We now know who is going to play in end-of-the season events and just under 20 percent of the teams in this week's FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com are still going and looking to close strong.

Among the state champs who wrapped up their season this weekend include Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division 4 champ Richmond Heights (Ohio), which finished unbeaten and as the state's top ranked team with a 70-26 stomping of Convoy Crestview (Convoy, Ohio) on Sunday afternoon. The Spartans led 31-22 at the half, but completely blew open the game with a massive third quarter run, as the program won its second consecutive state crown to move up six spots in this week's rankings. Dorian Jones, one of the better sophomores (2025) in the Midwest, went bonkers from 3-point range and nearly outscored Convoy Crestview by himself, making 7-of-10 3-pointers and finishing with 25 points.

One of the two newcomers is OHSAA D1 champ Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio), which took down defending D1 champ Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio) on Sunday evening, 53-47, at the University of Dayton. Senior Logan Vowles led the way offensively for Hoban with 17 points, while senior Will Scott Jr. (13 points) and freshman Sam Greer (12 points) also hit double figures. In a game where points were at a premium, Vowles made five of the game's 10 3-pointers. Offensive rebounds were also a key to the game and Vowles and Greer came up with a combined nine, as the Knights grabbed 14 offensive rebounds to Pick Central's 11, even though the defending champions held the rebounding advantage by one (32-31).

Pick Central was looking to finish FAB 50 ranked for the second consecutive season, but had a rough go offensively, making only 3-of-16 3-point attempts and 4-of-7 free throws. Ohio Mr. Basketball Devin Royal scored a team-high 15 points, but made only 5-of-15 shot attempts.

Up three spots this week is No. 37 Warren Central (Bowling Green, Ky.), which only lost one game all season and captured the coveted UK HealthCare Sweet 16 title with a 64-60 victory over defending Kentucky High School Athletics Association (KHSAA) Sweet 16 champ George Rogers Clark (Winchester, Ky.) at Rupp Arena. In the single elimination, winner-take-all format, Warren Central looked to erase some of the painful memories of last year's final, when George Rogers Clark defeated the Dragons, 43-42, as a missed free throw late was a key factor in the outcome.

This time around, junior Kade Unseld hit two clutch free throws with 8.1 seconds remaining to seal with win for coach Will Unseld, his father. Unseld, who had a 26-point effort at the Sweet 16, was one of three Warren Central players to finish the championship game with 17 points. The others were Damarion Walkup and Omari Glover, both seniors. The Dragons' only other state crown came in 2004, when it won their last 21 games after seven regular season losses to finished No. 35 in the FAB 50 that season.

The two highest ranked teams looking to win state titles this week are unbeaten and No. 5 Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) and No. 11 Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.). Ben Davis will play bubble club Kokomo (Ind.) on March 25 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Class 4A state crown. Kokomo knocked off previous No. 22 Penn (Wishawaka, Ind.), 58-57, in the state semifinals. Imhotep Charter, meanwhile, is gunning for its second consecutive Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class 5A state crown. It will play Archbishop Ryan (Philadelphia, Pa.), the club that knocked off previous No. 41 Radnor (Radnor, Pa.) in the state quarterfinals, in the semifinal on March 20. The state championship game is set for March 24.

Teams marked with an asterisk by their won-loss record are still playing, including the six state champions that will participate in the second annual State Champions Invitational set for April 6-8 at McDonough Arena at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

No. 41 Curtis (University Place, Wash.) plays No. 20 Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.), with the winner of that game meeting No. 33 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) in one semifinal contest. No. 14 Sidwell Friends (DC) is already slated in the other semifinal and will take on the winner of No. 45 Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) and bubble club Yazoo City (Yazoo City, Miss.). The SCI championship game is set for 12 pm ET on April 8.

RELATED:  2023 GEICO Nationals Field Announced |  Updated 2022-23 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: Closing Strong! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

(Preseason ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates season cut short due to COVID-19 Pandemic.)

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1. (2) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 25-0***
It was a close call between the Eagles and No. 5 IMG Academy for the No. 1 spot in the 2019-20 preseason FAB 50. It came down to IMG Academy defeating Montverde Academy at GEICO Nationals on the way to its first mythical national title in 2018-19. Had Montverde Academy won a game it was leading by 16 points, it would have went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in 2019-20. Instead, it moved up to No. 1 after IMG lost to preseason No. 4 Paul IV at the DC Hoopfest (67-56) and never looked back, rattling off 25 consecutive dominant wins while capturing the program’s fifth FAB 50 title in eight seasons. The Eagles stamped their place as one of the greatest teams in high school basketball history by defeating 12 FAB 50 ranked team 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 was IMG Academy in the title game of the City of Palms Classic (63-55). The Eagles defeated the Ascenders twice more and no other team game within 20 points of this juggernaut. Cade Cunningham (13.9 ppg) was the 2019-20 Mr. Basketball USA choice and do-it-all Scottie Barnes (11.6 ppg) joined him as the first pair of first five All-Americans on the same high school team since 1975. Montverde had a third McDonald’s All-American in its lineup in Day’Ron Sharpe (12.1 ppg) and its bench in all likelihood was FAB 50 level as its own separate unit. Without the luxury of participating at GEICO Nationals, the Eagles were robbed of some well-deserved national acclaim as one of the best units ever, but three more potential games against ranked foes didn’t change just how dominant this team was in its 25 games. Just how great this team is considered versus other historically great teams as the years go by will be determined by how successful the roster is on the next levels of the game, but that won’t change the Eagles’ standing as the best team since the turn of the century. Expect the Eagles to challenge for No. 1 once again in 2020-21 with sophomores Caleb Houstan (10.0 ppg), an underclass All-American, and Dariq Whitehead (8.3 ppg) leading the charge.              

Richard Isaacs Jr.

6'2"   -   PG   -   2022

2. (23) Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 27-2***
If there was one team who really had something to prove at GEICO Nationals it was the Tigers, as they were eager to show the country they did more than just win games at the right time. Coach David Evans’ team does finish ranked behind Montverde Academy, but the outbreak of COVID-19 meant there was no results from the end-of-season tournament to show if there was truly a second great team this season other than the FAB 50 champs. Wasatch Academy lost a competitive game (without Michigan St.-bound Maddy Sissoko) to No. 10 Oak Hill Academy (76-68) in the title game of the Iolani Classic with the other loss coming against a St. Benedict’s of New Jersey team ineligible for the FAB 50. Wasatch Academy got key wins versus No. 11 Paul VI (57-53) at the Cancer Research Classic and versus No. 6 Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (94-82) at the Kevin Durant MLK Classic. The reason the Tigers are able to finish in this spot is No. 3 Sunrise Christian Academy lost to HHCA. With a balanced attack of five-double digit scorers, it would have been interesting to see if this team had Sissoko (12.2 ppg) available for GEICO Nationals, as he played in 13 games total. Seniors Richie Saunders (14.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and cat-quick Mike Saunders (14.4 ppg) had plenty of big scoring nights, Caleb Lohner (14.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg) held down the front court in Sissoko’s absence and sophomore Ricky “Pop Pop” Isaacs (14.2 ppg, 5.7 apg) could distribute or knock down big shots equally well. ? ? ?

3. (12) Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 22-3*** ?
More than one national scout felt the Buffaloes were the second most talented team in the country, but they must remain behind Wasatch Academy because they have one more loss than that club, including a 61-59 loss to No. 6 Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Wasatch beat that club). Coach Luke Barnwell’s club also lost to Huntington Prep of West Virginia (ineligible for the FAB 50 this year) and a Memphis East club that had some quality wins. The Buffaloes defeated No. 4 DeMatha Catholic at the D.C. Hoopfest (75-67) and also recorded wins over No. 7 La Lumiere (52-39) and No. 8 St. Frances Academy (73-55) with the loss to HHCA sandwiched in between. Led by underclass All-American Kendall Brown (13.3 ppg) and Northwestern-bound Ty Berry (11.6 ppg), the Buffaloes earned their second consecutive GEICO Nationals berth, where they were slated to open the tournament versus No. 9 Oak Hill Academy in what was a No. 3 vs. No. 6 game. The other announced matchups for the event were FAB 50 No. 2 Wasatch Academy vs. No. 5 IMG Academy (2 vs. 7 game), No. 1 Montverde Academy vs. Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) in what was the 1 vs. 8 game, and FAB 50 No. 7 La Lumiere vs. No. 10 Dorman (4 vs. 5 game). Which of those seven clubs had the ability to give MVA a run for its money?

Hunter Dickinson

7'1"   -   C   -   2020

4. (3) DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 30-3***
Similar to the preseason No. 1 vs. No. 2 debate with IMG Academy and Montverde Academy, it was a close call between DeMatha and Paul VI for the No. 3 spot as the top team from the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC). We went with the Stags and it was one debate we came out on the right side of, as coach Mike Jones’ club defeated No. 11 Paul VI two out of three times, including a 70-56 victory over the Panthers in the WCAC Tournament championship game. DeMatha also lost to No. 3 Sunrise Christian Academy and were a bit overwhelmed by No. 1 Montverde Academy (76-56). Led by WCAC Player of the Year (17.7 ppg, 10 rpg, 2.1 bpg) Hunter Dickinson and Miami-bound Earl Timberlake (16.5 ppg), the legendary program won the conference crown by three games and also defeated No. 28 St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes, No. 41 Mater Dei and highly-regarded Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.). After capturing the WCAC regular season and conference tournament, DeMatha was all set to finish its season at the Alhambra Catholic Invitational, but the event was canceled over COVID-19 concerns. The field also included No. 8 St. Frances Academy, St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes, Paul VI, and No. 27 Gonzaga.? ? ? ? ?

5. (1) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 19-6***
The preseason No. 1 team in the FAB 50 didn’t quite have the season it wanted, but it was still a force on a national level. In fact, coach Sean McAloon’s club is the only team that displayed the ability to be competitive with No. 1 Montverde Academy. Three of the Ascenders’ losses were to the Eagles and they were the only club to play them within 20 points (76-64) and within 10 (63-55), so we’re a bit perplexed by IMG Academy’s positioning in other credible national rankings. IMG Academy only lost to one team that didn’t finish in the FAB 50 (Briarcrest Christian of Tennessee) and also recorded wins over No. 38 Archbishop Stepinac (80-67), No. 8 St. Frances Academy (85-67) before losing to No. 14 Poly in what turned out to be its second-to-last game of the season. IMG Academy did receive an invite to GEICO Nationals and with Tennessee-bound Jaden Springer (17.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.1 apg) leading the way, a healthy IMG club could have fared well at the event as a No. 7 seed. We’ll always wonder how this team would have fared had it had true point guard play to assist Springer’s game and if Jalen Johnson (an All-American in 2018-19) had not left the team before it got its season rolling.       

6. (19) Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 28-3    
The Hawks had a successful season after the school nearly shut down the program and closed its doors in the off-season. HHCA won the National Association of Christian Athletes title after a successful independent campaign that saw the Hawks record plenty of key wins. Coach Zach Farrell’s club fell to No. 2 Wasatch Academy, but was able to defeat No. 3 Sunrise Christian Academy after rallying from a 15-point halftime deficit. The Hawks also defeated No. 39 West Oaks Academy (64-61) in the Lighthouse Classic title game and defeated talented Hillcrest Prep of Arizona (67-52), a program that defeated No. 7 La Lumiere. Led by Samson Ruzhentsev (19.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg), an explosive wing who garnered some All-American acclaim, the Hawks are the highest-ranked eligible team not selected for GEICO Nationals. It’s late-season loss to Sunshine Independent Athletic Association club The Rock of Florida hurt its candidacy, but HHCA actually had a split with that club this season.

Samson Ruzhentsev

6'7"   -   SF   -   2020

7. (9) La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) 23-3***
It was another successful season for coach Patrick Holmes’ club, as the Lakers earned their seventh invite to compete at GEICO Nationals. The Lakers split games with Prolific Prep of California (a team ineligible for the FAB 50 but invited to GEICO Nationals for the first time), beat the St. Benedict’s team (in overtime) that No. 2 Wasatch Academy lost to, and also defeated No. 27 Gonzaga (47-42). La Lumiere won GEICO Nationals in 2017, was No. 1 in the FAB 50 for a majority of the season in 2019 and will be good once again in 2021, as this season’s roster only had three seniors on it. Eastern Kentucky-bound point guard Wendell Green Jr. will be missed at point guard, but Holmes has a terrific building block returning in underclass All-American choice Kamari Lands, a 6-foot-7 sophomore wing.   

8. (7) St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) 38-4***
The Panthers finished right in the range we expected them to, and would have had an opportunity to make even more noise at the Alhambra Catholic Invitational had the prestigious tournament not been canceled because of COVID-19. Coach Nick Miles’ club defeated No. 14 Poly (57-53) in a much-anticipated Charm City showdown at Morgan State University. The only teams the Panthers did not beat on its schedule finished ranked higher: No. 3 Sunrise Christian Academy and No. 5 IMG Academy. St. Frances Academy split four games with regionally ranked Mt. St. Joseph of Baltimore, losing to that club 76-63 in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association title game and defeating them in the last of four meetings, 81-65, in the Baltimore Catholic League title game. Led by South Alabama-bound Jamal West (16.0 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and Virginia Commonwealth commit Adrian “Ace” Baldwin (11.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 7.3 apg), the Panthers defeated No. 9 Oak Hill Academy (80-61) at the East Coast Bump at UMBC and also beat No. 39 West Oaks Academy (67-65), a team Oak Hill lost to at home. Baldwin capped his four-year career with 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the BCL title game and was named the tourney’s MVP for the third consecutive year and helped the program to a combined five MIAA and BCL titles.     

9. (8) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 37-3***
The Warriors began this season with their lowest preseason ranking since 1988-89, when coach Steve Smith’s club was unranked but had a stellar year (22-2, FAB 50 No. 12). This season, Smith knew his team would start off ranked a bit lower than usual, but he had high expectations because he sensed this club had excellent chemistry. For the most part, he was right on and his team played to the level we expected. The veteran coach upped his record to 1,178-80 with a unit he felt could have made some noise at GEICO Nationals. Led by All-American Cam Thomas (LSU), Oak Hill Academy defeated No. 11 Paul VI to win the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, defeated No. 25 Bishop Gorman at the Hoophall Classic and handed No. 10 Dorman its only loss of the season. Coach Smith makes no bones about the losses to No. 8 St. Frances Academy and to No. 39 West Oaks Academy (its first home loss since the 1996-97 season), as he felt his team just did not play well. In addition to Thomas (Oak Hill’s all-time leading scorer who averaged 31.4 ppg), guard K.K. Robinson (Arkansas) and forward Jamari Sibley (Georgetown) also had excellent seasons for a program that will be strong once again in 2020-21.

Cameron Thomas

6'3"   -   SG   -   2020

10. (39) Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) 30-1***
The Cavaliers got plenty of ink in the preseason, 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 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. Over that time frame, Dorman is 84-4 against in-state competition, another feather in the cap for a small state team.      

11. (4) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) 27-8***    
The Panthers are the first team in the rankings with a high number of losses, but they only lost to one unranked club (twice): WCAC foe Bishop McNamara. Coach Glen Farello’s club was still able to finish second place in WCAC play behind No. 4 DeMatha Catholic, a team it beat once in three games. The battle-tested Panthers fell to No. 2 Wasatch Academy (57-53), to No. 9 Oak Hill Academy (72-57) and No. 36 Archbishop Stepinac (70-64), but they made up for those losses with regular season wins over No. 5 IMG Academy (67-56) and No. 17 Sierra Canyon (70-62). They also swept the St. John’s of Washington, D.C. club that was ranked in the Top 10 for some time and finished No. 33 in the FAB 50. Led by two-time All-Met choices Jeremy Roach (Duke) and Trevor Keels, Paul VI advanced to the WCAC title game where it fell to DeMatha, 70-56. Paul VI was able to bounce back and defeat No. 28 St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (67-59) in the Virginia Independent School Schools Athletic Association D1 title game. Keels is one of the nation’s best juniors and Farello will once again have a terrific backcourt with sophomore Knasir “Dug” McDaniel taking on a bigger role. The Panthers will welcome back 11 of 15 lettermen in 2020-21.

Jeremy Roach

6'2"   -   PG   -   2020

12. (NR) Eden Prairie (Eden Prairie, Minn.) 28-0***    
The Eagles were in the midst of a storybook season when the Minnesota State High School Public League canceled its state tournament on March 12. The Eagles were the top seed in the state tournament and an unbeaten Class 4A state crown would have pushed this club into the top 10. We’ll never know how the state tournament would have played out, but coach David Flom’s team does deserve this ranking based on results. Eden Prairie got the big win during the regular season it needed, a 78-64 victory over No. 15 Minnehaha Academy, as the Eagles were red hot from the outside in the big 3A vs. 4A showdown. John Henry (University of Sioux Falls) hit seven 3-pointers and led four double-digit scorers with 29 points. Eden Prairie also defeated in-state clubs Cretin-Derham Hall and Hopkins that Minnehaha Academy lost to before at full strength. Incredibly, Henry, Drake Dobbs (Liberty), Austin Andrews (Minnesota-Duluth), and Connor Christian (Dartmouth) all scored over 1,000 career points and all averaged between 18.8 and 12.7 ppg this season. Needless to say it was a special senior class for Flom and a unit we should have given more preseason credence to in our Midwest Regional Top 20. We’ll never know if Eden Prairie would have finished out unbeaten, but it now goes down as the highest rated team ever from Minnesota, besting the Hopkins of Minnetonka team that finished No. 15 in 2011.   

13. (20) Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 22-3***    
During the week of March 9 is when things began to rapidly change around county because of COVID-19. With the New York Federation Tournament of Champions scheduled for March 27-29 at Fordham University, coach John Buck’s club obviously never got a chance to defend their Federation Class AA title, as New York was the country’s hardest hit state by Novel Coronavirus. LuHi closed out its season by hosting the LuHi Postseason Invitational and defeating Albany Academy in overtime (102-101). That team was the defending Class A champs and also heading back to the Feds tournament. Led by Class AA co-Player of the Year Andre Curbelo (17.2 ppg) and first team all-state choice Zed Key (17.8 ppg), LuHi defeated talented Patrick School of New Jersey (68-63) and downed No. 17 Sierra Canyon (86-74) right before hosting its own invitational. Another key win came over No. 35 Garfield (66-63). Similar to No 14 Poly, LuHi lost to No. 33 St. John’s and also fell to No. 2 Wasatch Academy (68-58) and to top-ranked Montverde Academy (83-47)

Andre Curbelo

6'0"   -   PG   -   2020

14. (NR) Poly (Baltimore, Md.) 24-2***
Unlike No. 12 Eden Prairie, we knew plenty about the Engineers in the preseason and they should have been in the FAB 50 or right outside it in the preseason East Region Top 20. Coach Sam Brand club’s was coming off its third consecutive MPSSAA Class 3A state crown and was two victories from a fourth straight title before the outbreak of COVID-19 cancelled the remainder of the tournament. Poly was disappointed in its 57-53 loss to No. 8 St. Frances Academy, as the Panthers hit their free throws down the stretch in the battle for city supremacy. Poly lost to No. 33 St. John’s of Washington, D.C., at the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina, where it beat two regionally-ranked opponents in addition to defeating Coronado of Henderson, Nev., which was a preseason FAB 50 ranked team. Led by Baltimore Sun co-Player of the Year Justin Lewis (Marquette), City Player of the Year Brandon Murray (21.7 ppg) and four-year starting point guard Rahim Ali (Howard), the big win of the season was a 62-60 victory over No. 5 IMG Academy, as Ali scored on a reverse lay-up with eight seconds remaining. Lewis averaged 19.3 ppg, 13.4 rpg, 4.0 apg, 4.4 bpg, had 18 double-double performances and graduates as the program’s third all-time leading scorer (1,374 points). Freshman Kwame Evans Jr. has the ability to one day put up those type of numbers for Brand.     

15. (14) Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis, Minn.) 25-3***  
Some were calling this club potentially the best ever to lace them up in Minnesota, and it looked the part in defeating No. 17 Sierra Canyon, 78-58, before 17,378 fans at the Target Center. Led by two All-Americans, Gonzaga-bound guard Jalen Suggs, and talented junior center Chet Holmgrem, the Red Hawks actually lost two early in-state games when not 100 percent healthy, but regardless the victory margin over Sierra Canyon was a bit surprising as Suggs had 23 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and six steals. An effective zone (which the Red Hawks never practice) in the second half made Holmgren even more of a presence, as he finished with 10 points and 12 blocks. The greatest team of all-time talk was out the window after the 78-64 setback to No. 11 Eden Prairie, but since Sierra Canyon ended up as California’s top-rated team for the third consecutive season, coach Lance Johnson’s club goes down tied with the 2011 Hopkins club as the second highest ranked team ever from the state three spots behind Eden Prairie. COVID-19 likely cost Suggs a chance to hit the 3,000 career points mark, but it was still a memorable season and career for the two-time All-American. He finished with 2,945 career points while averaging 23.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 5.0 apg and 3.9 spg. Not only was he named the state’s Mr. Basketball, the nation’s top Grid-Hoop athlete also earned state Mr. Football honors, the first Minnesota athlete to achieve that double. With Holmgren and sophomore guard Prince Aligbe back next season, Minnehaha Academy could be a FAB 50 contender once again.       

16. (NR) Bloomington South (Bloomington, Ind.) 26-0***
The Panthers are one of 37 FAB 50 teams whose seasons were affected by COVID-19, as they won three playoff games before their season came to an abrupt halt. The Panthers were Indiana’s top-rated club and an unbeaten Class 4A champ in Indiana will receive plenty of rankings credit. Indiana-bound Anthony Leal (18.2 ppg) was impressive enough as a standout scorer and all-around player to win the state’s coveted Mr. Basketball award. Leal and his teammates were shocked the season came to a quick end and the lack of out-of-state competition meant this team can be ranked no higher. Unlike No. 12 Eden Prairie, a loss would have sent this team tumbling in the rankings but we’ll never know how the season would have played out for those affected Indiana teams.  

17. (6) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 30-4***
A few event operators asked us in the preseason if the Trailblazers were the No. 2 or No. 3 team in the country (presumably behind Montverde Academy and IMG Academy). Everyone loves to promote their event with the top team in the country in attendance, but we were frank about our “No”. The Trailblazers deserved high accolades in the preseason, but fall to this spot because they dropped three out-of-state showcase games. Sierra Canyon lost to No. 15 Minnehaha Academy (78-58) at the Target Center, fell to No. 11 Paul VI at the Hoophall Classic (70-62), and to No. 13 Long Island Lutheran (86-74) at the Metro Classic in New Jersey. Although California teams were a bit down from a national perspective (which is reflected here), Sierra Canyon took care of business back home, as it avenged its only in-state loss to regionally-ranked Rancho Christian of Temecula with a resounding 78-62 victory to re-gain the state’s No. 1 ranking the game after losing to Minnehaha Academy. Stanford-bound Ziaire Williams (15.0 ppg, 7.9 reg) was terrific in the loss to Rancho Christian, which was his first game of the season, while Kentucky-bound B.J. Boston (20.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg) was the team’s most consistent performer and named Cal-Hi Sports Mr. Basketball. Williams hit the shot at the buzzer to lift Sierra Canyon to a 63-61 victory over No. 24 Etiwanda to win the SoCal Open title in dramatic fashion. Sierra Canyon was unable to capture a third consecutive CIF open title because of COVID-19, but will have a chance to be the California’s top-ranked team for the fourth consecutive season next year with talents such as Amari Bailey, the state sophomore of the year, big man Harold Yu, and freshman LeBron James Jr. all returning.

Ziaire Williams

6'9"   -   SF   -   2020

18. (BB) Camden (Camden, N.J.) 29-1***  
We began “The High” No. 19 in the East Region Top 20, but this relatively young club got into gear quicker than expected, and was rolling along as The Garden State’s No. 1 ranked team before COVID-19 ended its run at the Tournament of Champions crown. Coach Rick Brunson’s club defeated Haddonfield, 70-42, to capture the South Jersey Group 2 final after losing to that same club last season for the title. After losing to Roman Catholic of Philadelphia (which began No. 42 in the preseason FAB 50) on December 30, the Panthers rattled off 25 consecutive wins to close the season, including a 63-51 victory over No. 40 Roselle Catholic and a 61-59 win over Rancho Christian of California (which split with No. 17 Sierra Canyon). Kentucky-bound Lance Ware had 18 points, 14 rebounds and four steals in the win over Rancho Christian at Hoophall Classic and averaged 11.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg and 1.3 bpg and was Brunson’s most versatile player. The team’s leading scorer was freshman D.J. Wagner, a 6-2 guard who hit for 18.5 ppg with a high of 32. His grandfather Milt led Camden to a national ranking in 1981 and D.J. hopes to one day match the feat of his father, Dajuan, in leading the Panthers to a New Jersey TOC crown. In 1999-2000, Camden finished No. 16 in the FAB 50 with a 28-5 mark during Dajuan Wagner’s junior season.     

19. (25) Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) 25-1***
The Fighting Crusaders saw a 50-game winning streak snapped in a 64-59 loss to St. Vincent-St. Mary of Akron (a team No. 17 Sierra Canyon defeated) in their second game. Moeller defeated Saint V’s in the OHSAA Division I state title game in 2018-19, but after that game, coach Karl Kremer’s club didn’t lose again and was in prime position to capture a third consecutive D1 state crown before the state tournament was cancelled due to the nation’s ongoing pandemic. Moeller got to the regional final with No. 21 St. Edward sitting on the opposite side of the bracket. Even though the Fighting Crusaders weren’t able to defend their title on the court, it was another fantastic season for a club that has been FAB 50 ranked the past four seasons and compiled a 109-5 record in that time. St. Francis (PA) bound Max Land (14.1 ppg) was a first team all-Ohio selection and Kremer has two excellent building blocks for next season in all-stater Logan Duncomb (13.8 ppg), a 6-foot-9 junior, and Alex Williams, a 6-foot-4 junior forward. If it wasn’t for COVID-19 this past season or a disputed foul in 2016-17, Moeller could conceivably be gunning for a fifth consecutive state crown in 2020-21.

Micah Peavy

6'7"   -   SF   -   2020

20. (28) Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) 31-3**
The defending University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 6A state champions got back to the state Final Four before the remainder of the state tourney was called off. In 2018-19, Duncanville started out on the FAB 50 bubble and began the season 7-7 before closing on a 25-game winning streak. This season, coach David Peavy’s club was more consistent from the beginning and rebounded nicely from back-to-back losses to No. 1 Montverde Academy (84-51) and No. 17 Sierra Canyon (66-63) at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest. Duncanville defeated No. 22 Lancaster, The Rock of Florida (a club that beat No. 6 Hamilton Heights Christian Academy) and lost its only in-state game to Richardson, a squad it split with by a total of six points. Micah Peavy, the coach’s son who was MVP of the 2019 state final, had a stellar senior season and is headed to Texas Tech. He was selected to play in the Jordan Brand Classic after averaging 17.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.1 apg and 2.5 spg with a season-high 37 points vs. Richardson. Senior point guard Ja’Bryant Hill (9.9 ppg) was a steadying force and Peavy has two solid building blocks for next season with junior guards Juan Reyna (10.9 ppg) and Damon Nicholas (10.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg) returning.    

21. (BB) St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) 25-1***
Coach Eric Flannery’s club began the season ranked No. 11 in the Midwest Region Top 20 and worked its way up into the FAB 50 as a major OHSAA Division I state title contender. The Eagles lost only to Hilliard Bradley (60-50) in December and that club lost only one other game and was still alive on the same side of the D1 bracket with No. 19 Moeller when the season was called. It’s not easy to predict which club would have walked away with the state title, but an Ohio D1 state champ with 1 or 2 losses would have been ranked among the Top 25. St. Ed’s excellent season was built around all-state picks Grant Huffman (17.0 ppg) and Devontae Blanton (17.1 ppg).

22. (BB) Lancaster (Lancaster, Texas) 35-2**      
The Tigers had a terrific season and were in line to capture the UIL Class 5A state crown when the season was called because of COVID-19. Coach Ferrin Douglas’ club started out just outside the FAB 50 at No. 10 in the Southwest Region and technically did not lose a game in-state. The Tigers fell to No. 20 Duncanville, 89-83, but the game was later ruled a forfeit win for Lancaster. We go by on-court results (and have since the advent of the FAB 50 in 1987-88) so since both clubs won their last game, both advanced to the state finals (in different classifications) and both were unable to complete their respective season, Duncanville finishes two sports higher in the final analysis. The only other on-court loss for the Tigers was a 69-47 setback at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest to Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), a program that qualified for GEICO Nationals for the first time. Junior Wade Taylor IV had a terrific season, averaging 15.7 ppg, 4.3 apg and 3.3 spg while TCU-bound point guard Mike Miles was named the TABC Class 5A Player of the Year.   

23. (NR) Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 24-7  
The Wildcats have made many appearances in the FAB 50 over the years, but this year’s appearance in the Top 25 is a bit surprising after seven regular season losses. It’s necessary, however, after coach Larry Thompson’s club shocked No. 26 Grayson in the GHSA Class AAAAAAA state final, 60-59, after losing to the same club, 73-68, during the regular season. Grayson was sitting at No. 4 in the FAB 50 at the time and the loss not only cost it a state title berth but also a bid to GEICO Nationals (which was never played). Wheeler’s Sam Hines Jr. had a monster final, going 11-of-12 from the field, scoring 28 points, grabbing nine rebounds and hitting the game-winning free throw. Hines (17.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg) earned some All-American acclaim while Prince Davies (10.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg) was another senior standout. One silver lining that stands out about this club is it was never blown out in any of the losses and learning how to play in those close games paid off in the end. Thompson has two nice building blocks for next season in junior forward Ja’Hiem Hudson (11.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg) and freshman guard Isaiah Collier (11.2 ppg, 3.9 apg).  

24. (29) Etiwanda (Etiwanda, Calif.) 30-4
The Eagles finished right in the range we expected for them in the preseason, and unfortunately that means just a shade below California No. 1 Sierra Canyon. You have to feel a bit for Etiwanda, as it fell to Sierra Canyon in the 2018 SoCal Open regional final in overtime, lost to Onyeka Okongwu and Chino Hills in the 2019 SoCal D1 regional final after that club closed on a 13-0 run and lost this year once again to Sierra Canyon in the SoCal open final under hard-to-believe circumstances unless you saw the game. In its third game against the Trailblazers this season, it looked like Etiwanda finally had Sierra Canyon’s number but a 11-point lead with three minutes to play evaporated and Etiwanda lost at the buzzer on a jumper by Ziaire Williams. Etiwanda fell to 0-5 all-time in regional finals and ironically if it had pulled out the game, it would have never enjoyed its first trip to a CIF final because of COVID-19. Etiwanda, led by all-state forward Jaylen Clark (UCLA) and all-stater Camren Pierce (Ca Poly SLO) at point guard, defeated Rancho Christian (67-61) and No. 41 Mater Dei (65-61) in the SoCal open playoffs. Three of its losses were to Sierra Canyon and the contributions of seniors D.J. Jackson, Brantley Stevenson and Tyree Campbell can’t be overlooked in another successful season under veteran coach Dave Kleckner.

Zaon Collins

6'0"   -   PG   -   2021

25. (5) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 29-3
Nevada’s top overall program earned its second-highest preseason ranking ever (it opened up No. 4 in 2014-15) and captured the program’s ninth consecutive Nevada Interscholastic Athletic Association (NIAA) state title and its 11th in the past 12 seasons. It may seem as the Gaels didn’t live up to preseason expectations, but they lost veteran center Isiah Cottrell (West Virginia) and his backup (sophomore Max Allen) to transfer after the preseason rankings were released. Stanford-bound senior Noah Taitz also didn’t suit up and had we known those three players wouldn’t be part of the equation in the preseason, Gorman would have started right in this range. Junior guard Zaon “Sauce” Collins (14 ppg, 8 apg, 3 spg) has been the catalyst the past two years and he led the Gaels to wins over No. 34 Sheldon (75-66), No. 40 Roselle Catholic (55-47) and over regionally-ranked Harvard Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.). LSU-bound wing Mwani Wilkinson (19 ppg, 10 rpg, 4 bpg) also stepped up big time in Cottrell’s absence for a team that will be strong once again in 2020-21 with UCLA-bound Will McClendon (16 ppg) returning in the backcourt for coach Grant Rice (503–102).      

26. (17) Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 30-2
The FAB 50 was way ahead of the curve nationally when it came to the Rams’ prowess, as they let the country be known they were a force to be reckoned with when they avenged their overtime loss (84-80) to Newton with a resounding 86-39 win. They also defeated defending GHSA Class AAAAAAA state champ McEachern (83-57) and No. 43 Mountain Brook (71-60). Grayson rose to No. 4 in the FAB 50 and was in line for a GEICO Nationals berth before falling to No. 23 Wheeler 60-59 in the Class AAAAAAA state title game. What made it even more gut-wrenching was it had defeated the Wildcats earlier in the season, 73-68. Grayson was highly-regarded because of three D1-bound seniors, led by All-American point guard Deivon Smith (17.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 8.4 apg, 3.2 spg). South Florida-bound Caleb Murphy and Winthrop-bound Toneari Lane were the other key cogs for a team that beat every team on its schedule. 

27. (11) Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 25-10***
The Purple Eagles came in third in the WCAC as we predicted in the preseason, one game behind No. 11 Paul VI and one game in front of No. 33 St. John’s. Gonzaga, however, just had a few too many losses to fall in the range of its preseason billing. Coach Steve Turner’s club did have a high number of losses, but only one of those clubs (WCAC club Our Lady of Good Counsel in Olney, Maryland) was never in the FAB 50. Led by two-time All-Met choice and Gonzaga recruit Terrance Williams (over 2,000 career points), the Purple Eagles defeated Paul VI once in three games, split with St. John’s, defeated No. 28 St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes and won the program’s second D.C. State Athletic Association title. A strong senior class will move on with Malcolm Dread leading a group of seven returning lettermen.     

28. (NR) St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (Alexandria, Va.) 26-4***    
The Saints had a terrific season and naturally fall in the rankings right behind the Gonzaga of Washington, D.C. team if fell to, 69-63. The other losses for coach Mike Jones’ club are to No. 4 DeMatha, No. 11 Paul VI and the St. Benedict’s Prep of New Jersey. The Saints defeated Episcopal of Alexandria four times, including a 74-65 win to capture their second consecutive Interstate Athletic Conference title. St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes fell to Paul VI, 67-59, in the VISSA D1 final. Leading the charge for the Saints was Radford-bound Xavier Lipscomb (11 ppg, 6 rpg, 6 apg) with seniors Andre Screen (12.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Jared Cross (14.3 ppg) also making huge contributions for the back-to-back IAC champions. Lipscomb and Screen were both first team all-VISAA selections.     

29. (22) Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) 34-3
The Hornets were as good as advertised in the preseason and were able to complete what they set our forth by capturing a fourth consecutive LHSAA D1 state crown. Scotlandville was fortunate that the Louisiana High School Athletic Association was one of the four states to complete its state tourney the weekend of March 13-14 after most of the country shut down play before the weekend. The other states to complete state tournaments that weekend were Missouri, Nebraska and New Mexico. Coach Carlos Sample’s club steamrolled then No. 50 St. Augustine of New Orleans, 66-39, as All-American Reece Beekman was named the game’s MOP (16 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists) with a limited number of fans in attendance. With Beekman, who averaged a triple double the past two seasons, and all-stater Tai’Reon Joseph (19.8 ppg) in the lineup, Scotlandville went 126-11 over the past four seasons. Scotlandville lost big to No. 1 Montverde Academy, but defeated regionally-ranked Vashon of St. Louis and No. 38 Archbishop Stepinac. It’s a loss to McEachern of Georgia that prevents a higher ranking since No. 26 Grayson easily defeated that club.

Reece Beekman

6'2"   -   PG   -   2020

30. (NR) Jackson South Side (Jackson, Tenn.) 32-0***
As we followed this club’s rise from the bubble ranks, we were eager to see if the Hawks could roll to a TSSAA Class AA title. An unbeaten run to a Tennessee Class AA D1 state crown would have meant a Top 25 ranking, but the season came to a close after the Hawks defeated Covington, 77-57, on March 9 after defeating South Gibson for the Region 7-AA title on March 5. Coach DaMonn Fuller’s club defeated Poplar Bluff of Missouri and regionally-ranked Southmoore of Oklahoma to win the Popular Bluff Showdown, but a lack of FAB 50 wins means the Hawks can climb no further without the additional results the state tournament would have provided. Senior J.J. Johnson and junior Brandon Maclin were named to the Class AA all-state team.         

31. (NR) Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 29-2***    
It was a season full of twists and turns but at the end of the day, coach Michael Oliver’s club goes down at Illinois’ best for 2019-20. The Condors had a terrific overall resume, defeating highly-regarded Bloom of Chicago Heights at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament and defeating regionally-ranked Vashon of St. Louis (as did No. 29 Scotlandville). Oliver was suspended by the Chicago Public League and without him on the bench for many weeks, it was bad timing for Curie to  come up with its worst outing of the season in a 79-69 setback to Simeon in the CPL semifinals. The Condors had defeated the eventual CPL champs earlier in the season and also split with a talented Callaway of Mississippi club that was on the FAB 50 bubble for a majority of the season. Ramean Hinton, a 6-foot-4 senior wing, was one of the most under appreciated talents in Illinois and his backcourt make, 5-foot-11 senior Elijah Pickens, epitomized the Curie roster: tough, experienced and capable of playing with anyone. Oliver’s club advanced to the IHSA’s Class 4A Sectionals where it was scheduled to meet city power Whitney Young before the season was called because of COVID-19.   

32. (NR) Lee (Montgomery, Ala.) 33-1 
The Lee Generals marched their way to a storybook season that concluded with a 40-38 victory over No. 43 Mountain Brook to capture the AHSAA Class 7A state crown. It is the first state title for Lee, which lost to Mountain Brook in the state semifinals in 2019. Coach Bryant Johnson’s club didn’t clinch the coveted crown until Deyunkrea Lewis rebounded a Mountain Brook missed field goal at the buzzer. With 18 seconds remaining, senior forward Jamari Smith nailed a three throw to put Lee in position to win the game. Senior guard De’Marquiese “Duke” Miles was named Class 7A tourney MVP with 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals while Smith hit a free throw to put Lee ahead for good with 4:14 to go in a tight contest. Late in the regular season, Lee dropped a 83-82 contest to Pinson Valley which was its only blemish all season long. Beating Mountain Brook (which defeated No. 48 North Mecklenburg and other regionally ranked foes) helped Lee’s final ranking, but since that club lost to McEachern of Georgia (which beat No. 29 Scotlandville), the Generals can’t rise any further despite the sole one-point loss.   

33. (NR) St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) 24-9    
For the a good portion of the 2010s, three WCAC clubs were consistently ranked in the weekly FAB 50, but the results this season warranted a fourth team from the powerful conference in the final rankings. After the turn of the New Year, St. John’s was 13-1 with its only loss to Dorman of South Carolina, which finished No. 10 in the FAB 50. The Cadets did start dropping games in WCAC play, but three of those were to No. 4 DeMatha and two of them to No. 11 Paul VI. Coach Patrick Behan’s club did split with No. 27 Gonzaga, and also defeated No. 14 Poly and No. 38 Archbishop Stepinac at the Beach Ball Classic. Rhode-Island commit Ishmael Leggett had a terrific senior campaign and 6-foot-7 freshman forward Amani Hansberry looks like a WCAC star of the future.  

34. (BB) Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) 28-5***  
The Huskies are a bit tricky to rank because of the way the season concluded and because top player Marcus Bagley missed some key games. When he was in the lineup, Sheldon was a forced to be reckoned with and in contention to capture its third consecutive NorCal Open crown. It advanced to the NorCal open title game for the fourth straight year (and fifth time in eight years) with a 59-58 victory over Dublin on the road (as the No. 1 seed) after it was re-instated into the NorCal regional by the CIF following the Elk Grove Unified School District’s decision to shut down school-related activities for the week of March 9. That decision meant No. 17 Sierra Canyon had already advanced to the CIF final, while the Huskies were set to play regionally-ranked Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland on March 12 before the COVID-19 outbreak in the NBA changed sports plans around the country. Without Bagley in the lineup, Sheldon still advanced to the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic final (where it lost to JSerra of Capistrano Valley), lost to regionally-ranked Vashon of St. Louis and with him they were able to defeat No. 41 Mater Dei at the Tarkanian Classic, where it fell to host Bishop Gorman in the semifinals. The ASU-bound Bagley was named the Cal-Hi Sports NorCal POY, while senior guards Xavion Brown (Appalachian St.) and Josh Williams earned all-state laurels.

Marcus Bagley

6'7"   -   SF   -   2020

35. (NR) Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 26-4
Coach Brandon Roy (a former NBA All-Star) led Nathan Hale of Seattle to the 2017 FAB 50 national title and now has his alma mater raising a state crown after moving over to his old stomping grounds that off-season. The Bulldogs got their season off to relatively ho-hum start, losing to regionally ranked Archbishop Wood of Pennsylvania and to No. 13 Long Island Lutheran at the Iolani Classic. They peaked at the right time, however, and closed out their state title run with a resounding 69-44 victory over an O’Dea of Seattle club that was FAB 50 ranked for a majority of the season. Senior forward Tari Eason led the way with 21 points and 14 rebounds vs. O’Dea, which beat Garfield by four points (64-60) in the Sea-King District 2 tournament and by 20 points on January 7. Garfield steamrolled an Eastside Catholic club (which beat No. 25 Gorman earlier in the season) in the semifinals, 74-46, after beating the Crusaders in two relatively close games earlier in the season. Eason, bound for Cincinnati, averaged 22.3 ppg and 15.7 rpg while 6-foot-2 sophomore guard Koren Johnson is in line to be the program’s next impact star.      

36. (NR) St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 21-1***
It’s often difficult to judge Michigan teams because Michigan High School Athletic Association members are restricted in travel and because they traditionally play the bulk of their schedule much later than other states. This year’s analysis proved to be even more difficult because of COVID-19, but we peg the Eaglets as Michigan’s top-ranked team. It dropped one game to regionally-ranked Flint Beecher (which finished 20-2) and handed regionally-ranked Detroit Cass Tech its only loss. St. Mary Prep’s final victory was a 78-55 win over Bloomfield Hills in a District 1 semifinal, as sophomore Jason Drake II had a big game with 31 points. The Eaglets were set to take on Waterford Mott in a Division 1 district championship, but the playoffs were cancelled before it could take place. Wisconsin-bound Lorne Bowman II (25.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 6.2 apg) and Julian Roper II were St. Mary Prep’s catalyst all season long, as the Eaglets put a stop to University of Detroit Jesuit’s seven-year reign as Catholic League champs with a 61-54 victory. With Roper (18.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.6 spg) and Drake back next season, St. Mary Prep has high hopes to win a state tile on the court.         

37. (BB) Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) 30-2
We gave serious credence to placing the Yellowjackets in the 45-50 range of the preseason FAB 50 after winning the MHSAA Class 6A state title and finishing No. 37 in last year’s final rankings. We thought Starkville lost too much backcourt firepower, so we started it out No. 17 in the Southeast Region, but that clearly wasn’t the case. After defeating Murrah of Jackson, 58-51, coach Greg Carter’s club claimed back-to-back Class 6A state titles. Starkville lost to Meridian (55-51), the team it beat in last year’s final, in its second game and and didn’t lose again after December 20 (a 58-47 setback to Pontotoc). A key victory was the 65-63 state quarterfinal win over Olive Branch, a club that beat No. 43 Mountain Brook. Senior Forte Prater stepped up big in the backcourt all season long and came up big in the state final after last year’s state tourney MVP, senior forward Zeke Cook, missed significant portions of the season with injury.       

RJ Davis

6'0"   -   PG   -   2020

38. (36) Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) 18-9***
Similar to No. 34 Sheldon, the Crusaders are difficult to rate because their overall record does not reflect their ability at full strength. Last season, Stepinac was 14-16 mainly because junior A.J. Griffin played in only 16 games and this season he appeared in only 12 due to injury. At full strength Stepinac defeated Briarcrest Christian of Tennessee (which defeated the No. 5 IMG Academy club Stepinac lost to 80-67), O’Dea of Seattle (which like Briarcrest Christian was FAB 50 ranked for many weeks) and No. 11 Paul VI. Without Griffin (17.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg) the Crusaders were competitive, but with him well on their way to a second Catholic High School Athletic Association crown in three seasons before COVID-19 put at end to New York’s post-season. The constant in Stepinac’s arsenal was the play of North Carolina-bound R.J. Davis, who became Westchester County’s all-time leading scorer while averaging 26.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 5.3 apg, and 2.1 spg.

39. (27) West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.) 28-7**
Coach Kenny Gillion’s club was on the verge of making some heavy FAB 50 noise or falling out of the rankings because of untimely losses. At the end of the day, we rewarded The Flame for playing in the tough Sunshine Independent Athletic Association and for its big road win over No. 9 Oak Hill Academy. West Oaks Academy lost to No. 8 St. Frances Academy by two points (67-65) and lost some games on the Grind Session against independent, academy-type programs. With a plethora of D1 talent on the roster, Gillion’s standout player was Kansas St.-bound Selton Miguel, who scored 27 points vs. Oak Hill Academy and was named SIAA MVP after averaging 21 ppg and 5.3 apg. The Flame did lose to regionally-ranked Central Pointe Christian Academy of Kissimmee in the SIAA title game, but beat that team twice during the regular season.     

40. (13) Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 21-7***
We thought Garden State teams would be a bit stronger than they ended up, and that is reflected in Roselle Catholic’s final ranking. The Patrick School never jelled and didn’t fare well in national contests, but were able to defeat coach Dave Boff’s club three times. The Lions were able to defeat The Patrick School when it counted the most, with a 56-47 victory in the North Jersey, Non-Public B semifinals to align with our preseason choice to have the Lions ranked higher by two spots. After defeating highly-regarded Gill St. Bernard in the Non-Public B final, the Lions were gunning for their second New Jersey TOC crown in three years before the season was shut down by Novel Coronavirus that hit the Garden State hard. Boff’s club did lose to No. 25 Bishop Gorman, to No. 18 (and state No. 1) Camden and to St. Benedict’s of Newark in three consecutive games, so without the TOC results can’t be any higher in the rankings. St. Benedict’s transfer and Xavier commit C.J. Wilcher (18.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg) had a fantastic season and big man Cliff Omoruyi (14.2 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 5.4 bpg) had a triple-double in the avenging win over The Patrick School with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks.

Cliff Omoruyi

6'10"   -   C   -   2020

41. (18) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 25-8  
The California state power struggled at times during the regular season, but was still able to clinch at least a share of its league crown for the 32nd consecutive season, a state record according to Cal-Hi Sports. Led by Kentucky-bound Devin Askew, the Monarchs put it together in the post-season for the second consecutive season, as the advanced to the CIF Southern Section Open Division title game where they fell to No. 17 Sierra Canyon for the second straight year. Mater Dei struggled at time with national competition during the regular season, but defeated regionally-ranked Corona Centennial (who won the Tarkanian Classic over No. 25 Bishop Gorman) and Rancho Christian (split with Sierra Canyon) in the post-season. Askew (16.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 6.3 apg) was named Orange County Player of the Year.      

42. (NR) Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) 25-2***
The Wildcats had a terrific season, handing regionally-ranked Lawrence Central (which started out No. 4 in the Midwest Region) its only three losses, with its own losses coming against North Central (split) and Hamilton Southeastern in the final game of the regular season. The third victory over Lawrence Central came in a IHSAA Class 4A playoff opener and the Wildcats got to the regional semifinals before the season was halted because of the current pandemic. Lawrence North could have potentially met undefeated and No. 16 Bloomington South in the state semifinals and that result would have had huge FAB 50 implications had both teams advanced that far. Six-foot-4 Tony Perkins eared first team all-state acclaim.  

43. (NR) Mountain Brook (Birmingham, Ala.) 32-3  
It looked like without 2019 All-American Trendon Watford (LSU) the Spartans would be down a notch after it finished No. 5 in the 2018-19 final FAB 50. That didn’t turn out to be the case, as coach Bucky McMillian’s club was formidable and recorded some terrific wins. The Spartans defeated NCISAA Class 3A champ Concord First Assembly of North Carolina (80-57) and No. 48 North Mecklenburg (77-66) to capture the Arby’s Classic in Tennessee. Had No. 26 Grayson (71-60 loss) hung on to win a state title, both Mountain Brook and No. 32 Lee would be a tad higher in the final rankings. Mountain Brook lost a heart-breaker to Lee to prevent the Spartans from a fourth consecutive AHSAA Class 7A state crown with the third loss coming by one point to Olive Branch of Mississippi, which recorded quality wins throughout the season. Wing Colby Jones was a first team all-state selection and Holt Bashinsky, a senior guard, was named to the third team for McMillian, who was named head coach at Samford in the off-season.       

44. (NR) St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.) 22-5***    
The Ravens fell to No. 38 Archbishop Stepinac (73-68) in the CHSAA Archdiocesan title game, but were able to defeat the Crusaders once in three tries, with the first meeting of the season an overtime loss. The Ravens also routed highly-regarded Gill St. Bernard of New Jersey with fellow Garden State club Bergen Catholic (69-67) and No. 13 Long Island Lutheran the only two clubs St. Raymond didn’t defeat on its schedule. The CHSAA Archdiocese of New York cancelled the remainder of the state tournament on March 12. Every team ranked at this spot and below in the FAB 50 had its season affected by COVID-19, which definitely impacted the overall rankings because of the plethora of games involving state ranked teams that were never played.  

45. (BB) Male (Louisville, Ky.) 30-4***  
The Bulldogs get a spot in the FAB 50 as Kentucky’s highest-rated team at the time the state’s Sweet 16 was cancelled. Male started out as its state’s highest ranked team in the preseason (No. 15 in the Midwest Region Rankings) in front of Madisonville-North Hopkins and Marshall County and both Male and Madison-North Hopkins were still alive in the single-class event when it was cancelled. Coach Tim Haworth’s club defeated Ballard of Louisville in what turned out to be an avenging win, as it split with the other Kentucky club it lost to (North Oldham). Ballard’s other two losses were to highly-regarded Briarcrest Christian of Tennessee (in overtime) and to No. 29 Scotlandville (59-39). Lincoln Memorial-bound guard Tyren Moore (17.9 ppg) was a first team all-state pick and Haworth has 12 lettermen returning next season.    

46. (16) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) 24-4***
The Saints were our preseason choice to capture the Philadelphia Catholic League title and they took care of business, although they dropped a few more regular season contests than they would have liked. The Saints got to the quarterfinals before the PIAA Class 3A state tourney was halted. In December, coach Carl Arrigale’s club drew an extremely tough draw in the opening round of the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas and fell in a close game to eventual tourney champ Centennial of California. Goretti defeated highly-regarded Archbishop Wood in PCL play (66-55) before downing Roman Catholic in the league title game, 66-58, behind 22 points from Bowling Green-bound wing Cam Young. For Arrigale it was his record-breaking 11th Philly Catholic League title.   

47. (BB) Rangeview (Aurora, Col.) 26-0***   
The Raiders were the team to beat in the CHSAA Class 5A state tournament and were a solid FAB 50 bubble club in the preseason. They opened up No. 19 in the West Region Top 20 and were set to face Grandview of Aurora, the team the Raiders defeated by one point (38-37) to open the season, in their next playoff game before the CHSAA cancelled the remainder of its state tournament on March 12 after the University of Denver informed the governing body it could no longer host the event. Led by senior guard Obi Agbim (13.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and junior guard Cade Palmer (10.4 ppg) Rangeview was also at the Tarkanian Classic in December and it easily out-classed its division. We would have loved to see them in the Platinum bracket with the likes of No. 46 Neumann-Goretti, No. 41 Mater Dei and No. 34 Sheldon, but the Raiders had a scheduling issue with school finals.  

48. (BB) North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) 30-1***
Along with No. 37 Starkville, Oak Ridge of Orlando, Tampa Catholic, among others, the Vikings were seriously considered as the final team from its region in the preseason FAB 50. North Meck came in at     No. 15 in the Southeast Region Top 20, one spot below preseason FAB 50 No. 49 Briarcrest Christian of Tennessee. The Vikings lived up to their advanced billing, finishing as the runner-up at the Arby’s Classic to No. 43 Mountain Brook. Coach Duane Lewis’ club, led by Georgia Tech-bound Tristan Maxwell, defeated Olympic of Charlotte (86-78) in the state Class 4A tournament and were the solid favorites vs. 26-5 Lumberton in the final before it was called off because of COVID-19.      

49. (NR) Del City (Del City, Okla.) 24-1***
Not only did Coronavirus affect 37 FAB 50 teams, it also affected 69 of the 100 teams in our final regional rankings, so it’s safe to say the FAB 50’s bottom 25 could have looked completely different had the season been played out all the way through GEICO Nationals. There is no doubt, however, that the Eagles got the big win they needed over highly-regarded Washington of Tulsa (67-54) to finish as the top-ranked team from Oklahoma and the No. 4 team from the Southwest Region. The Eagles were the Class 5A state favorites before the state tourney was cancelled. Senior guards Nate Goodlow and Demontreal Crutchfield were all-state selections by the Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association.

50. (NR) Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) 21-2***
The final team in this year’s rankings comes in as the No. 5 team from the Southwest Region with a glossy record and no in-state losses, which is key in a season cut short by COVID-19. Coach Brian Morton’s Huskies fell to the No. 2 team from the region, Duncanville of Texas, by only seven points (51-44). That was the second game of the season and in its opener Blue Valley Northwest fell to Blue Springs of Missouri. The Huskies then closed the season out with 21 consecutive wins, advancing to the KSHSAA Class 6A semifinals with a 55-48 quarterfinal win over Lawrence Free State. Jack Chapman, a 6-foot-7 versatile D1 talent, led the charge all season long and was named first five all-state after averaging 21 ppg and 6 rpg.  

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 20 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, Expanded 2019-20 FAB 50 Rankings! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

The post Simeon Returns to Dominance! MVP Talen Horton-Tucker Does It All! Pontiac Title Game Highlights #1 Simeon vs #2 Curie! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

Although not all states have played 2017-18 regular season games, there are enough big tournament and showcase results to update the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com.

A vast majority of the the top-ranked teams remain unbeaten or have only lost to another FAB 50-ranked team. Still, there have been a couple of upsets and four teams were able to break through in the fist rankings update of the 2017-18 season.

Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) knocked off defending Dick's Nationals champion La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) 56-47 at the Chicago Elite Classic and because the Lakers still grade out as an elite team, Luke Barnwell's club is the highest-rated newcomer this week at No. 28. La Lumiere drops 19 spots and checks in at No. 29. We tried not to maneuver too many teams that have yet to play a game and didn't drop any, as our focus is on results and not so much player personnel for teams that have no results.

Another team making a big splash in is the Patriots of John Carroll (Bel Air, Md.), which was featured on the Ballislife HS Basketball Weekly Showcase on November 27 and promptly defeated Baltimore Catholic League rival and preseason No. 28 Mt. St. Joseph Baltimore, 74-53 (WATCH FULL REPLAY). Leading the charge was Rutgers recruit Montez Mathis with a spectacular 30-point, 13-rebound, 6-assist, 6-steal performance. The Patriots did lose a subsequent game, a controversial 78-73 overtime setback to St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.), but have done enough to break into the rankings at No. 35 while Mt. St. Joseph checks in at No. 37.

Both Sunrise Christian Academy and John Carroll were seriously considered for the preseason FAB 50 and appeared in our preseason regional Top 20 rankings. The only newcomer who wasn't on the national radar and was more of a state-ranked club is new No. 48 Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.). The Eagles opened their season with a 84-63 win over Capital Christian (Sacramento, Calif.) at the NorCal Tip-Off Classic November 25 and came back to win the competitive BattleZone Tournament at Centennial (Corona, Calif.). Not only did Ray Barefield's club defeat the host club, it also downed regionally-ranked Chino Hills (Calif.) a day after that club looked quite impressive in a key win.

Rancho Christian, which is led by brothers Isaiah and Evan Mobley, was more impressive in its win over Capital Christian than Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) was in its December 2 win over that same club. That is why the Eagles hop in front of Bishop O'Dowd, which was strongly considered for the preseason FAB 50, as the Dragons defeated Capital Christian 80-73 in a game of runs. O'Dowd won the marquee game at the NorCal Tip-Off Classic with a 58-56 triumph over regionally-ranked Fairfax (Los Angeles). Coach Lou Richie's club next heads to the Iolani Classic in Hawaii where it could meet the likes of No. 18 Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.) and/or No. 30 Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) on its side of the bracket.

Injuries Play Role In FAB 50

John Caroll was one of the newcomers because of its key win over Mt. St. Joseph, but also because it appears it lost to St. Frances on a disputed ending. Replays show an offensive rebound put back by Nigel Haughton going through the buzzer before the game clock hit zero that would have given the Patriots a 66-64 win, but the basket was waived off by the referees. Another reason to like the results of John Zito's club so far is it has played without the services of Kentucky-bound point guard Immanuel Quickley, who is battling a bout of mononucleosis.

Sunrise Christian Academy is playing without Loyola-Chicago signee Isaiah Bujdoso and not having its point guard played a role in a 59-55 loss to Victory Rock Prep (Sarasota, Fla.) at the Marshall County Hoopfest in Kentucky. Unbeaten University School (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) owns a victory over Victory Rock Prep and the results involving those three teams helped the Sharks move up five spots in this week's FAB 50 to No. 16.

Other top-ranked players that have missed time with various injuries or other off-court happenings include Zion Williamson of Spartanburg Day School (Spartanburg, S.C.), Courtney Ramey of No. 8 Webster Groves (Webster Groves, Mo.), Notre Dame-bound Prentiss Hubb of No. 19 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.). Ramey won't be available for the Statesmen when it opens its season with the Webster Classic  beginning on December 7 because of a wrist injury. One of the nation's top point guards also won't be available with his team takes on No. 2 Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.) on national television December 14, against highly-regarded Fern Creek of Kentucky at the Midwest Showdown Shootout on December 16 or the City of Palms Classic beginning December 18. Hubbs will miss the season for a team considered the WCAC preseason favorite before word came down about his ACL injury.

Another player who had an injury scare with his wrist but is now back in action is Nico Mannion of Pinnacle (Scottsdale, Ariz.), which lost its first three games without its star player. Pinnacle will take on highly-regarded Mesa (Ariz). in the BIL HS Basketball Weekly Showcase on December 8 (9 pm ET) a day before taking on No. 32 Clark (Las Vegas, Nev.) at Hoophall West in a game that will also be broadcast by Ballislife (9 pm ET). On December 15 the the BIL Weekly Showcase will feature Pinnacle taking on No. 9 Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.) in a highly anticipated showdown (9 pm ET). Shadow Mountain moved into the Top 10 this week and has gone over 100 points twice in three outings.

RELATED: Ballislife HS Basketball Weekly Showcase | Preseason Regional Rankings | Preseason FAB 50 National Rankings

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

(First poll of 2017-18 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, December 3; Preseason ranking in parentheses; *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.)	5-0
2	2	Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.)	6-0
3	3	Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)	11-0
4	4	McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.)	4-0
5	5	Hudson Catholic (Jersey City, N.J.)	0-0
6	6	Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)	5-0
7	9	Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.)	10-1
8	8	Webster Groves (Webster Groves, Mo.)	0-0
9	12	Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.)	3-0
10	13	Cypress Falls (Houston, Texas)	10-0
11	11	Archbishop Malloy (Queens, N.Y.)	0-0
12	15	Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.)	0-0
13	16	Simeon (Chicago, Ill.)	1-0
14	14	Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio)	1-0
15	17	Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.)	0-0
16	21	University School (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)	4-0
17	18	Brentwood Academy (Nashville, Tenn.)	2-0
18	23	Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.)	11-0
19	19	Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)	1-0
20	20	Clarkston (Clarkston, Mich.)	0-0
21	44	Guyer (Denton, Texas)	11-0
22	22	Apple Valley (Apple Valley, Minn.)	0-0
23	24	IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)	3-0
24	25	Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.)	0-0
25	33	Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.)	4-0
26	26	Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.)	0-0
27	27	Garfield (Seattle, Wash.)	1-0
28	BB	Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.)	6-1
29	10	La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.)	6-1
30	30	Jefferson (Portland, Ore.)	0-0
31	32	New Albany (New Albany, Ind.)	3-0
32	35	Clark (Las Vegas, Nev.)	1-0
33	31	Westlake (Austin, Texas)	10-1
34	36	Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)	1-0
35	BB	John Carroll (Bel Air, Md.)	3-1
36	37	Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)	1-0
37	28	Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.)	4-1
38	38	DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.)	0-0
39	39	Ranney School (Tinton Falls, N.Y.)	0-0
40	40	Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.)	1-0
41	50	Mountain Brook (Mountain Brook, Ala.)	7-1
42	43	Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah)	4-0
43	41	Norcross (Norcross, Ga.)	6-1
44	42	Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.)	1-1
45	45	Trinity (Louisville, Ky.)	3-0
46	7	Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.)	8-1
47	47	Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.)	2-0
48	NR	Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.)	6-0
49	49	Cox Mill (Concord, N.C.)	4-0
50	BB	Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.)	2-0

Dropped Out: Previous No. 29 Trinity Episcopal (Richmond, Va.), No. 34 Pickerington North (Pickerington, Ohio), No. 46 Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.), No. 48 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.).

Bubble Teams:  Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) 0-0; Belleville (Belleville, Mich.) 0-0; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 2-1; Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) 0-0; Blue Ridge (St. George, Va.) 2-1; Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) 1-0; B.T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) 2-1; Butler (Matthews, N.C.) 4-0; Calloway (Jackson, Miss.) 7-1; Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.) 2-0; Carl Albert (Midwest City, Okla.) 2-0; Cedar Falls (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1-0; Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 1-1; Creighton Prep (Omaha, Neb.) 2-0; Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 1-1; DeKaney (Houston, Texas) 11-0; DeSoto (DeSoto, Texas) 9-1;Denver East (Denver, Col.) 3-0; Desert Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.) 4-0; Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 1-1; Florida Prep (Melbourne, Fla.) 3-0; Folsom (Folsom, Calif.) 4-0; Garfield Heights (Garfield Heights, Ohio) 1-0; Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.) 3-0; Hillhouse (New Haven, Conn.) 0-0; Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 0-1; Holy Spirit Prep (Atlanta, Ga.) 3-1; Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 1-0; Madison Prep Academy (Baton Rouge, La.) 2-0; Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas) 8-2; Math, Science & Tech (Houston, Texas) 9-1; Meridian (Meridian, Miss.) 9-1; Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.) 1-0; North Side (Fort Wayne, Ind.) 3-1; Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) 4-0; Orlando Christian Prep (Orlando, Fla.) 1-1; Osceola (Kissimmee, Fla.) 2-0; Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio) 1-0; Pickerington North (Pickerington, Ohio) 0-1; Putnam City North (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 2-0; Scott County (Georgetown, Ky.) 2-0; Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) 7-1; South Garland (Garland, Texas) 13-2; South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 1-0; Sun Prairie (Sun Prairie, Wis.) 1-0; Trinity Episcopal (Richmond, Va.) 3-2; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 3-0; Waxahachie (Waxahachie, Texas) 7-1; West (Lee's Summit, Mo.) 0-0; West Linn (West Linn, Ore.) 0-0; West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.) 7-1; Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 4-2; Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 6-1.

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 18 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 1st Regular Season FAB 50 Rankings! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

All 50 teams are written up with explanations for why they were placed in these positions. Top-ranked Montverde Academy was the nation’s No. 1 team for three consecutive seasons (2013-2015) and begins as preseason No. 1 for the fourth time (2013-15) in program history. Last season, Montverde Academy started the season ranked No. 5 and finished in that spot after falling to preseason No. 2 La Lumiere of Indiana in the Dick’s Sporting Goods National High School Tournament championship game. La Lumiere captured the prestigious tournament title for the first time ever and finished No. 2 in the FAB 50 behind undefeated Nathan Hale (Seattle). CLICK HERE to view the all-time list of mythical national champions.

RELATED: Preseason 2017-18 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason 2016-17 FAB 50 (31-50) | Preseason Regional Top 20 Rankings | BIL Weekly HS Basketball Showcase

Memphis East or Montverde Academy:
Who’s More Deserving To Begin The 2017-18 Season No. 1?

The high school basketball landscape has become big business in recent years. With so many elite players attending basketball academy-type programs, it’s nice to see public high schools still having a big impact on the credible high school team rankings published each year. In light of that, how awesome is it that one of the most recognizable and perennial strong academies has a brewing mini-rivalry with a public school in Tennessee?

That’s the case this season as Montverde Academy of Montverde, Fla., and Memphis East High School in Tenn., battle for national supremacy and bragging rights. Montverde Academy has long been a national power, first under current University of Pittsburgh assistant Kevin Sutton and the last six years under Kevin Boyle, who coached the Eagles to three consecutive mythical FAB 50 national titles between 2013-2015. Memphis East, meanwhile, burst onto the national scene in 2016 when it went 32-2 and finished No. 11 in the FAB 50 and followed that up with a second consecutive TSSAA Class AAA state crown and a No. 3 FAB 50 finish, the highest ranking ever for a Tennessee program in the FAB 50 era (since 1987-88 season).

On the way to their 33-3 season, the underclass-dominated Mustangs defeated Montverde Academy two out of three games and might even be better this season as they look to become the first TSSAA program to finish No. 1 nationally dating back to the 1951-52 when the National Sports News Service (FAB 50 precursor) began naming mythical national champions. Montverde only has two players returning, but it’s a supremely talented duo and Boyle has reloaded the roster for another championship run.

“Penny Hardaway is a legend in Memphis,” said Boyle. “He’s done a good job with that program and he’s got a good team.”

So which team will be better in 2017-18? If it can’t be decided on the court between the two clubs (and it likely won’t be) we’re going with Montverde Academy to open the 2017-18 season as the preseason No. 1 team in the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com by the slimmest of margins over Memphis East.

The three main reasons are the personnel on Montverde’s roster, the changes on the Mustangs’ roster and the simple fact it’s a different season with a different outlook in terms of what results may transpire from preseason FAB 50 positioning to determine the rankings as the season progresses.

Boyle has 10 players on his roster that will contribute and only one isn’t considered a high major recruit. Even though only two players return, Canadians R.J. Barrett and Andrew Nembhard in the backcourt, Montverde’s proven track record and national schedule make it attractive to like its chances to finish No. 1. Trevin Wade, a 5-foot-10 senior and low to mid-major D1 prospect, is the only player on the roster under 6-foot-4. This Montverde team has the depth, size and versatility to challenge the 2012-13 Montverde FAB 50 title team as the most gifted (so far) in Boyle’s time at the Florida program.

“Obviously there are new faces, so we have to work on chemistry, but this is such a versatile team,” said Montverde Academy assistant Rae Miller. “All of them can do so many different things offensively and we shouldn’t have a problem putting the ball in the basket.”

Memphis East has a host of returnees off last year’s back-to-back state championship team and its most talented player might be newcomer James Wiseman. The 6-foot-10 power forward is arguably the best junior in the country and he relocated to Memphis after playing last season at The Ensworth School of Nashville. TSSAA transfer rules may force him to sit out the season, but until Memphis East submits its roster for the season to Tennessee’s governing body for athletics, it’s all speculation with regards to Wiseman’s eligibility. If we knew for certain Wiseman, along with 6-foot-5 senior transfer Ryan Boyce from Houston of Germantown, were eligible to play the entire season, Hardaway’s club would be preseason No. 1.

It was really difficult to ignore the fact Memphis East defeated Montverde Academy twice in three tries last season. The results of the games (by far the most important factor in determining in-season ranking position) from the previous season does factor into the preseason FAB 50 and Memphis East does have to personnel to play with and defeat any team in the country. The facts are the Eagles beat Memphis East 63-54 in the title game of the City of Palms Classic in Florida and lost on two buzzer-beaters in the January meetings. Those two games came down to the last possession and could have gone either way.

Which brings us to our final point: This is a new season, and although both coaching staffs are motivated by past results, this year’s Montverde team has a different makeup and the results of those games have little meaning to the individual players on the Eagles’ roster.

Memphis East has arrived and is now a national name on the high school basketball scene. The Mustangs will take everyone’s best shot on a difficult schedule, something Montverde Academy has grown accustomed to over the past decade. Memphis East has the ability to get it done, but will results and other factors fall in its favor for the second consecutive season?

“It’s hard enough to beat those teams on the way up, but it’s super hard to be the one teams are coming after,” Miller said. “Hopefully they’ll do well.”

Preseason 2017-18 FAB 50 National
Team Rankings Powered by www.ebooksnet.com

By Ronnie Flores

(Final 2016-17 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 Friday, November 10 and for the preseason Mr. Basketball USA Tracker on Tuesday, November 21.)

RELATED: Preseason 2017-18 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason 2016-17 FAB 50 (31-50) | BIL Weekly HS Basketball Showcase | Preseason Regional Top 20 Rankings

1. (5) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 26-5
Key Players: SG R.J. Barrett 6-7 2018 (No. 1 Hoop Scoop, Ballislife First Team All-American, Ballislife National Sophomore of the Year), PG Andrew Nembhard 6-3 2018 (No. 23 247Sports.com, Florida commit), PF Makhi Mitchell 6-10 2019 (No. 28 ESPN.com, Maryland commit), PF Filip Petrusev 6-11 2018 (No. 77 Rivals.com), PG Mike Devoe 6-3 2018 (No. 56 ESPN.com, Georgia Tech commit).
Why This Ranking: Another big factor in giving the No. 1 nod to the Eagles is having an elite, game-changing talent in the lineup. Having that player was the difference in recent years for FAB 50 champs Nathan Hale (Michael Porter Jr.) in 2017, California’s Chino Hills (Lonzo Ball) in 2016 and the Eagles in 2015 and 2014 (Ben Simmons). That player for Montverde Academy is Barrett, named National Sophomore of the Year after averaging 22 points and seven rebounds for last year’s club. Over the summer, Barrett led Canada to the FIBA 19U World Cup title, including a 38-point, 13-rebound, 5-assists performance in a semifinals win over the United States. Barrett re-classed to 2018 and is now considered the No. 1 prospect in that class. “This is now his third year here, and every year he’s grown as a person, student and player,” Miller said. “He’s wants to win a national championship and he understands he’s the leader of this team and has that opportunity.” Nembhard has also reclassified from 2019 to 2018. The Florida commit can create scoring opportunities for others or him self and is eager to help this team after missing the end of last season with a stomach injury. Even though Carrington Davis (6-6, 2018) is not yet up to speed because of hip surgery, the Eagles won’t miss a beat with talents such as Devoe (a talented combo guard) and Wade (a terrific defender) ready to step up. Up front, there is terrific talent and skill with the likes of Petrusev (a top international prospect from Serbia) and Mitchell (who had great feet and hands according to Boyle). The pleasant surprise so far has been the improvement of Kevin Zhang (6-9, 2018), who played on last year’s La Lumiere team that defeated Montverde Academy in the Dick’s Nationals title game.
The Skinny: There is so much depth and talent, future high major players such as Makhel Mitchell (6-9, 2019), Makhi’s brother and a fellow Maryland commit, and Jordan Mitchell (6-7, 2019, no relation to the Mitchell brothers) will fight to see quality minutes. Outside of Barrett, Montverde might be the only team that can withstand an injury or misfortune to an elite player and not miss a beat. Montverde will be extremely tough to stop offensively and has different ways to slow down teams defensively, whether going big in the backcourt or allowing Wade to harass the ball-handler. The Eagles will play FAB 50 No. 29 Trinity Episcopal at the Hoopsgiving in Atlanta, travel to China in early December, participate in the Iolani Classic in Hawaii with the likes of No. 30 Jefferson and No. 40 Rainier Beach, will participate in the Beach Ball Classic along with No. 14 Moeller, No. 26 Imhotep Charter, No. 35 Long Island Lutheran and four other FAB 50-ranked teams, play No. 10 La Lumiere at the Cancer Research Classic, face No. 16 Simeon and No. 6 Mater Dei at the Hoophall Classic and take on No. 17 Roselle Catholic near the end of the regular season. In late January, No. 9 Findlay Prep and No. 12 Shadow Mountain will participate in the Montverde Academy Invitational. With that schedule, plus Dick’s Nationals, this program controls its own destiny to win a fourth FAB 50 crown in the Boyle era.

2. (3) Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.) 33-3
Key Players: PF Chandler Lawson 6-9 2019 (No. 21 Rivals.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), PG Alex Lomax 5-11 2018 (No. 70 Hoop Scoop, Ballislife Underclass All-American), PF James Wiseman 6-11 2019 (No. 1 ESPN.com), C Malcolm Dandridge 6-8 2019 (No. 97 Rivals.com).
Why This Ranking: The Mustangs have the talent and experience to become the first ever Tennessee program to earn the nod as FAB 50 champion. They have the necessary ingredients in today’s high school game: length, good shooters and an experienced point guard in Lomax. He’s a bit under the radar as a prospect, but is already a two-time underclass All-American and similar to Montverde Academy’s Barrett -- the catalyst and irreplaceable cog for coach Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway. He’s already a two-time Class AAA Mr. Basketball and last season averaged 16.4 ppg, 7.5 apg, and 6.4 rpg. Dandridge does the dirty work underneath and he, Lomax and Lawson all return after making the Class AAA all-tournament team. Lawson was particularly spectacular with 18 points and 15 rebounds in the state title win over Memphis Southwind and will be joined on this year’s team by younger brother Chandler Lawson (6-6, 2021) and two other standout freshmen. Chandler will play a lot and the coaching staff feels he’s the most versatile of the Lawson brothers who have come through the program. “The difference between this year’s team and last is the length and shooters on this team,” Hardaway said.
The Skinny: After the 2016 team started the preseason on the rankings bubble and finished No. 12, last year’s team began at that same position and finished No. 3 after No. 2 La Lumiere defeated the Hamilton Heights Christian Academy Memphis East lost to. This year’s team starts one spot higher, and the expectations are sky high. Last year’s team was the highest ranked ever in Tennessee, and the only reason it didn’t start No. 1 is some of the departures, including talented guard T.J. Moss to No. 9 Findlay Prep and talented forward Antavion Collum, and the uncertainty surrounding the eligibility of Wiseman. At the recent USA Basketball Junior National Team Mini-Camp, Wiseman was the most impressive junior in attendance. If the talented left-hander is eligible for the entire season, the Mustangs will be favorites to capture the prestigious City of Palms title against the likes of No. 4 McEachern, No. 5 Hudson Catholic, No. 6 Mater Dei, No. 7 Wesleyan Christian Academy, No. 8 Webster Groves, and No. 11 Archbishop Malloy and have a good chance as any of the preseason Top 3 of finishing unbeaten. Before that tournament, Memphis East takes on No. 9 Findlay Prep in Memphis and could face No. 16 Simeon two times, potentially in the City of Palms semifinals and for sure on January 6 at the Penny Hardaway Hoopfest. Memphis East had to turn in its eligibility roster the first week of November, but either way this team will be in the mix for the FAB 50 crown if Lomax stays healthy and the rest of the team doesn’t care whom fills the stat sheet. “Either way, the team will be prepared. We’d loved to have him in the lineup, but we don’t know at this point,” Hardaway said. The program attended Dick’s Nationals as visitors last year and it will be interesting to see how the TSSAA handles the eligibility ruling for Wiseman considering the team’s desire to play at that event. There was talk of a Memphis East and Montverde Academy regular season matchup, but it fell through. The rankings scenario nightmare would be if Montverde Academy won Dick’s Nationals with an unbeaten record and the Mustangs won the City of Palms and captured a third consecutive TSSAA Class AAA state crown with an unbeaten slate.

3. (11) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 38-5
Key Players: C David McCormack 6-10 2018 (No. 20 Hoop Scoop, Kansas commit), SF Keldon Johnson 6-7 2018 (No. 7 ESPN.com), PG Will Richardson 6-4 2018 (No. 18 Hoop Scoop), SF Keyontae Johnson 6-5 2018 (No. 114 Rivals.com).
Why This Ranking: The Warriors have the talent, track record and play the schedule necessary to earn the program’s eighth FAB 50 crown. Most importantly, veteran coach Steve Smith (1,064-70) loves this team’s chemistry and makeup. Last season, Oak Hill began the season as preseason FAB 50 No. 1 for the eighth time in program history, but faltered in the 50-50 games and finished lower than No. 2 for the first time after entering the season at the top of the poll. Smith likens this team to his 2016 team that finished No. 2 at 45-1. “We are better at the point, McCormack is vastly improved and we have better chemistry,” Smith said. McCormack, whose physical conditioning has greatly improved, has improved his shooting range, can get off the floor better and will have plays ran for him. He could be headed for All-American acclaim while being surrounding by four talented perimeter players. Smith could have five players in double figures, with Keldon Johnson the most talented wing player. Keyontae Johnson (no relation), a talented athlete who doesn’t need a play ran for him to score, will keep teams from over-playing Keldon. Even though Smith doesn’t have Josh Nickelberry (a Top 50 ranked junior) on his roster as originally anticipated, there are plenty of talented reserves to spell the wings, including 15-year old Josh Hennings (6-8, 2020) and Maurice Calloo (6-8, 2018). One of the keys will be the play of B.J. Mack (6-8, 2019) because the Virginia Tech commit will be the one to spell McCormack in the middle.
The Skinny: Oak Hill could drop a game and still be highly ranked because of the murderous schedule and should the Warriors go unbeaten it will have as strong as argument as any to be mythical national champ. The “Road Warriors” play in the Marshall County Hoopfest, the Chick-Fil-A Classic in South Carolina against the likes of No. 9 Findlay Prep, No. 15 Paul VI and No. 49 Cox Mill, the Les Schwab Invitational in Oregon that includes No. 6 Mater Dei and No. 30 Jefferson and will do the vaunted “Springfield Double” by playing in the Bass Pro Invitational in Missouri (Findlay Prep, No. 8 Webster Groves, No. 10 La Lumiere, No. 18 Brentwood Academy, No. 43 Wasatch Academy and No. 46 Christ the King await) and play No. 21 University on MLK Monday at the Hoophall Classic in Massachusetts. Despite the challenges, Smith believes Richardson, who had a terrific summer, gives the Warriors a chance in every game and brings this unit some of the intangibles last year’s preseason No. 1 team didn’t have. “This group all likes each other; there’s no fraction of groups and less ego,” Smith said.

4. (43) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 29-1
Key Players: SG Isaac Okoro 6-5 2019 (No. 11 247Sports.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), PG Sharife Cooper 5-10 2020 (No. 41 Rivals.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), C Babatunde Akingbola 6-8 2019 (No. 101 247Sports.com), SF Brandon Suggs 6-6 2018.
Why This Ranking: The Indians have the necessary ingredients for a high final FAB 50 ranking: talent, size and plenty of motivation after last season’s underclass-dominant unit fell just short of an unbeaten season. It starts in the backcourt, as Okoro (24.1 ppg) was chosen second team all-state and netted 27 points in a state quarterfinal win over FAB 50-ranked Wheeler of Marietta. Cooper (16 ppg) is another returning underclass All-American who is mature beyond his years. Akingbola is a rim-protector while Grid-Hooper Suggs brings athleticism and intensity to this club. Pebblebrook transfer Jared Jones (6-9, 2019) is one of the best forward prospects nationally in his class and gives an already loaded team even more frontcourt firepower.
The Skinny: Georgia was a hotbed for FAB 50 ranked teams last season and when the dust settled it was upstart Tift County that won the coveted GHSA Class AAAAAAA crown after four other teams in the classification were preseason FAB 50 ranked. McEachern was riding along at No. 9 in the FAB 50 before it all came crashing down in a 56-49 semifinal loss to the eventual champs. For a team that is returning its top nine scorers and adding Jones, it’s easy to suspect complacency and jealousy can creep in. That’s not the case according to Mike Thompson’s coaching staff, as the players are working hard towards a common goal. Another plus for Thompson’s group is all of them (minus Jones) have built tremendous continuity and chemistry from playing on various travel ball clubs together since they were in sixth grade. McEachern not only opens the City of Palms Classic with No. 39 Ranney School, it also faces No. 38 DeMatha Catholic at the Cancer Research Classic and highly-regarded Ohio clubs Trotwood and Pickerington Central at the Flyin’ To The Hoop Invitational in Dayton.

5. (BB) Hudson Catholic (Hudson, N.J.) 26-4
Key Players: PG Jahvon Quinerly 6-1 2018 (No. 9 Hoop Scoop, Ballislife Underclass All-American), PF Louis King 6-8 2018 (No. 16 247Sports.com, Oregon commit), SG Luther Muhammad 6-3 2018 (No. 27 Hoop Scoop, Ohio State commit).
Why This Ranking: There’s a lot to like off a team that returns four of five starters and a strong bench that makes it the preseason No. 1 team in the powerful Garden State. It’s conceivable no team in America has a returning trio that coach Nick Mariniello has at his disposal. It begins with Quinerly, who is a returning first team all-state pick after averaging 20.4 ppg, 5.4 apg, and 3.1 rpg for a club that lost to No. 25 Patrick School in the NJSIAA Non-Public B state final. Muhammad compliments “Jelly JQ” nicely in the backcourt and King is a versatile talent that can dominate inside or step out on the wing. Depth is provided by up front by Danny Rodriguez (6-8, 2019), who is capable of big scoring outputs, and Precious Ikediashi (6-7, 2018).
The Skinny: This team is not only talented, but is battle tested, having bested teams from six states and finishing in fifth place at the prestigious City of Palms Classic last season. The Hawks, however, do have some concerns. According to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, Quinerly and his family hired a lawyer in the wake of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recruiting scandal that rocked college basketball in early October. Nothing has transpired as it relates to Quinerly (and perhaps nothing will), but should his college eligibility be called into question at any point this season, there is no doubt the NJSIAA will take notice. The team also has to show they have what it takes to get it done locally and win their first state title since prep legend Mike O’Koren led the Hawks in 1976. If Hudson Catholic wins state and a New Jersey TOC crown, that double will assure a high national ranking, provided the Hawks have another good showing at the City of Palms Tournament. They have a monster opening round game with No. 8 Webster Groves.

6. (12) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 33-3
Key Players: C Bol Bol 7-2 2018 (No. 3 Rivals.com), PG Spencer Freedman 6-0 2018 (No. 144 Rivals.com, Harvard commit), PF Michael Wang 6-9 2018 (Penn commit), SG Harrison Butler 6-5 2018 (No. 233 247Sports.com, Southern Utah commit), SG P.J. Fuller 6-4 2019 (No. 43 ESPN.com).
Why This Ranking: The core of the Monarchs’ unit is seniors and they have enough returning pieces and newcomers to win the storied program’s first CIF state title since current NBA forward Stanley Johnson led them to the last of four consecutive in 2013-14. The leader and most consistent player is Freedman (14.5 ppg, 5.5 apg), who has great floor vision and can make the clutch pass or outside shot. Butler (8.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Wang (9.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg) are mainstays in the lineup and have expanded their overall offensive games since last season. Bol (16.5 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.9 bpg) is one of the nation’s best prospects and can take slower defenders outside. Co-captain Reagan Lundeen (6-6, 2018) and freshmen Wilhelm Breidenbach (6-9, 2021) and B.J. Askew (6-0, 2021) provide dependable depth.
The Skinny: The Monarchs have won a state record 11 CIF state titles and every league crown but one (1987-88) since coach Gary McKnight (1,082-98) took over in 1982-83. The Monarchs open up as the preseason favorites in California, but a twelfth state crown won’t be easy. Mater Dei added Bol mid-season in 2016-17 and No. 33 Bishop Montgomery still bested the team for section and state open division crowns. Bishop Montgomery suffered heavier graduation losses, but Bol had an inconsistent summer and the Monarchs will need him focused to defeat the likes of Montgomery, No. 37 Sierra Canyon, and regionally-ranked Fairfax of Los Angeles and Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland for the state crown. Mater Dei’s FAB 50 ranking will be dependent on the results of its games at the City of Palms Tournament, the Les Schwab Invitational versus the likes of No. 3 Oak Hill Academy and No. 30 Jefferson, versus No. 19 Gonzaga at the Cancer Research Classic and a key matchup with top-ranked Montverde Academy at the Hoophall Classic.

7. (41) Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.) 28-5
Key Players: PF Jaylen Hoard 6-9 2018 (No. 10 ESPN.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American, Wake Forest commit), SF Aaron Wiggins 6-5 2018 (No. 39 ESPN.com, Maryland commit), C DeAundre Wilkins 6-10 2019.
Why This Ranking: The Trojans were our NCISA Class 3A favorites last year, but came up just a bit short in three tries against rival Greensboro Day, losing by a total of 10 points. We place the Trojans once again in the pole position, as they have a bit more firepower and fewer key graduation losses than their rival. Hoard and Wiggins form a dynamic 1-2 scoring punch and with a big season Hoard could develop into a legitimate Mr. Basketball USA candidate. Coach Keith Gatlin did lose David Caraher (Houston Baptist) to graduation and N.C. State commit Ian Steere to transfer, but have enough depth and experience to challenge for a Dick’s Nationals berth.
The Skinny: WCA had some questions at point guard last season, but that shouldn’t be an issue this time around with the addition of twin guards from Class 4A state champ Southwest Guilford committed to Virginia Tech. Keyshaun Langley (6-1, 2019) and Kobe Langley (6-1, 2019) are talented players and both can handle point guard duties. Keyshaun (14.9 ppg, 4.2 apg, 3.0 rpg) is especially potent and Wilkins gives a needed post presence necessary when the Trojans battle nationally-ranked teams. Gatlin’s club plays Gainesville and No. 41 Norcross at the Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta, opens the City of Palms with regionally-ranked Orlando Christian Prep with the winner getting No. 16 Simeon and plays at the John Wall Invitational after Christmas which includes the likes of No. 21 University School and No. 24 IMG Academy. Last season, Greensboro Day finally broke through for the at NCISA at Dick’s Nationals by upsetting IMG and WCA will be looking to take it a step further this season. First, however, WCA has to take care of business in-state and get by its archrival in addition to regionally-ranked Providence Day.

8. (22) Webster Groves (Webster Groves, Mo.) 29-2
Key Players: PG Courtney Ramey 6-2 2018 (No. 33 Hoop Scoop, Ballislife Underclass All-American), PF Carte’Are Gordon 6-8 2018 (No. 33 247Sports.com, St. Louis commit).
Why This Ranking: The Statesmen welcome back two of the better players in the country and nine lettermen off a team that closed strong, winning 23 consecutive games and capturing the coveted Class 5A state crown (the program’s first since 2008). The catalyst was Ramey, a two-time Suburban XII South Conference and 2016-17 St. Louis Post Dispatch All-Metro Player of the Year who averaged 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals as a junior. This season coach Jay Blossom will have Gordon patrolling the paint for the entire season, as he played in 17 games last season after gaining eligibility mid-season. Gordon's production will be key, as will staying out of foul trouble during the key games on the Statesmen’s monster schedule. R.J. Wright (6-2, 2019) will be the team’s outside threat, as Blossom will look to space the floor so Gordon can go to work inside. Ray Adams (6-3, 2019) will take on a bigger role and transfer Amorey Womack (6-2, 2019) is an athletic defender who fits nicely into Blossom’s system. “Our bread and butter is our half court and full court man-to-man defense,” Blossom said.
The Skinny: Is Webster Groves the eighth most talented team, top to bottom, in the country? No, but there is the first spot where we’re rewarding a team for playing a monster national schedule and then ranking them as the results come in. Without Gordon, Webster Groves had a slow start and it can’t afford any in-state losses to remain in the top 10. The Statesmen play No. 2 Memphis East on national television December 14, play regionally-ranked Wheeler of Georgia at the Cancer Research Classic and then travel to the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions where five other FAB 50 teams await. This team will do the “Springfield Double” and opens the City of Palms Classic against No. 5 Hudson Catholic in one of the best holiday tournament opening-round matchups we’ve ever analyzed with regards to with how it relates to rankings position.

9. (20) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 33-4
Key Players: PF Reggie Chaney 6-8 2018 (No. 89 247Sports.com), PG Jamie Lewis 6-2 2018 (No. 88 247Sports.com, Wake Forest commit), SG T.J. Moss 6-4 2018 (No. 170 247Sports.com), Spencer Washington 6-6 2018.
Why This Ranking: Coach Paul Washington got a good chuckle out of Findlay Prep starting out at No. 29 in last year’s preseason rankings. The reason for the ranking was the program was on its fifth coach in six years, but the former Middle Tennessee player stepped up the Pilots’ schedule, and they performed, twice defeating preseason No. 1 Oak Hill Academy and losing only to top 10 ranked teams and advancing to the Dick’s Nationals semifinals before losing by two points to eventual champ La Lumiere. This year’s team begins at a spot more reflective of its overall talent level and tough schedule. Chaney, a physical specimen, has loads of experience and is an improved spot up shooter. Lewis, a Westlake of Atlanta transfer, is a scoring point guard and is completed nicely by Memphis East transfer T.J. Moss, who is a crafty operator who knows how to get in the key. The Pilots can go big with Memphis-bound Conner Vanover (7-3, 2018) and San Diego St.-bound Nathan Mensah, who can also stretch the floor with his shooting range. This is a lot to like about the lineup and a roster with 10 seniors.
The Skinny: The Pilots rose up in the rankings steadily last season, but this year have an opportunity to make a big splash early when they hit the road to take on No. 2 Memphis East on November 25. Washington has again scheduled aggressively, as the Pilots play in the Chick-Fil-A Classic in South Carolina, take on No. 24 IMG at the Cancer Research Classic, take on Huntington Prep of West Virginia at the Flying To The Hoop Invitational, and battle rival and No. 48 Bishop Gorman back home before heading to the Montverde Academy Invitational at the end of January. Washington will no longer have his son P.J. at his disposal, as the All-American has moved on to Kentucky, but he welcomes back son Spencer and other underrated players such as Maryland-Baltimore County commit Jack Schwietz (6-5, 2018) that will give the Pilots the necessary depth to fare well against the afore-mentioned clubs.

10. (2) La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) 28-1
Key Players: PG Tyger Campbell 6-0 2018 (No. 41 Hoop Scoop, Ballislife Underclass All-American), PF Isaiah Stewart 6-9 2019 (No. 20 247Sports.com), Charles Smith IV 6-5 2019 (No. 42 247Sports.com).
Why This Ranking: This team might be a notch down from last season when it won Dick’s Nationals, but the Lakers figure to be in the thick of the FAB 50 race with a nice blend of talented newcomers and a key returnee. Head coach Shane Heirman moved on to DePaul and former assistant and new head man Pat Holmes is blessed to have his coach on the floor in Campbell returning. The lone returning starter cut down on the turnovers and flashy plays to put together an outstanding performance in the Lakers’ championship run. He has legit All-American potential and will lead an under-class dominated unit that includes Smith, a talented scorer who could have a breakout season. The bouncy Stewart, a transfer from McQuad Jesuit in Rochester, N.Y. who missed his sophomore season with injury, commands double teams inside and has a good shooting touch.
The Skinny: Losing the type of firepower the Lakers did and undergoing a coaching change means the Lakers begin at the bottom of the Top 10. If returning role players such as power forward Franklin Agunanne (6-9, 2018) and shooting guard Paxson Wojcik (6-5, 2019) step up, the team will be ready for the meat of its schedule. After playing in the Chicago Elite Classic and Mike Miller Classic, the team will face a key stretch, playing No. 26 Imhotep Charter and top-ranked Montverde Academy at the Cancer Research Classic and then at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Missouri the following week. “We have two top 50 juniors and a lot of new faces,” Holmes said. “If they figure it out, we have a chance to do something special.”

11. (NR) Archbishop Molloy (Queens, N.Y.) 20-8
Key Players: PG Cole Anthony 6-3 2019 (No. 2 247Sports.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), C Moses Brown 7-0 2018 (No. 13 Rivals.com), SF Khalid Moore 6-6 2018 (No. 138 247Sports.com, Georgia Tech commit).
Why This Ranking: The Stanners are the highest preseason ranked team that wasn’t really in the FAB 50 equation last season. They are a factor this time around with three prime-time players, including Anthony, and plenty of motivation. Anthony, the son of former UNLV and NBA guard Greg Anthony, is the best underclass guard in the country and one of the best players in the country, regardless of class. He averaged 20.7 ppg, 7.0 apg and 1.9 spg in New York Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) play, but would like to erase the memory of the 64-62 CHSAA title game loss to Cardinal Hayes of the Bronx in which he missed a late chippie.
The Skinny: Cardinal Hayes will be in the CHSAA mix once again, but we go with No. 46 Christ the King and the Stanners as the leaders in the clubhouse not so much because of Anthony, but because of the improvement around him. The other two prime-time players are Moses, who has developed into one of the country’s best pivots, and Moore, who has an improved skill set to go along with his raw athleticism. Players such as Jamal Watson (6-3, 2019) and Jade Tse (6-1, 2018) add experience and their contributions will need to be there in the big games. While Anthony is a reason to like coach Mike McCleary’s club so is the schedule. The Stanners, trying to win their first Catholic League title since 1989 Mr. Basketball USA Kenny Anderson was on the roster, will open the City of Palms Classic with No. 21 University (with the winner likely getting No. 6 Mater Dei in the second round) and take on No. 38 DeMatha Catholic at the Hoophall Classic. Malloy also has a tough slate locally, including two Brooklyn/Queens league matchups with CTK on February 2 and 9.

12. (16) Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.) 27-1
Key Players: PG Jovan Blacksher 5-10 2019 (No. 150 247Sports.com), SG Jaelen House 6-1 2019 (No. 89 247Sports.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), SF Immanuel Allen (6-4, 2018).
Why This Ranking: The Matadors ran roughshod over AIA Class 4A competition last year, with their closest margin of victory in four playoff games being 33 points. That 81-48 victory came over Salpointe Catholic of Tucson in the state title game and this year Shadow is more talented. It begins with House, a dynamic scoring guard in the same mold of his father Eddie (a former NBA guard) and Blacksher, a tough-as-nails point guard who can will his team to victory with defense and clutch plays. What could potentially make this team special and a major Dick’s Nationals contender is its transfers. Allen (Lakeridge, Lake Oswego, Ore.) is an explosive and powerful athlete who recruiters will get to know well. He’ll likely start but the battle for playing time will be fierce and only make this team better.
The Skinny: Shadow Mountain, coached by 1996 Mr. Basketball USA Mike Bibby, played top-ranked Montverde tough for three quarters at Dick’s Nationals -- without House. Yes, the Matadors graduated State Player of the Year Marcus Shaver (Portland), but this team has more weapons and is a clear preseason state No. 1 over regionally-ranked Pinnacle of Scottsdale (December 15 matchup). Antonio Reeves (Kenwood, Chicago) is a 6-foot-3 scorer who can play both guard spots while Jalen Williams (Brookside Christian, Stockton, Calif.) is a 6-foot-3 lefty who tries to dunk everything. He plays baseball and is also a big-time prospect on the gridiron. He’ll ease into the lineup, as Shemar Morrow (6-5, 2020) is another big-time transfer athlete (La Mirada, Calif.) who should benefit immensely from the increased practice competition. Last year’s team, which had good chemistry because of familiarity, made a national reputation playing Montverde Academy on national television. This year’s team, which will play at the Montverde Tournament with the likes of No. 9 Findlay Prep, doesn’t quite have that continuity, but there is a noticeable uptick in the skill and talent level throughout the roster.

13. (18) Cypress Falls (Houston, Texas) 35-3
Key Players: SG Nigel Hawkins 6-4 2018 (Ballislife Underclass All-American), PG Trajan Wesley 5-10 2018 (Louisiana-Lafayette commit), SF DeShang Williams-Weaver 6-6 2018 (No. 143 247Sports.com).
Why This Ranking: You have to like a team that returns all five starters off its UIL Class 6A state title team. If we followed local consensus, the Eagles would be much lower in the FAB 50 and not the preseason No. 1 in the UIL ranks. Implementing the rankings formula we’ve used for 30 years, however, there’s no way we wouldn’t start Cy Falls No. 1 in Texas after winning the state’s most coveted title, no to mention one of the country’s most grueling playoff divisions, with what’s coming back. It begins with returning underclass All-American Hawkins, the team’s leading scorer who went for 33 points in two low-scoring state final four games. He was the Houston Chronicle Player of the Year and a TABC All-State choice. Wesley, who went for 23 points in the 3OT state semifinal win over Skyline of Dallas, has all-state ability and Andrew Nguyen (5-10, 2018) is another talented point guard who compliments Wesley nicely and gives the Eagles another player with experience handling ball-pressure in crunch time.
The Skinny: Coach Richard Flores (who enters his fourth season) and his players are well aware of the grind it takes to win a UIL Class 6A state title; sometimes the team that wins is the most fortunate. This year, Cy Falls will be more explosive, but that doesn’t guarantee the road to the state crown will be easier. No. 31 Austin Westlake and No. 44 Denton Guyer will be clipping at its heels, and South Garland and DeSoto also look like major 6A contenders. At some point, however, Cy Falls’ experience last season will pay dividends. Nguyen and Kendall Scott (6-7, 2018) are returning all-district players, and depth to withstand the grueling playoff haul will be provided by the talented Weaver and Zach Stephenson (6-7, 2018).

14. (37) Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) 28-1
Key Players: PF Jaxson Hayes 6-9 2018 (No. 137 Rivals.com, Texas commit), PG Miles McBride 6-0 2019, SF Jeremiah Davenport 6-5 2018.
Why This Ranking: The Crusaders are the odds-on favorites to capture the Ohio Division I state title after coming up a point short in last year’s state title game. They got the talent, size and motivation to take care of the job this time around. Coach Carl Kremer, who has won three state titles and over 500 games since taking over the program in the 1989-90 season, will miss all-state Keegan McDowell (Liberty), but the team has more than enough firepower to bring home title No. 4 for the veteran coach. McBride is a rock in the backcourt and had big games in Moeller’s run to state last season and Isaiah Payton (6-1, 2018) is another ball-handler with experience and next level talent. Davenport had a breakout run during the state tournament and is a lockdown defender. Hayes backed up Riley Voss (Cornell) last season and hasn’t really made a varsity impact yet. That’s expected to drastically change this season.
The Skinny: Its tough to lose a Top 10 ranking and an unbeaten season in a state title game where the winner scores 39 points, but that’s what happens when less than 10 states around the country employ a shot clock. Moeller also was the victim of misfortune, as an intentional foul was called late in the ball game on an obvious fouling situation for the Crusaders. That will give this team plenty of motivation, and Hayes’ improvement could prove to be the difference. He’s gone from a player toiling on lower level teams to one recruited by the likes of Kentucky. If he has a breakout campaign, the Crusaders will have a good opportunity to hold off the likes of No. 34 Pickerington North and regionally-ranked Pickerington Central, Princeton and Garfield Heights to earn what some Crusaders’ fans feel was unjustly taken away from them last season.

15. (NR) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) 29-8
Key Players: SF Brandon Slater 6-7 2018 (No. 53 247Sports.com, Villanova commit), SG Anthony Harris Jr. 6-2 2019 (No. 77 247Sports.com), PG Jeremy Roach 6-2 2020 (No. 12 Rivals.com).
Why This Ranking: It’s no secret the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) is arguably, top to bottom, the toughest in the country. With that in mind, we’re going to place three WCAC teams in the preseason FAB 50 for the fifth time in the last six seasons. We like the Panthers as the conference favorites for the second time in four years because of the return of four starters and nine lettermen, while No. 19 Gonzaga and No. 38 DeMatha Catholic suffered a bit more graduation losses. Leading the way is Slater, who averaged 15.6 ppg in leading coach Glenn Farello’s club to the WCAC regular season championship and title game of the conference tournament, where it fell to Gonzaga in a rubber match. Slater is cut out to be a major college off-guard, but he can play almost anywhere for the Panthers and is still improving his overall game. Paul VI is well taken care of in the backcourt, as Harris and Roach are considered among the best nationally in their class at their respective positions.
The Skinny: The Panthers had six less losses last season than it did in 2015-16, but still didn’t crack the final FAB 50. A 95-78 loss to No. 29 Trinity Episcopal in the VISAA Division I title game was a main factor, but because of the conference it plays in, Paul VI has more leeway than clubs such as No. 12 Shadow Mountain, No. 13 Cy Falls and No. 14 Archbishop Moeller to endure a loss and not drop too far. Farello does lose guard Aaron Thompson (Pitt), but has excellent depth bolstered by newcomers such as Josh Oduro (6-8, 2019) and Trevor Keels (6-4, 2021). Paul VI opens the season with conference foe Bishop O’Connell then faces No. 7 WCA and regionally-ranked Oak Ridge of Florida at the National High School Hoopfest at DeMatha. The Panthers also travel to the Chick-Fil-A Classic in South Carolina, take on No. 2 Memphis East at the Penny Hardaway Hoopfest and once again play No. 17 Roselle Catholic (whom it beat last season) at the WCAC-NJ Challenge.

RELATED: Preseason 2017-18 FAB 50 (16-30) | Preseason 2016-17 FAB 50 (31-50) | BIL Weekly HS Basketball Showcase | Preseason Regional Top 20 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 2017-18 FAB 50: Top 15 Teams! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

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 18 years ago.

Preseason 2017-18 FAB 50 National
Team Rankings Powered by www.ebooksnet.com

By Ronnie Flores

(Final 2016-17 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 Friday, November 10 and for the preseason Mr. Basketball USA Tracker on Tuesday, November 21.)

RELATED: Preseason 2016-17 FAB 50 (1-15) | Preseason 2016-17 FAB 50 (31-50) | BIL Weekly HS Basketball Showcase | Preseason Regional Top 20 Rankings

16. (BB) Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) 30-4
Key Players: SF Talen Horton-Tucker 6-5 2018 (No. 54 Rivals.com), SF Messiah Jones 6-5 2018 (Drake commit), PG Xavier Pinson 6-3 2018, SG Zion Young 6-4 2018.
Why This Ranking: The Wolverines have the firepower to capture their seventh state title under coach Robert Smith and if they do, he’ll be averaging one every two seasons. Simeon is the IHSA Class 4A favorites because of talents such as Horton-Tucker and tons of depth at each position. Jones had some big playoff games plus he’s not scared to do the dirty work the team needs. There are many interchangeable parts up front that can all defend and rebound. Pinson (a transfer from St. Patrick of Chicago) will be the lead guard and Young (from Merrillville, Ind.) is a natural scorer. Kejuan Clements (6-2, 2019) also has plenty of experience at the one and big things are expected down the line from Ahmad Bynum (6-1, 2021). The Wolverines will look to play at a quick pace and force turnovers to gain an advantage.
The Skinny: With respect to Fenwick, it looks like the Chicago Public League is where a majority of Illinois’ top teams reside, as No. 42 Morgan Park, Whitney Young and Curie will challenge the Wolverines for City supremacy. Simeon downed rival Morgan Park to claim the city title, and they’ll battle once again on December 9. A week earlier, Simeon takes on Chaminade of Missouri (which just missed the FAB 50) at the Chicago Elite Classic. Smith’s club also takes on highly-regarded Memphis East at the Penny Hardaway Hoopfest January 6. In fact, it could meet East twice with the first meeting potentially taking place at the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, Fla. Simeon isn’t terribly big, so it will need to neutralize bigger teams. That means the play of up-and-comer Jeremiah Stamps (6-7, 2019) will be key in order to maintain its ranking. Kezo Brown (6-2, 2018) has had a tumultuous career at Simeon so far, but if he can contribute anywhere near the level he did in the city title game (26 points) and the newcomers mesh, there is no telling how good this team could be come February.

17. (BB) Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 18-11
Key Players: PF Naz Reid 6-10 2018 (No. 18 ESPN.com, LSU commit), SG Kahlil Whitney 6-6 2019 (No. 38 ESPN.com), PG Joshua Pierre-Louis 6-1 2019.
Why This Ranking: The Lions have the necessary talent, and plenty of motivation, to capture their third New Jersey TOC in six seasons (2013, 2015). The anchor is Reid, a big-time presence inside who averaged double figures in points and rebounds while blocking over two shots per game. When he’s motivated, he’s a load to deal and if Roselle lives up to expectations, he could be a dark horse Mr. Basketball USA candidate. Coach Dave Boff expects a big jump in production for Whitney and Pierre-Louis, the younger brother of graduated star guard Nate Pierre-Louis (Temple). Boff also welcomes Delaware commit Ithiel Horton (6-3, 2018), who averaged double figures in scoring at St. Anthony of Jersey City before the school closed in the spring. Before the TOC, of course, the Lions know they must take care of business in the South Jersey, Non-Public B region where nemesis Patrick School and No. 39 Ranney School await.
The Skinny: The Lions spent the majority of last season in the FAB 50 despite a mixed bag of results versus top tier teams and will likely need to cut the overall loss count in half to remain in the Top 25. Roselle Catholic fell four times to No. 25 Patrick School, including in the South Jersey, Non-Public A title game after having put an end to the Celtics’ season in three of the four prior years. Patrick School could easily be New Jersey's preseason No. 2, but we like Boff’s club with eight lettermen returning and because of the size and depth provided by the likes of third returning starter Alanzo Frink (6-9, 2018) and newcomer Cliff Omoruyi (6-11, 2020). The Jersey rankings debate will likely get decided on the court, regardless, and Roselle Catholic has a key stretch of games in late January. The Lions take on Ranney School on January 31, face Patrick School on February 3 and face top-ranked Montverde Academy on February 9.

18. (14) Brentwood Academy (Nashville, Tenn.) 30-2
Key Players: PG Darius Garland 6-0 2018 (No. 10 Hoop Scoop, Ballislife Second Team All-American), SG Cam Johnson 6-2 2018 (Vanderbilt commit – football).
Why This Ranking: There’s a lot to like from a program that has captured three consecutive TSSAA Division II-AA state titles: mainly a returning All-American, three starters and eight lettermen. It begins with Garland, a Mr. Basketball USA candidate who had 30 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in the state title game and averaged 23 ppg as a junior. The other stalwart in the backcourt is Johnson, who is an excellent defender. In fact, coach Hubie Smith feels his backcourt duo are the best defenders he’s ever had and with Garland on the floor the unselfishness is contagious. Many of the lettermen play football, including Vanderbilt commit Gavin Schoenwald (6-6, 2018), so young talents such as Cory Reynolds (6-5, 2020) will need to grow up in a hurry. That valuable experience creates depth and makes Brentwood the odds-on favorites to win a fourth consecutive state crown.
The Skinny: The Eagles closed out last season wining 19 consecutive games, but in order to maintain a lofty FAB 50 ranking it must avoid a slow start while the Grid-Hoopers make the transition to the hardwood. Smith, whose program has great alumni support, seems to be confident even though he graduated six seniors. “We may have less knowledge, but we are deeper and have more size and athleticism; we have a chance to be really good by the end of the season,” Smith said. Brentwood hopes to be rolling by the time its hosts the Brandon Wright Holiday Classic before Christmas. It will then face Olive Branch (Miss.) at the Penny Haradway Hoopfest on January 6 before heading to the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, where the Eagles will test their wits against the likes of Oak Hill Academy, La Lumiere, Webster Groves, No. 43 Wasatch Academy and No. 46 Christ the King.

19. (15) Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 32-5
Key Players: SG Prentiss Hubb 6-3 2018 (No. 46 Hoop Scoop, Notre Dame commit), SF Myles Dread 6-5 2018 (No. 164 247Sports.com, Penn St. commit), SF Terrance Williams 6-7 2020 (No. 26 247Sports.com).
Why This Ranking: We almost give the nod to Gonzaga over Brentwood Academy at No. 18, but then we recalled why we put the Eagles in the preseason Top 10 last season. Darius Garland is the type of point guard Gonzaga had last season, so the WCAC’s preseason No. 2 starts one slot below. Don’t feel sorry for coach Steve Turner as life for his program begins with point guard Chris Lykes. The two-time Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) player of the year is now at Miami, but the Eagles may still have the best guard in the league in Hubb. He averaged 13.9 ppg while playing off the ball and will slide over to the lead guard while still providing his excellent defensive, passing, and rebounding ability. Wing guard Dread (10.4 ppg) and the talented Williams (7.2 ppg) both received all-WCAC acclaim and are primed to increase their statistical production.
The Skinny: Two years ago, we had Gonzaga as the third WCAC in the FAB 50 and it finished in third place. Last season we the Eagles as the front-runner and they went on to win the conference title. This season, we rate the Eagles a whisker behind Paul VI as solid No. 2 in front of No. 38 DeMatha Catholic. The key will be which team can steal a key road game or two to take control of the conference standings. Turner thinks highly of this club and the bodies moving up from JayVee and freshman teams that went a combined 39-4 will push the nine returning lettermen in practice. “Our team’s biggest strengths are depth, the ability to score the ball and turn people over,” Turner said. Gonzaga will host its own classic December 8-10 that includes Roman Catholic of Philadelphia and regionally-ranked Cardinal Hayes of New York, play at the Slam Dunk To The Beach in Delaware and the Hoophall Classic.

20. (20) Clarkston (Clarkston, Mich.) 27-1
Key Players: PG Foster Loyer 6-0 2018 (No. 63 ESPN.com, Ballislife Second Team All-American, Michigan St. commit), PF Thomas Kithier 6-8 2018 (No. 95 Rivals.com, Michigan St. commit), PF Taylor Currie 6-9 2018 (No. 247 247Sports.com).
Why This Ranking: The Wolves begin in the same FAB 50 spot they finished last year after capturing the MHSAA Class A state title, the first for veteran coach Dane Fife. Clarkston, which began at No. 33 last year, could be even better this year with most of the cast returning and the addition of Kithier. He comes over from Dakota McComb after twice earning all-state honors and averaging 21 points and 12 rebounds as a junior. Clarkston also adds Hank Schemmel (6-7, 2018), who moved in from Archbishop Spalding in Maryland. With Currie back in the mix, the Wolves have one of the most talented frontlines in the Midwest. He originally was committed to Michigan, but re-opened his recruitment after re-classing to the 2018 class.
The Skinny: Kithier will now team up with his running mate on All-Ohio Red: Foster. With all the glowing credentials of the big men, it’s Loyer who gives this team a national profile as one of the most accomplished players in the country and his backcourt mate C.J. Robinson (5-11, 2018) isn’t shabby, either. Loyer earned All-American acclaim after scoring 29 points in the state title game and averaged 25.4 ppg, four rpg, six apg, and three spg while making 199 consecutive free throws. Belleville comes in as our No. 2 team from Michigan and we gave that team some FAB 50 consideration, but the gap between them and Clarkston is considerable. There was some talk of setting up a showdown with a highly-regarded FAB 50 team, but Michigan’s travel restrictions hurts Clarkston’s ability to test itself outside the Midwest Region. So once again, Clarkston will have to make a slow play up in the rankings. If there is no complacency and the newcomers mesh, there is no reason this team can’t climb into the Top 10.

21. (NR) University School (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) 20-7
Key Players: PF Vernon Carey Jr. 6-10 2019 (No. 1 247Sports.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), SF Scottie Barnes 6-7 2020 (No. 5 247Sports.com), SG Trey Doomes 6-3 2018 (No. 223 247Sports.com, West Virginia commit), PG Drue Drinnon 6-0 2018 (No. 182 247Sports.com, New Mexico commit).
Why This Ranking: This is a team we reward for the personnel on its roster and the loaded schedule it will play and don’t factor in much on the results of the previous season. The Sharks fell in the FHSAA Class 5A Region 4 semifinals, but rate as the state title favorites this year with a big-time returner, some excellent athletes and key transfers. Coach Adrian Sosa welcomes back Carey (22 ppg, 8 rpg) and with big outings in the big games, the powerful and skilled pivot could earn All-American acclaim. Backcourt returnees Xavien Flowers (5-10, 2019) and Joshua Sanguinetti (6-2, 2019) are big-time football players (Flowers a receiver and Sanguinetti a safety) and their transition from the gridiron will be eased by three big-time transfers. Doomes has plenty of scoring ability while Drinnon gets in the lane with ease and is known for his clutch play. Barnes is one of the best players in his class nationally with his combination of length and passing ability.
The Skinny: There is plenty to like about this team, although it hasn’t proven it on a national scale yet. Sosa coached Carey, Flowers, Doomes, Logan Alters (6-0, 2019) and Levy Renaud (6-2, 2018) on the Nike Team Florida EYBL team while Carey played with Barnes on the USA Basketball 16U team. That means the chemistry will be, provided the transfers are eligible. Sosa is concerned about his team’s depth and he’ll need to develop some against a schedule that includes a game against FAB 50 No. 1 contender Oak Hill Academy (Hoophall Classic). University opens the City of Palms Classic against highly-regarded Archbishop Malloy of New York.

22. (36) Apple Valley (Apple Valley, Minn.) 30-2
Key Players: PG Tre Jones 6-2 2018 (No. 4 Hoop Scoop, Ballislife Second Team All-American, Duke commit), SF Luke Martens 6-3 2018, C Spencer Rolland 6-7 2018 (Harvard commit - football).
Why This Ranking: Having one of the nation’s best guards and a strong senior class is always an ingredient for success and that’s exactly what coach Zach Goring has at his disposal. For the second time in three seasons, the Eagles spoiled an unbeaten championship season of Champlin Park to capture the MHSSL Class 4A title. If this program is going to win a state crown for the third time in four years, Jones will have plenty to do with it. He willed Apple Valley to avenging victories in the state semifinals and championship game, going for 24 points, 18 rebounds and five assists. He averaged 23 ppg, 10 rpg and 7 apg while lifting his teammates’ play to another level. The maturity level of the role players has grown, as Martens (10.6 ppg) was in double figures in half of Apple Valley’s games and with his football background he’s not scared to play whatever role necessary for his team to win. He’s getting recruited in both sports and excels on both ends of the hardwood with his timely scoring and rebounding. Rolland also is a Grid-Hooper and gives this perimeter-oriented team muscle inside.
The Skinny: The Eagles are physically strong and with 11 total lettermen returning, they’ll be awfully tough to beat in-state. Not only are they physically strong, Goring really likes their shooting prowess and ability to play for one another. Apple Valley can move up provided it remains unbeaten, and a December 30 game vs. No. 47 Cretin-Derham Hall in a state No. 1 vs. No. 2 affair at the Granite City Classic will show this team where it stands and what it needs work on over the second half of the season to meet its championship goals.

23. (13) Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.) 34-4
Key Players: SF John Newman III 6-5 2018 (No. 120 247Sports.com, Clemson commit), SG Will Dillard 6-3 2018 (No. 179 247Sports.com), PF Mike Fowler 6-9 2019.
Why This Ranking: The Bengals begin the preseason one spot lower than they did in 2016-17 when they lived up to expectations by winning the NCISA Class 3A title. They moved up in the final rankings by defeating a IMG Academy team that was No. 6 at the time to give the NCISA its first win at Dick’s Nationals. Greensboro Day has two starters back and four of its five seniors have played in two Dick’s Nationals, so the combination of talent, experience and tradition make this ranking warranted. Newman was the PACIS co-Player of the Year with graduated teammate J.P. Moorman (Temple) and both he and Dillard are excellent defenders. The third senior the Bengals will rely on is Alex Michael (6-5, 2018), a defensive-oriented, team-first guy and improved shooter.
The Skinny: Veteran coach Freddy Johnson (992-283), now beginning his 41st season at Greensboro Day, has won a record nine NCISAA state titles. The 2016-17 Ballislife National Coach of the Year will win his 1,000th game early in the season, but getting state title No. 10 won’t be an easy task. Piedmont rival Wesleyan Christian Academy rates as the slight title favorites with a bit more overall firepower, but Johnson’s staff likes its chances with a 10-deep squad that includes newcomers Tripp Greene (6-1, 2018), a 18 ppg scorer at Forsyth Country Day, and Nicholas Evtimov (6-7, 2019). The Bengals’ showdowns with WCA will take place a week apart in late January, but their FAB 50 ranking will center around how they fare at the Iolani Classic, where No. 1 contender Montverde Academy, No. 30 Jefferson, No. 40 Rainier Beach and regionally ranked clubs L.A. Fairfax and Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland fill out the bracket.

24. (8) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 26-2
Key Players: PF Silvio De Sousa 6-9 2018 (No. 15 Hoop Scoop, Kansas commit), SF Josh Green 6-6 2019 (No. 24 247Sports.com), C Chol Marial 7-1 2019 (No. 4 ESPN.com), SF Darius Days 6-7 2018 (No. 58 247Sports.com, LSU commit), SG Jahmius Ramsey 6-4 2019.
Why This Ranking: The personnel on hand may be indicative of a higher spot, but we’ll take a wait-and-see approach with regards to how the talent meshes with a coaching change. Vince Walden (Arkansas St.) led one of the nation’s most talented teams that earned the No. 2 seed at Dick’s Nationals before being upset by Greensboro Day. New coach Sean McAloon comes over after six years at St. John’s College Prep of Washington, D.C. in the WCAC and seven seasons prior at Benedictine of Richmond, Va. Having that experience coaching in high level, high intensity games will help him manage this talented roster. De Sousa is the lone returning starter among four lettermen and there is talent at each position. Noah Farrakhan (6-0, 2020) has big-game experience at the point and Arkansas-bound Keshawn Embery (6-3, 2018) can also run the point or slide over to the two.
The Skinny: It wouldn’t surprise us to see this FHSAA independent program hop over some teams ranked ahead of it that doesn’t play the same type of schedule. We’re just waiting to see how the pieces all jell. Marial has a chance to be special and Green could have a breakout year while Days provides depth and athleticism. “We should be very fast and quick with our versatility giving us different ways to attack,” McAloon said. IMG will play regionally-ranked Wheeler of Georgia and McAloon’s old St. John’s team at the National High School Hoops Festival, will participate in both the Chick-Fil-A Classic and John Wall Invitational, while playing FAB 50 title contender Findlay Prep at the Cancer Research Classic.

25. (9) Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) 29-4
Key Players: PF Valdir Manuel 6-9 2018 (No. 108 247Sports.com), PG Al Amir-Dawes 6-1 2019 (No. 72 247Sports.com), PG Markquis Nowell 5-8 2018 (No. 230 247Sports.com), PG Atiba Taylor 6-3 2019.
Why This Ranking: The Celts are similar to IMG in that they have more raw talent than a handful of teams ranked ahead of them, but a bunch of new faces. Patrick School started five seniors in their NJSIAA Tournament of Champions run, but it has the talent to win back-to-back TOC crowns if the breaks go its way. Manuel actually has starting experience and coach Chris Chavannes is quite high on Australian import Giorgi Bezhanishvilli (6-10, 2018). Taylor comes over from Hackensack (N.J.) and can score or facilitate at a high level. Chavannes expects a big jump in production from Amir-Dawes to help off-set the loss of a fantastic senior class.
The Skinny: This team has a lot of what last year’s team that began the season No. 3 in the FAB 50 did: big-time size and depth on the frontline. Still it’s never easy replacing six D1 players and the Celtics will have plenty of opportunity to move up. Another factor in their positioning is local rankings, where they fall behind Hudson Catholic and battle No. 17 Roselle Catholic for state preseason No. 2. The local schedule to capture the South Jersey and overall Non-Public A title won’t be easy and there is enough national games on the schedule where a loss won’t knock the Celtics all the way out before the post-season begins. Last year Chavannes felt anything other than a TOC crown would be a disappointment and he’s ultra-confident in his group once again. “This team is as deep as any we’ve ever had,” Chavannes said. “We have a very big frontline again, and this team will be as good if not better than last year’s team, but we still have to get it done.”

26. (4) Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 31-1*
Key Players: SF Donta Scott 6-7 2019 (No. 76 247Sports.com), SG Dahmir Bishop 6-4 2019, PG Bernard Lightsey 6-0 2018, SF Jamil Riggins 6-6 2019 (No. 146 247Sports.com).
Why This Ranking: The Panthers were our hunch team last season, opening up at No. 20 in the FAB 50. They played above expectations, but graduated a strong senior class that included three D1 players, so they’ll likely take a step back in 2017-18. Coach Andre Noble (312-75) does have enough returning pieces and talent to be just outside the Top 25. It starts with Scott, last year’s second leading scorer behind star guard Daron Russell (Rhode Island) and Noble expects him to take the next step up this season. He is a bit concerned about his depth at point guard, so the play of Lightsey will be key.
The Skinny: Last year’s team had good balance but some questions marks up front and this year it’s the opposite. There is balance and experience, but the play of the guards will determine how far this team goes. A strong group of juniors means this team is still the Philly Public League favorites and will likely be much better come playoff time, but it cannot afford to drop too many showcase games in order to stay in the rankings. If Bishop, Elijah Taylor (6-8, 2020) and “Reefy” Knox (6-6, 2019) make good progression, this team will fare well against a schedule that includes a trip to the Beach Ball Classic where the likes of Montverde Academy, No. 35 Long Island Lutheran, No. 36 Clark, No. 38 DeMatha, and No. 48 Bishop Gorman await. The Panthers take on highly-regarded La Lumiere at the Cancer Research Classic and also participate at the Hoophall Classic.

27. (BB) Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 21-6
Key Players: PF J’Raan Brooks 6-9 2018 (No. 29 Hoop Scoop), PG Pierre Crockwell 6-0 2019 (No. 156 247Sports.com), SF Jamon Kemp 6-6 2019, SG MarJon Beauchamp 6-5 2020 (No. 15 Rivals.com).
Why This Ranking: The Bulldogs were right in this range to open last season (No. 30) and only lost to three teams: No. 40 Rainier Beach, No. 19 Gonzaga and four times to FAB 50 National Champ Nathan Hale. The coach of the defending champions (Brandon Roy) is now back at his alma mater and with Hale’s core of players moving on, the Bulldogs are the favorites in the Metro League. Brooks is a big-time talent who will be the go-to scorer underneath. Ed Chang (6-8, 2018), a Washington commit from Papillion-La Vista in Nebraska who averaged 18.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg, and 4.0 bpg, will shift more to the wing on this team and be even more dangerous. Crockwell comes in from Prolific Prep (Calif.) and will be spelled by Eddie Turner (6-1, 2018). Beauchamp may start or lead a bench that Roy will confidently use with little drop off when he goes to it.
The Skinny: Last season at Hale, Roy had the nation’s best player (Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr.) and many times he let him improvise on offense. He does a good job of adjusting to his personnel and this year Garfield plans to run more sets instead of free-lancing. If everyone is on the same page, Garfield will be a tough out because there is an abundance of talent. The surprise in practice so far is Kemp (the son of former NBA standout Shawn Kemp), as the coaching staff expects a more defined role and bigger impact than what they faced at Hale last year. Garfield’s key stretch from a rankings standpoint will be when it travels to the Rancho Mirage Holiday Invitational after Christmas and takes on No. 40 Rainier Beach and No. 30 Jefferson over MLK weekend.

28. (BB) Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 35-4
Key Players: PF Jalen Smith 6-9 2018 (No. 15 ESPN.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American, Maryland commit), PG James Bishop 6-2 2019 (No. 111 Rivals.com), PG Tyree Meyers 6-0 2018.
Why This Ranking: The Gaels have the necessary ingredients to be a Top 25 team this winter: mainly talent, depth and experience. Coach Pat Clatchey’s club won three league and tournament championships last season and return three starters and seven of the first nine in the rotation. It starts with Smith, who could be in store for an All-American season after averaging 17 ppg, 9 rpg, and 3 bpg while earning Baltimore Catholic League, Gatorade State and Baltimore Sun All-Metro co-Player of the Year honors. Bishop (17 ppg) had a huge sophomore season and can play both guard sports, while Meyers (8 ppg) is a true lead guard and coach on the floor.
The Skinny: Mt. St. Joseph is the favorites in the tough Baltimore Catholic League and it’ll find out right away how it stacks up against the field when it travels to play highly-regarded John Carroll and its five returning starters on November 27. In order to move up, Mt. St. Joe’s must hold serve in league play and in the MIAA ranks and not have a letdown should it participate in the Alhambra Catholic Invitational. There is depth to avoid any letdowns with the likes of Kendall McMillan (6-2, 2018), last year’s sixth man, returning after averaging 9 ppg and 6 rpg. Clatchey had a 31-2 JayVee team last year and touts Jason Edokapyi (6-6, 2020) and Tyler Brelsford (6-2, 2020) as future D1 players.

29. (25) Trinity Episcopal (Richmond, Va.) 35-1
Key Players: PF Armando Bacot 6-10 2019 (No. 13 Rivals.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), PG Jason Wade 6-5 2018 (Old Dominion commit), SF Henry Coleman 6-7 2020.
Why This Ranking: Arguably the nation’s most underappreciated team during the 2016-17 regular season, the Titans made noise nationally when they downed Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and FAB 50 regular Paul VI 95-78 in the VISAA D1 championship game. This season they won’t sneak up on anyone, but coach Rick Hamlin’s crew has enough talent with a winning pedigree to warrant a spot in the FAB 50 after flying under the radar in the preseason last year. Ten lettermen return and Hamlin has three future high major players to do battle with so he likes his team’s chances at a repeat state crown.
The Skinny: The Titans do lose Virginia Prep League MVP Zach Jacobs (James Madison) but Bacot, who averaged 20 ppg and 12 rpg last season as a sophomore, is in position for a dominant season after an excellent summer playing for Team Loaded Virginia; he can choose nearly any college in the country to attend. Wade (16 ppg) is a returning all-stater and transfer Coleman already has major scholarship offers. We also like the Titans because they’ll be tested right away, playing FAB 50 title contender Montverde Academy at the Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta. “We’re going to find some things out in a hurry; we should be good as long as we stay healthy, humble and hungry,” Hamlin said.

30. (23) Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) 27-1
Key Players: PF Kamaka Hepa 6-9 2018 (No. 46 Rivals.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American, Texas commit), PG Marcus Tsohonis 6-4 2019 (No. 154 247Sports.com), PF Khalil Chatman 6-8 2018.
Why This Ranking: The Democrats won their first Class 6A state title last season after opening the season as the prohibitive favorites and find themselves in the same position again in 2017-18. It all starts with Hepa, the most heralded of the three returning starters, as he averaged 20 ppg, 12 rpg and 5 apg while earning first team all-state accolades. Tsohonis (16 ppg, 7 rpg, 5 apg) is a budding talent who could needs to play big in the big games while Robert Ford (6-0, 2018) could turn recruiters’ heads with big performances in the big games. Transfers Chatman, who averaged 21 ppg and 11 rpg at Franklin of Portland, and Andrew Graves (6-10, 2019) give this team an opportunity to do something special on a national scale.
The Skinny: Despite losing two starters, including all-stater Geno West (Idaho), Jefferson begins the season six spots higher than last preseason and has the ability to climb closer to the Top 15 based on its upgraded schedule. The Demos head to the Iolani Classic where highly-regarded Montverde Academy, No. 23 Greensboro Day and No. 40 Rainier Beach fill out the bracket. The Demos will also play in the Les Schwab Invitational where Oak Hill Academy and Mater Dei of California visit Oregon and face Garfield of Seattle over MLK weekend.

RELATED: Preseason 2016-17 FAB 50 (1-15) | Preseason 2016-17 FAB 50 (31-50) | BIL Weekly HS Basketball Showcase | Preseason Regional Top 20 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 2017-18 FAB 50: Teams No. 16-30! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

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 18 years ago.

Preseason 2017-18 FAB 50 National
Team Rankings Powered by www.ebooksnet.com

By Ronnie Flores

(Final 2016-17 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 Friday, November 10 and for the preseason Mr. Basketball USA Tracker on Tuesday, November 21.)

RELATED: Preseason 2017-18 FAB 50 (1-15) | Preseason 2017-18 FAB 50 (16-30) | BIL HS Basketball Weekly Showcase | Preseason Regional Top 20 Rankings

31. (NR) Westlake (Austin, Texas) 29-7 
Key Players: SF Matthew Mayer 6-7 2018 (No. 57 ESPN.com, Baylor commit), SF Brock Cunningham 6-6 2018, C Will Baker 6-10 2019 (No. 13 ESPN.com).
Why This Ranking: Last season the Chaparrals got the nod as the UIL Class 6A favorites and the Texas Basketball Association of Coaches (TABC) has them penciled in as the preseason top-ranked team in state over No. 44 Guyer. Westlake is more talented than last season, but in our rankings system if a defending champion has nearly all its team returning, as Cypress Falls does, there’s no reason to start another team ahead of it. Still, with four returning starters and Baker ready to step into a bigger role, the Chaps will be hard to beat come playoff time. It starts with Cunningham (14.7 ppg, 11.3 rpg), a throwback who rebounds and gets on the floor like a Jayvee fighting for time off the bench and was the All-Central Texas Player of the Year. Mayer is a talented wing prospect who can fill it up in a hurry, while Xavier commit Keonte Kennedy (6-4, 2018) can slash and get opponents in foul trouble.
The Skinny: Coach Robert Lucero’s club is not only talented; it’s extremely motivated after blowing a nine-point lead in a regional final loss to San Antonio Wagner. It was the second consecutive Final Eight loss for a program that opened last season No. 27 in the FAB 50 and has never reached the UIL Final Four. The loss to Humble Atascocita in 2016 was to a highly-ranked FAB 50 team, while Westlake feels it was clearly the better team against Wagner. Cunningham has to remain healthy and out of foul trouble (he fouled out against Wagner) and the guard play, led by Luke Pluymen (6-0, 2018), has to be on top of its game if Westlake is going to win six games in a row to capture make its first trip to state and capture the coveted state crown. We’ll find out more about the Texas pecking order right away when the Chaps take on No. 44 Guyer at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest in Dallas November 25.

32. (NR) New Albany (New Albany, Ind.) 25-4
Key Players: SG Romeo Langford 6-4 2018 (No. 5 247Sports.com, Ballislife Second Team All-American), PG Sean East 6-0 2018.
Why This Ranking: The Bulldogs begin the season a spot lower than last season when they were coming off a 2015-16 season that saw the program win its first state title since 1973. New Albany is once again the favorites to win the Class 4A state crown, but it will need consistency and role players to step up in order to maintain its FAB 50 ranking. East (12.0 ppg, 4.2 apg) had a solid summer and could take on a bigger offensive role if necessary. He’s a good leader and could earn some D1 looks with a big start to the season.
The Skinny: Langford, of course, is why New Albany is so highly-regarded and the favorite to win the state title over the likes of Zionsville, North Side of Ft. Wayne and cross-town Lawrence North. After earning Ballislife National Sophomore of the Year Honors, last season he averaged 28.7 ppg and 8.9 rpg, but there wasn’t a huge uptick in his overall game. With a big season, Langford has a chance to break the Indiana career scoring mark of 1990 Mr. Basketball USA Damon Bailey of Bedford North Lawrence (3,134). The scoring race, however, won’t be the key to the season as much of the development of talents such as 6-foot-4 sophomore Julien Hunter (5.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and 6-foot-5 senior Blake Murphy (4.3 ppg) will be. The Bulldogs ranking will be tested right away when it meets North Side, a 4A state finalist last season, on December 10 at the Forum Tip-Off at Southport Fieldhouse.

33. (6) Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) 31-2
Key Players: SG David Singleton 6-4 2018 (No. 39 247Sports.com, UCLA commit), PG Gianni Hunt 6-3 2019 (No. 86 Rivals.com), SF Fletcher Tynen 6-6 2018 (Boston University commit).
Why This Ranking: Last season some long-time writers and followers of the SoCal basketball scene thought we were flat out nuts to place Bishop Montgomery in front of a Sierra Canyon team that had five d1 recruits, two Pac-12 players and future NBA lottery pick Marvin Bagley. In the end, our hunch was spot on, as coach Doug Mitchell’s team went on to win CIF-Southern Section and CIF State Open crowns to finish ranked one spot ahead of where it began in the preseason (No. 7). Without the graduated Cal-Hi Sports Mr. Basketball Ethan Thompson (Oregon St.) and Jordan Schakel (San Diego St.), the team may take a small step back, but don’t be surprised if the Knights are in the section and regional final once again.
The Skinny: The reason the Knights have an opportunity to win back-to-back CIF State Open crowns is their defense is always top notch. Singleton is a Cal-Hi Sports Mr. Basketball candidate, Hunt is one of the best underclass point guards in the state and Tynen impacts both ends of the floor. In fall leagues, Montgomery has been in mid-season form defensively and when you combine that with the three returning starters, 10 lettermen and newcomers Lazar Nekic (6-11, 2019) and Oscar Lopez (6-4, 2019) it’s easy to see why Montgomery has a good chance to move up in the rankings. Similar to the 2015-16 team that began No. 36 in the FAB 50, we’ll slow play the Knights because they don’t play in a big-time out-of-state tournament or showcase.

34. (NR) Pickerington North (Pickerington, Ohio) 22-7
Key Players: SF Jerome Hunter 6-7 2018 (No. 50 Rivals.com, Indiana commit), PF Elijah McNamera 6-8 2018 (Miami-Ohio commit), SG Dondre Palmer 6-5 2018.
Why This Ranking: This team has a nice blend of returning talent, newcomers and experience to make a serious run at the Ohio Division I state title. The team, and in particular Hunter, caught fire at the end of the regular season and advanced to the Columbus Regional Final, where it fell to highly-regarded Pickerington Central. Hunter (19.8 ppg, 10.5 rpg) is a legit Ohio Mr. Basketball candidate while McNamera (9.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg), who is a versatile inside player, had a breakout season after playing little as a sophomore. Palmer (10.0 ppg) is also a capable scorer and a good defensive player.
The Skinny: It’s going to be a battle of attrition for the D1 state crown between early favorite Moeller of Cincinnati, the Panthers, Pick Central, Garfield Heights and Princeton of Cincinnati, all of which were considered for the FAB 50. Coach Jason Bates’ club had good size, a go-to player and quality depth. The Panthers also took a step closer to Moeller from a rankings perspective with the additions of Ross Ryan (6-9, 2018) and Corey Baker (6-0, 2018).

35. (NR) Clark (Las Vegas, Nev.) 27-5
Key Players: SG Trey Woodbury 6-4 2018 (No. 129 Rivals.com, UNLV commit), PG Greg Foster Jr. 6-5 2018 (No. 188 247Sports.com), SF Jalen Hill 6-7 2019, PF James Brides 6-5 2018.
Why This Ranking: Sin City is buzzing about this Chargers team and the possibility of a NIAA public school being the best team in Nevada and highly-ranked. The last time a Vegas public school won the largest classification (4A) state title was in 2011 (Canyon Springs) and this team could be the first Vegas public school since Cheyenne in 2002-03 (No. 17) to finish FAB 50 ranked. The ingredients are there as the Chargers return five starters and add at least two newcomers who will play a valuable role. Woodbury (14.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.4 apg) is a returning first team all-state selection while Hill, who is improving rapidly, the physical Bridges and versatile Ian Alexander (6-6, 2018) all gained all-state recognition.
The Skinny: The Chargers did beat No. 48 Bishop Gorman last season to ends the Gaels’ 79-game winning streak versus NIAA foes, but they also changed coaches and lost a eight-point lead in the closing minute and a half in a state title game loss to Gorman. Coach Chad Beeten is back after a one-year coaching stint in California and Clark has been more impressive in fall leagues than the Gaels. Throwing Foster Jr. in the mix not only makes Clark the clear NIAA Class 4A favorites, it makes the team a national player as the Chargers travel to the Beach Ball Classic and stay home in attempt to capture the Tarkanian Classic title. In spite of all the experience and firepower, Clark still has to prove it can live up to expectations when it matters.

36. (BB) Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 23-4
Key Players: PF Donatas Kupsas 6-8 2018, PG Tyson Etienne 6-2 2019, SF Frankie Policelli 6-8 2018 (No. 140 247Sports.com).
Why This Ranking: After losing to Lincoln of Brooklyn in the New York Federation Class AA title game, the Crusaders are once again talented enough to compete for the federation crown and national acclaim. With a roster with up to seven D1 players, coach John Buck’s team is a big favorite to win New York’s Independent Schools title (NYSAIS) and play the schedule to make a push towards the Top 25. Even with the loss of three starters and forward Harrison Warnock, there is an abundance of returning talent including Kupsas, a talented stretch-four from Lithuania who gained confidence playing in the FIBA 19U World Championships in Egypt last summer. LuHi’s depth, length and versatility will make it a tough out.
The Skinny: New York teams seem to be on the upswing after a short down period where they didn’t make a huge dent in the FAB 50. Archbishop Malloy of Queens could be a FAB 50 title contender and No. 46 Christ the King in the CHSAA and Lincoln and South Shore in the PSAL could be in the FAB 50 mix with the Crusaders. Veterans such as power forward Esam Mostafa (6-8, 2019) will need to step up in big games at events such as the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina, the Hoophall Classic, the SNY Invitational and the Big Apple Invitational where the Crusaders play Providence Day of North Carolina. It’s chemistry with the newcomers, however, that will be key to surviving the schedule. Etienne is a future D1 point guard and Policelli is motivated to use LuHi’s platform to prove he’s a legitimate Top 100 player in the national senior class.

37. (21) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 27-3
Key Players: SG Duane Washington 6-4 2018 (Ohio St. commit), PG Scottie Pippen Jr. 6-0 2019, PF K.J. Martin 6-7 2019, SG Cassius Stanley 6-5 2019 (No. 10 Rivals.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American).
Why This Ranking: This team graduated as much raw talent as any in the country and has a new coach, but there is just too much new blood for the Trailblazers not to be in the rankings. It begins with Washington, who proved in fall leagues he’s vastly underrated nationally. The combo guard from Grand Rapids (Mich.) Christian is an excellent shooter and should average upwards of 18 ppg on this team. Pippen Jr. is a crafty lead guard who averaged 11.8 ppg at Pine Crest (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) and now has more weapons around him. Martin, who like Pippen is the son of a former NBA standout, is coming over from nearby Chaminade and is an active rebounder and strong finisher.
The Skinny: Andre Chevalier, a former assistant, is actually not a new head coach, as he had previous stints at Oaks Christian and Cleveland of Reseda and was the acting head coach in the playoffs last year when Ty Nichols stepped aside. Not surprisingly to us, that strategy didn’t work as Sierra Canyon lost to state preseason No. 1 Bishop Montgomery in the CIFSS Open Division semifinals and lost in the regional opener for the second year in a row. This team isn’t as talented, but is a major threat to Mater Dei of Santa Ana, No. 33 Bishop Montgomery and Oak Park to win the CIFSS Open crown because of the blue collar approach. Chevalier wants this team to peak at playoff time, so the development of Terren Frank (6-8, 2020) and the incorporation of Stanley after the 30-day sit out period will be critical.

38. (NR) DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 25-10
Key Players: SG Justin Moore 6-3 2019 (No. 60 Rivals.com), C Hunter Dickinson 7-1 2020 (No. 7 ESPN.com), SG Carsten Kogelnik 6-5 2019.
Why This Ranking: The Stags have enough talent, tradition and play enough FAB 50 ranked foes to offset their relative youth. Last season, DeMatha came in fourth place in the ultra-competitive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) and this year there are three teams from the conference in the FAB 50 so coach Mike Jones (404-107) knows there is work to be done. DeMatha lost three D1 seniors to graduation, but 10 lettermen gained valuable playing time, especially after Moore (14 ppg) went down to injury during conference play. In addition to his return, Dickinson (4.8 ppg) has made huge strides and expect his numbers to more than double this season. Ditto for Kogelnik (4.2 ppg). “This group gained a ton of experience last season and added some nice pieces; we will have very competitive practices which should translate well to our games,” Jones said.
The Skinny: The Stags have been a staple in the FAB 50 since its beginning and have arguably been the program to appear most consistently in national rankings since they began in a weekly format in 1975-76. They have the talent to move up, but if the underclass returnees don’t step up the production, the schedule could be more overwhelming than a confidence-builder. With that in mind, it will be important for newcomers such as Earl Timberlake Jr. (6-4, 2020), Josh Wallace (6-1, 2019) and Jamir Young (5-8, 2019) to be ready when called upon. In addition to weekly WCAC wars, the Stags play in the Beach Ball Classic with the likes of No. 48 Bishop Gorman, No. 36 Clark, No. 35 Long Island Lutheran and FAB 50 title contender Montverde Academy, at the Cancer Research Classic versus highly-regarded McEachern of Georgia and versus Archbishop Malloy of New York at the Hoophall Classic.

39. (NR) Ranney School (Tinton Falls, N.J.) 22-6
Key Players: SF Scottie Lewis 6-6 2019 (No. 5 247Sports.com), SG Bryan Antoine 6-3 2019 (No. 3 247Sports.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American).
Why This Ranking: The Panthers are a talent-laden team and have a big window in terms of opportunity to move up in the rankings, but they also have many local landmines that could prevent a higher ranking. Coach Taj Holden started five sophomores last season that advanced to the South Jersey, Non-Public B semifinals, where Ranney School lost to FAB 50 power Patrick School. Lewis (16.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 3.4 apg) is one of the most talented and exciting players in the nation regardless of class, but it is Antoine who is consistently the most productive player. He averaged 20.5 ppg, 4 rpg, 2.5 apg and 3.4 spg and was third five all-state by NJ.com. This team is young, but gained valuable experience playing together against tough competition, while Antoine and Lewis are long-time teammates on the Team Rio travel club.
The Skinny: Although this team has loads of potential and plays a national schedule, it’s still fourth in the New Jersey rankings pecking order behind the Celtics, Hudson Catholic and Roselle Catholic. The Panthers’ ranking going into 2018 will be dependent on how they fare at the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, Fla., where they open versus highly-regarded McEachern of Georgia. They also play Roselle Catholic on January 31 and must get by the Celtics when it counts in the post-season. With that in mind, the consistency of point guard Ahmadu Sarnor (6-2, 2019) and the production of power forward Chris Autino (6-6-, 2019) cannot be underestimated.

40. (NR) Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 22-10
Key Players: SF Kevin Porter Jr. 6-6 2018 (No. 36 Rivals.com), SG Fred Roberson 6-2 2018, PG Trevante Anderson 6-1 2018.
Why This Ranking: The basketball-crazed city of Seattle produced its first FAB 50 national champion last season when Nathan Hale rose all the way from No. 38 to No. 1, and veteran coach Mike Bethea hopes that Emerald City magic can rub off on his program. Last season, there were three Metro League teams in the FAB 50 mix, but with Michael Porter Jr. now in college and Hale coach Brandon Roy now at Garfield, it’s again a two-horse race for the league crown and Bethea likes his team’s chances. He feels his Porter Jr. will do what Roy’s did last season. “Kevin is going to be the dominant player in this league,” Bethea said. “He’s a matchup nightmare because he can do so many things.” Roberson is a returning all-city talent who is even better as a running back, and there is a nice blend of newcomers and returning role players.
The Skinny: The Vikings were quite talented last season when they opened up No. 23 in the FAB 50. It may have been a tad high, but the team never came together like Bethea (530-130) expects this one to do. In fact, he likens this unit to his 2001-02 club led by Nate Robinson and the Stewart twins that finished No. 8 in the FAB 50 (28-1). The chemistry is good, the players have similar goals and Anderson, a transfer from Tacoma Lincoln, is a first rate lead guard as the graduated Kahlil Shabazz (Central Washington). Mike Monroe (6-2, 2019), utility man Darrious Ballou (6-6, 2018), sharpshooter Kenny Curtis (5-8, 2019) and Nate Murray (6-4, 2019) provide depth. Beach is schedule to play Garfield during the regular season right before MLK weekend and will find out what improvements need to be made when they travel to the Iolani Classic before Christmas.

41. (26) Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 26-6
Key Players: PG Kyle Sturdivant 6-2 2019 (No. 113 Rivals.com), SF JoJo Toppin 6-6 2018 (No. 102 247Sports.com), SG B.J. Boston 6-4 2020 (No. 11 247Sports.com).
Why This Ranking: The Blue Devils begin in the same rankings position it did last season when they advanced all the way to the GHSA Class AAAAAAA state title game before falling to upstart Tift County, 55-52. Despite losing their big guns up front in Rayshaun Hammonds (Georgia) and Lance Thomas (Louisville), veteran coach Jesse McMillan has a quick and talented team. He loves his guard play led by four-year starter and floor general Dalvin White (5-11, 2018), an excellent 3-point shooter, and combo guard Sturdivant. Boston is a big-time talent and McMillan plans to have multiple lead guards on the floor at the same time. That means Toppin and newcomer Issa Muhammad (6-9, 2019) need to score and play big on the boards against the better teams.
The Skinny: Even though Norcross has to replace a lot, there are potentially fewer land minds in the Class AAAAAAA ranks this year than last when there was four FAB 50 ranked teams. Wheeler and Buford are also in the FAB 50 mix, but the only team surely in front of Norcross will be McEachern. McMillan is a bit worried about the lack of depth and experience, but the Blue Devils will grow up quick playing Miller Grove of Lithonia to open the season, Gainesville at the On The Radar Showcase then No. 50 Mountain Brook Academy and highly-regarded Wesleyan Christian Academy of North Carolina at the Holiday Hoopsgiving.

42. (BB) Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.) 26-6
Key Players: PG Ayo Dosunmu 6-4 2018 (No. 20 Rivals.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American, Illinois commit), Tamell Pearson 6-9 2018 (Alabama-Birmingham commit), SG Adam Miller 6-3 2020 (No. 23 ESPN.com).
Why This Ranking: It was a close call, but we go with the defending IHSA Class 3A state champions over defending Class 4A state champ Whitney Young in the FAB 50 because the Mustangs have more returning firepower. It starts with Dosunmu, the state’s best player and leading Mr. Basketball candidate. Don’t be surprised if he turns in some triple-double performances after averaging 22 ppg, 7 rpg, and 9 apg as a junior. He can score at a high-clip or run the team as a traditional one. Coach Nick Irvin also has a go-to player inside in Pearson and a budding star in Miller, a physically strong wing guard who can score in a variety of ways. With its talent and never-say-die defensive approach, there is plenty of potential for this team to move up.
The Skinny: The Mustangs were in the mix for a FAB 50 spot with Whitney Young and we took a look at Curie and Fenwick, too. In order for Irvin’s boys to remain in, they can’t afford a slow start to the season, as the Mustangs take on Champaign Central at the Chicago Elite Classic and Simeon, Curie and Kenwood all before December 15. Morgan Park lost some scoring punch with the transfer of Nimari Burnett and L.J. Johnson, so will look to combo guard and Tennessee-State bound Kenyon Duling (6-2, 2018) and high motor forward Cameron Burrell (6-7, 2018) to take on bigger roles.

43. (BB) Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 24-5
Key Players: SF Matt Bradley 6-4 2018 (No. 56 Rivals.com, CAL commit), C Bryan Penn-Johnson 7-0 2018 (No. 38 247Sports.com).
Why This Ranking: The Tigers have been ranked in the middle of the FAB 50 pack for the past three seasons and again have a solid team that can make some noise by closing strong and earning a third Dick’s Nationals berth. There is a lot to like about this team, as coach Curtis Condie welcomes back point guard Damion Squire (6-0, 2018) to be his coach on the floor and mesh the newcomers. The most productive of those players is Bradley, last year’s Cal-Hi Sports Division IV State Player of the Year at San Bernardino is capable of playing multiple positions and is as physical as any scoring wing in the country.
The Skinny: This team has some talent and some big players in their lineup, but is looking to take the next step up to be a true national power. Two years ago the Tigers were overwhelmed by Oak Hill Academy (81-64) and last year were more respectable against eventual champ La Lumiere. They are looking to take that next step this season and record their first Dick’s National’s win. Condie is hoping Bernardo Da Silva (6-7, 2019) ups his production and Penn-Johnson has a breakout year. The latter has turned into a tremendous prospect, but hasn’t accomplished anything in a meaningful, big-time high school environment yet. “Our length, athleticism and physical strength is exceptional and this is the most unselfish team I have ever coached,” Condie said. “Our new players will have to pick up our defense concepts.”

44. (NR) Guyer (Denton, Texas) 25-6
Key Players: PG De’Vion Harmon 6-0 2019 (No. 42 Rivals.com, Oklahoma commit), SF Jalen Wilson 6-6 2019 (No. 47 Rivals.com).
Why This Ranking: The Wildcats are right there with No. 31 Westlake, Mansfield Timberview, South Garland and DeSoto as the best bet of contenders to knock off defending champ Cy Falls and take the UIL Class 6A state crown. Similar to Westlake, whom it squares off against November 25 at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest, Guyer has a plethora of returning talent. We rank Westlake higher to begin the season, however, since it had a much better showing in the UIL playoffs. Guyer was stung in their Bi-District playoff opener in overtime by Euless Trinity, 92-91, after giving up 52 points to Jhivvan Jackson (Texas-San Antonio). That motivation and the returning talent make Guyer a major state title threat.
The Skinny: Guyer returns seven lettermen and four double-digit scorers from last season, including Harmon (18.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 4.8 apg) and Wilson (16.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg). There’s also small forward Le’tre Darthhard (6-4, 2018) back and pivot Grayson Carter (6-9, 2018). Darthhard averaged 10.8 ppg and 5.6 rpg, while Carter averaged 11.8 ppg and 7.8 rpg. Coach Grant Long has a balanced and motivated team, but also one that is long on guard play. Stellar backcourt play has been key in the Class 6A playoffs in recent seasons, so Wildcats’ fans have got to like their team’s chance to crack the Final Four.

45. (NR) Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) 29-4
Key Players: SG David Johnson 6-5 2019 (No. 80 Rivals.com), SG Jay Scrubb 6-5 2018, PG Justin Powell 6-5 2020.
Why This Ranking: At first glance, it seems The Shamrocks are too decimated by graduation to be ranked this high, but they are the consensus preseason No. 1 in Kentucky and have the talent, tradition and coaching to warrant this spot. Covington Catholic and Scott County were also considered from Kentucky, while Whitney Young of Chicago, Belleville, Mich., and Pickerington Central (Ohio) were other Midwest Region programs also considered. Veteran coach Mike Szabo (496-195) has good size across the board and the KHSAA’s best prospect and overall player in Johnson.
The Skinny: Trinity still only has two seniors on its roster, so it may be a year away from being a threat to other highly ranked FAB 50 teams. Coach Szabo needs the young players to step up in order to remain in and they are more than capable. Scrubb is an undersized combo forward who is athletic and quite productive at this level. Powell is an outstanding passer and oozing with potential. Even with its youth and bench players needing to develop, Trinity must avoid in-state hiccups to have a chance to move up in the rankings.

46. (NR) Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 18-9
Key Players: C Kofi Cockburn 6-11 2019 (No. 27 247Sports.com), PG Tyson Walker 5-10 2018, SG Ryan Meyers 6-1 2020.
Why This Ranking: Similar to No. 45 Trinity, the Royals are a relatively young team (one senior contributor), but they are even bigger and have a senior leader at the point in Walker, whose fielding offers from St. Louis and Rutgers. CTK has even more potential to move up in the rankings than Trinity because of their strength of New York’s Catholic League and its overall schedule, but it starts behind that club because the Royals are not nearly a consensus No. 1 in their state and have more land mines to cross. Coach Joe Arbitello is confident his team can hold off teams such as Archbishop Malloy and Cardinal Hayes for the CHSAA Class AA title because of the presence of the improved Cockburn in the middle and his good shooters around him.
The Skinny: The Royals are talented and go at least 10 deep in their rotation, but they are still relatively young and if they don’t start off well in the big games, tournaments and showcases, they could lose confidence going into the meat of the CHSAA schedule. CTK plays Cardinal Hayes on December 1 and from a national perspective, we’ll see what this team is made of when it travels to the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Missouri to battle the likes of Oak Hill Academy, Webster Groves (Mo.), defending Dick’s Nationals champ La Lumiere, No. 43 Wasatch Academy and Brentwood Academy (Tenn.). Its CHSAA Brooklyn-Queens D1 showdowns with Malloy take place a week apart in February, then it’s a Jersey road date with FAB 50 No. 1 contender Montverde Academy on February 11.

47. (NR) Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.) 24-10
Key Players: C Daniel Oturu 6-10 2018 (No. 44 ESPN.com, Minnesota commit), PF Sy Chatman 6-7 2018, PG Ryan Larson 6-1 2018.
Why This Ranking: This is one of the most balanced teams in the bottom half of the FAB 50 with dominant size, good perimeter play and a experienced point guard. Oturu is one of the best interior players in the Midwest Region and is motivated after his club was knocked off by eventual Class 4A state champ Apple Valley in the state quarterfinals after leading by 12 points early in the second half. Oturu was named to the all-tournament team and Larson played excellent, but it was little solace for a team that felt it should have won the state crown.
The Skinny: Coach Jerry Kline Jr. has a club that is solid top-to-bottom, but it doesn’t have that one player who can absolutely take over a game on the perimeter the way Apple Valley’s Tre Jones can. The Raiders start behind Apple Valley in the FAB 50, but they have an excellent shot to get past that club and Minnesota’s other top teams this time around. If Chatman has a big year underneath and Jake Prince (6-4, 2018) is consistent from the outside, this team will move up in the rankings.

48. (BB) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 22-9 
Key Players: SF Jamal Bey 6-6 2018 (No. 154 247Sports.com, Washington commit), SG Noah Taitz (6-3, 2020), PG Zaon Collins (5-11, 2021).
Why This Ranking: The Gaels have a deep club with interchangeable parts and have dominated NIAA competition as of late. Under coach Grant Rice (417-90), Gorman has won six consecutive NIAA titles and eight of nine heading into this season. Bey is an athletic wing with tons of experience who feasts on opponents in the open court. Taitz is an excellent spot up shooter and fearless driving the ball and taking the big shot. D.J. Howe (5-9, 2018) starts at the point, but Collins could develop into one of the best guards in school history and gives the team a shot in the arm when inserted into the lineup.
The Skinny: The Gaels won last year’s state crown over No. 36 Clark in dramatic fashion; rallying from eight down with under two minutes remaining. The Chargers have more upperclass talent and has been more impressive this fall. Another reason why Gorman starts behind Clark is the Gaels started No. 26 last year, but haven’t finished the season in the final FAB 50 the last two years. Gorman will need to build up and is more than capable with a great defensive club. The key will be the development and utilization of a sparkplug bench that includes Collins, shot blocker Isaiah Cottrell (6-9, 2020) and wing Will McClendon (6-4, 2021).

49. (NR) Cox Mill (Concord, N.C.) 27-6
Key Players: SF Rechon “Leaky” Black 6-8 2018 (No. 48 ESPN.com, North Carolina commit), SF Wendell Moore Jr. 6-6 2019 (No. 21 247Sports.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American).
Why This Ranking: The NCISA Class 3A will have its top two preseason ranked teams in the FAB 50, but this year top teams in North Carolina’s public school ranks deserved a serious look. We decided to go with the 3A favorites over the 4A favorites (Butler of Matthews) for this FAB 50 spot. We like coach Jody Barbee’s team because of the addition of Black, who played last season at FAB 50 power Montverde Academy and is one of the most talented wings in the country. We also like the aggressive schedule the Chargers play, as they participate in both the Chick-Fil-A Classic (which includes Oak Hill Academy, Findlay Prep, IMG Academy, Prolific Prep, and Huntington Prep, among others) and the Beach Ball Classic (which includes No. 48 Bishop Gorman, No. 36 Clark and Montverde Academy, among others).
The Skinny: Cox Mill is the defending NCHSAA Class 3A state champ and will have the opportunity to prove it’s a much better team this season. Black raises the national profile, but in reality it’s Moore whose been the most productive player, as he went for 29 points and 12 rebounds in the 70-66 win over Eastern Guilford in the state title game. Moore upped his outstanding freshman production when Cox Mill won a sectional crown, to average 25.0 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 3.9 apg and 2.3 spg as a sophomore. We almost went with Providence Day of Charlotte in this spot, but that rankings dilemma will take care of itself when those two meet at the Charlotte Hoops Challenge on November 25.

50. (NR) Mountain Brook (Mountain Brook, Ala.) 31-5
Key Players: SF Trendon Watford 6-8 2019 (No. 10 ESPN.com, Ballislife Underclass All-American), SG Sean Elmore (6-2, 2018).
Why This Ranking: We were in line to go with Chaminade of Missouri in this spot, but highly-regarded wing Karrington Davis took his 18.7 ppg to FAB 50 power Montverde Academy in attempt to crack the Eagles’ high-powered lineup. We wanted to get our next team from the Southeast Region (which has been the best in recent years) and the defending AHSAA Class 7A state champs is the choice. Coach Bucky McMillan’s club has a nice blend of star power and plays a strong schedule by Alabama standards.
The Skinny: Watford is the star of this club, and when he’s on his game (23.0 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 3.0 apg) the Spartans can play and potentially defeat FAB 50 ranked clubs. They are not a one-man show, however, as Elmore (12.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg) is an excellent outside shooter and has plenty of experience. Mountain Brook gets to show it rankings worth by participating in the City of Palms Classic in Florida, where it could face FAB 50 national title contender Mater Dei of California if its wins the play-in game. Other clubs considered for this spot were Archbishop Wood of Pennsylvania, Wheeler of Georgia, and two teams who will meet right away at the NorCal Tip Off-Classic in California: Fairfax of Los Angeles and Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland. Whoever wins that season-opener November 25 has a nice springboard to be included in the first set of regular season rankings December 4.

RELATED: Preseason 2017-18 FAB 50 (1-15) | Preseason 2017-18 FAB 50 (16-30) | BIL HS Basketball Weekly Showcase | Preseason Regional Top 20 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

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Check out these raw highlights from Fenwick at Simeon on MLK Day followed by postgame comments from Coach Rob Smith and Simeon players Kezo Brown and Evan Gilyard.
For more high school basketball highlights and mixtapes watch and subscribe to all the Ballislife youtube channel's and follow @scottballislife on Instagram and @BallislifeCHI on Twitter.
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UNC commit Jalek Felton and 5-star 2019 Juwan Gary felt Gray Collegiate (3-5) had something to prove vs 5-star Mo Bamba, 5-star 2018 Cam Reddish, Brandon Randolph (Arizona) and nationally-ranked Westtown. What resulted was the most memorable high school dunk fest we've caught recently.
Jalek Felton thrilled the packed house at Slam Dunk to the Beach (Delaware) with COUNTLESS dunks, finishing with 39 points (7-9 three-pointers), 6 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 assists. Gary finished with 16 and 8.
In the end Westtown (13-2) squeaked out a victory in dramatic fashion. The nation's top uncommited senior Mo Bamba finished with 27 points on 12-12 shooting, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 assists. Arizona commit Brandon Randolph had 13 points, 7 assists and a memorable poster dunk at the buzzer to end the 3rd quarter.
Check out these raw highlights from Slam Dunk to the Beach slamdunktothebeach.com
For more high school basketball highlights and mixtapes watch and subscribe to all the Ballislife youtube channel's and follow @scottballislife on Instagram and @BallislifeCHI on Twitter.
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The post Jalek Felton 39 pts vs Mo Bamba Game Winner! Most EXCITING Game of The Season! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

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All 50 ranked teams written up with explanations for why they were placed in these positions with comparisons to preseason ranking. The FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com is the official rankings of the National Sports News Service, which date back to the 1952 season. Chino Hills of California is the 2015-16 mythical national champion, the first from California since 1999-00 (Dominguez of Compton) and the first unbeaten California national champ since 1979-80 (Inglewood).

Compiled by Ronnie Flores

RELATED: All-Time FAB 50 No. 1 Teams | East Top 20 | Southeast Top 20 | Midwest Top 20 | Southwest Top 20 | West Top 20 |

Note: Preseason ranking in parenthesis; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates default wins/losses not included.

1. (11) Chino Hills (Chino Hills, Calif.) 35-0
The Huskies were California's preseason No. 1 ranked team, but quickly vaulted into the Top 10 and eventually to national No. 1 by defeating 11 programs that were ranked at some point in the FAB 50, including No. 36 Bishop Montgomery, No. 38 Foothills Christian and No. 43 High Point Christian more than once. Chino Hills, led by California’s all-time assist leader Lonzo Ball, defeated teams from nine states and won three major holiday tournaments. 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. We likely would have started the Huskies in the Top 10 of the FAB 50 had it won the CIF D1 state title in 2015, when it went 24-8 on the court. Ball did improve and had a fantastic individual season, but the addition of 6-foot-9 freshman Onyeka Okongwu and junior Eli Scott cannot be overlooked.

2. (1) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 45-1 
It was another amazing season for the Warriors, who battled injuries and some close calls to capture their first Dick’s Nationals title with a 62-60 overtime win over No. 4 La Lumiere in the championship game. Oak Hill has competed in the end-of-season tournament seven times since it began in 2009 and previously lost in the title game four times. Oak Hill defeated No. 16 Miller Grove and No. 33 Wasatch Academy to advance to the tile game and also defeated No. 7 DeMatha Catholic, No. 14 Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (twice), No. 15 Chaminade, and No. 41 Sierra Canyon, among others, playing one of the nation’s toughest schedules. What ultimately separated top-ranked Chino Hills and the Warriors was the latter’s loss to 22-Foot Academy of South Carolina (which is not eligible for the FAB 50 because of post-graduates on its roster) and the buzzer-beating victory over Sierra Canyon in the title game of the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions. Chino Hills defeated the same club, 105-83. For Oak Hill, that was the team’s fourth game of the season and fourth without preseason Mr. Basketball USA candidate Harry Giles. His ACL injury was a tough pill to swallow for head coach Steve Smith, but it was still a fantastic season for a program that has now finished No. 1 or No. 2 in the FAB 50 era (1987-88 through current) 15 times. Smith, a Naismith Hall of a Fame candidate, now owns a career 1,026-65 won-loss record.

3. (14) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 32-0
The Friars, under Naismith Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley Sr., performed a bit better than forecasted in the preseason, winning another NJSIAA Tournament of Champions crown with a 55-38 win over Linden (N.J.). St. Anthony also No. 3 at 32-0 in 2011-12, the season after it won its fourth FAB 50 national crown (2011, 2008, 1996, 1989). The Friars exercised demons of sort by defeating No. 32 Roselle Catholic, 53-37, in the Non-Public Group B championship game, as St. Anthony had been knocked out of the post-season by that club three consecutive seasons. A great defensive team, St. Anthony also beat No. 34 Patrick School, 60-56, and didn’t allow more than 44 points in the Non-Public Group B playoffs. With the win over Roselle Catholic, Hurley won his 28th state title.

4. (10) La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) 27-4
As Dick’s Nationals showed, La Lumiere had one of the biggest and most talented teams in the country, and nearly won its first tourney crown before falling to No. 2 Oak Hill Academy in the title game, 62-60, in overtime. The Lakers, which hadn’t won a game at the event before this season, defeated No. 2 Montverde Academy, 55-47, in the semifinals and No. 22 St. Benedict’s, 60-59, in the quarterfinals, the latter which avenged an earlier loss. The other losses for coach Shane Heirman’s club were to Dick’s Nationals participant and No. 33 Wasatch Academy and No. 41 Sierra Canyon. That loss to Sierra Canyon came at the Iolani Tournament in Hawaii when that team still had Ira Lee (which it didn’t when it lost to No. 1 Chino Hills.). This team cracked the Top 10 in the preseason and with Brian Bowen, who made the Dick’s all-tournament team, returning along with freshman point guard Tyger Campbell, this team is an early 2016-17 preseason No. 1 contender.

5. (2) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 26-2 
The Eagles began the season No. 2 behind Oak Hill Academy, which was a more senior-laden club, and the youth showed at times for coach Kevin Boyle. Still, when the team added Canadian freshman R.J. Barrett after the season began, it was clear Montverde Academy would be in the thick of the mythical national title race once again. One of the biggest results of the year was the Eagles’ 83-82 loss to No. 1 Chino Hills in the City of Palms quarterfinal, a game in which they made a huge fourth quarter comeback and could have forced overtime had Barrett made three free throws. The team’s inconsistent shooting was evident in the Dick’s Nationals semifinal loss to La Lumiere, but there were plenty of positives, as Montverde Academy upped its record to 14-3 at the prestigious tournament and defeated 10 FAB 50 ranked programs during the season. With Barrett and a mammoth sophomore front line of Simi Shittu, Silvio DeSousa and E.J. Montgomery returning, expect the Eagles to be in thick of the national title race once again next season.

6. (BB) University of Detroit Jesuit (Detroit, Mich.) 28-0
The Cubs were just outside of the preseason FAB 50 and is a team we’re kicking ourselves for not ranking a bit higher. We knew U of D Jesuit would be good, just not this good, as the Cubs won their first state title in over 100 years of program history with a 69-49 victory over North Farmington (Farmington Hills, Mich.) in the Class A title game. Point guard Cassius Winston, Michigan’s Mr. Basketball bound for Michigan State, saved his best game for last, making 14-of-16 shots from the field to finish with 31 points, four rebounds, nine assists and two steals. Winston averaged 27.6 ppg over the team’s final three contests, including a 72-51 semifinal win over No. 35 Dakota. It looked like U of D, which also got solid inside play from 6-foot-9 stalwarts Ike Eke and Greg Eboigbodin, would finish in the Top 5, but the results of Dick’s Nationals forced us to move up La Lumiere while keeping Montverde Academy above the Cubs because of its tougher national schedule.

7. (5) DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 32-5 
The Stags basically played to expectations even with five losses, taking on some of the nation’s finest teams with mixed results. DeMatha even battled No. 2 Oak Hill Academy and No. 3 Montverde Academy in back-to-back close losses (82-66 and 74-41, respectively). The big win for Coach Mike Jones’ club was a 72-69 overtime victory over No. 15 Chaminade at the HoopHall Classic. The Stags did lose two of out three games to No. 19 St. John’s, including the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title game, but only lost to one unranked foe whereas their WCAC rivals lost to three. DeMatha, behind the play of McDonald’s All-American Markelle Fultz, also finished the season stronger, winning the Maryland Private School state title and the Alhambra Catholic Invitational, an end-of-the-season tournament in which Gonzaga lost in the semifinals to regionally-ranked John Carroll (Bel Air, Md.).

8. (42) Stevens Point (Stevens Point, Wis.) 28-0
This team figured to dominate its in-state foes, but its level of dominance pushed the Panthers into the top 10 as an unbeaten team. Led by underrated point guard Trevor Anderson (UW-GB) and forward Sam Hauser (Marquette), the Panthers won the WIAA Division I title by downing Muskego (Wis.) 89-64 with the duo combining for 43 points. It was the Panthers second consecutive state title and they enter 2016-17 on a 37-game winning streak. The senior-oriented club concluded its season with a 33.2 ppg winning margin that actually grew in the state playoffs, while tying Germantown’s 2012-13 team with the highest FAB 50 ranking ever for a Wisconsin team.

9. (BB) DeSoto (DeSoto, Texas) 35-2 
We started the Eagles as the No. 8 team in the Southwest Region and No. 2 in Texas, but they showed everyone who was No. 1 by defeating then FAB 50 No. 4 Atascocita of Humble, 73-54, in the UIL Class 6A title game. Tristen Wallace, also the school’s quarterback and headed to Oregon to play football, led the way with 25 points while Marques Bolden added 12 points, nine rebounds and six blocks. Bolden, a 6-foot-10 McDonald’s All-American who averaged 18.8 ppg, 13.4 rpg, and 4.4 bpg, had 31 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks in the 58-53 overtime semifinal win over regionally-ranked Steele of Cibolo. DeSoto lost to Mesquite in November and its other loss was to a South Grand Prairie team it beat two other times, including in the regional finals.

10. (18) Greenforest Christian Academy (Decatur, Ga.) 30-2 
One team we nailed in the preseason was the Eagles, as they captured the GHSA Class A Private Schools state title with a 78-66 victory over St. Francis of Alpharetta. GCA won its second title in four years and gained a measure of revenge by defeating the St. Francis team it lost to in last year’s title game. Senior guard John Ogwuche led the way offensively with 27 points, 6-foot-10 junior Abayomi Iyiola added 17 points and seven rebounds, while junior Jandan Duggan got credit for his solid defense on McDonald’s All-American guard Kobe Simmons. GCA wasn’t at full strength during one of its two losses and it defeated No. 27 Providence Day. This team will miss Ogwuche’s scoring, but will be absolutely loaded next season with six of eight players who logged major minutes in the state title game returning.

11. (BB) Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.) 32-2 
The Mustangs had a spectacular season capped with a 64-60 win over Cordova (Tenn.) in the Class AAA state title game. Coached by former NBA guard and 1990 High School All-American Penny Hardaway, Memphis East’s relatively young club lost only to Prolific Prep of Napa, Calif. (which is not eligible for the FAB 50) and to Germantown by one point (71-70) in the SCIAA Class AAA County title game. The Mustangs defeated Georgia Class AAAAAA state champ and regionally-ranked Westlake of Atlanta, avenged the loss to Germantown with a 65-52 victory in the Region 8 semifinals and handed No. 24 Blackman is only loss with a 46-41 victory in the state semifinals. Alex Lomax had 14 points and seven rebounds in the state title game and is only a sophomore. He’ll return along with talented freshman Chandler Lawson (6-9) and eight other underclassmen.

12. (15) Atascocita (Humble, Texas) 38-1
The Eagles came up just short of becoming the first unbeaten UIL Class 6A champion since Duncanville (Texas) at 39-0 in 2006-07, losing to No. 9 DeSoto, 73-54, in the state title game. A cold shooting first half, where the Eagles didn’t score for 6:43 and allowed a 18-0 run, doomed a team that could have finished in the Top 3 with a victory. Atascocita was a legitimate national title contender in the preseason with a stellar senior class led by Purdue-bound Carsen Edwards, but we didn’t start them too high because it didn’t have one of the major holiday tournaments on its slate. Still, with a victory over Class 5A champ and No. 25 Lancaster, coach David Martinez’s club was moving up before the loss because it’s extremely tough to go unbeaten and win a UIL title.

13. (3) Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) 27-4 
There wasn’t a clear-cut No. 3 team in the preseason, so we gambled a bit and went with the Cahillites, who had the talent and played the schedule to warrant the ranking. It was a bit too high, as Roman Catholic lost to preseason No. 2 Montverde Academy, 74-44. Led by Penn State recruits Tony Carr, Lamar Stevens and Nazeer Bostick, the Cahillites closed out the season with 17 consecutive victories, including a 72-65 victory over No. 23 Neumann-Goretti to capture the Philly Catholic League title for the second straight season. Coach Chris McNesby’s club also won its second straight PIAA Class AAAA state title with a 73-62 victory over regionally-ranked Allderdice of Pittsburgh, as the 6-foot-7 Stevens finished with 27 points, seven rebounds and four big dunks. The Cahillites’ PCL title avenged an earlier loss, they also avenged a loss to Archbishop Carroll of Radnor and defeated No. 49 Greensboro Day.

14. (BB) Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 28-3
The Hawks, who don’t compete for a state crown, turned heads and moved up in the rankings with a victory over the 22-Feet Academy (Greenville, S.C.) post-graduate team that defeated No. 2 Oak Hill Academy. Two of HHCA’s three losses came against Oak Hill, including a five-point loss. The other loss for coach Zach Ferrell’s club came against regionally-ranked Sunrise Christian Academy of Kansas. The Hawks closed out its season strong, capturing the National Association of Christian Athletes Division I title with a 73-44 win over Mountain Mission (Grundy, Va.), as junior guard Silas Adheke had 15 points and 12 rebounds. Fellow guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is another standout junior who will return next season.

15. (7) Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) 27-5
With Duke-bound Jayson Tatum, Chaminade played in a plethora of big events and games and had ample opportunity to contend for a mythical national title. The Red Devils weren’t quite at that level, as all of Chaminade’s five losses were to FAB 50 ranked teams, including No. 2 Oak Hill Academy (69-62) and No. 7 DeMatha (72-69). Tatum, who averaged 28 ppg and 9 rpg, led the Red Devils to wins over Huntington Prep of West Virginia (not FAB 50 eligible), No. 16 Miller Grove and No. 18 Althoff Catholic and dominated the Missouri Class 5 playoffs. Tatum went off for 45 points in a victory over his father’s club, Christian Brothers of St. Louis, in the state quarterfinals and capped his career with a 40-point, 14-rebound performance in a 72-59 win over regionally-ranked Kickapoo of Springfield in the state title game.

16. (BB) Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) 31-3
There was some debate as to whom the Peach State’s top team regardless of classification was; the GHSA needs to consider a Tournament of Champions or open division because No. 10 Greenforest Christian Academy (Private A), Miller Grove (AAAAA), Westlake (AAAAAA) and even Liberty County (AAAA) all have legit claims to being No. 1. The Wolverines had a slow rise in the FAB 50 because of a loss to unranked Lone Peak (Highland, Utah), but they proved they belonged in the Dick’s Nationals field after capturing their seventh state title in eight years with a 50-48 victory over Allatoona of Acworth. Aaron Augustin had 16 points in the state game win, while McDonald’s All-American Alterique Gilbert (20 points) led the way in 67-65 win over No. 20 Findlay Prep in the Dick’s Nationals quarterfinals, before the season came to an end in the semifinals versus No. 2 Oak Hill Academy (47-46).

17. (NR) H.D. Woodson (Washington, D.C.) 32-0**
This is the highest ranked club we didn’t have on our preseason radar at all, as it truly was a magical season for coach Trey Mines’ club. It almost turned to tragedy after Woodson senior Kavon Montgomery was shot near his home hours after the Warriors’ 105-102 double OT victory over Gonzaga in the D.C. State Athletic Association semifinals. Luckily, Montgomery wasn’t seriously hurt and played in the 60-47 victory over Friendship Collegiate in the DCSAA title game. Behind 19 points from Antwan Walker and 11 from Kiyon Boyd (who netted 37 in the semifinals), Woodson capped off the first unbeaten season by a D.C. public school since 1984-1985, according to the Washington Post, which ranked the Warriors No. 1 in its circulation area.

18. (32) Althoff Catholic (Belleville, Ill.) 32-2 
We nailed the Crusaders in the preseason, as we figured they would be the top-ranked Class 3A team in the state. They ended up being Illinois’ top-ranked overall team, as a long-anticipated state finals showdown with Morgan Park of Chicago never materialized after that team was upset while Althoff cruised to a 62-37 victory over Lincoln Way-East in the state title game. Althoff lost early to Highland (Ill.) when some of its roster was still coming off football and the Crusaders hit their stride in the post-season. Jordan Goodwin, the team’s leading scorer, netted 19 points and 10 rebounds in the state title game while seniors Tarkus Ferguson (Illinois-Chicago) and Brendon Gooch (SI-Carbondale) were the two other key cogs. Similar to No. 16 Miller Grove, this team could be ranked no higher because of a showcase game loss to No. 15 Chaminade.

19. (36) St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) 30-5
We started out the Cadets as the No. 2 team in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and they somewhat exceeded expectations until a subpar close to the season. St. John’s was the regular season co-WCAC champs and routed No. 7 DeMatha in the WCAC title game, 71-57, to capture their first conference tourney crown in 16 years. St. John’s, led by senior guard Anthony Cowan Jr., did beat DeMatha twice in three tries and lost to No. 5 Montverde Academy (52-48), but its final ranking is hindered by a loss to the same Friendship Collegiate team that lost to No. 17 H.D. Woodson and by losing in the semifinals of the Alhambra Catholic Invitational that DeMatha eventually won.

20. (4) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 28-2 
The Pilots had another talented team, but not many signature wins to point to, which dropped them 14 spots in the final rankings after they lost to No. 16 Miller Grove, 67-65, in the Dick’s Nationals quarterfinals. Led by junior guard Markus Howard (18.4 ppg) and junior forward P.J. Washington (16.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg), the Pilots did record wins over No. 22 St. Benedict’s (91-67) and fellow Dick’s Nationals participant and No. 33 Wasatch Academy (79-61). A loss to unranked cross-town rival Bishop Gorman, however, drops Findlay Prep a couple of notches in its final analysis.

21. (BB) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 31-1 
The Royals exercised some demons by capturing the Class 4A state title with a 64-55 victory over regionally-ranked Lakeville North. In 2014, Hopkins led the same club by four points with 25 seconds remaining in the state title game -- and lost. This time, state Mr. Basketball Amir Coffey (Minnesota) and senior Xavier Johnson made sure it wasn’t going to happen again, as Coffey netted 19 points and Johnson spearheaded a 15-0 second half run with his defense. With the win, Hopkins won its first state title in five years and seventh since 2002 while just missing out on an unbeaten season. Hopkins fell to Wayzata (Minn.) after beating that team in its first meeting. Lakeville North defeated previously unbeaten Osseo in the state semifinals, while Hopkins down No. 48 Apple Valley 84-60 -- its second victory of the season over that club.

22. (35) St. Benedict's (Newark, N.J.) 35-2
The Gray Bees’ resume is likely a bit stronger than their final ranking, but the loss to Finlay Prep at the HoopHall Classic keeps them ranked behind the Pilots since the score was 91-67. Coach Mark Taylor really liked his team in the preseason and it delivered, defeating No. 4 La Lumiere, 66-63, before losing the rematch by a point, 60-59, in the quarterfinals of Dick’s Nationals. Before heading to New York, the Gray Bees won the St. James Invitational with a 61-57 win over regionally-ranked Sunrise Christian Academy of Kansas. Tourney MVP Arnaldo Toro was probably St. Benedict’s best overall player during the season.

23. (9) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) 27-4 
The Saints ended their season on a high note, but must be ranked behind No. 19 St. John’s because two of their losses came against WCAC clubs (Paul VI of Virginia and Gonzaga of Washington, D.C.). The high note came when Quade Green and company captured the Class 3A title, the program’s six in seven years, with a resounding 99-66 victory over Mars (Pa.) after losing to No. 13 Roman Catholic in the Philadelphia Catholic League title game. Goretti actually split with its PCL rival this year and also defeated the Archbishop Caroll (Radnor, Pa.) club that split with Roman Catholic by 23 points.

24. (NR) Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 33-1 
The Blaze were the top seed in the Class AAA state playoffs, but fell to third seed and No. 11 Memphis East, 46-41, in the semifinals. It was a close game, and coach Barry Wortman’s team had a chance to tie the score in the final moments, but a controversial turnover killed its chances. Still, it was a successful season for a team that didn’t suffer any other setbacks, beat six teams from Alabama and is now 142-18 the past five seasons. Senior forward Christian DeWitt had plenty of big scoring games and point guard Donovan Sims (MTSU) was another key cog.

25. (BB) Lancaster (Lancaster, Texas) 36-2
In 2014-15, Lancaster began the season regionally-ranked and finished No. 37 in the FAB 50 and this year the program was on the brink in the Southwest Region. Once again, the Tigers closed strong and moved up, capturing their second consecutive UIL Class 5A title with a 67-64 victory over then FAB 50 ranked Fort Bend Elkins of Missouri City. After losing to No. 12 Atascocita (54-47) and Fort Bend Bush (which split with FB Elkins), the Tigers closed the season with 32 consecutive wins, as Dallas-area teams dominated the UIL state tournament with Dallas Lincoln capturing the Class 4A crown.

26. (NR) Federal Way (Federal Way, Wash.) 29-0
This senior-laden team closed out the season on a 43-game winning streak, capturing its second consecutive WIAA Class 4A crown with a 66-54 victory over Kentwood. The Eagles also defeated Kentwood twice in South Puget Sound League play and recorded a key win over Corona Del Sol (Mesa, Ariz.) at the VistaMesa.com event in Arizona. Ferron Flowers scored a game-high 20 points and was named tourney MVP. The Eagles had a well-balanced and well-rounded attack, which included 6-foot-10 Jalen McDaniels (SDSU basketball signee also named all-tournament), D’Jimon Jones (Washington football signee) and Christian Jones (Washington baseball signee).

27. (NR) Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.) 30-4
The Chargers get a ton of rankings credit for capturing the NCISA Class 3A state crown, one of the toughest playoff tournaments in the country this season. Coach Brian Field’s team entered Dick’s Nationals No. 8 in the FAB 50, which proved to be a bit too high, as semifinalist and No. 5 Montverde Academy knocked off the Chargers, 70-54. Despite that disappointment, it was a fantastic season capped off by a 67-53 win over No. 43 High Point Christian Academy in which Tennessee-bound Grant Williams had 15 points and eight rebounds while doing a solid job defensively on McDonald’s All-American Bam Adebayo. Providence Day actually defeated HPCA twice, defeated No. 49 Greensboro Day and only lost to one unranked team – Mountain Mission Academy of Virginia. Its other losses were to No. 2 Oak Hill Academy and No. 10 Greenforest Christian Academy.

28. (BB) Overland (Aurora, Colo.) 25-3
The Trailblazers are another team similar to No. 6 University of Detroit Jesuit and No. 11 Memphis East that we probably should have dug deeper to place in the preseason FAB 50. Coach Danny Fisher’s program had a senior-oriented team coming off a state title, and it repeated as Class 5A champs with a 66-56 win over Eaglecrest, which it defeated two of out three during the season after finishing as Centennial League co-champs. Overland gets dinged a bit by losing twice in-state, but gets major credit for defeating No. 40 Bingham en route to the Tarkanian Classic title and handing No. 50 Omaha South its only loss. Led by Indiana-bound big man De’Ron Davis, the Class 5A tourney MVP who will play in the Ballislife All-American Game, and guard Jarvae Robinson, the Tarkanian Classic MVP, Overland defeated teams from six different states.

29. (8) Advanced Prep International (Dallas, Texas) 34-7 
The Bulldogs were full of talent, had high aspirations, and one credible rankings outlet strongly considered them for its preseason No. 1 ranking. But as we stated in the preseason, we didn’t go overboard because it was a new program and the talent needed to mesh. API started slowly, but it closed out its season on a 21-game winning streak, including a victory in the Texas Christian Athletic League Class 4A state title game. Shooting guard Terrence Ferguson (17 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2 apg) was named first team all-area by the Dallas Morning News and a McDonald’s All-American.

30. (NR) West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.) 25-4 
Sunshine Independent Athletic Association teams have some of the most talent-laden rosters in the country and its teams tend to beat up on each other (which always makes ranking pecking orders harder). At the end of the season, however, there was no question the Flame were the SIAA’s best team. IMG Academy of Florida was the only team on its schedule it did not defeat, as West Oaks Academy routed regionally-ranked Oldsmar Christian, 85-57, to capture its second consecutive SIAA crown. Coach Kenny Gillion’s club was led by 6-2 guard Andres Feliz (South Florida), who scored 28 points in the title game and 28 in the 69-65 semifinal win over Arlington Country Day of Jacksonville.

31. (NR) New Albany (New Albany, Ind.) 27-1
Hoosier State hardwood fans have a new favorite son to get behind and his name is Romeo Langford. The 6-foot-5 sophomore shooting guard led the Bulldogs to the Class 4A state title with a 28-point performance in a 62-59 victory over McCutcheon of Lafayette. Langford, who is being heavily recruited, helped New Albany clinch its first state title since 1973 with a 12-point fourth quarter performance. He went for 46 points in a 82-64 semifinal victory over Southport of Indianapolis and averaged over 30 ppg. New Albany’s only loss came against Pike of Indianapolis, our preseason No. 1 ranked in the state. The Bulldogs only won a single game versus an out-of-state foe, which cost them a few spots in the pecking order.

32. (29) Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 22-8 
The Lions are another team that lost to a WCAC program (Paul VI of Virginia), but they had a strong group of wins to offset the overall loss count. Coach Dave Boff’s club took two of three games from regionally-ranked Linden and split four games with No. 34 Patrick School. Roselle Catholic won the final meeting, 67-54, in the sectional semifinals and defeated Gil St. Bernard’s in the final before losing to No. 3 St. Anthony in the Non-Public Group B state title game. The Lions also lost to No. 5 Montverde Academy by four points, but defeated Huntington Prep, which defeated two FAB 50 ranked opponents it self.

33. (NR) Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 29-4 
The Tigers burst onto the national scene this year and had a strong enough resume as an independent to be invited to Dick’s Nationals for the first time. The big win for coach Curtis Condie’s club was a 80-71 win over No. 4 La Lumiere. The Tigers lost to No. 5 Montverde Academy in the finals of that team’s invitational and by a wide margin versus No. 20 Findlay Prep (79-61) and those results kept them from climbing too high in the rankings. Led by Utah State commit Koby McEwen, Wasatch Academy lost to eventual champion Oak Hill Academy in its first game in New York (81-64), but the experience of this season will pay dividends in the future.

34. (16) Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) 23-6
Some might scoff at two teams from New Jersey being in this range, but Garden State teams have fared well in recent years versus national competition and its Top five teams can play at the national level. Despite an in-season coaching change and injuries to talented junior center Nick Richards, the Celts still managed to take No. 1 Chino Hills to overtime in the championship game of the City of Palms Tournament before falling, 66-60. Coach Mike Rice’s club also fell to No. 4 La Lumiere and split two games with No. 32 Roselle Catholic. Led by point guard Bryce Aikens (Harvard), the Celts’ losses to those clubs, plus one to No. 3 St. Anthony and to post-grad club St. Thomas More of Connecticut, are offset by a win over No. 15 Chaminade and two over regionally-ranked Linden.

35. (NR) Dakota (Macomb, Mich.) 26-1 
The Cougars defeated preseason regionally-ranked Clarkson (Mich.) in its second game and didn’t look back, winning 26 consecutive games before falling to No. 6 University of Detroit Jesuit, 72-51, in the MHSAA Class A semifinals. In front of 12,000 at the Breslin Center, Jesuit went on a back-breaking 12-0 run at the end of the first quarter that the Cougars never recovered from. Coach Paul Tocco’s club defeated Clarkson for a second time in the regional playoffs, but a lack of out-of-region wins prevented a higher ranking and prompted a sizeable drop after the lone loss. With junior guard Jermaine Jackson and sophomore forward Thomas Kithier returning, this team will be heard from again.

36. (40) Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) 28-3 
The Knights did about as well as expected in the preseason, we just figured there might be a team or two from California ranked in between the Knights and Chino Hills, which ended up as the mythical national champions. Coach Doug Mitchell’s club played Chino Hills in one of the most highly-anticipated regular season showcase games of the season and actually led in the fourth quarter before falling, 71-67. Similar to No. 35 Dakota, the Knights showed some of its youth in the playoffs, losing by sizable margins to No. 41 Sierra Canyon and in a rematch with Chino Hills in the post-season. Bishop Montgomery returns all five starters, including guards Ethan Thompson and Davy Singleton and forward Jordan Schakel, but still must address its interior play in order to compete with the nation’s elite.

37. (44) West Linn (West Linn, Ore.) 26-3
So how dominant were the Lions in-state? They led South Medford 25-2 after one quarter in the OSAA Class 6A state title game and rolled to a 74-48. With the win, West Linn captured its fourth consecutive Class 6A state title. Point guard Payton Pritchard (Oregon) was a four-year standout for the Lions and went for 25 points and 12 rebounds in his final game. Coach Eric Viuhkola’s club finished ranked six spots higher than its preseason ranking, as it was obviously judged by its seven contests versus out-of-state foes. Losses to unranked Norland (Miami, Fla.), regionally-ranked Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) and to No. 2 Oak Hill Academy were offset by a 3-1 record at the City of Palms Classic, including a victory over No. 39 Thomas Jefferson.

38. (BB) Foothills Christian (El Cajon, Calif.) 25-5
The highest ranked CIF San Diego Section team in California since 2002-03, the Knights won the section open title and had a stellar overall resume. The only team it didn’t beat on its schedule was No. 1 Chino Hills, as Foothills Christian lost to the FAB 50 champs three times, including once by two points in a game it led with 10 seconds remaining. T.J. Leaf, arguably the section’s best player since Bill Walton in 1970, had 44 points in that close loss and averaged 28.4 ppg, 12,4 rpg, and 5.1 apg while becoming the seventh player in state history to score 3,000 points (3,020). Foothills Christian split games with Centennial (Corona, Calif.) and Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), two teams that were preseason FAB 50 ranked.

39. (22) Thomas Jefferson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 26-9 
The total loss count is high so Jeff couldn’t finish quite as high as forecasted in the preseason, but in the end, the Orange Wave accomplished what it set out to do. Led by St. John’s-bound point guard Shamorie Ponds, Jefferson crushed Lincoln of Brooklyn, 90-61, to win its first New York PSAL title since 1954 and came back to win its first ever New York Federation Class AA title with a 72-65 win over regionally-ranked Aquinas (Rochester, N.Y.). Ponds, who is scheduled to play in the Ballislife All-American Game, got plenty of help from senior guards Rasheem Dunn and Curtis “Big Shot” Smith Jr. Jefferson fell to No. 1 Chino Hills by one point in the opening round of City of Palms and falls behind the West Linn club it also lost to at that tournament.

40. (NR) Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) 24-2 
Independent Wasatch Academy was chosen to play in Dick’s Nationals, but coach Jake Schroeder’s club had a strong case for being Utah’s top overall team. The Miners captured the Class 5A state title with a 61-44 victory over regionally-ranked Copper Hills of West Jordan, as Bingham beat that team for the third time in four outings this season. In a balanced attack, junior Dashon Youngblood (8.5 ppg) and Schyler Shoemaker (7.7 apg) led the way with 16 points apiece in the title game, while BYU-bound big man Yoeli Childs (18.9 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.4 bpg) was the catalyst all season long. Bingham defeated the Corona Centennial club No. 38 Foothills Christian split with and its second loss came in the Tarkanian Classic semifinals versus eventual champ and No. 28 Overland.

41. (13) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 26-5 
Even though the Trailblazers fell to unranked Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.) in the opening round of the SoCal Open regional playoffs, their overall resume is just too strong to keep them out of the FAB 50. Coach Ty Nichol’s club won the Iolani Classic in Hawaii over No. 4 La Lumiere, defeated No. 15 Chaminade and similar to No. 7 DeMatha Catholic, lost to No. 2 Oak Hill Academy and No. 5 Montverde Academy in back-to-back games. The win over La Lumiere came when the team still had forward Ira Lee in the lineup, but even with him transferring out, the team was still a force to be reckoned with. It showed that in its CIFSS Open Division 78-69 semifinal victory over No. 36 Bishop Montgomery. Only one starter graduates, and with 6-foot-10 Marvin Bagley III in the fold this team will start out highly-ranked in 2016-17.

42. (NR) Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 29-3** 
The Condors made history by capturing their first ever ISHAA state title with a 65-59 victory over regionally-ranked Benet Academy of Lisle, which upset perennial power Simeon of Chicago in the Class 4A state semifinals. Curie went on a 19-0 run late in the third and at the beginning of the fourth period to clinch a game that only changed leads once. Curie’s on-court losses came against Chicago Public League teams, while one victory was forfeited and another game versus Michigan City (Ind.) was a no-contest. Guard Devin Gage (DePaul), who scored a game-high 23 points in the state title game, is the only graduating starter on a team featuring an athletic frontline.

43. (25) High Point Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.) 24-6 
The Cougars came up just short of their goal of a NCISA Class 3A state crown and a Dick’s Nationals berth, losing to No. 27 Providence Day, 67-53, in the championship game. It was actually HPCA’s second loss to Providence Day after defeating No. 49 Greensboro Day, 51-50, in the state semifinals. Coach Brandon Clifford’s club actually defeated Greensboro Day two out of three times in what was a fantastic year for NCISA Class 3A teams. No. 1 Chino Hills was a bit too much for HPCA, as the Huskies beat them twice 94-82 and 100-75, but for the most part, they were a force to be reckoned with. The force in the middle was Kentucky-bound McDonald’s All-American Bam Adebayo, who averaged 22.0 ppg, 15.0 rpg and 4.0 apg.

44. (20) Westerville South (Westerville, Ohio) 26-4 
The Wildcats went one step further than last season to accomplish their ultimate goal of winning the OHSAA Division I state title. After losing to Wayne of Huber Heights in 2015, Westerville South’s Jordan Humphrey made sure his team wasn’t going to wear the glass slipper again, nailing a shot with 1.8 seconds remaining to secure a 57-55 win over No. 46 Lima Senior. He finished with a game high 19 points, while Andre Wesson added 14. The Wildcats’ two in-state losses kept them out of the FAB 50 for a portion of the season, but they closed strong to finish one spot behind the High Point Christian Academy team that beat them at City of Palms.

45. (NR) Grandview Prep (Boca Raton, Fla.) 34-0
Who was the second best team in Florida after Montverde Academy? Some long-time observers felt it was The Pride, who capped an unbeaten season with a 87-63 victory over Bradenton Christian in the FHSAA Class 2A title game. Cat-quick guard Juwan Frazier led the way with 26 points and six steals. Grandview Prep finished the season as the FHSAA’s only unbeaten team and defeated a BCS club that had defeated all other of its foes by 15 or more points.

46. (48) Lima Senior (Lima, Ohio) 29-1 
The Spartans finished right around where was projected for them in the preseason, but it was not the ending they wanted. Lima Senior lost 57-55 in the OHSAA Division I title game on a last-second basket to No. 44 Westerville South after. Had Lima Senior won to finish 30-0, it would have finished in the Top 25 of the FAB 50. Still, it was a memorable season spearheaded by the play of senior guard Xavier Simpson, the state’s Mr. Basketball headed to Michigan.

47. (NR) Fort Bend Elkins (Missouri City, Texas) 36-3 
After routing Ft. Worth Dunbar 101-73 in the semifinals, the Knights fell to No. 25 Lancaster, 67-64, in the UIL Class 5A state final. Elkins had a chance to tie the game on its last possession, but a half court heave was not close. Coach Albert Thomas’ team split games with talented Fort Bend Bush and defeated regionally-ranked Ozen of Beaumont to advance to the UIL Final Four.

48. (17) Apple Valley (Apple Valley, Minn.) 29-2 
This team was highly-touted in the preseason, but No. 21 Hopkins was a thorn in its side. It handed the Eagles their only two losses of the season, including 84-60 setback in the Class 4A state semifinals. Apple Valley likely would have finished a few spots higher had the rematch with Hopkins been closer, as coach Zach Goring’s club defeated 4A finalist Lakeville North twice, including a 92-66 win. With players such as Gary Trent Jr. and Tre Jones back next season, expect Apple Valley to appear in the preseason FAB 50.

49. (49) Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.) 28-5 
Coach Freddie Johnson’s Bengals were exactly what we expected in the preseason -- a tough out and an outfit worthy of a FAB 50 ranking. Greensboro Day’s season came to an end in a tough one-point loss to No. 43 High Point Christian Academy in the NCISA Class 3A state semifinals. The Bengals did defeat HPCA once in threes tries and didn’t lose to any other in-state program.

50. (NR) Omaha South (Omaha, Neb.) 28-1 
A state semifinalist in 2015, the Packers defeated Fremont 59-50 in the Class A title game to capture its first state crown since 1990. Caleal Walker netted 20 points and Aquek Arop (Nebraska) added 12 points and 11 rebounds. Omaha South was unbeaten in state, as its only loss was a 59-55 setback to No. 28 Overland at the Heartland Hoops Classic.

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 16 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

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