ppg and 3.6 apg, but more importantly set the tone on both ends of the floor. Bailey (9.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.6 apg, 3.8 spg) is an experienced guard who can do a bit of everything and is a menace in the Justices’ vaunted full-court press. Even more backcourt depth is added by Ashaun Moore (6-4, 2024), who started as a sophomore but missed last season because of injury. Last season Allmond (14.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 3.6 bpg) was expected to be one of the nation’s best freshmen and he delivered because of his remarkable skill set, instinct and fluidity for a young big. Allmond is starting to stretch the floor a bit with his shooting, which should expand Marshall’s potency. Desmond Rose (6-6, 2025) averaged 5.9 ppg and 3.4 rpg, but that doesn’t measure his impact, as he uses his athleticism and defensive abilities to wreak havoc on the opposition without taking anything away from the team’s big guns. Simply put, there is plenty to like about this team and its depth helps wear teams out.
The Skinny: As if the returnees didn’t offer enough firepower, Marshall now has Jackson, an explosive and athletic lefty from Edmondson-Westside (Baltimore, Md.), in the fold along with Argabright, a transfer from St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (Alexandria, Va.). Argabright has lead guard size, but he’s a terrific deep range shooter both off the catch or dribble and will help keep the defense honest on Thompson. Class 6A contenders Patriot and South Lakes and 3A leader in the clubhouse Lake Taylor are quality VHSL clubs, but John Marshall is simply on another level and is ranked accordingly. In fact, there’s an argument this club could be ranked preseason No. 1 in Virginia over Paul VI. After all, the Justices did beat FAB 50 title contender Columbus last season. John Marshall has now won 46 of its last 47 games and most in dominant fashion, but we ranked Paul VI and Columbus higher because their schedules are more national in scope and because Paul VI’s conference and post-season foes are much tougher. Marshall is ranked 14 spots higher than in the preseason last season and in order to have a legit shot at No. 1 it can’t afford a loss to another VHSL club. “We are self-motivated and pride ourselves on being the best,” coach Ty White said. “This is our deepest team ever. Could it be our best ever? That’s a good question because that 2020-21 group (that didn’t play) was a scary-good team.” The defending champions of the Chick-fil-A American Bracket Division, coach White’s club will look to defend its tourney title against the likes of No. 29 Grayson and highly-regarded Gray Collegiate Academy of South Carolina. John Marshall also has a date with No. 9 Sidwell Friends at the D.C. National Hoopfest (Dec. 9-10).

9. (16) Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) 29-4?
Key Players: PF Caleb Williams 6-7 2024 (No. 136 On3.com, Georgetown commit), SG Jalen Rougier-Roane 6-4 2025 (No. 144 On3.com), PG Acaden Lewis 6-3 2025 (No. 69 Rivals.com), SG Jake Williams 6-4 2024, PG Caleb Gillus 6-0 2025.
Why This Ranking: The Quakers built upon a great 2021-22 season when it won the District of Columbia Schools Athletic Association (DCSAA) Class AA title by repeating as champions and going on to capture the second annual State Champions invitational (SCI). After breaking on to the national scene two seasons ago, coach Eric Singletary’s (252-129) club exceeded preseason expectations last year despite leading player Caleb Williams missing 13 games due to injury. For the second consecutive season, Williams led the Quakers in scoring (12.8 ppg, 40.7 3-point) and rebounding (6.0 rpg) while adding 1.8 apg and 1.0 spg. Even though he’s headed to Georgetown, Williams is grossly underrated nationally and the coaching staff feels he’s improved his overall play-making and leadership qualities. Singletary has two other returning starters and seven letterman back including Lewis (8.9 ppg, 2.2 apg, 1.1 spg), who is set to take over some of the on-court quarterbacking and clutch play-making that graduated Cam Gillus (Lehigh) provided. Rougier-Roane (11.8 ppg, 1.6 spg) is a versatile talent who is improving quite rapidly and will be important to Sidwell Friends’ ability to rebound the basketball at a level high enough to move up in the rankings from this spot. “Our greatest strength is our team culture, which is defined by core values of attitude, toughness, and intelligence,” Singletary said.
The Skinny: Singletary and the coaching staff love the continuity the veterans create, but we rate Paul VI as the DMV’s preseason No. 1 team despite the Quakers beating that club last season because there are small question marks about Sidwell Friend’s size and interior depth as it relates to beating the best teams in the FAB 50. Obviously the health of Caleb Williams and Rougier-Roane will be crucial while the perimeter depth is bolstered by Jake Williams and Caleb Gillus, Cam’s younger brother. Another reason to like this club’s chances to move up is the presence of Ian Condon (6-5, 2027). He’s only a freshman, but over the summer during the June scholastic live period Condon showed he could compete at the high major level of high school hoops. His 195-pound frame makes him a terrific downhill threat and he can also knock down the deep perimeter shot. In 2021-22, Sidwell Friends was a bit overwhelmed in their first CSI appearance against eventual champion (Calvary Christian Academy of Florida), but that experience helped it return to that event and excel. Sidwell Friends is confident it can 3-peat its regular season, conference and state titles, but will need to show it can rebound and make shots against national level size in order to knock off the teams ranked ahead. The schedule will give this club the opportunity to do just that, as it will participate in the Chicago Elite Classic (Dec. 1-2), at the D.C. Hoopfest (Dec. 9-10), DMV Elite Classic (Dec. 17), the Governor’s Challenge (Dec. 27), the Jordan Brand Holiday Classic (Dec. 29-30), the MLK Classic (Jan. 13-15) and the “Melo” Jordan Brand Classic (Feb. 3).

10. (28) Richmond Heights (Richmond Heights, Ohio) 29-0?
Key Players: SG Dorian Jones 6-4 2025 (No. 29 247Sports.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), PF T.J. Crumble 6-8 2026 (No. 11 Rivals.com), SF Hosea Steele Jr. 6-4 2024, PG De’Erick Barber 5-11 2025, SG Demarris Winters Jr. 6-3 2025, PF Jeremy Wilson 6-5 2024. ?
Why This Ranking: Usually the preseason top-ranked Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) squad hails from the association’s D1 ranks, but that’s not the case this season as coach Quinten Rogers’ club is a slam dunk preseason state No. 1 choice. The two-time defending D4 state champs had no trouble with in-state foes last season and will be much better this season. Even if they didn’t add Crumble, who led Lutheran East of Cleveland Heights to the D3 state crown as a mere freshman, the Spartans would still be better than last season and deserving of the top billing among Midwest Region teams. That’s because Richmond Heights returns all five starters and all but one letterman from an undefeated championship club. Crumble gives this unit more muscle inside and should make Jones, the returning D3 state player of the year, that much more dangerous. He averaged 21.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg and 3.0 spg and was joined on the all-state team by Barber (8.9 ppg, 3.9 spg). Barber is the team’s quarterback and is a ball-hawk of defense. Steele (15.7 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 4.9 apg), another all-state honoree, is a terrific all-around talent while Winters (14.5 ppg) and Wilson (12.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg) are quality shooters. Steele’s and Wilson’s rebounding numbers could go down with Crumble in the fold, but the decrease could lead to more success on a national scale if the talented sophomore meshes with the veterans.
The Skinny: This club hasn’t lost since the second day of 2022 and enters the season riding a 49-game winning streak. Rogers (135-25) loves his team’s makeup and feels despite all the returning talent, the group is unselfish and likes to share the ball. Rogers also feels their discipline will make a difference in the big games, which there are many more of this year. That winning streak will severely be tested and even if the Spartans drop a game in 2023-24, it won’t necessarily mean they are not a better club than the 2022-23 unit. Richmond Heights participates in the Scholastic Play-By-Play Showcase vs. No. 37 St Ignatius in a battle of Ohio’s top two preseason ranked clubs. The Spartans also take on highly-regarded Huntington Prep of West Virginia in Canton. It also travels to Florida for the City of Palms Classic, where the Spartans have a monster opening-round game vs. No. 7 IMG Academy. If this club shows it can battle on the interior with some of the nation’s best, there is no reason why it can’t move up in the rankings.

11. (11) Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) 33-2?
Key Players: SG Trent Perry 6-3 2024 (No. 36 On3.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American, USC commit), SG Robert Hinton 6-4 2024 (No. 99 247Sports.com, Harvard commit), SF Nikolas Khamenia 6-5 2025 (No. 34 On3.com).
Why This Ranking: This program started out at No. 2 among CIF programs last season behind a senior-oriented club at Centennial of Corona, but came out the winner of the CIF’s big prize, the state open division crown, to finish as the state’s top ranked team and right in the range expected of it in the preseason (No. 15). Coach Dave Rebibo (193-54 at Harvard-Westlake) counts three starters back, but of the four lettermen who graduated only those two senior starters logged significant minutes. The young players who had major roles off the bench are better and there is a bit more depth to navigate its defense of the state open crown. Perry (16 ppg, 7 rpg, 6 apg) is the catalyst and can score in a variety of ways or change the momentum of a game with a big play at either end. Hinton (10 ppg, 4 rpg, 51 percent shooting) has tons of experience, is crafty and is a tough shot-maker. Khamenia’s (9.9 ppg, 6 rpg, 4 apg) impact on last year’s team can’t be measured by stats alone, as he can dissect defenses with pin-point precision, can score in bunches or operate as a setup man. Khamenia also has a mean streak and was lauded for his defensive work on highly-regarded junior Toude Yessoufou of St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.) in the CIF open title game.
The Skinny: This club opened at No. 2 in California last year and it was preseason No. 1 Centennial that won the CIF Southern Section open crown after the Wolverines were knocked out during pool play. Rebibo and crew would love to accomplish what Centennial did in 2021-22 when it finished No. 5 in the FAB 50: that’s win both section and state open crowns. The Wolverines have the personnel to do it and could move up from this position should they do so. From a national perspective, Harvard-Westlake must show it can rebound and hold its own on the interior and finish at the rim at a high percentage versus its FAB 50 level foes. Dominique Bentho (6-8, 2026) is that physical presence inside and he must replace the 10 rebounds per game graduated big Jacob Huggins (Princeton) produced. Christian Horry (6-3, 2024) is a quality playmaker and Amir Jones (6-2, 2026) provides plenty of spark if Rebibo wants to change lineups and beat teams down the floor. The Wolverines face highly-regarded Perry of Arizona at Hoophall West in Scottsdale, Ariz. (Dec. 2), head to the Les Schwab Invitational in Portland, Ore. (Dec. 27-30) with out-of-state teams such as Perry and No. 3 Columbus, and meet No. 21 McEachern on national television at the Spalding Hoophall Classic on MLK Monday.

12. (BB) Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 26-11?
Key Players: PG Nyk Lewis 6-2 2025 (No. 32 ESPN.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), SF Derek Dixon 6-5 2025 (No. 74 247Sports.com), SF Alex Touomou 6-6 2025, C Christian Gurdak 6-9 2025 (No. 91 247Sports.com).
Why This Ranking: The Purple Eagles have been a staple in the FAB 50 in the 2010s and 2020s and return to the preseason fold as a major FAB 50 title contender. Last season, coach Stephen Turner (440-165) had a team that was one of the first bubble clubs at No. 16 in the East Region, and it finished in that exact same spot after tying for fourth place in the powerful Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC). With four starters and 10 lettermen returning, Turner is confident this group can capture the program’s first WCAC Tourney crown since 2018-19. It begins with Lewis, an all-WCAC and first five Washington Post All-Met choice as a sophomore after averaging 17.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 4.0 apg and 1.6 spg. Dixon (14 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg) is a knockdown shooter with size with a tight enough handle to take pressure off Lewis. Touomou (6 ppg, 4 rpg, 1 bpg) has great defensive instincts, can block shots with both hands and run the floor to finish plays. Turner’s lineup has plenty of versatility and experience to survive its tough conference foes and a national schedule.
The Skinny: The Purple Eagles rate as a solid WCAC No. 2 behind No. 5 Paul VI of Virginia and in front of No. 43 Bishop O’Connell. After all, Gonzaga was ranked in the preseason between No. 10 and No. 47 every season between 2015-16 and 2021-22 and is motivated to get back in the FAB 50 conversation after last season. “I like our depth, ability to defend at all positions, and the fact we like to share the ball,” Turner said. The veteran coach is a bit concerned about rebounding, but with Gurdak (7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2 apg, 1.3 bpg) coming over from Paul VI most of that concern has been addressed. William Harper (6-4, 2025) and Blake Harper (6-5, 2024) add size and depth on the perimeter while Tyson Harley (6-4, 2026) and Carter Meadows (6-6, 2026), both Grid-Hoop studs, add toughness on the interior. Three WCAC teams are preseason ranked for the tenth time in the past 12 seasons and Gonzaga’s schedule is once again national in scope. Turner’s club is scheduled to compete in the Chicago Elite Classic (Dec. 1-2), will host its own Gonzaga Classic (Dec. 8-10) and is slated to play No. 36 Hudson Catholic at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Massachusetts on Jan. 14. Gonzaga will also participate in the King Cotton Holiday Classic in Pine Bluff, Ark. (Dec. 27-29).

13. (BB) Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) 22-10?
Key Players: PG Boogie Fland 6-3 2024 (No. 7 Rivals.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American, Kentucky commit), PG Danny Carbuccia 6-0 2025 (No. 32 Rivals.com), PF Braylan Ritvo 6-7 2024.
Why This Ranking: The Crusaders are preseason FAB 50 ranked for the fourth time in five years, as last season was the only one in which they were just out of range. We pegged Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.) and Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) as the NYC Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) AA title favorites. It was Archbishop Stepinac, however, that defeated Hayes, 69-66, to win the title and coach Patrick Massaroni (143-76) has nearly his entire unit back. With Hayes’ Ian Jackson transferring to Our Savior Lutheran, Fland (17.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.7 apg) is the CHSAA’s top player and could be in line for All-American acclaim if the Crusaders play up to par. Carbuccia (10.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.4 apg) is quite the specimen at lead guard with his handle, speed and shot-making ability. Ritvo is the perfect complement to Stepinac’s talented backcourt, as he can excel without the ball, is a board man and keeps defenses honest with his outside shooting. Simply put, this team has plenty of weapons and depth.
The Skinny: With four starters and 10 lettermen returning there is a lot to like about a program that has been remarkably consistent from a national perspective and rates as the early CHSAA favorite over Christ the King and St. Raymond’s (Bronx, N.Y.). Stepinac opened up No. 34 in 2022, No. 35 in 2021 and No. 36 in 2020 and even though it wasn’t preseason ranked last season, the Crusaders broke into the rankings before falling to Long Island Lutheran in the New York Federation AA title game, 81-57. Massaroni is a bit concerned about his interior in order to compete with teams such as LuHi, but loves his team’s depth, defense and unselfishness. The fourth returning starter is Jordan Gabriel (6-8, 2025) while the depth is provided by Hassan Koureissi (6-4, 2026), Josiah Jervis (6-4, 2026), Dylan Perry (6-7, 2026) and Adonis Ratliff (6-7, 2026). The Crusaders always schedule tough outside the CHSAA and this season will take on No. 33 Perry and highly-regarded Centennial (Corona, Calif.) at Hoophall West (Dec. 1-2), play highly-regarded St. Frances Academy of Baltimore (Dec. 8) plus No. 18 Don Bosco Prep at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Massachusetts (Jan. 14). The Crusaders take on the winner of top-ranked Montverde Academy and the Cannon School in their first game at the City of Palms Tournament in Florida on Dec. 21.

14. (14) Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Air, Kan.) 22-8?
Key Players: PG David Castillo 6-1 2024 (No. 45 Rivals.com, Kansas St. commit), SF Miikka Muurinen 6-9 2026, PG Jeremiah Green 6-2 2025 (No. 48 ESPN.com), SG Elijah Elliott 6-4 2024 (Florida Atlantic commit), PF Spencer Ahrens 6-9 2025 (No. 119 On3.com).
Why This Ranking: The Buffaloes have the ability to compete with nearly any team in the country and start off in the exact same spot they finished in 2022-23, but a notch below their preseason forecast of the past two seasons. Last season, they began No. 2 with a veteran club, but dropped a few more regular season games than expected and finished fifth in NIBC play. In 2021-22, they finished No. 3 after beginning at No. 3 and in 2020-21, the Buffaloes finished No. 2 after beginning at No. 3. This year expectations are a bit tempered as coach Kyle Lindsted takes over the program from Luke Barnwell (now on the staff at Texas Tech). Linsted is back, as he was at Sunrise Christian for 16 years before Barnwell and has eight years of experience at the collegiate and NBA levels. This unit will have to show it can play at a NIBC championship level and Castillo is a great place to start. He leads by example in practice and is a culture-first player. Green is a talented lead guard and has assumed a leadership role and Elliot can also play on the ball. “All three can play the point and all can play off the ball,” Linsted said. “The interchangeability of those guys is going to be a problem.” Ahrens and Kany Tchanda (6-9, 2024) are skilled face-up fours and could potentially make the Buffaloes tough to match up with defensively. Muurinen could be the X-factor, as he is ultra-talented and on the radar of pro scouts already. He can shoot it from the outside and is going to be one the best prospects in his class down the line. If he adjusts to NIBC play and the interior pieces mesh, Sunrise Christian could move up in the rankings.
The Skinny: Sure, there are a bunch of new faces and a new head coach, but Branson, Mo., is familiar ground for Lindsted. Barnwell actually incorporated some of the things Linsted brought to the program, so the transition may be smoother than a normal coaching change at this level. As much as Lindsted likes his unit’s offensive versatility, athleticism and wing and backcourt depth, he is concerned about rim protection against the national schedule his team will face. A late key addition was Bronson Schmidt-Uili (6-11, 2024), who played last season at Oak Hill Academy of Virginia, and additional depth is provided by Nicolas Niare (6-6, 2025) and Seven Bahati (6-5, 2024). Schmidt-Uili is the closest thing Sunrise Christian has to a traditional post player, so if he can get the job done, it will only make Ahrens and Muurinen that much more effective and the team harder to game plan for. The Buffaloes will participate in the Dr. Pepper Classic, the Heartland Hoops Classic and Jumaine Jones Classic. At GEICO Nationals, the program is 3-4 (.429) all-time after upsetting Montverde Academy in the quarterfinals last year before falling to eventual champion Link Academy in the semifinals, 67-61.

15. (BB) Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.) 28-4?
Key Players: SF Sir Mohammed 6-6 2024 (No. 54 247Sports.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American, Notre Dame commit), PG Bishop Boswell 6-4 2024 (No. 69 ESPN.com, Tennessee commit), PF Sadiq “A.J.” White Jr. 6-8 2025 (No. 27 Rivals.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American).
Why This Ranking: The Mustangs were the preseason No. 1 North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) team last season and ended their season in grand fashion, capturing the Class 4A state title in their first championship appearance since 1966. With three starters and nine lettermen returning, Myers Park is the NCHSAA preseason No. 1 once again because all three of them are major college prospects and productive high school players. Mohammed (13.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.9 apg, 1.9 spg) is one of the most versatile players in the country and a nightmare matchup as a big guard. White (11.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.5 spg, 1.5 bpg) doubled his production from a highly-anticipated freshman campaign and is only getting better. Boswell (12.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 5.3 apg, 1.7 spg), who scored 22 points in the state title game win over Richmond, has a football background and uses that toughness on the hardwood. He was lauded for his defensive work in the 2023 state title game on N.C. State-bound Paul McNeil Jr. “With our length and versatility, we have guys who can make plays in a variety of ways and it gives us the ability to match up (defensively) in a number of different situations,” said coach Scott Taylor.
The Skinny: The Mustangs’ talent level is on par with teams in this range, but they begin higher than last season (No. 26) because of the experience. In order to move up from this spot, the Mustangs must win the big out-of-state matchups, which will be more plentiful in 2023-24. Last year, Myers Park lost to regionally-ranked Archbishop Stepinac of New York and to FAB 50 title contender Columbus of Miami, but also to Carmel Christian and Chambers in-state, neither which captured a state title. Leading scorer Elijah Strong (Wofford) moves on, but Taylor is confident in his team’s depth. John Hines (6-2, 2026) is another with a football background who is ready to expand his role, Ashton King (6-4, 2025) is a physical play-maker and defender, while A.J. Jamison (6-3, 2025) is a zone buster who Taylor feels can really make a difference. Myers Park has a loaded schedule that includes games at the D.C. Hoopfest (Dec. 9-10), the City of Jasper Classic (Dec. 19-20) and the John Wall Invitational (Dec. 27-30).

RELATED: Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (31-50) | Preseason East Region Top 20 | Preseason Southeast Region Top 20 ?| Preseason Midwest Region Top 20 | Preseason Southwest Region Top 20 | Preseason West Region Top 20 | Preseason FAB 50 Show (REPLAY) | ?Ballislife Podcast Network?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | History of High School Team Rankings

Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 24 years ago.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50: Top 15 Teams! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

We continue our 2023-24 preseason FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com countdown with an in-depth look at teams No. 16-30.

Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 24 years ago.

Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 National
Team Rankings Powered by www.ebooksnet.com

By Ronnie Flores

(Final 2022-23 ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; Look for preseason Region-By-Region Top 20 Rankings on Tuesday, November 7 and for the preseason Mr. Basketball USA Tracker on Tuesday, November 21.)

RELATED: Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (1-15) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (31-50) | Preseason East Region Top 20 | Preseason Southeast Region Top 20 ?| Preseason Midwest Region Top 20 | Preseason Southwest Region Top 20 | Preseason West Region Top 20 | Preseason FAB 50 Show (REPLAY) | ?Ballislife Podcast Network?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | History of High School Team Rankings

GO TO: No. 16 / No. 17 / No. 18 / No. 19 / No. 20 / No. 21 / No. 22 / No. 23 / No. 24 / No. 25 / No. 26 / No. 27 / No. 28 / No. 29 / No. 30

16. (9) AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) 23-7
Key Players: PG Jeremiah Fears 6-3 2025 (No. 22 ESPN.com), PG Del Jones 6-2 2024 (No. 66 ESPN.com, Clemson commit), PF Sammie Yeanay 6-8 2024 (No. 91 ESPN.com), C Luke Bamgboye 6-10 2024 (No. 123 Rivals.com), C Ethan Lathan 6-11 2024 (No. 116 Rivals.com, Old Dominion commit).
Why This Ranking: The Dragons joined the NIBC last season and were immediately pegged as a FAB 50 national title contender because of their talent level. The Dragons had an up-and-down regular season, but in the end made it to the GEICO Nationals title game where they fell to eventual FAB 50 champion Link Academy. This season, expectations are a bit more tempered because of roster turnover and a new coaching staff. Ed Gipson is now at San Jose St. after seven seasons at the helm of the program. New coach Pete Kaffey is a familiar face around the program, but he’s implementing plenty of new things. “Nothing can take away from the season we had last year, but what I’d like to see is more continuity,” Kaffey said. The Dragons defeated then No. 1 Montverde Academy early in the season and rose to No. 1 in the FAB 50 themselves, but lost four conference games to finish tied for third place with IMG Academy of Florida, two games behind second place Long Island Lutheran of New York and three behind first place MVA. Kaffey is quite satisfied with his lead guard situation, as he feels Fears is the best nationally in his class, while Jones brings that DMV toughness. AZ Compass has a reputation for getting after it on the defensive end and Bamgboye gives them an anchor in the middle, so the perimeter players can get after it knowing there is rim protection. Lathan is a traditional center and adds to that interior defense and helps keep Bamgboye on the floor when it matters down the stretch. Yeanay is versatile and even though he can hit the trial 3-pointer, Kaffey is stoked he can play and guard on the wing and interior should he decide to go to a smaller lineup.
The Skinny: Not only is there a new coach, but similar to NIBC member IMG Academy, the Dragons lost some players off last year’s roster with remaining high school eligibility, so we’ll take a wait and see approach before propping them up too high in the rankings. That turnover allowed Kaffey to construct the roster as he wants, and he’s glad his team has more interior size and will rely less on high percentage 3-point shooting. “We lost some scoring, but we didn’t have the interior depth. This year, we have five guys over 6-foot-8,” Kaffey said. The offense may also be a bit more free-flowing and most importantly, Kaffey hopes he doesn’t have to adjust his rotation much as the season wears on. Added depth is provided by forward Jayce Nathaniel (6-8, 2024), who plays with a high motor and can get after it on the glass or in transition. The coaching staff is also high on small forward Imarhi Wootten (6-5, 2026). The Dragons also get some rankings credit for their recent showings at GEICO Nationals, where they have a 3-3 (.500) record overall and will be a shoo-in to qualify for GEICO Nationals for the fourth consecutive season. The schedule includes an early test with defending FAB 50 champion Link Academy of Missouri on Nov. 21 as part of the Five For The Fight National Hoopfest (Pleasant Grove, Utah). The Dragons have an MLK Monday date at the Spalding Hoophall Classic with FAB 50 title contender Long Island Lutheran, in addition to the regular NIBC stops.

17. (25) De Pere (De Pere, Wis.) 29-0?
Key Players: PF Will Hornseth 6-9 2024 (Northern Iowa commit), SG Zach Kinziger 6-3 2025 (No. 121 247Sports.com, Wisconsin commit), PF Ben Willihnganz 6-8 2024, SF Pryce Gregoire 6-5 2025.
Why This Ranking: It wasn’t so much that the Redbirds won their first Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) state crown since 1934, it was the manner in which they did that propelled them into the 2022-23 Top 25. Coach Brian Winchester’s club defeated preseason FAB 50 ranked and defending D2 champ Pewaukee en route to setting a WIAA record for most wins in an undefeated season. Winchester counts three starters and 10 lettermen returning led by Hornseth (16.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.5 apg) and Kinziger (15.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.9 apg). Hornseth is a terrific athlete and all-around talent, while Kinziger went for 19 points in the state title game victory over Arrowhead of Hartland. Willihnganz (5.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.1 apg) is the third returnee, and his stats are a bit deceiving because he missed most of the season with a knee injury. Expect his production to go up along with Grgoire’s (6.2 ppg), who could develop into a D1 prospect with a big year. “We have very good length and athleticism,” Winchester said. “Our core are all talented, college level players who play both ends of the floor at a high level.”
The Skinny: Kinziger did have a big state title game, but it was his brother, 2023 Wisconsin Mr. Basketball John Kinzinger (Illinois St.), who had 24 points and was the catalyst. De Pere has to replace his production, not to mention the leadership of a great senior class, but it should be able to and is deserving of this spot. Collin Wicker (6-5, 2024) is primed for a big senior season and depth and shooting comes in the form of Roan Demovsky (6-0, 2025) and Connor Hutjens (6-2, 2025). The program’s 21-1 JayVee team will also help the Redbirds get after it defensively to the level they want. “With our returning varsity players and additions from a good JayVee team, we’ll have multiple players who can space the floor with their shooting,” Winchester said. The Redbirds won’t venture too far from home, so they are going to have to play up to expectations and avoid any in-state slip ups to move up from this position.

18. (NR) Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) 26-3?
Key Players: SG Dylan Harper 6-6 2024 (No. 2 247Sports.com, Ballislife Second Team All-American), C Keiner Asprilla 7-0 2026 (No. 18 On3.com), PG Isaiah Brown 6-0 2024.
Why This Ranking: There is plenty of talent and even more incentive for a club that had a terrific 2022-23 regular season campaign, but saw it all come crashing down in the New Jersey Schools Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public A semifinals. The Ironmen faced Bergen Catholic and were upset by that club after easily downing them in the Bergen County title game, 71-49. Coach Kevin Diverio’s club gets the nod as the top preseason NJSIAA club over No. 36 Hudson Catholic, as it has one of the best players in the country in the fold. Harper averaged 24.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 3.0 apg as a junior and had a terrific summer on the EYBL circuit and with USA Basketball’s 19U Team in Hungary. Some feel he’s the second best player in the senior class after Montverde Academy’s Cooper Flagg and with a big season could develop into a Mr. Basketball USA candidate. Brown is a four-year contributor and a tough customer who is capable of double-digit performances with assists. Asprilla is oozing with talent and potential and could be the difference-maker in the big contests because of his strength and skill inside.
The Skinny: The Ironmen didn’t finish FAB 50 ranked last season because of the upset playoff loss, but looking over their resume it was quite a season. Don Bosco Prep defeated FAB 50 No. 23 Centennial of California on its way to winning the John Wall Holiday Invitational and only lost to No. 12 Camden and to No. 21 and Non-Public B state champ Roselle Catholic before the loss to a Bergen Catholic team it had already defeated three times. In addition to Harper, Brown and Asprilla, Diverio returns six other lettermen, including Brady Longhlin (6-5, 2025), a quality shooting guard who is rapidly picking up D1 offers while Will Mensah (6-5, 2024) adds interior depth. Don Bosco Prep has to obviously close strong, but also must show well in national events to move up in the rankings. It will get its opportunity at the City of Palms Classic, where the Ironmen open with No. 21 McEachern and could face FAB 50 title contender Long Island Lutheran in the quarterfinals if they get past that pick’em first round game.

19. (31) St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 26-7?
Key Players: PG Elzie Harrington 6-5 2025 (No. 10 Rivals.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), SG Brandon McCoy Jr. 6-4 2026 (No. 2 247Sports.com), SG Jack Turner 6-3 2024 (Loyola-Chicago commit), PF Kade Bonam 6-8 2025.
Why This Ranking: It was a breakthrough season for coach Matt Dunn’s program and it rates as a solid preseason No. 2 among California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) clubs behind defending CIF open champ Harvard-Westlake. The Braves not only ended the 34-year run of league titles by perennial FAB 50 contender Mater Dei of Santa Ana, they recorded a victory over Harvard-Westlake. Dunn (447-183) played on a FAB 50 ranked outfit at Jesuit (Carmichael, Calif.) that twice came up just one game short of a CIF major division crown (in 1993 and 1994) and he’d love nothing more to feel that moment as a coach with this group. Four starters and 11 lettermen return led by Harrington (15.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 5.7 apg, 2.8 spg), an all-state selection and Trinity League Player of the Year as a sophomore. Turner (13.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.3 apg) had big scoring outings in many of Bosco’s big games and is a fiery competitor who isn’t afraid of the big moment. Bonam (13.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.3 bpg) is key to Bosco’s interior play and excels in high-low situations. McCoy (8.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.6 spg) is as good a fast-twitch athlete as there is on the West Coast and he nearly led Bosco over Corona Centennial in the CIF Southern Section open title game.
The Skinny: The Braves have all the ingredients to win their first section and state open crown, as long as the interior players gain the necessary experience along the way against a challenging schedule. With a full season under his belt, the country is going to learn just how special a talent McCoy is, as he is on par talent-wise with any 2026 player in the country. “We have one of the best backcourts in the country and although still young, we’re very experienced,” Dunn said. “Our size is upcoming, but not very experienced.” Rebounding and toughness will be key against a national schedule and if Howie Wu (7-0, 2026) makes a big impact this team could be quickly moving up in the rankings. Jaison Joyce (6-7, 2025) is another key cog, while Gavin Dean-Moss (6-0, 2026) is a shot in the arm off the bench with added depth provided by fellow JayVee move-ups Dominic Perfetti (6-7, 2026) and Chris Komin (6-0, 2025). The Braves will take on highly-regarded Sunnyslope of Arizona at Hoophall West in Arizona (Dec. 2) and will travel to Hawaii for the Iolani Classic (Dec. 15-20) to compete against a field that includes No. 28 Oak Ridge, and highly-regarded clubs Vashon of Missouri, DeMatha Catholic of Maryland, Pace Academy of Georgia and Christ the King of New York. After Christmas, it’s The Classic at Damien with the likes of No. 44 Roosevelt, No. 50 Owyhee, and Sunnyslope. Before the playoffs, Bosco will test itself at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo. (Jan. 11-13) along with FAB 50 title contender Paul VI of Virginia, No. 21 McEachern, and No. 34 Edmond North.

20. (BB) Kokomo (Kokomo, Ind.) 24-5
Key Players: C Flory Bidunga 6-9 2024 (No. 5 Rivals.com, Ballislife First Team All-American, Kansas commit), PG Reis Beard 5-8 2024, PF Karson Rogers 6-6 2024.
Why This Ranking: Two starters and 10 lettermen return from a club that came up just a game short of capturing its first Indiana High School State Athletic Association (IHSAA) state crown since 1961. Kokomo has reached the state final four 10 other times, and its rabid fan base is hoping this is the club that can make history after last year’s group fell short against an unbeaten Ben Davis club that finished No. 4 in the FAB 50. It begins with Bidunga, a marvelous team oriented player who dominates around the basket on both ends of the floor, is disciplined and can move his feet good enough to keep up with a guard. The Kansas-bound big man averaged 20.2 ppg, 13.8 rpg and 4.5 bpg while converting an incredible 81 percent (207-263) of his shots from the field as a junior. He recorded 27 double-doubles in 29 outings and was the second-leading vote-getter on the Indiana A.P. All-State team. Obviously, it takes more than one talent to win a Class 4A state crown in Indiana and coach John Peckingpaugh has enough complimentary pieces to get the job done. Beard (4.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg) is a floor general in every sense of the word and is also the quarterback on Kokomo’s football team. How valuable is he? In last year’s state title game he didn’t convert a field goal but was on the floor for 31 of the 32 minutes of the game.
The Skinny: The city of Kokomo (with a population of approximately 60,000) defines Hoosier Hysteria. The town loves its Wildkats (which have won a state record 76 sectional titles) and those around to see the legendary 1961 unit feverishly followed last year’s club. It won’t be easy to get there again, but if last year’s reserves step up as Rogers did last season, this team could make history. Rogers (4.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg) stepped up with multiple double-doubles when it counted most late in the season, averaging 16 ppg and 6 rpg in the final nine games and should help keep defenses honest in guarding Budinga. The Wildkats will miss Zavion Bellamy, but his younger brother Zion Bellamy (5-9, 2025) is ready to take on a bigger role. He’s another Grid-Hooper who should improve his 6.8 ppg average. Kokomo can’t afford too many losses to stay in this range of the FAB 50, but if it wins its final game of the season, any losses while the team jells and awaits its football players won’t matter.

21. (BB) McEachern (Power Springs, Ga.) 23-7?
Key Players: SF Ace Bailey 6-8 2024 (No. 3 247Sports.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American, Rutgers commit), PG Jeremiah Wilkinson 6-1 2024 (California commit), PG Jaye Nash 6-2 2024 (No. 103 Rivals.com), SG Moses Hipps 6-4 2024, C J.D. Palm 6-10 2025 (No. 62 Rivals.com).
Why This Ranking: Hard to not like the Indians blend of returning talent and newcomers, led by a potential superstar in Bailey. He averaged 22 ppg, 14 rpg, 3 apg and 4 bpg for a club that advanced to the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAAAAAA quarterfinals. It’s the transfers, however, that could take coach and former Southern Cal player Tremaine Anchrum’s club to the next level and allow for a move up in the rankings. Wilkinson easily could average 20 ppg for a lesser program, Nash was the lead guard on a Briarcrest (Memphis, Tenn.) club that made a state final and John McQueen (6-5, 2024), a transfer from Langston Hughes of Atlanta, is a versatile talent that will provide good outside shooting and defense. Hipps, underrated nationally, returns and is another sniper from the outside who has D1 offers from all over the country.
The Skinny: The Indians are trying to get back to the level they were when future NBA players Sharife Cooper and Isaac Okoro led them to the City of Palms championship and a Class AAAAAAA state crown in 2018-19. That team finished No. 2 in the FAB 50 and if this club can survive its schedule it has a shot to get in that range in the final rankings. McEachern would be a few spots higher if the availability of Palm was not in question. The talented big man has been in need of a kidney transplant since last season ended and even if he does return to the court this season, it could be in a limited role. This team has plenty of offensive firepower on the perimeter and the ability to get after it defensively. Bailey is the most heralded Rutgers recruit since 1972 All-American Phil Sellers out of Jefferson (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Sellers (who led the Scarlet Knights to the 1976 NCAA Final Four) was a national player of the year finalist and Bailey also could become a Mr. Basketball USA candidate with a monster year versus a loaded schedule. Not only do the Indians play at the Naismith Tip-Off Classic and Holiday Hoopsgiving versus FAB 50 title contender Columbus of Miami, they will venture to the City of Palms Classic (Dec. 18-23) in Ft. Myers, Fla., where they open with No. 18 Don Bosco Prep. In January, the Indians will do the vaunted “Springfield Double”, taking on No. 11 Harvard-Westlake on MLK Monday in Massachusetts after participating in the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Missouri (Jan. 11-13) against the likes of FAB 50 power Paul VI of Virginia, No. 19 St. John Bosco and No. 34 Edmond North.

22. (50) Lincoln Park (Midland, Pa.) 30-1?
Key Players: SG Meleek Thomas 6-5 2025 (No. 5 On3.com, Ballislife First Team All-American), SG Brandin “Beebah” Cummings 6-3 2024 (No. 122 Rivals.com, Pittsburgh commit), SG Dorian McGhee 6-0 2024, PF Dontay Green 6-5 2024.
?Why This Ranking: The Leopards are deserving of this spot with four returning starters and seven lettermen from an outstanding club that captured the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class 4A state crown. It’s not just the amount of veterans, but the talent level, as Thomas (24.9 ppg) is one of the best players in the country regardless of class. His driving 12-foot runner clinched the Leopards’ state title game victory over then No. 24 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.). The WPIAL champs got 23.1 ppg from Cummings, a physical scorer who shot 39 percent from 3-point range last season and has made 186 career 3-pointers with one season to go. Coach Mike Bariski (249-47) is quick to point out this is far from a two-man team, as the roster contains four other college level players.
The Skinny: This team has a chance to be dominant in-state and are favorites to once again capture Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) and PIAA titles. As good as Lincoln Park’s core is, Bariski is a bit concerned about his team’s overall size when it ventures to play in big showcases games or tournaments. “Our strengths are our quickness, scoring ability and team oriented defense, but we don’t have size at all five positions,” he said. Green, a Grid-Hoop stud, does most of the dirty work inside so he’ll need to be ready to go and healthy after football season. McGhee also plays football and will join a team that lost only seven of the 62 points off last season’s state title game win that was the first loss for Neumann-Goretti in 11 title appearances. Vinnie DePalma (5-11, 2024) and Rashan Russell (5-11, 2024) should be much improved and alleviate pressure for the two big scoring guns. The Leopards will participate in the Burger King Classic in Erie, Pa., and venture to the West Region to play in the Capital City Classic in Salem, Ore.

23. (NR) Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 19-10?
Key Players: SG Isiah Harwell 6-5 2025 (No. 6 On3.com), SG John Mobley Jr. 6-0 2024 (No. 43 247Sports.com, Ohio St. commit), SF Taj Degourville 6-5 2024 (No. 137 247Sports.com, San Diego St. commit), PF Chris Nuwuli 6-7 2025 (No.17 ESPN.com), C Malick Diallo 6-10 2024 (No. 127 On3.com, TCU commit).
Why This Ranking: After starting off FAB 50 ranked for five consecutive seasons (2018-22), the Tigers were not ranked in the 2022-23 preseason and actually did solid in NIBC play, finishing tied for fifth place with Sunrise Christian Academy at 7-5. Coach Paul Peterson’s team has more firepower this season and comes in as the No. 7 team from the most talent-laden conference in the country. It begins with Harwell, a terrific talent who had a fine summer on the grassroots circuit and should be primed for a big junior season. Mobley can play on the ball, but is also one of the best catch-and-shoot threats in the country. When he’s on, this team will be a tough out against any conference foe. He is joined by former Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) teammate Nuwuli, who is hoping the change of scenery helps him reach his vast potential. When focused, Nuwuli is a hellacious defender and can change the complexion of a game with a big play. Mobley was joined on the Nevada all-state team by Degourville of 2022-23 state champ Durango, a versatile talent who can punish smaller defenders and is too skilled for most bigger ones. There is plenty of firepower at Peterson’s disposal, but consistency is a concern and depth is a big question mark.
The Skinny: Wasatch is one of the middle-of-the pack NIBC clubs that can rise with some key wins or also fall back if the losses mount. It’s not easy to put together NIBC winning streaks, but Peterson knows how to grind out victories, so if the roster’s scoring potency is consistent, this will be a dangerous club that can finish in the upper echelon of the NIBC standings. The lone returnee who logged major minutes is Diallo, the second leading rebounder and shot blocker on the team behind first team all-NIBC choice Collin Murray-Boyles (South Carolina). Diallo has plenty of experience and will need to stay on the floor and increase his production in order for Wasatch Academy to have a chance to move up in the rankings. The Tigers are looking to get back to the level they were when they began No. 11 and No. 15, respectively, in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 FAB 50, and this team will have plenty of opportunity to do just that. We’ll take a cautious approach, however, because of their mark at GEICO Nationals. The Tigers are 0-4 at the event all-time and have not made the cut the last two seasons, including when expectations were high in 2021-22. The program’s No. 2 FAB 50 finish in 2020 came when GEICO Nationals was canceled because of the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

24. (NR) Winston-Salem Christian (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 39-5
Key Players: C Chol Machot 7-0 2024, PF Lewis Walker 6-6 2024, PF Brayden Crump 6-9 2024 (Elon commit), PG Jordan Lowery 6-1 2025 (No. 110 Rivals.com), SG Tyler “Tybo” Bailey 6-3 2024 (No. 118 Rivals.com).
Why This Ranking: The Lions were on the FAB 50 bubble last season as a freelance-independent club, but could be better this year with three returning starters and a new backcourt. Coach Antonio Lowe (214-53) has a team he feels is good enough to navigate a national schedule and capture the Grind Session Final Four, set for March 15-17 in Chicago. The backcourt is led by Lowery, one of the better junior lead guards in the country who is quickly racking up P5 offers. Bailey returns home to the Hoop State after spending time at La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) and brings a wealth of experience and versatile scoring options to a team that already had plenty. Wing guard Isaiah Washington (6-5, 2024) can score points in bunches and combines athleticism with a good I.Q. for the game. Machot is a Melbourne, Australia native who college coaches are quickly realizing can play at a high level. Crump is recovering from two ACL surgeries and is an intriguing face-up four with deep range. Machot’s improvement and Crump’s presence will be key against the level of competition Winston Salem Christian will face in 2023-24.
The Skinny: This team’s profile took an uptick rankings-wise by joining the Power 10 Conference, a 12-team conglomerate of the best programs on the Grind Session that must adhere to its bylaws. Winston-Salem Christian, whose program is sanctioned to play both North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) public schools and schools within the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA), has big games right away so all the pieces will have to mesh in order to move up in the rankings. Lowe loves his team’s depth and defense, but has some reservations about its lack of height besides Machot. The front court is a load, as Walker is a physical downhill scoring option and Maykel Petit Canny (6-7, 2024) is a quick jumper with a physical presence on both ends of the floor. Another reason we like this club to start is because many of its individual pieces feel they are underrated nationally, so they want to get off to a strong start. An early big test will take place in Ft. Erie, Canada on Nov. 11 when the Lions face FAB 50 title contender Prolific Prep at the Maple Showcase.

25. (NR) La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) 19-10?
Key Players: SG Jalen Haralson 6-7 2025 (No. 7 On3.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), PG Jerry Easter II 6-4 2025 (No. 21 Rivals.com), PG Ace Buckner 6-1 2024 (Clemson commit), SG Darius Adams 6-4 2025 (No. 20 Rivals.com), SF Chuck Love III 6-7 2025 (No. 55 ESPN.com), SG Melvin Bell Jr. 6-4 2024 (No. 104 247Sports.com), C Steve Solano 6-11 2024.
Why This Ranking: The Lakers have a talent uptick from last year when they came in sixth place in the NIBC with a 5-7 conference mark and fell out of the rankings after beginning at No. 36. It was a fine line between success and moving up in the rankings, as LaLu led or was tied with two minutes to go in six of its 10 losses and was down by two with two minutes to go in two other losses. “That falls back to us as coaches; we had three guys we just couldn’t take out of the game,” coach Patrick Holmes said. “We’re focusing on playing a 32-minute game.” Holmes likes his depth and versatility to finish games strong and the team has a better inside-outside balance than last season. Bucker has shined in open gyms, Easter can get in the paint with ease and Adams has some wiggle to his game and can really stroke it. Haralson brings a dimension that LaLu hasn’t had in years, with elite size for a ball-handler who can pass over the defense and make the right play. Love is a catch and shoot threat who relishes defense and coming up with steals and deflections. Solano is an active big with an impressive wingspan who can switch on screens, while Jonas Muya (6-9, 2026) is a 250-pound space eater as a back-up big.
The Skinny: With two true interior players, LaLu will be aggressive on the perimeter and will look to play fast. If Haralson and Easter live up to their advanced billing and Bell is fully healthy and can show what he can do, the Lakers will pull out some of those close games and have a terrific opportunity to move up in the rankings. “We should be a very strong defensive team, plus we have versatile perimeter players which allows us to attack at a high level or space the floor with our shooting,” Holmes said. LaLu only has two players back from last year’s roster and a core of the newcomers are juniors. With seven newcomers in the rotation, Holmes’ club has to avoid a slow start to have an opportunity to climb in the NIBC standings and qualify for GEICO Nationals. The Lakers, the No. 8 team in the NIBC preseason pecking order, are 7-8 (.467) all-time at the event, but haven’t advanced past the first round since advancing to the title game in 2018-2019.

26. (NR) North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) 29-3?
Key Players: SF Isaiah Evans 6-7 2024 (No. 8 ESPN.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American, Duke commit), SG Trey Maxwell 6-4 2024, PG Chadlyn Traylor 6-2 2025.
Why This Ranking: Hopes are high for this season after the Vikings fell to Myers Park in the 2022-23 Class 4A Western Regional Final. North Meck returns one of the nation’s finest players and enough surrounding talent to warrant this spot in the rankings. North Meck begins as North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) No. 2 behind the Myers Park team it lost to in the playoffs and in front of the Chambers club it beat in overtime a round earlier. Evans is a do-it-all performer who averaged 26.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.5 apg and was even better in five state tourney games. Evans upped his scoring average to 38.6 ppg, including a 62-point outburst in the memorable victory over Chambers, and is physically more imposing heading into his senior campaign. Maxwell, the son of former NBA guard Vernon Maxwell, is similar to dad in the sense he can shoot and put up points in a hurry. This team’s returning core is terrific and has shown marked improvement over the summer evaluation periods.
The Skinny: After winning the state title in 2020, the Vikings opened up 2020-21 No. 34 in the FAB 50, but because of the NCHSAA’s COVID-19 restrictions were only able to play 12 games and lost in the state semifinals when they were No. 17 in the FAB 50. This team can get to that level and will have the benefit of a complete season. Last season, in many respects, North Meck went how Evans went, but this season the Vikings are more talented and aren’t as reliant on his individual abilities. Traylor could be a difference maker. He comes over from West Charlotte after averaging 15.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 3.0 assists, but more importantly he’s a complete guard and gives this team a shot in the arm. Carson Evans (6-3, 2025) was terrific off the bench last season for coach Duane Lewis (505–158) and plays hellacious defense. Zion Williams (6-3, 2025) is improved and expected to have an expanded role. Ashton Pierce (6-3, 2026) is a future star and will only get better backing the veteran backcourt. With the pieces in place, Lewis will test his club against a strong schedule, including an appearance at the City of Palms Classic in Florida (Dec. 18-23). North Meck opens up with defending FAB 50 national champ Link Academy of Missouri. The Vikings will face highly-regarded Camden of New Jersey at the Spalding Hoophall Classic (Jan. 13).

27. (32) Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas) 31-3**?
Key Players: C Doryan Onwuchekwa 6-10 2024 (No. 83 Rivals.com, Colorado commit), SG Isaac Williams IV 6-2 2024, PG Jazz Henderson 5-10 2024, PF Davion Adkins 6-6 2026.
Why This Ranking: For the past two seasons, the Eagles have been on the preseason FAB 50 cusp in the Southwest Region, only to climb to No. 32 and No. 30, respectively, in the final rankings. This time around we’re not going to play the waiting game with the Eagles, as they have more than enough returning firepower to capture a third consecutive University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 4A crown. With no overwhelming favorite in Class 6A (Texas’ top public school division), Faith Family gets the nod as the No. 1 UIL club. It starts with Onwuchekwa, a TABC All-State choice who is primed for a big senior campaign now that he got his college recruitment out of the way. Onwuchekwa can bang when he’s motivated to, step away from the basket with a timely jumper and defend ball screens better than one might suspect. Williams is a D1 point guard who can play on or off the ball because of the presence of Henderson. The team’s catalyst, Henderson is a smart student that is a ball-hawk on defense and not afraid of the big moment or taking the clutch shot. This team won’t be an easy out for anyone because of its experience and ability to grind out wins when the going gets tough.
The Skinny: Faith Family has shown it has the track record to begin in this rankings position, but must be consistent in close games and show it can consistently stroke the deep perimeter shot to move up from here. The loss of J.T. Toppin (New Mexico) won’t be easy to overcome, but coach Brandon Thomas (331-86) feels this year’s team is even deeper, albeit with some unproven pieces coming off the bench. Lekenrick Taylor Jr. (6-7, 2024) is a bouncy forward who could help take this team to the next level if he plays up to par. Adkins is a budding superstar who can rim run and block shots with authority. Depth is provided by Anthony Spencer III (6-6, 2026) and Kingston Willis (5-11, 2026). All three were standouts at the recent Pangos All-South Fr./So. Camp, plus others moving up from a 25-0 JayVee team will contribute down the line. Thomas will need that depth because the schedule is national in scope, as the Eagles face highly-regarded Lancaster on Nov. 11. They will also play in the San Antonio Alamo City Classic (Nov. 16-18), the Thanksgiving Hoopfest (Nov. 24-25), the Marshall County Hoopfest vs. Combine Academy of North Carolina (Dec. 2), the Iverson Classic (Dec. 8-9), the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic (Dec. 27-30), the Flyin’ To The Hoop in Dayton, Ohio (Jan. 12-13) and the Quincy Shootout in Illinois (Jan. 19-20). FAB 50 power Montverde Academy of Florida is on the docket at the Hoopfest (Nov. 24).

28. (NR) Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) 19-10?
Key Players: SF Jamier Jones 6-6 2025 (No. 13 ESPN.com), PG Jalen Reece 5-11 2025 (No. 59 Rivals.com), SG Elijah Elliott 6-3 2024 (Florida Atlantic commit), SF Cameron Simpson 6-6 2024 (Central Florida commit), Tyler Johnson 6-5 2024 (Virginia Tech commit).
Why This Ranking: With their talent level and experience, the Pioneers rate as the No. 2 team among Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) clubs behind FAB 50 title contender Columbus of Miami. Coach Steve Reece’s club returns en masse plus adds Jones, who played at IMG Academy last season and excelled at summer camps this year. The powerful wing has a college-ready body now and can easily average upwards of 20 ppg. He won’t on this team, as meshing in with the available talent will only make him a better player and Oak Ridge a more dangerous unit. Reece, the coach’s son, is one of the best shooters in his class nationally and is a pure lead guard who will get the ball to the right spots on the floor. This team only graduated one senior who made contributions and the returnees are motivated to win after losing in last year’s FHSAA Class 7A semifinals on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
The Skinny: There are plenty of quality teams from Florida after perennial FAB 50 title contenders Montverde Academy and IMG Academy. Columbus rates as a strong Class 7A favorite with the Pioneers and Winter Haven (the team that knocked Oak Ridge out) also contenders. The Sunshine Independent Athletic Association (SIAA) always has two or three teams to consider and Mater Lakes looks strong in Class 4A with Windermere Prep and Westminster Academy leading the way in Class 3A. Among the Oak Ridge seniors, Elliott can play both guard spots, as he is a good scorer but can also facilitate. Simpson is a good 3-point shooter with vertical pop while Johnson plays with a take-no-prisoners edge and is a difficult matchup because of his physical nature. Johnson gets rebounds out of his area well and is a versatile defender. On paper, Oak Ridge looks like the clear No. 4 in the state, but must get over the hump in the playoffs and cut down the overall loss total. The Pioneers captured the championship of the Georgia Basketball Coaches Association (GBCA) Southeast Regional during the June Scholastic live period, but did not fare as well at the Section 7 Team Camp in Arizona a week later. They face No. 43 Bishop O'Connell at the Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta (Nov. 24-25), travel to Hawaii for the Iolani Classic and will play No. 37 St. Ignatius at the Flyin’ To The Hoop in Dayton, Ohio (Jan. 14).

29. (NR) Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 24-6?
Key Players: SG Gicarri Harris 6-4 2024 (No. 70 On3.com), SF Jacob Wilkins 6-9 2025 (No. 16 247Sports.com), PF Amir Taylor 6-7 2025, PG C.J. Hyland 6-0 2024 (Western Carolina commit), SG Anthony Alston 6-2 2024 (Appalachian St. commit).
Why This Ranking: The Rams are chomping at the bit to get to the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) winner’s circle after falling to eventual champion Wheeler of Marietta in the GHSA Class AAAAAAA semifinals last season. Wheeler is a contender once again as is No. 21 McEachern, but coach Geoffrey Pierce (236-81) likes his team’s chances as much as anybody with four returning starters, nine lettermen and a key transfer. Harris (17 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg, 2 spg, 51-40-87 splits) is the returning Gwinnett County Player of the Year. He was joined on the all-state team by Taylor (12 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 bpg), a serious student of the game who can pass inside-out and handle it well enough to create mismatches. Hyland (11 ppg, 3 rpg, 6 apg, 2 spg) pushes the ball, creates for others and is a clutch defender. Alston (10 ppg, 4 rpg) is a defensive menace and doesn’t take bad shots. With Wilkins in the mix, the veterans will be even more dangerous once the group jells.
The Skinny: Wilkins played at The Skill Factory last season and could help take this team two steps further than last season. The son of NBA great and two-time high school All-American Dominique Wilkins (Washington, N.C.), Jacob is naturally gifted and can stroke the outside shot in addition to blocking shots. “We are not big in the backcourt and our depth is unproven, but I like our defense, shooting and experience,” Pierce said. Ahmad Clark (6-7, 2024) is another newcomer who will come off the bench to guard nearly any position Pierce asks of him. If the team jells, it could be as good as the 2019-20 unit that got up to No. 4 in the FAB 50 before falling in an upset to Wheeler by a point in the state title game. For Pierce, the ranking won’t matter as long as the team plays its best at the end of the season. Another reason it won’t matter much is the Rams will meet McEachern on Nov. 11 in the Georgia Elite 8 Tip-Off Classic at McEachern. The schedule also includes games at the Holiday Hoopsgiving (Nov. 24-25), the Naismith Tip-Off Showcase and a game versus No. 33 Perry at the Spalding Hoophall Classic (Jan. 13). The Rams play in the American Division at the Chick-fil-A Classic in South Carolina with FAB 50 title contender John Marshall of Virginia.

30. (NR) Brennan (San Antonio, Texas) 32-8?
Key Players: PG Kingston Flemings 6-2 2025 (No. 69 On3.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), SG Isaiah Ward 6-6 2026 (No. 37 On3.com), SG Camden Cowgill 6-2 2025, PG Talon Todd 6-0 2026.
Why This Ranking: There is plenty to like with four returning starters and 10 lettermen from a team that advanced to the University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 6A semifinals before falling to runner-up Beaumont United, 70-68, after trailing by as much as 16 points. Coach Koty Cowgill (275-106) has a team that’s been eyeing this season and 2024-25 for quite some time. Duncanville has been the UIL’s best team five years running, but with heavy graduation losses, we go with the Bears as the No. 2 Texas team behind No. 27 Faith Family and the slight 6A favorite in front of the Panthers and contenders such as No. 45 South Grand Prairie, Plano East, Round Rock Stony Point and Dallas W.T. White. Flemings and Cowgill have been starters since ninth grade and their chemistry is uncanny, as Flemings is one of the nation’s best set-up men and Cowgill, the son of the head coach, is a dead-eye shooter. Ward made an impact as a freshman, and is a terrific two-player player who can create mismatches. Todd keeps the defense honest with his perimeter shooting. “I love our versatility and depth at the guard position, but with one senior in our top eight, we’re still incredibly young,” coach Cowgill said.
The Skinny: It’s been 21 years since a San Antonio program captured the UIL’s highest classification title on the court, so Brennan has its work cut out for it. In 2001-02, Jay upset Kimball, 54-53, in the Class 5A title game (the top classification then) on a half court desperation heave by Chris Ross. Ironically, it was Chris Bosh-led Class 4A champ Dallas Lincoln that captured the FAB 50 title with an unblemished record. It wouldn’t be much of an upset should the Bears win the Class 6A crown this season since there is no overwhelming favorite. Brennan is still relatively young, so it has to show consistency and keep the loss count to half of last year’s total in order to move up in the rankings. JaVonte Johnson (6-5, 2025) and Donovan Criss (6-4, 2026) are future D1 players with experience, while newcomers Delano Tarpley (6-10, 2026) and Amoni Francis (6-6, 2027) will be counted on to strengthen the interior during a long season. Cowgill’s crew will play in the McDonald’s Invitational in Pasadena, Texas and has big matchups with highly-regarded Isidore Newman of Louisiana (Nov. 24) and defending FAB 50 champ Link Academy of Missouri (Nov. 25) at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest.

RELATED: Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (1-15)?| Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (31-50) | Preseason East Region Top 20 | Preseason Southeast Region Top 20 ?| Preseason Midwest Region Top 20 | Preseason Southwest Region Top 20 | Preseason West Region Top 20 | Preseason FAB 50 Show (REPLAY) | ?Ballislife Podcast Network?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | History of High School Team Rankings

Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 24 years ago.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50: Teams No. 16-30! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Today www.ebooksnet.com tips off its 2023-24 high school basketball coverage with our first installment of the preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 National Team Rankings. We begin with teams No. 31-50.

Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 24 years ago.

Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 National
Team Rankings Powered by www.ebooksnet.com

By Ronnie Flores

(Final 2022-23 ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; Look for preseason Region-By-Region Top 20 Rankings on Tuesday, November 7 and for the preseason Mr. Basketball USA Tracker on Tuesday, November 21.)

RELATED: Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (1-15) | Preseason 2023-24 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason East Region Top 20 | Preseason Southeast Region Top 20 ?| Preseason Midwest Region Top 20 | Preseason Southwest Region Top 20 | Preseason West Region Top 20 | Preseason FAB 50 Show (REPLAY) | ?Ballislife Podcast Network?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria?| History of High School Team Rankings

GO TO: No. 31 / No. 32 / No. 33 / No. 34 / No. 35 / No. 36 / No. 37 / No. 38 / No. 39 / No. 40 / No. 41 / No. 42 / No. 43 / No. 44 / No. 45 / No. 46 / No. 47 / No. 48 / No. 49 / No. 50

31. (45) Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) 25-3
Key Players: PF Brody Kozlowski 6-7 2024 (No. 68 Rivals.com), C Taylor Feroah 6-6 2024, SG Isaac Neibaur 6-3 2024, SF Tyler Mortensen 6-4 2026, C Derelle Desire 6-10 2024.
Why This Ranking: The Chargers return three starters and 10 lettermen off a club that captured the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) Class 6A title with a 66-51 victory over American Fork. It’s not just the quantity of returnees, it’s the quality as Corner Canyon has one of the best front-lines in the West Region. Kozlowski (17.7 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 65 3-point) made a national splash at last year’s State Champions Invitational (SCI) and could be in line for All-American honors with a big season. Feroah (5.5 ppg, 3 rpg) played plenty inside last year, but this year he may become even more dangerous stepping away from the basket and creating mismatches (29 3-pointers) because of the increased size. Neibaur has experience playing starter type minutes off the bench and is known for his defensive prowess. Mortensen is expected to have a breakout year and could help take this unit to the next level.
The Skinny: Similar to a few teams in this range, Corner Canyon started on the FAB 50 bubble last season and pushed its way into the rankings by winning a state state title and losing only to FAB 50 ranked foes. FAB 50 title contender Sidwell Friends of Washington, D.C., beat them by seven points in the SCI semifinals and the Chargers have to show they can take down teams of that caliber to move up. Coach Dan Hunt (470-332) loves his team’s chance to do that because of its size, overall defense and shooting capabilities. Desire comes over from Juan Diego (Draper, Utah) and has good versatility, good instincts around the basket and can face up and do damage. If Corner Canyon jells right away, it should be able to fare well against its national foes. Corner Canyon plays highly-regarded Wheeler of Georgia at the Five For The Fight National Hoopfest (Pleasant Grove, Utah) on Nov. 20-21. It will also participate in the Holiday Hoopfest in Levi and will head to Florida to play in the long-running Kruel Classic.

32. (NR) Archbishop Ryan (Philadelphia, Pa.) 17-11?
Key Players: C Thomas Sorber 6-9 2024 (No. 24 On3.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American, Georgetown commit), SG Darren Williams 6-4 2024 (Florida Gulf Coast commit), PF Jaden Murray 6-7 2024.
Why This Ranking: The Philadelphia Catholic League is a gauntlet and the Raiders rate as the favorites over No. 40 Archbishop Wood and Neumann-Goretti. It begins with Sorber, a returning all-PCL selection who averaged 17.8 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 2.5 apg, 4.5 bpg as a junior and showed well against high major summer competition. Williams (15.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.9 apg) is another honors candidate who can play multiple positions. Murray and Rocco Morabito (6-2, 2024) return to the starting lineup and are scholarship players. Ryan Everett (6-0, 2024) also has plenty of big-game experience. “We have versatility and depth and can control the paint on both sides of the floor with Thomas Sorber,” coach Joe Zeglinski said.
The Skinny: This club has the depth necessary to survive the catholic league and its national schedule and unlike others who play in a weaker league, can easily bounce back from a loss. They also must take the next step and capture a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) state title after losing handily to Imhotep Charter in the Class 5A semifinals. As if the returning starters aren’t enough to get the job done, coach Zeglinski (130-72) will have Christian Dunham (6-3, 2024) for the entire season after he sat out the 2022-23 playoffs. Ryan also has Brandon Russell (6-4, 2025), an all-league transfer from Pennington School (N.J.) and highly-regarded lead guard Semaj Stone (6-3, 2027). The Raiders will face highly-regarded Jackson-Reed in the first round of the Gonzaga Classic (Dec. 8-10) and will be severely tested at the City of Palms Classic in Florida, where they open with major FAB 50 title contender Columbus. Win or lose, Archbishop Ryan will play a club ranked higher than them in their second game.

33. (22) Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) 30-1
Key Players: PF Koa Peat 6-8 2025 (No. 3 Rivals.com, Ballislife First Team All-American), PG Barron Silsby 6-0 2024, PF D’Andre Harrison 6-5 2025, SF Trey McKinney 6-7 2025.
Why This Ranking: The Pumas were one game away from serious FAB 50 title contention last season and return three starters and ten lettermen. We rank Perry as preseason No. 1 Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) club over Sunnyslope, Millennium and Desert Mountain after no AIA clubs were ranked in the preseason last year. With Peat back, there will be very few, if any, games this season where veteran coach Sam Duane (468-198) doesn’t have the best player on the floor. He’s already over 1,000 career points and is physically as dominant as any front court player in the country. The first sophomore from an AIA program to earn All-American acclaim, Peat averaged 19.7 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.7 bpg and 1.3 spg. Silsby is a pure shooter who will help to keep defenses honest against Peat, while Harrison is a D1 prospect whose board work and interior scoring will be key. “We know how to win after capturing back-to-back state titles and I think we shoot the ball better than last year’s team,” Duane said. “We have experience and are unselfish, but not as long or athletic as last year.”
The Skinny: We rate the Pumas as the No. 1 AIA team because they are the two-time defending state champions after downing Sunnyslope, 74-58, in the first ever AIA open division title game. They are also older and stronger than Sunnyslope and Desert Mountain, both of whom rely on a younger core, and that can be important versus a national schedule. Peat netted 35 points in last year’s title game, but how much they will miss Cody Williams (Colorado) remains to be seen. After all, some feel he’s one of the best 2024 NBA Draft prospects out there. That’s where McKinney comes into play, as the play of the Walla Walla (Wash.) transfer forward could be the X-factor. Another newcomer who can impact games is Bruce Branch (6-4, 2027). Last season, even without the untimely loss to Pinnacle, the Pumas could only climb so high because of their relatively light schedule. That’s not the case this season, as they will face highly-regarded clubs Harvard-Westlake of California and Archbishop Stepinac of New York at Hoophall West in Scottsdale (Dec. 1-2), play in the Les Schwab Invitational (Dec. 27-30) in Portland Ore., with the likes of Harvard-Westlake and FAB 50 title contender Columbus of Florida, and take on highly-regarded Grayson of Georgia at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. (Jan. 13).

34. (34) Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 26-2?
Key Players: PF Dylan Warlick 6-5 2024 (Ballislife Underclass All-American, Wyoming commit), PG Chiante’ Tramble 6-2 2024, SF Bryce Potts 6-6 2024, SG Dontrell Yearby Jr. 6-2 2024, PF Xavier Ross 6-8 2024.
Why This Ranking: The Huskies rate as the top-ranked Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) club with 10 lettermen returning off a Class 6A title team. Warlick (18 ppg, 9 rpg) is the go-to player and a walking double-double who went for 16 points and 17 rebounds in the state title game. Yearby (8 ppg) is a team-first guy who relishes the big defensive assignment. Potts (8 ppg, 7 rpg) is an invaluable contributor on both ends of the floor. Ross (6 ppg) is going to take on a bigger role and Tatum Ridge (6-2, 2024) is an instant-offense player for a team that looks to wear down foes with quality paint touches. “We are big and physical and a dominant scoring team in the paint, but we need to improve our 3-point shooting,” said coach Scott Norris (445-201).
The Skinny: The Huskies are not hard to peg as the top OSSAA club and No. 5 team from the Southwest Region, but their final ranking will be determined by how well they fare out-of-state. Last year’s team started just outside the FAB 50 as the No. 11 team in the Southwest Region, but their one point loss to FAB 50 ranked Faith Family of Texas predicated how high it could climb last season and their preseason positioning this one. Edmond North did lose standout T.O. Barrett to transfer (Link Academy of Missouri), but add Tramble from Putnam City West. He’s a talented player-maker who sported averages of 16 ppg and 6 apg as a junior. Jonathan “Slim” VanBuren (6-2, 2026) and Lukas Wooldridge (6-4, 2025) add to the depth. Edmond North will participate in the Tournament of Champions in Tulsa where they could face Oklahoma’s other preseason top-ranked clubs such as Owasso or Dale and will venture to Springfield, Mo., for the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions (Jan. 11-13) against a field that includes Cardinal Hayes of New York and FAB 50 title contenders McEachern of Georgia, St. John Bosco of California and Paul VI of Virginia.

35. (NR) St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 15-11?
Key Players: SG Trey McKenney 6-4 2025 (No. 12 ESPN.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), PG Sharod Barnes 6-2 2025, SG Daniel “Bugsy” Smythe 6-3 2024, PF Jayden Savoury 6-6 2025, PG Isaiah “Zip” Hines 5-8 2025.
Why This Ranking: The Eaglets are a sound choice to begin as No. 1 among Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) programs as they got basically everyone back from a team that advanced to the D1 state semifinals. It looked like Cass Tech would be right in the mix, but when Darius Acuff left for IMG Academy of Florida, that made St. Mary Prep an easier choice. There is no question now McKenney is the top junior guard in the state, as he was named the 2022-23 Michigan A.P. D1 Player of the Year after upping his freshman averages of 16.9 ppg and 6 rpg to 25.4 ppg and 11.1 rpg. He might not match those numbers because the productivity of his teammates will go up a notch with another year of experience under their belt. According to coach Todd Covert, McKenney has improved as a decision-maker in pick-and-roll, and labels Smythe one of the best shooters in the state. He’s also bullish on the underclass veterans, as Barnes, Hines and Savoury have all recently picked up D1 offers. “Our top seven players return after a Final Four appearance last year,” Covert said. “We are an experienced team and battle-tested.”
The Skinny: With its talent, experience and tradition, there is no reason why St. Mary Prep can’t capture the Catholic League title and go two steps further to capture the MHSAA D1 state crown. After opening up at No. 39 in the FAB 50 in 2020-21 and No. 47 in 2021-22, St. Mary Prep was unranked in 2022-23 and toiling along before catching fire in the playoffs. That playoff run set the tone for this season, but coach Covert is a bit concerned about complacency and outside distractions. There is plenty of talent and if everyone does their job this team will have a good opportunity to move up. As if the returnees are not enough, the Eaglets add Peyton Kemp (6-1, 2027) and Quincy Wright (6-5, 2027). Kemp is a top-shelf point guard prospect while Wright can play both forwards spots. St. Mary Prep will compete in the Motor City Roundball Classic, the D.C. Hoopfest and the Oakland County Showcase.

36. (NR) Hudson Catholic (Hudson, N.J.) 16-12
Key Players: PG Tahaad Pettiford 6-1 2024 (No. 21 Rivals.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American, Auburn commit), PG Ahmad Torrence 6-3 2026, PG Omari Moore 6-3 2025, PF Javon Rampersant 6-7 2026.
Why This Ranking: The Hawks return 10 lettermen from a team that never really quite jelled but has enough talent and firepower to warrant this spot. Pettiford is one of the major reasons for the optimism, as he is one of the fastest, most exciting and highly-regarded guards in the country. He missed many games as a junior while recovering from a torn meniscus and is eager to prove he’s McDonald’s All-American worthy. He averaged 18.4 ppg as a sophomore and 16.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 3.1 apg for New Heights on the 2023 Nike EYBL circuit. This perimeter-oriented team also returns Torrence, a budding star who can smoothly get to the basket or set up teammates. Moore already has D1 offers and is a slashing finisher with a nice pull-up game. Alex Massung (6-1, 2024) and Saad Mitchell (6-2, 2026) provide additional depth. If this team works the boards and pushes tempo, watch out.
The Skinny: Hudson Catholic must start behind Don Bosco Prep, the team it fell to in last season’s New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Non-Public A quarterfinals. Yes, the loss count was high, but that will easily come down this year as long as Pettiford is in the lineup. With Dave Boff moving on from perennial FAB 50 power Roselle Catholic and Camden graduating a stellar senior class, the NJSIAA pecking order is as wide open as we’ve seen in years and we have a hunch the Hawks are primed for a big year. Also keep an eye out for St. Rose of Belmar, which advanced to the Non-Public B state title game with a mostly underclass lineup. As for Hudson Catholic’s interior, Rampersant is flanked by Chadd Dubois (6-4, 2025) and that duo will have to step up in order for the Hawks to survive an always-tough schedule.

37. (NR) St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) 19-8?
Key Players: PF Damon Friery 6-9 2025 (No. 126 On3.com), SF Sam Springer 6-7 2024, PF Reece Robinson 6-8 2024 (Cleveland St. commit), PG Quinn Woidke 6-1 2025.
Why This Ranking: The Wildcats come in as the No. 2 Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) club behind highly-regarded Richmond Heights on the strength of talented returnees and an impact newcomer. Coach Cam Joyce (a former player at Northwood and the son of St. Vincent-St. Mary coach Dru Joyce II) likes his team’s combination of shooting and size. The interior is led by Friery (14.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and Robinson (8.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg), the latter the son of Cleveland St. coach Daniyal Robinson. Springer (4.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg) has worked hard to improve his game and is sneaky athletic as a stretch-four. St. Ignatius has plenty of firepower, but is looking to shore up its backcourt for a deep playoff run.
The Skinny: As high as Joyce is on his depth on the wings, he’s a bit concerned about the depth in his backcourt. Jack Zapolnik (6-0, 2024) averaged 5.2 ppg as a junior and is expected to up his production while Woidke will be a nice shot in the arm. He’s capable of 20-point plus outings and had a terrific summer after missing last season due to injury. If Zapolnik and Woidke find the right chemistry and transfer Kalli Johnson (6-3, 2025) from Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) blends in with the veterans, this team will be hard to beat come playoff time. Other OHSAA D1 contenders include Centerville, Hilliard Bradley and Garfield Heights, the team that knocked out the Wildcats in a D1 regional semifinal contest. St. Ignatius will get its shot at highly regarded club and defending D4 state champ Richmond Heights at the Scholastic Play-By-Play Showcase. The Wildcats also face highly-regarded Oak Ridge of Florida at the Flyin’ To The Hoop in Dayton, Ohio (Jan. 14).

38. (NR) Bullis (Potomac, Md.) 26-5*
Key Players: PG Tyler Boston 5-10 2024 (Holy Cross commit), SF Cayden Diggs 6-7 2024 (No. 86 On3.com, Old Dominion commit), PF Jewel Walker 6-4 2024 (Ohio St. commit lacrosse), C Eric Reibe 7-0 2025 (No. 86 On3.com), SG Adrien Stevens 6-4 2025 (No. 136 On3.com).
Why This Ranking: There is plenty to like off a team with three returning starters and eight lettermen back that doesn’t have a glaring weakness. The Bulldogs cracked the FAB 50 as the fourth club from the DMV, which could have five or even six teams ranked nearly each preseason, as we like the fact they are senior-oriented and highly-motivated. Boston is the catalyst, a seasoned lead guard whose toughness is only matched by his smarts. Boston was second five All-Met by the Washington Post in 2022-23. Diggs is a terrific slasher who relentlessly takes defenders off the bounce and is primed for a big senior campaign. Walker is a stud in the land of the giants, constantly working the glass and doing what it takes for his team. The team’s depth also helps push each other in practice. “We have good practice habits, enjoy the game and being around each other, but our late practice start date (Nov. 13) puts us behind some of our competition,” coach Bruce Kelley said.
The Skinny: This team isn’t well-known on the national circuit, but it doesn’t matter they just come to beat teams and go home without much fanfare. Their individual talent is much the same way; they are not the highest-ranked, but the starting five is going to leave high school with scholarships. Another reason why like Bullis is it has true talent at each of the five positions. Reibe didn’t play much as a sophomore because of a late enrollment, but he was a standout during the grassroots and June scholastic live periods and the P5 offers are starting to roll in for the 250-pound seven-footer. Stevens is a terrific defender with a budding offensive game. Depth is provided by Jayson Peterson (6-7, 2025), Angelo Dickerson (6-2, 2026), Luke Salzman (6-6, 2024) and transfer Darren Moore Jr. (6-1, 2025). The Bulldogs, who play a challenging schedule including a trip to the D.C. National Hoopfest and Hoophall East, should capture the Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) and are highly motivated to win the Maryland Private School State Tournament. Last season, in its inaugural year, Bullis was the No. 1 seed but was shocked in the quarterfinals by No. 8 seed Mt. Zion Prep of Lanham.

39. (BB) Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) 22-2?
Key Players: SF Elijah Williams 6-6 2026 (No. 3 ESPN.com), SF Warren Marshall IV 6-4 2024 (Oakland commit), PF Luke Salkowski 6-6 2024, PF Chase Van Ameyde 6-6 2024 (Notre Dame commit baseball).
Why This Ranking: The Warriors have enough returning firepower and a special transfer to warrant this spot as the No. 7 team from the Midwest Region. Coach Rick Palmer (68-36) has two returning starters and nine lettermen off a team that spent some time FAB 50 ranked before an upset loss in the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) D1 playoffs. Marshall is a combo guard with size who can play upfront or initiate offense. The biggest thing for him to display is leadership and experience in crunch time situations and he’s embraced the role now that three talented seniors have graduated. Van Ameyde is a big-time pitcher on the diamond, but on the hardwood he’s a returning starter who does the little things necessary to win. Salkowski is a classic late bloomer who despite playing JayVee as a tenth grader, will be playing college basketball because of his work ethic and shot-making ability. Jeremiah Caffey (6-3, 2024) is another player expected to take on a bigger role.
The Skinny: The Warriors captured the Michigan Catholic High School League title, but fell to hot St. Mary Prep in the district final, 57-50, when they were No. 1 ranked in the state. This preseason, St. Mary Prep is deserving of the top spot, but don’t count out the Warriors despite the graduation of Curtis Williams (Louisville), John Blackwell (Wisconsin) and Xavier Thomas (Toledo). Palmer loves his team’s interior strength and athleticism and if Elijah Williams is as good as advertised, this team could move up in the rankings. Williams is considered one of the best prospects in the 2026 class and makes the move to Brother Rice now that his father Monty Williams is the new coach of the Detroit Pistons. Trevor Smith (6-8, 2026) is another transfer (from Okemos) and is a future D1 player. The veteran guards will be pushed by Ace Walters (6-1, 2027), the son of former NBA guard Rex Walters.

40. (NR) Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) 19-9
Key Players: SG Jalil Bethea 6-5 2024 (No. 7 247Sports.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American, Miami commit), PG Josh Reed 6-3 2024 (Drexel commit), SG Milan Dean 6-4 2025.
Why This Ranking: The Vikings have three starters and seven lettermen returning from a club that lost to Roman Catholic in both the semifinals of the Philadelphia Catholic League and PIAA Class 6A state tournament. Roman Catholic is a bit down, but Neumann-Goretti is a club that along with the Vikings will be in the thick of the PCL race with No. 32 Archbishop Ryan. Bethea leads the title hopes after averaging 23.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg and 4.3 apg as a junior while showing this summer he has an outside shot at Mr. Basketball USA honors if Wood plays up to expectations. Reed is a talented combo guard who can go inside for tough buckets or grab offensive rebounds. Dean is another returnee with all-league credentials and is known for his vertical pop. “I like our guard play, shot-making and toughness, but our lack of height is a concern,” said coach John Mosco (184-73).
The Skinny: This team is not quite to the level of the 2020-21 Wood club that opened No. 9 in the FAB 50 and played to that level before losing in the PIAA Classs 6A final to Reading by a point, but it’s very talented and can make some noise on a national scale. The interior rebounding will have to be by committee and Wood will look to force tempo and rely on the depth created by Deuce Maxey (6-1, 2025), Mike Green (5-10, 2025), Brady McAdams (6-3, 2025) and Brian Donahue (6-3, 2026). It’s not easy to rely on freshmen in the PCL, but the progress and production of Jaden Jenkins (6-8, 2027) could be vital against the better teams on the schedule. In addition to the PCL wars and a game with public league kingpin Imhotep Charter, Wood will test itself at the D.C. National Hoopfest (Dec. 9-10), the King Cotton Classic in Pine Bluff, Ark. (Dec. 27-29), and at the Spalding Hoophall Classic (Jan. 13), where it takes on highly-regarded Centennial of Corona, Calif.

41. (4) Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) 33-0?
Key Players: PG Mark Zackery IV 6-0 2025, SG K.J. Windham 6-3 2024 (No. 119 247Sports.com, Northwestern commit), C Kaleb Milan 6-9 2025.
Why This Ranking: The Giants have enough back from a historic season to once again challenge for the coveted Indiana High School State Athletic Association (IHSAA) Class 4A crown. Last season, they became Indiana’s first team to win 33 consecutive games and finish unbeaten with a state title, but must replace a fine senior core. Kokomo is the IHSAA Class 4A front-runner, but we give the Giants a slight nod as the No. 2 Indiana squad over Cathedral, a team that began No. 13 in last season’s FAB and should be strong once again. Ben Davis has Zachary (6.6 ppg, 2.1 apg) back and he should be ready to go once football season ends where he is a D1 defensive back prospect. He is an instinctual and competitive athlete who went for 16 points in the state title game win over Kokomo and can also distribute. Windham (8.4 ppg) is a terrific shooter who can also guard multiple positions. Six lettermen return in total from a program that knows how to win under Don Carlisle, who also won a state title as a player for the Giants (1995 and 1996) in the old one-class system.
The Skinny: The Giants will miss Zane Doughty (Ball State), who stepped up against Kokomo star Flory Bidinga in the state title game. So, do the Giants have a legit shot at repeating? “We have a great chance,” Carlisle said. “We only lost two games in the entire program and I have some really good sophomores and a few guys from the JayVee that will contribute right away.” Milan, a transfer from Scecina Memorial in Indianapolis, gives the frontline a major boost and is a consistent double-double threat in this lineup. Also look for point guard Jahmir Avery (6-0, 2025) and Mark White (6-3, 2024), a good rebounder and athlete, to take a step forward as a senior. Carlisle is currently on administrative leave over a physical encounter involving a student in gym class, and if he doesn’t return it will be a blow and distraction to the team’s repeat chances. The Giants may not go unbeaten and must overcome any potential off-court distractions, but have just enough for a legitimate shot to be the first program to repeat in Class 4A since Carmel in 2012-13.

42. (NR) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 29-7
Key Players: SF Brandon Benjamin 6-5 2025, PF Brannon Martinsen 6-8 2026 (Ballislife Underclass All-American), PF Blake Davidson 6-8 2025, SG Luke Barnett 6-2 2026, SG Owen Verna 6-3 2025.
Why This Ranking: The Monarchs rate as a solid No. 3 among California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) clubs behind FAB 50 title contender Harvard-Westlake and CIF open contender St John Bosco. They are underclass-dominated but quite talented and motivated to compete for CIF Southern Section and state open crowns. Martinsen (12.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg) is one of the best players in California’s gifted 2026 class and still has room for plenty of improvement. Benjamin, who averaged 22.5 ppg and 8.7 rpg at nearby Canyon of Anaheim, is crafty and skilled and fits in perfectly to coach Gary McKnight’s offense that emphasizes movement without the ball and shot selection. Davidson completes the frontline and could be in store for a breakout season after playing a complimentary role last year. Verna (10.2 ppg) is a terrific spot-up shooter and Barnett (9.9 ppg) plays like a cagey veteran despite his youth.
The Skinny: From a rankings standpoint, Mater Dei has a lot of work to do, but will be plenty better than last season when a couple of streaks ended. The Monarchs didn’t qualify for the CIFSS open playoffs for the first time since it began in 2013-14 and they also saw their state-record 34-year consecutive league title streak end. McKnight, who is now 1,243-134 since 1982-83 with 11 CIF state crowns and 39 league titles in those 41 seasons, also welcomes back veteran guard Brady Karich (6-2, 2024) and Utah Tech-bound Scotty Belnap (6-5, 2024). An underclass-oriented St. John Bosco club was the team that ended the league streak and JSerra and Santa Margarita will also be formidable in the Trinity League this season. Winning league will be key before Mater Dei can think about the CIFSS open playoffs, where No. 44 Roosevelt, No. 46 Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame also loom as contenders, along with defending section champ Corona Centennial and defending state champ Harvard-Westlake.

43. (NR) Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) 16-14?
Key Players: SF Bryson Tucker 6-7 2024 (No. 12 On3.com), SF A.J. Swinton 6-6 2024 (No. 106 Rivals.com, Florida State commit), SG Quincy Wadley 6-4 2026 (No. 15 ESPN.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American).
Why This Ranking: The Knights count nine lettermen returning from a club that finished in the middle of the pack of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) race. It ain’t easy winning the WCAC crown and it's been ten years since Bishop O’Connell last won the tourney title. Paul VI and Gonzaga are front-runners, but we like the Knights and DeMatha Catholic to challenge in a year where perennial contender St. John’s is reeling from transfers and the illness of coach Pat Behan. Veteran coach Joe Wootten, who enters his 25th season having won game No. 500 last season (510-256), had a young club that experienced growing pains and should use that experience to its advantage this season. It adds Tucker, a streaky talent who played a partial season at IMG Academy in Florida last season. He’s an effortless scorer with a terrific basketball I.Q and talented enough to earn all-WCAC honors if the Knights challenge for the conference crown.
The Skinny: This club is deep and versatile and if Tucker is locked in with the veterans it could be a special campaign. Swinton is a versatile talent that can play upfront, handle the ball and has an improved perimeter game. He was terrific in fall leagues for a team that can run and employs an effective full-court press. Last year, Wootten carried three freshmen and it was apparent Wadley is a special talent. In fact, he was good enough to earn all-WCAC honors after averaging just a shade under 15 ppg. He’s another player with big guard capabilities with deep range to boot and already talented enough to earn USA Basketball mini-camps and event invites. It’s been 11 years since a Melo Trimble-led O’Connell club captured the WCAC crown. Before that, the Knights last won the title in Wooten’s fifth season (2003-04) and perhaps a good omen for this season was that club 20 years is also the last time the O’Connell was ranked in the preseason right in this range (No. 44).

44. (NR) Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) 23-7?
Key Players: SF Brayden Burries 6-5 2025 (No. 12 247Sports.com), SG Darnez Slater 6-4 2024, PG Isaac Williamson 5-11 2025, PG Myles Walker 5-10 2025.
Why This Ranking: The Mustangs could be major players for the CIF Southern Section open division title along with No. 42 Mater Dei and No. 46 Sierra Canyon, with defending champ Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood and highly-regarded St. John Bosco of Bellflower the early leading contenders. Coach Steve Singleton has plenty of offensive firepower on his roster led by Burries, a physical specimen and one of the best underclass players in the country. It won’t be long before he’s considered one of the best, regardless of class, and with a big season could be a California Mr. Basketball candidate. Slater is a talented scorer in his own right who moves well without the ball and can also take defenders off the dribble. With those two, Roosevelt will create plenty of matchups problems and create open shots for Williamson and Walker, who compliment each other well and give Singleton the option to go to a bigger lineup when Walker is out of the game.
The Skinny: Under Singleton, this program won the CIF D1 state crown in 2016-17 and finished just outside of the FAB 50 at No. 14 in the West Region and this club has the potential to be better. Obviously, it’s going for the open crown at the section and regional level but will have its work cut out for it to knock off the teams in its range and the three from California ranked ahead. Burries and Williamson didn’t play last season because of residency issues at their old school and will be eager to compete in meaningful games. Williamson is a knock down shooter, but he and Walker, a transfer from nearby J.W. North of Riverside, have to show consistency on the perimeter (they tend to be streaky) in order for Roosevelt to move up. Singleton (who coached Dominguez of Compton to a D2 state crown and No. 17 FAB 50 ranking in 2000-01) also has to get solid production on the interior from Kevin “Tochi” Anigbogu (6-9, 2024), a transfer from Centennial of Corona, to meet expectations. We’ll find out alot about this team and the West Region pecking order at The Classic at Damien where Roosevelt will compete with the likes of No. 50 Owyhee, St John Bosco and highly-regarded clubs American Fork of Utah and Sunnyslope of Arizona, among others.

45. (NR) South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie, Texas) 20-14?
Key Players: PG Cam Carroll 6-2 2025, SF Cam Paul 6-7 2025, SG A.J. Borden 6-4 2024.
Why This Ranking: We like the Warriors as the third University Interscholastic League (UIL) team in the FAB 50 right in front of UIL kingpin Duncanville, as last season’s young squad is a year older and better. Coach Brandon Bennett returns a whopping 11 lettermen from last year’s club that lost to Highland Park in the Class 6A, Region I bi-district playoffs. Leading the way is Carroll, a physical, attacking guard that knows how to get downhill to score or set up others. Borden compliments him well, as he can post up smaller guards inside and is a terrific defender. Paul is an athletic wing scorer who can also work the boards inside. He can also keep defense honest as a pull-up shooter and has a high ceiling, which is the case for this entire team.
The Skinny: It’s a close call but we like the Warriors right in front of Duncanville as the second-to-last team from the Southwest Region in the rankings. Bennett has three excellent players and depth with a team that can really get after it defensively and only lost two seniors that were role players. South Grand Prairie has shown well in fall leagues, but has plenty of work to do and must win the Region I, District 8 title to compete with the likes of San Antonio Brennan, Plano East and No. 47 Duncanville for the UIL Class 6A state crown. Should the Texas teams in this range falter, Vashon and Chaminade of Missouri are strong clubs that will have a great chance to crack the rankings.