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By Ronnie Flores

RELATED:    | | The Future Of Big-Time HS Basketball | FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | How To Make A HS Version Of March Madness  | Updated Mr. Basketball USA Tracker 

The top of the weekly FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com is set for the 2020-21 season, but there is going to be more movement as California gets going full-bore. New York, West Virginia and New Mexico are still playing while Washington (April 26) and Oregon (May 17) will eventually tip-off.

Nevada and Hawaii are the two states that cancelled their respective 2020-21 season. There was no state playoffs conducted in Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Vermont.

When the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) announced it would delay its season back in July 2020, it was eventually announced there would be no CIF state championships in order to allow teams the most flexibility to schedule games. Last year's CIF championships at the Golden One Center in Sacramento were canceled on March 12, 2020 just as the country was gripped by the COVID-19 outbreak.

It looked like the Golden State would join the other eight that didn't have a state tournament, but all indications point to the CIF re-instating its state championships for this season. Obviously, the details need to be hashed out and made official, but the regional playoffs won’t have the exact format of recent seasons and they won’t be held at a large facility such as the Golden One Center.

The CIF consists of 10 sections, and already the CIF Southern Section (the largest), San Diego Section, and L.A. City Section in SoCal have announced it will conduct its respective section playoffs. It will be interesting to see if NorCal sections (namely the large Sac Joaquin Section and the North Coast Section) re-instate their post-seasons in light of the impending announcement. Already it appears the Central Coast Section will re-instate its post-season.

The first official CIF game took place on March 16, but some top teams are currently 0-0, including Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), the top ranked team in the state by CalHiSports.com and currently No. 10 in the FAB 50. There are currently four FAB 50 teams from California with three from the CIF Southern Section, along with North Coast Section member Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) at No. 43. The Dragons are the only NorCal program to win a CIF open championship (2015) since its first year in 2012-13.

As for Sierra Canyon, it is the two-time defending CIF Open champs and three-time defending SoCal open champs (remember, there was no CIF final last season), but this is considered as wide open a season as there has been in many years in terms of whom will finish No. 1 in the state. The Trailblazers suffered some heavy graduation losses and big men Harold Yu and Max Allen are not part of the program, but Sierra Canyon has also added some pieces to go around UCLA-bound junior guard Amari Bailey. Regardless, until someone beats Sierra Canyon on-court, it deserves to be the top-ranked California team in the FAB 50.

We'd be remiss not to mention the situation for teams in New York City and the great job the staff at Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) did to ensure games. Sure, New York won't have a state tournament but for parochial programs in the Big Apple there almost wasn't a season at all. They had approval to play outdoors, so city teams that belong to the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) asked teams in Westchester County to host games and Archbishop Stepinac stepped to the plate.

In all, there will be a total of 63 games over the next two months played at the all-boys Roman Catholic high school in Westchester County, beginning with two games on April 19. It's a tremendous undertaking by the school's administration and staff to give young men of New York an opportunity to play sanctioned games before the school year ends.

“We are excited to host the CHSAA Spring Tournament," Archbishop Stepinac head coach Patrick Massaroni told Ballislife. "This tournament will provide an opportunity for the 22 teams who opted in to play at least five games. It gives each of those kids, especially the seniors, a chance to play and compete.”

RELATED:    | | The Future Of Big-Time HS Basketball | FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | How To Make A HS Version Of March Madness  | Updated Mr. Basketball USA Tracker 

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

(18th poll of 2020-21 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, April 18; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Does not include results vs. out-of-season opponents; ****Indicates season not complete.)

No.	Prev.	High School (City)	Record
1	1	Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)	24-1
2	2	Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.)	20-4
3	3	IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)	22-3
4	4	DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.)	9-0***
5	5	Camden (Camden, N.J.)	13-0
6	6	Milton (Milton, Ga.)	28-3
7	7	Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis, Minn.)	22-1
8	8	Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah)	18-7
9	9	Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)	3-0
10	10	Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)	0-0
11	11	Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas)	29-1
12	12	Orlando Christian Prep (Orlando, Fla.)	28-0
13	13	O’Dea (Seattle, Wash.)	0-0
14	14	Houston (Germantown, Tenn.)	21-3**
15	15	Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.)	26-3
16	16	Westlake (Austin, Texas)	30-2
17	17	Millard North (Omaha, Neb.)	27-2
18	18	Millbrook (Raleigh, N.C.)	19-0
19	19	Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.)	7-4
20	20	St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio)	25-2
21	21	Reading (Reading, Pa.)	26-2
22	22	St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.)	0-0
23	23	Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)	21-9
24	24	Carmel (Carmel, Ind.)	26-2
25	25	Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.)	24-3
26	26	Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.)	14-1
27	27	Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.)	19-1
28	28	Waukee Senior (Waukee, Iowa)	16-2
29	29	Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.)	9-1**
30	30	Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas)	31-0
31	31	Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.)	28-3
32	32	Victory Rock Prep (Bradenton, Fla.)	27-6
33	33	Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.)	2-0
34	34	Clinton (Clinton, Miss.)	21-1
35	35	Central Pointe Christian (Kissimmee, Fla.)	31-7
36	36	Grand Blanc (Grand Blanc, Mich.)	15-2
37	37	Berkmar (Lilburn, Ga.)	26-6
38	38	St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.)	15-1
39	39	Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)	6-0****
40	40	Pace Academy (Atlanta, Ga.)	28-2
41	41	Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.)	22-1
42	42	Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.)	24-3
43	43	Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, Calif.)	0-0
44	44	Kingfisher (Kingfisher, Okla.)	25-1
45	45	Ribet Academy (Los Angeles, Calif.)	0-0
46	46	Huron (Ann Arbor, Mich.)	20-1**
47	47	Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.)	21-1
48	48	North Little Rock (North Little Rock, Ark.)	21-2
49	49	Wauwatosa East (Wausatosa, Wis.)	23-3
50	50	Centerville (Centerville, Ohio)	26-3

Dropped Out: None.

Bubble Teams:  Adams (South Bend, Ind.) 23-2; Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) 0-0; Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) 4-2****; Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, N.C.) 10-1; Atascocita (Humble, Texas) 24-3; Ballard (Louisville, Ky.) 21-3; Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) 7-2; Blue Ridge (St. George, Va.) 15-0; Bowling Green (Bowling Green, Ky.) 24-3; Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 17-7; Cannon School (Concord, N.C.) 27-5; Catalina Foothills (Tuscon, Ariz.) 19-1; Catholic Central (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 20-0; Central (Little Rock, Ark.) 23-5; Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) 22-2; Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Col.) 17-1; Christ The King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 0-0; Creighton Prep (Omaha, Neb.) 23-3; Damien (La Verne, Calif.) 15-0****; Davis (Kaysville, Utah) 22-4; Del City (Del City, Okla.) 22-4; DePaul College Prep (Chicago, Ill.) 14-2; Eagle’s Landing (McDonough, Ga.) 29-1; Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) 0-0; Edmond Memorial (Edmond, Okla.) 17-2; Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio) 20-4; Elizabethtown (Elizabethtown, Ky.) 22-3; Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 0-0; Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 0-2***; Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 22-4; Green Run (Virginia Beach, Va.) 9-1; Highlands (Ft. Thomas, Ky.) 30-4; Homestead (Ft. Wayne, Ind.) 26-1; Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 14-0; Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) 0-0; John Carroll (Bel Air, Md.) 11-5; Kell (Marietta, Ga.) 21-7; Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) 28-2; La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) 10-10; Las Cruces (Las Cruces, N.M.) 7-0****; Legacy Early College (Greenville, S.C.) 14-7; Manasquan (Manasquan, N.J.) 12-0; McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 24-5; Mentor (Mentor, Ohio) 25-1; Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) 17-5**; Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) 22-3; Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.) 25-4; Pine Crest (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) 21-1; Richardson (Richardson, Texas) 25-2; Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 12-3; Seattle Prep (Seattle, Wash.) 0-0; South Central (Winterville, N.C.) 13-0**; South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie, Texas) 21-1; Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) 21-3; Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Va.) 16-1; St. Catherine’s (Racine, Wis.) 28-1; St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 7-0****; St. Mark’s (Dallas, Texas) 7-1; St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 15-1; St. Mary’s (Pheonix, Ariz.) 20-1; St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) 19-3; Thunderidge (Highlands Ranch, Col.) 13-2; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 15-1**; Waxahachie (Waxahachie, Texas) 20-3; Westlake (Saratoga Springs, Utah) 21-4; Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 27-5; Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 15-1; Wilson (West Lawn, Pa.) 20-2.

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 21 years ago.

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

The post UPDATED FAB 50: Cali Gets Rollin' appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

On Episode 75 of the In The Paint Show, co-hosts Ronnie Flores and Devin Ugland continue the discussion surrounding high school and college sports during the pandemic.

The guys welcome on two senior point guards based out of California with different outlooks when it comes to recruiting. Stanford-commit and Jesuit high school star Isa Silva hops on the show to discuss how he's going about his development while not playing any travel ball games. Next, Jake Blazona out of Santa Margarita explains how the lack of travel basketball and exposure to college coaches has affected his recruitment.

Ron and Dev also bring on two college coaches - Ryan Badrtalei of UC Irvine and Jesse Pruitt of Stanford - who detail how their approach to recruiting and evaluating has changed and how prospects can take a proactive approach to their own recruitment.

This episode of the In The Paint Show is a perfect listen for any prep basketball player who wants to hear how their peers are adjusting their routines and what a college coach suggests when it comes to taking their recruitment into their own hands.

Also, be sure to check out Ron & Dev's latest piece on our site, describing how the altered high school seasons impact current high school prospects and how those same prospects can be sure to stay on the radar of college coaches.

The post In The Paint Show: HS Prospects on Development During Pandemic, College Coaches on Changes to Recruiting appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

The CIF office, the governing body of both public and private high school athletics in the state, recommended its member sections push back the start date of prep sports programs due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The CIF Southern Section and Los Angeles City Sections, the area that In The Paint co-hosts Ronnie Flores and Devin Ugland cover most often, released an updated sports calendar pushing the football start date for practice back to December and the first contest date to January 8. Football in those sections normally starts in mid-August.

The majority of our In The Paint listeners are of the basketball fan variety and they are going to have to wait quite some time to see some live high school hoops action. The first contest date allowed for Southern Section and City Section programs will by March 12, a time when most players, coaches and parents are in the middle of a playoff run or preparing for club and travel ball season.

On Episode 74 of our In The Paint podcast, Ron and Dev bring on three local high school basketball coaches to discuss how they are dealing with these changes within their program. David Rebibo of Harvard-Westlake, Ryan Meier of Mt. Miguel in San Diego and Reggie Morris, Jr. of Fairfax High in Los Angeles each spend about 15 minutes In The Paint with Ron and Dev. Click above to tune in to the latest show!

The post In The Paint Show: SoCal HSBB Coaches on Changes to CIF Sports Calendar appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

RELATED: How Coronavirus Affects High School Basketball |  How Your Team Can Become FAB 50 Ranked

By Ronnie Flores

"Race against the clock" is a basketball phrase which means a team is battling back from a deficit but running out of time to complete the comeback. With the backdrop of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak sweeping the nation, that phrase meant state associations around the country trying in vain to complete their state championship events last week. While a sped-up clock went off on many state associations after the NBA shut down its season on Wednesday and the NCAA cancelled its 64-team tournament, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, and New Mexico were able to complete their tournaments and crown state champions.

The LHSAA D1 final in Louisiana played without fans had an affect on the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com, as then No. 29 Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) defeated then No. 50 St. Augustine (New Orleans), 66-39, to capture its fourth consecutive state crown and run its record to 126-11 in the past four season with Virginia recruit Reece Beekman on the club. Scotlandville won its seventh state crown in the past nine seasons and moved up to No. 29 in the FAB 50 this week. Outside of a loss to No. 1 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), the Hornets have dropped games to an unranked in-state foe and to bubble club McEachern (Power Springs, Ga.), which lost big to No. 27 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), so they came buzz up any further.

"Yes, it was very different (playing in those conditions)," Scotlandville coach Carlos Sample told www.ebooksnet.com. "I was just grateful we got the opportunity to play the game. Especially with this senior group. These guys were focused all year long and it showed that day. My hat goes off to my players. I was extremely proud of them. I’ll cherish this moment for a eternity. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."

With St. Augustine dropping out after the crushing loss, two teams move in, one that won't be able to finish its season and one in a state (Pennsylvania) that is hoping to complete it state tourney at some time. The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) has postponed its tourney and its top team, Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.), is back in the FAB 50 at No. 47. There is a minimal stoppage of two weeks for all activities effective March 12 and no new updates from the PIAA since then. Not only is the current pandemic affecting state tournaments, it's putting spring sports in peril not only in the PIAA, but across the country.

One state that decided not to complete its state tournament, among many, was the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA). Its top-rated team, however, jumped into the FAB 50 this week as the top-ranked team in Class 6A, Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.), moves in at No. 50. The Huskies advanced to the state semifinals before the season was halted. With two games left on the table on its schedule, Blue Valley Northwest went unbeaten against in-state foes, losing only to Blue Springs (Mo.) in its first game and to FAB 50 No. 20 Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) by seven points (51-44) in its second game.

How Cancellations Affects The FAB 50

Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) is just one of many teams affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. For some, not being able to play in the final games of the season (in which theoretically would have been against some of its stiffest opponents) hurts the resume versus teams that were able to. Some tops teams had already finished its season, while others came to a abrupt halt.

We went over this in further detail earlier in the week in an article titled How Coronavirus Affects High School Basketball . To reiterate, in this week's FAB 50 rankings we looked at teams not just based on what they accomplished in the past week but over the course of the season. We did that because we aren't sure if there are going to be any more games played in 2019-20. On March 16, the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) decided to cancel the remainder of its state tournament for Class 4 and 5, which includes bubble club Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.), which had been fighting for a spot in the rankings for many weeks now.  

The cancellations also hurt clubs such as Eden Prairie (Eden Prairie, Minn.), which was having a historic season. An unbeaten Class 4A state crown would have pushed the Eagles up in the FAB 50 and the same goes for an Ohio Division I state champ. That OHSAA champ has been ranked high in the final FAB 50 in recent years and it would be a swoon for No. 19 Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) or No. 21 St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) to finish the season with one loss and a state title, especially if it beat the other on the way to a one-loss season. As of now that tournament is postponed, which the OHSAA holding a press conference on March 19 with an update on its winter sports.

Teams whose seasons are technically still alive are noted with an asterisk (***) this week.

Will GEICO Nationals Be Held?

The big question for national high school basketball fans is whether or not GEICO Nationals will still take place at some point in the spring. The event was scheduled for Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) April 2-4, but has been postponed indefinitely. That is the event that would affect the top of the rankings the most, as it will include a minimum of seven teams within the Top 10 of the FAB 50 if all the invited teams accept an invitation to play. It would give us a good base to determine if any club can keep up with top-ranked Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), if there truly is another great team among this year's crop of elites, or if the Eagles are simply that good.

The plan of event organizers with Chicago-based Paragon Marketing Group (which conducts the tournament) is to tentatively move forward with the event sometime in late April or early May. Of course, that plan is dependent on our country's state of current affairs surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Currently, more cities and counties are closing businesses until the end of March and mandating self-quarantines to try to combat the spread of the virus. Already, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending no gatherings of 50 or more throughout the United States for the next eight weeks. Should the rate of infections drastically slow in the next few weeks, perhaps the event can continue. If it doesn't, that would be curtains on the 2019-20 season.

As the current host, No. 10 Dorman would be in our projected field along with top-ranked Montverde Academy. Our projections for the rest of the field would be No. 2 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah), No. 3 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), No. 5 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), No. 9 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and any combination of No. 6 Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.), No. 7 La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) and Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.).

Should GEICO Nationals be played, we would come back at have an updated and final set of rankings following its conclusion, whenever that may be.

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

(Thirteenth poll of 2019-20 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, March 15; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***indicates season not complete)

No.	Prev.	High School (City)	Record
1	1	Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)	25-0***
2	2	Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah)	27-2***
3	3	Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.)	22-3***
4	4	DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.)	29-3
5	5	IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)	19-6***
6	6	Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.)	28-3***
7	7	La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.)	23-3***
8	8	St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.)	38-4
9	9	Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)	37-3***
10	10	Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.)	30-1***
11	12	Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.)	27-8
12	11	Eden Prairie (Eden Prairie, Minn.)	28-0
13	14	Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)	22-3
14	15	Poly (Baltimore, Md.)	24-2***
15	16	Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis, Minn.)	25-3
16	13	Bloomington South (Bloomington, Ind.)	26-0***
17	17	Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)	30-4
18	19	Camden (Camden, N.J.)	29-1
19	18	Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio)	25-1***
20	20	Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas)	31-3**
21	28	St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio)	25-1***
22	26	Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.)	24-7
23	24	Lancaster (Lancaster, Texas)	35-2**
24	22	Etiwanda (Etiwanda, Calif.)	30-4
25	23	Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)	25-10
26	27	Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)	29-3
27	28	Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)	30-2
28	25	St. Stephen's & St. Agnes (Alexandria, Va.)	26-4
29	31	Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.)	34-3
30	30	Jackson South Side (Jackson, Tenn.)	32-0***
31	29	Curie (Chicago, Ill.)	29-2
32	37	Lee (Montgomery, Ala.)	33-1
33	33	St. John's (Washington, D.C.)	24-9
34	34	Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.)	28-5
35	38	Garfield (Seattle, Wash.)	26-4
36	36	St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)	21-1***
37	41	Starkville (Starkville, Miss.)	30-2
38	40	Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.)	18-9
39	35	West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.)	28-7**
40	39	Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)	25-8
41	42	Roselle Catholic (Roslle, N.J.)	21-7
42	32	Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.)	25-2
43	43	St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.)	22-5
44	46	Male (Louisville, Ky.)	30-4***
45	45	Rangeview (Aurora, Col.)	26-0
46	47	North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.)	30-1***
47	NR	Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.)	24-4
48	44	Beecher (Flint, Mich.)	20-2***
49	48	Del City (Del City, Okla.)	24-1
50	NR	Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.)	21-2

Dropped Out: Previous No. 49 Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.), No. 50 St. Augustine (New Orleans, La.).

Bubble Teams:  Amityville (Amityville, N.Y.) 23-2; Ankeny (Ankeny, Iowa) 21-5; Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) 22-5***; Bartow (Bartow, Fla.) 30-1; Bellaire (Bellaire, Texas) 29-7; Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) 24-3; Benton Harbor (Benton Harbor, Mich.) 20-2***; Blazer (Ashland, Ky.) 33-0***; Bogan (Chicago, Ill.) 28-3; Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) 20-5; Borah (Boise, Idaho) 22-5; Brandeis (San Antonio, Texas) 33-3; Brentwood (Brentwood, N.Y.) 23-2; Brookfield Central (Brookfield, Wis.) 24-1; Cass Tech (Detroit, Mich.) 18-1**; Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 27-5; Central Pointe Christian Academy (Kissimmee, Fla.) 24-7; Clarkston (Clarkston, Mich.) 21-1***; Cleveland (Cleveland, Tenn.) 33-1; Concord First Assembly (Concord, N.C.) 35-3; Davidson Day (Davidson, N.C.) 30-1; Davis (Kaysville, Utah) 23-2; Desert Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.) 28-3; Dickinson (Dickinson, Texas) 32-5; Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) 25-4; Elizabeth (Elizabeth, N.J.) 24-4; Farmville Central (Farmville, N.C.) 29-2***; Fort Bend Hightower (Missouri City, Texas) 33-5; Fremont (Plain City, Utah) 23-3; Hamilton (Sussex, Wis.) 22-3; Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) 25-7; Hellgate (Missoula, Montana) 23-0; Houston (Germantown, Tenn.) 29-4; Huron (Ann Arbor, Mich.) 18-1***; Ironwood (Glendale, Ariz.) 28-2; Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) 24-2; John Paul II (Plano, Texas) 40-1; Las Cruces (Las Cruces, N.M.) 29-3; Lawrence Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) 22-3; Manasquan (Manasquan, N.J.) 31-1; McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 22-7; Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) 24-6; Milton (Milton, Ga.) 26-5; Mountain Brook (Birmingham, Ala.) 32-3; Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 26-7; Niles Notre Dame (Niles, Ill.) 29-5; O’Dea (Seattle, Wash.) 23-6; Orlando Christian Prep (Orlando, Fla.) 29-2; Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) 20-7; Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) 22-8; River Rouge (River Rouge, Mich.) 20-1***; Rocky Mountain (Meridian, Idaho) 25-2; Salpointe Catholic (Tucson, Ariz.) 30-1; Shadow Creek (Pearland, Texas) 29-4; Silver Creek (Sellersburg, Ind.) 25-2***; Southmoore (Moore, Okla.) 22-4; St. Augustine (New Orleans, La.) 31-2; St. Mark’s (Dallas, Texas) 29-4; Summer Creek (Houston, Texas) 34-6; Thornton (Harvey, Ill.) 32-1; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 22-5; West Memphis (West Memphis, Ark.) 26-4; Westover (Fayetteville, N.C.) 30-0***; Whitehaven (Memphis, Tenn.) 27-3; Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 21-9; Wilson (West Lawn, Pa.) 27-1***; Yates (Houston, Texas) 26-4.

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. Starting with a weekly format for the 1987-88 season, the FAB 50 is the longest-running weekly national 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 FAB 50: Final Rankings for 2019-20? appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

RELATED: How Your Team Can Become FAB 50 Ranked

By Ronnie Flores

Every season, there are off-court issues that impact the on-court results that are the core of the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com. From court-ordered injunctions, to forfeits and inclement weather, we never know what will have an impact on high school basketball games and post-season tournaments around the country. This year a few schools are dealing with the public health scare that could escalate to a pandemic in the near future: COVID-19 or Coronavirus as it's now commonly referred to in the United States.

For Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), it was looking to secure a berth in GEICO Nationals (April 2-4) with a win over Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) in the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAAAAAA state final last Saturday. Grayson came into the game at No. 4 in the FAB 50 against a team it beat during the regular season, but fell in a 60-59 shocker to not only end its GEICO bid but deny the Rams a coveted state title. Making it even more gut-wrenching for coach Geoffrey Pierce's club was it trailed by double-digits, but came back to take the lead only to see victory snatched from it on a free throw by Wheeler's Sam Hines Jr. with 1.1 seconds remaining. Hines made his final high school game count, finishing with 28 points (on 11-of-12 shots from the field) and nine rebounds.

"I hate that our season ends on such a sour note, but we missed too many free throws down the stretch," Pierce told www.ebooksnet.com.

Grayson had four starters with two fouls in the first half, but it was the charity stripe that told the story. The Rams made 5-of-11 free throws in the final period and only 1-of-4 in the final two minutes when the game was on the line. For the contest, Grayson made 10-of-19 and four of those were front ends of 1-and-1 situations.

Grayson simply has too strong of a season resume to drop out of the FAB 50 after losing to an unranked club, so Wheeler is easily the highest ranked of three newcomers this week at No. 26. Grayson, which checks in at No. 29, split with Wheeler and defeated Newton (Ga.) two of three times in 2019-20.

Another ranked team that fell in a playoff shocker, was previous No. 48 Rocky Mountain (Meridian, Idaho), but unfortunately for the Grizzlies they did not have a strong enough overall resume to stay ranked. No team from Idaho has ever placed in a final FAB 50 and Rocky Mountain was being touted as one of the finest teams ever in the Gem State. It all came crashing down, however, in a 73-66 loss to Post Falls (Idaho) in the Class 5A state semifinals. The Grizzlies were outscored 19-6 in the third period, as Post Falls' Colby Gennett and Alex Horning led the upset bid with 20 points each.

Post Falls lost in the state title game to bubble club Borah (Boise, Idaho), a team Rocky Mountain beat there times during the season. Rocky Mountain's only other loss was in overtime to FAB 50 No. 2 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah). So far, the highest ranked team ever from Idaho is Meridian, which finished No. 7 in the final Midlands Region Top 10 in 1991-92.

One ranked team that may not get to finish it season on the court is Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.), which last played on February 28 when it captured the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Sac-Joaquin Section D1 title over cross-town Capital Christian. With its bye in the first round of the NorCal Open Division playoffs, Sheldon was scheduled to face state-ranked Dublin (Calif.) on March 7 at Cosumnes River College, but was shocked to find out before that night's game the Elk Grove Unified School District had closed all school-related activities for a week due to concerns surrounding Coronavirus (COVID-19).

In a shocking development, Sheldon's season appeared over without ever playing a game in the state playoffs. After pressure from the local community and emerging details that perhaps the school district did not consult the Sacramento Department of Health to make such an impactful decision for a wide range of students, the school district reversed its stance. In an unprecedented move that took place Sunday, the EGUSD requested of CIF that in reinsert Sheldon back in the NorCal Open playoffs, pending a determination that it’s safe for Sheldon and Dublin to play after collaboration with the Department of Public Health at the county level.

Monday came and went with no official announcement on Sheldon's status in the CIF state tournament. Three other programs, one girls team and two boys teams, including state-ranked Riordan of San Francisco in D1, already were dropped from the Norcal regional playoffs on orders from their respective school districts over student and faculty concerns surrounding Coronavirus.

The Sheldon-Coronavirus affair is a stunning development that affects the integrity of the entire CIF state tournament. Not only has No. 34 Sheldon (which moved in front of the Mater Dei of Santa Ana team it earlier beat after that team lost to No. 22 Etiwanda in the SoCal open regional semifinals) been NorCal's No. 1 ranked team all season long, the Huskies did not practice on any EGUSD site or off-site facility on Monday.

Dublin and NorCal Open finalist Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) are also affected by the Sheldon-Coronavirus affair. Dublin coach Tom Costello expressed frustration on Sunday night of not knowing how to prepare his team for its Monday practice. Should the Gaels prepare for Sheldon or Bishop O'Dowd?

As for Bishop O'Dowd, it knows it will host the NorCal open final and that, regardless of foe, it will be held at Laney College in Oakland (keep in mind Sheldon is the top seeded team in the region). If Sheldon and Dublin play on Tuesday, the regional final will be played on Thursday. If Sheldon does not play and Dublin advances via default, the O'Dowd-Dublin regional final would be on Wednesday. The CIF Open state title game is slated for March 14 at the Golden One Center in Sacramento and on Monday the CIF announced its 40th annual state championships are still on as of now and won't be re-scheduled.

As of late Monday night, Sheldon was not certain of its status in the state tournament and O'Dowd did not now if Tuesday proposed regional semifinal game would be played. COVID-19 has now affected tons of schools, communities, and travel plans around California, and could lead to more event cancellations in sports and other large gatherings. Already Santa Clara County in Northern California has banned large gatherings of more than 1,000 people effective Wednesday, 12 a.m.

With GEICO Nationals slated for New York City, we expect there to be a formal announcement later this week the event will be played elsewhere in light of New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announcing a state of emergency this past Saturday.

Our hope is the end-of-season event, and other state tournaments, are completed without a hitch as long as they don't compromise public safety. We'll monitor the situation because there is a heightened awareness of liability for school districts' decisions in light of Coronavirus. Public health is much more important than national rankings, which are more accurate and more meaningful to players and fans when tournaments are actually played out on the court.

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(Twelfth poll of 2019-20 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, March 8; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***indicates season complete)

No.	Prev.	High School (City)	Record
1	1	Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)	25-0
2	2	Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah)	27-2
3	3	Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.)	22-3
4	6	DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.)	29-3
5	5	IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)	19-6
6	7	Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.)	28-3
7	8	La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.)	23-3
8	9	St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.)	38-4
9	10	Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)	37-3
10	12	Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.)	30-1
11	11	Eden Prairie (Eden Prairie, Minn.)	28-0
12	13	Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.)	27-8
13	18	Bloomington South (Bloomington, Ind.)	26-0
14	14	Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)	22-3
15	15	Poly (Baltimore, Md.)	24-2
16	16	Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis, Minn.)	24-3
17	17	Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)	29-4
18	19	Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio)	25-1
19	22	Camden (Camden, N.J.)	28-1
20	20	Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas)	31-3**
21	28	St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio)	23-1
22	33	Etiwanda (Etiwanda, Calif.)	30-3
23	24	Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)	25-10
24	26	Lancaster (Lancaster, Texas)	35-2**
25	27	St. Stephen's & St. Agnes (Alexandria, Va.)	26-4
26	NR	Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.)	24-7***
27	31	Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)	29-3***
28	4	Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)	30-2***
29	25	Curie (Chicago, Ill.)	28-2
30	37	Jackson South Side (Jackson, Tenn.)	31-0
31	29	Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.)	32-3
32	36	Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.)	25-2
33	35	St. John's (Washington, D.C.)	24-9***
34	49	Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.)	27-5**
35	34	West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.)	26-7
36	38	St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)	19-1
37	39	Lee (Montgomery, Ala.)	33-1***
38	NR	Garfield (Seattle, Wash.)	26-4***
39	30	Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)	25-8***
40	40	Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.)	18-9
41	44	Starkville (Starkville, Miss.)	30-2***
42	NR	Roselle Catholic (Roslle, N.J.)	21-7
43	42	St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.)	21-5
44	32	Beecher (Flint, Mich.)	18-2
45	43	Rangeview (Aurora, Col.)	26-0
46	45	Male (Louisville, Ky.)	29-4
47	46	North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.)	30-1
48	47	Del City (Del City, Okla.)	24-1
49	21	Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.)	20-7***
50	50	St. Augustine (New Orleans, La.)	30-1

Dropped Out: Previous No. 23 Richardson (Richardson, Texas), No. 41 Lawrence Central (Indianapolis, Ind.), No. 48 Rocky Mountain (Meridian, Idaho).

Bubble Teams:  Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) 21-5; Bartow (Bartow, Fla.) 30-1***; Bellaire (Bellaire, Texas) 29-7***; Benton Harbor (Benton Harbor, Mich.) 18-2; Blazer (Ashland, Ky.) 31-0; Bloom (Chicago Heights, Ill.) 28-5; Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) 20-5; Borah (Boise, Idaho) 22-5***; Brentwood (Brentwood, N.Y.) 23-1; Brookfield Central (Brookfield, Wis.) 23-1; Cass Tech (Detroit, Mich.) 16-1**; Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 27-5***; Central Pointe Christian Academy (Kissimmee, Fla.) 24-7; Clarkston (Clarkston, Mich.) 19-1; Cleveland (Cleveland, Tenn.) 32-1; Concord First Assembly (Concord, N.C.) 35-3***; Davidson Day (Davidson, N.C.) 30-1***; Davis (Kaysville, Utah) 23-2***; Desert Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.) 28-3***; Dickinson (Dickinson, Texas) 32-5; Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) 25-4***; Elizabeth (Elizabeth, N.J.) 22-4; Farmville Central (Farmville, N.C.) 29-2; Fort Bend Hightower (Missouri City, Texas) 33-5; Fremont (Plain City, Utah) 23-3***; Hamilton (Sussex, Wis.) 21-3; Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) 25-7***; Hellgate (Missoula, Montana) 21-0; Houston (Germantown, Tenn.) 28-4; Huron (Ann Arbor, Mich.) 16-1; Ironwood (Glendale, Ariz.) 28-2***; Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) 24-2; John Paul II (Plano, Texas) 40-1***; Lawrence Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) 22-3***; Manasquan (Manasquan, N.J.) 30-1; McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 22-7***; Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) 24-6***; Milton (Milton, Ga.) 26-5***; Mountain Brook (Birmingham, Ala.) 32-3***; Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 26-7***; Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) 23-4; O’Dea (Seattle, Wash.) 23-6***; Orlando Christian Prep (Orlando, Fla.) 29-2***; Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) 22-8***; River Rouge (River Rouge, Mich.) 19-1; Rocky Mountain (Meridian, Idaho) 25-2***; Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.) 27-1; Salpointe Catholic (Tucson, Ariz.) 30-1***; Shadow Creek (Pearland, Texas) 29-4***; Silver Creek (Sellersburg, Ind.) 25-2; Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) 24-8; Southmoore (Moore, Okla.) 22-4; St. Mark’s (Dallas, Texas) 29-4***; Summer Creek (Houston, Texas) 34-6***; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 20-5; Westover (Fayetteville, N.C.) 30-0; Whitehaven (Memphis, Tenn.) 26-3; Yates (Houston, Texas) 26-4.

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. Starting with a weekly format for the 1987-88 season, the FAB 50 is the longest-running weekly national 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 NEW FAB 50: Upsets & Coronavirus Dominate Headlines! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

In our extensive preseason FAB 50 National Rankings, we stated 2018-19 is one season where it could be a wide open race to the mythical FAB 50 National Championship. We also hinted that the top teams could lose and come back to be in the thick of the national title hunt.

Never did we envision a scenario with the three top teams losing in a span of approximately 24 hours, but that's what happened at the City of Palms Tournament in Florida and the Iolani Classic in Hawaii. Top-ranked Montverde Academy saw its 41-game winning streak come to an end, as No. 5 La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) defeated the Eagles, 58-51, in the semifinals of the Iolani Classic.

40 points to take down arguably the #1 team in America..?? I see you Trendon Watford! @Trendon_2 @CityOfPalmsBKB pic.twitter.com/orYBKEoWYN

— www.ebooksnet.com (@Ballislife) December 21, 2018

Grid-Hoop standout Gerald Drumgoole led the Lakers with 19 points and senior forward Keion Brooks hit two big 3-pointers down the stretch and finished with 17 points.

A few hours earlier across the country in Florida, FAB 50 No. 13 Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) jumped all over No. 2 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) in its semifinal contest at the City of Palms Tournament. Imhotep used its terrific team defense to jump out to a 35-15 halftime lead against a Warriors team that didn't suit up senior center Kofi Cockburn and was slowed by an injury to junior Christian Brown. Oak Hill attempted a frantic comeback, but fell short, as the Panthers won 70-60.

Maryland-bound Donta Scott led four double-digit scorers for Imhotep Charter (which lost earlier in the season to Philly rival and No. 12 Roman Catholic) with 25 points and six rebounds. Mr. Basketball USA candidate Cole Anthony led Oak Hill Academy with 33 points (including 16-of-17 free throws) and three steals.

Less than 24 hours earlier at the same tournament, No. 3 IMG Academy was taken down by No. 28 Mountain Brook (Mountain Brook, Ala.) behind a terrific performance by unsigned 5-star big man Trendon Watford. Against IMG's terrific frontline, Watford erupted for 38 points and 12 rebounds. It also didn't look good for IMG when Mountain Brook (which entered City of Palms with three losses) was taken down by No. 10 McEachern (Power Springs, Ga.), 50-29, in the semifinals as Isaac Okoro (12 points) did a good job defensively on Watford, who finished with one field goal and four points. Point guard Sharife Cooper also had a big game for McEachern, finishing with 15 points.

Sharife Cooper hits the half court shot with ease! @CooperSharife pic.twitter.com/h0Z6qqf3Nu

— www.ebooksnet.com (@Ballislife) December 22, 2018

State Association Rulings Affect Tournaments, Rankings

Unfortunately for Watford, he won't get a chance to re-deem himself in the City of Palms third place game against Oak Hill Academy, as the game will not be played. The Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) will not allow its member programs to face Oak Hill Academy. The same scenario would have held true for McEachern as part of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) had Oak Hill Academy advanced to the City of Palms title game against the Indians. Fortunately for City of Palms Tournament Director Donnie Wilkie, the championship game of his event will go on with the semifinal winners and not an altered or pre-determined scenario based on the results of the semifinal games.

State associations (i.e. the governing bodies for high school athletics) are cracking down on its members playing associate members, teams that don't compete for a state championship and/or if there is eligibility questions about any players on a team's particular roster.

Whereas the City of Palms title game between Imhotep and McEachern was played out through the bracket, unfortunately the same situation did not occur at the Iolani Tournament. No. 7 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) won its semifinal contest 64-49 over FAB 50 bubble club Westchester (Los Angeles), which advanced to the semifinals courtesy of its 68-63 victory over No. 30 Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.). Senior guard Cassius Stanley led the way with 19 points and K.J. Martin added 18.

Sierra Canyon Loses Big Opportunity

With the top three teams in the FAB 50 losing and No. 4 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) with a loss to No. 3 IMG Academy on its season resume so far, a game with No. 5 La Lumiere would have been big for Sierra Canyon, as No. 6 University School (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) lost to Imhotep Charter in the City of Palms semifinals. With DeMatha also owning a win over the Roman Catholic team that beat Imhotep Charter earlier in the season, it's not hard to figure out the winner of a La Lumiere-Sierra Canyon game would be in terrific national rankings position heading into the post-Christmas holiday tournaments and 2019.

The game is not going to happen, however, as the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) will no longer allow its member programs such as Sierra Canyon to participate in games versus La Lumiere. Starting in 2019-20, CIF programs can no longer play associate members or independent programs that do not compete for state championships such as Oak Hill Academy, Montverde Academy and No. 11 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.). These independent programs annually battle for the FAB 50 national title, so for full association members such as Sierra Canyon to be unable to play them hurts their opportunity to compete against some of the country's best teams at the high school level and takes away opportunities for fans to watch elite teams and players battle against each other. There will still be some of these matchups, but not as often and less results to work with in order to make national rankings more accurate.

Sierra Canyon still has to play whomever comes in front of them, and the goal of a CIF state championship remains, but for a high school sport with national appeal these enforced state association rules will have an impact on potential matchups at holiday tournaments and weekend showcases in the future. The results of many of these games are the basis for the FAB 50 over the course of the season.

As a result of the Iolani Classic semifinal results, it was already pre-determined that Sierra Canyon will play Montverde Academy (a semifinal loser) and La Lumiere will play Oak Ridge (a quarterfinal loser). Sierra Canyon was originally slated to play an unranked opponent, but will instead get to play a team that entered the tournament ranked No. 1 in the country. It's still could be an excellent game, but players want to compete against teams it just witnessed win either before or after its game in a tournament.

As for La Lumiere, it really has nothing to gain from a game versus Oak Ridge. It's a lose-lose scenario for both Sierra Canyon and La Lumiere, besides the fact the best teams must win against who is slated in front of them. It's how the scenario came to be that is unfortunate.

No. 17 Rancho Christian Falls

Just as Sierra Canyon looks to keeping wining and move up in the rankings, so does the No. 2 ranked team from California, No. 17 Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.). The Eagles have one of the nation's most difficult schedules and advanced to the championship of the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas. In order to keep pace with Sierra Canyon and the other top-ranked teams, Rancho Christian was looking to capture the Tark tournament championship, as well as The Classic at Damien next week in Southern California.

Rancho Christian just couldn't keep pace with the quick guards of No. 26 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), which used its transition game and foot speed to convert easy buckets, take an early lead and win going away, 61-39, to hand the Eagles their first loss of the season after 10 victories. Bishop Gorman won the tournament for the second consecutive year, joining Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) in 2012 and 2013 as the second back-to-back champion in the event's seven-year history.

Bishop Gorman, which came in the game with one loss to No. 21 Guyer (Denton, Texas), jumped out to a 18-7 lead in the first half, as it was evident Gorman sophomore point guard Zaon Collins could penetrate at will to create scoring opportunities and control the tempo of the game. Gorman was also hitting enough outside shots to force Rancho Christian to have to play catch-up the entire contest.

Near the end of the first half, Collins kept the dribble alive on the perimeter, as Rancho Christian looked for a five second ball, got the ball in the key, hit a low crossover to keep it from the big men, and converted a reverse lay-up at the halftime buzzer to make the score 32-20 in favor of the Gaels. The play summarized the game, as Gorman got the easier looks, to more loose balls and negated Rancho Christian's ability on the boards.

"Our strategy was to go after them," said Collins, who finished with nine points, four rebounds, six assists and six steals and was named co-MVP of the tournament with teammate and junior guard Noah Taitz. "We knew they were big, but we are faster than them."

Rancho Christian (10-1), which advanced to the finals courtesy of its 76-57 semifinal win over No. 24 Federal Way (Federal Way, Wash.), was led by the Mobley brothers, senior forward Isaiah Mobley (13 points) and junior Evan Mobley (16 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks), who many feel is the best long-term prospect in the country. The brothers shot a high percentage from the field, made 13 of Rancho Christian's 17 made goals, but no other player made more than one field goal. It wasn't until 12:18 remained in the second half that the Eagles received a field goal from someone other than the Mobleys or Luke  Turner, as they trailed 37-26 at that time.

Taitz finished with 16 points, as did 6-foot-9 junior center Isaiah Cottrell, who also added seven rebounds and did an admirable job of scoring a couple of field goals around or over the Mobley brothers. Bishop Gorman, which advanced to the championship game with a 63-46 win over Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.), was credited with a 27-25 rebound advantage for the game.

In the 80-62 loss to Guyer, Gorman's Collins was saddled with cramping and never returned to the game after early in the third quarter. It was obvious in this tournament, the sophomore quarterback and leader is quite the difference-maker for the Gaels. Gorman is now off until January 4-5, when it travels to Wheeling, W. Va., to participate in the Cancer Research Classic, where it will face No. 5 La Lumiere and always-tough Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.).

"Whenever I get hurt, I feel like I let my team down," Collins said about his cramp issues versus Guyer in Phoenix. "I started to do the right thing for my team, like eating right and sleeping right. It's just maturing."

Rancho Christian (10-1) will play at The Classic beginning on December 26 and is the prohibitive favorite to win that tournament. Coach Ray Barefield knows he will need continued improvement and production from his backcourt to survive its schedule. After The Classic, the Eagles travel to West Memphis, Ark., to take on No. 36 Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.) on national television. One good omen for Barefield's team from tonight is it gets it crack at the McEachern team that just captured the City of Palms Tournament.

The No. 10 ranked and still unbeaten Indians defeated No. 13 Imhotep Charter, 68-47, in Saturday evening's title game, Cooper took home MVP honors. Similar to Collins in Las Vegas, Cooper was the catalyst with 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting, five rebounds, four assists.

Scott, who may be playing himself into serious McDonald's All-American consideration with his play so far as a senior, led Imhotep with 15 point and two blocked shots.

That Rancho Christian-McEachern contest will also take place on national television on MLK Monday in Springfield, Mass. The Eagles hope to rebound from the loss to Gorman by winning The Classic at Damien and to see a McEachern team still without a loss on January 21. That would be the best scenario for Rancho Christian to remain in serious FAB 50 title contention, along with Gorman defeating La Lumiere to take some of the sting out of the loss to the Gaels.

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

The post FAB 50 No. 1, 2, 3 All Go Down! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

The NCAA federal bribery and corruption scandal rocking college basketball over the past year involves such a small percentage of young players who strive to play basketball after high school by attaining a college scholarship. The corruption uncovered, so far, has one common theme: it involves nondescript individuals whom most of the general public doesn't know and only the best of the elite players who soon will again be eligible to skip college altogether and whom a growing number of people feel should be compensated to play NCAA basketball in some form.

The terms of an athletic scholarship for a vast majority of student-athletes are more than fair. So, the irony of the NCAA's new recruiting rules for live periods in June is its negative affect on some of that large group of kids looking for the best opportunity to play at a Division I college.

At the request of the NCAA (as a result of the fallout from the FBI investigation into many of its member programs), the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) along with the National High School Basketball Coaches Association (NHSBCA) created two weekend recruiting windows -- June 21-23, 2019 and June 28-30, 2019 -- for high school coaches employed by state association member schools to develop live recruiting events.

As has been rumored and discussed for two months among high schools coaches with Ballislife, it is confirmed the NFHS is sanctioning one school athletic governing body per state for the 2019 June live period events. Across the country, plenty of states have more than one athletic governing body. The states with multiple associations are often broken by groupings of public and private schools, and some whose members are independent programs and don't play for state championships.

"There is only one member [association] in each state that has NFHS membership," Theresia D. Wynns, the director of sports and officials for the NFHS, told ESPN's Jeff Borzello?via email. "Only the schools that are a part of the members of that NFHS member can participate in the June evaluation period."

Needless to say, there are plenty of talented players whose school doesn't fall into the category of being the one official NFHS member state association in a particular state. Some of the finest basketball in the country is played at schools which are part of a governing body currently considered an affiliate member of the NFHS, thus making their association ineligible to create or host June live period events.

Fallout of the June Live Period Events

The interpretation of these new NCAA recruiting rules (which altered the July recruiting calendar and created two live June weekends for scholastic-oriented events) has created some unhappy coaches and confusion as to whom can actually participate and how the certification process works.

In North Carolina, association membership is separated by public and private schools. There are just under 100 schools that are part of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) and over 400 schools that belong to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA). Under the current setup, NCISAA member schools won't be allowed to participate or host live recruiting events for college coaches. NCISAA member schools have been particularly strong in boys basketball in recent seasons and have had multiple programs appear in the FAB 50 National Team Rankings. It can be easily argued the NCISAA produces more than half of the state's D1 level talent despite being approximately one quarter of the size of the NCHSAA.

Not only does that make NCISAA coaches unhappy, it limits the opportunities for its players to be seen by college coaches compared to their public school counterparts. A similar scenario for college basketball hopefuls in North Carolina will take place in other states.

According to a statement released on the NFHS website, the support for the criteria for these June live events, "has underscored the importance of maintaining an education-based focus on event formats and host sites."

Are these new June live events discriminatory in nature towards certain students' educational opportunities? Why should one student not be allowed an opportunity another student is afforded based on what accredited school it attends, specially if that same accredited school has been granted membership into an association the NFHS recognizes in some fashion?

Coaches Speak On New June Events

"There is some disconnect between the North Carolina public school administrators and coaches and the private schools," said Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.) assistant coach Jeff Smith. "They don't want us (the NCISAA programs) to be sanctioned. From what I understand the NFHS stance is, if they sanction a tournament or event and allow non-members to participate, they have no way or enforcing rules or punishing if there are sportsmanship issues, or something of that nature."

In the two states with the most high schools, Texas and California, one has multiple associations and the other only has one. In Texas, the University Interscholastic League (UIL) is the only NFHS member association in the state, so kids who play for Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) and Texas Christian Athletic League (TCAL) schools won't be able to play in front of college coaches in June 2019 under the new recruiting format. California public, charter, private and parochial schools are part of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), which the NFHS officially recognizes.

Besides the NCISAA and TAPPS, there are other prominent associations around the country with strong basketball programs which are not the one official NFHS member state association in its respective state. That's not even including the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC), which includes boarding schools containing some post-graduates and plays some of the finest basketball in the country below the NCAA level. The recruiting calendar has changed, but it's not the same for each potential NCAA student-athlete and there is little commentary among coaches that the changes were beneficial to these same student-athletes.

According to the NFHS's statement, the criteria for hosting a sanctioned June event was developed by NFHS staff and several state association administrators, and reviewed by the NFHS Board of Directors, NHSBCA and key administrators from the NCAA.

The recruiting calendar changes were obviously made rather quickly and without serious input from the college coaches who must recruit student-athletes or the key stakeholders in a players' recruitment.

"The changes were a reaction to the FBI stuff, not thought out well, and approved by someone who doesn't understand the recruiting system and how AAU (grassroots basketball) works," said one prominent college coach with experience in coaching at the grassroots and high school level who chose to remain anonymous. "We have to figure out what kids we can see with one flight and it may be one. Coaches are going to be scattering everywhere. Some kids and parents are going to think 'if the head coach is not there, he must not be a priority recruit.' We want to see kids under one roof, so we're not happy."

Confusion And Unanswered Questions

Not only is there some confusion on the sanctioning of these June events, there could be some confusion as to which governing body has the final jurisdiction for schools that belong to more than one association. DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.), which annually produces D1 bound talent, is currently ranked No. 4 in the FAB 50 National Rankings and is one of the most well-respected high school basketball programs in the country. The Stags, however, belong to more than one association. They are members of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) and play for a Maryland private schools state title as part of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), which is a boys' sports conference for private high schools in Central Maryland. So which organization has jurisdiction over the other with regards to DeMatha Catholic? How about other schools that belong to and follow the rules of more than one association?

"We're trying to figure that all out, we don't know the answer," said DeMatha Catholic head coach Mike Jones, who also has vast experience as a coach for USA Basketball's youth teams. "It will be interesting to see if there is any adjustment in policy (with regards to June events). This might have a rough start, but the point is not to try and take away opportunities for kids and keep their best interests at heart."

Pros And Cons Of New June Events

Positives

? College coaches can evaluate a potential recruit in a high school environment during their own off-season, when they don't have to worry or prepare as much for their own college seasonal activity.

? Kids who don't play on a travel team or can't afford to travel could potentially be evaluated by a college coach.

? Kids who thrive with their high school team and may not perform as well in a grassroots or camp setting could have a better opportunity to make a favorable impression.

? Coaches and administrators that have a greater depth of knowledge and experience with a player's academic profile could be an asset to a college coach.

Negatives

? The new June recruiting calendar is available to some players and not available to others, even though the a majority of the latter attend educationally accredited schools.

? College coaches can watch and evaluate kids from associations such as TAPPS, NCISAA and NEPSAC during other live periods, so what's a great reason in making June off limits?

? College coaches want to view as many quality prospects under one roof as possible and playing for a travel ball team at a quality event is more conducive and economical for them.

? The relationship between travel ball coaches and players often begins earlier than high school. Just because the high school coach is now injected back into the recruiting system, doesn't mean said high school coach will increase his positive influence on the recruiting process or increase the player's trust of his knowledge of it.

? Some high school coaches simply don't want to be involved in the process, because there is a sentiment around the country many educators, even ones not involved in athletics, are severely underpaid.

? If the rules stay in affect over a period of time, you will see an increase in the number of transfers from neighborhood schools to power programs in order to take advantage of existing relationships coaches at power programs have with college coaches and the format of the new live period.

In summary, the negative points far outweigh the positives and makes it seem as though the NFHS is looking after some other self serving interests, rather than the interests of as many student-athletes from around the country as possible.

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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