When many of the top teams travel cross country to play in holiday tournaments, often times it’s not the most talented team that advances. It's the one that stays disciplined in its travel regimen and is rested and prepared to compete at the highest level.

That’s definitely the case for FAB 50 ranked No. 30 Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.), which is coming off one of the craziest and most memorable regular season games involving highly-ranked teams in recent memory. Wood nearly had FAB 50 No. 2 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) beat, but gave up a big fourth quarter lead and fell in seven overtimes, 130-128. The game was played last Saturday evening in Philadelphia (Eastern Time) and finished after midnight. The Vikings had to be at the airport on Sunday morning at 4:30 am to catch their flight to the Iolani Classic in Hawaii all the way across the country. Wood landed at 8:45 pm (Eastern), 16 hours later. Those are the types of occurrences that often affect what transpires on the court.

Wood joins three other FAB 50 ranked teams in Hawaii: No. 10 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), No. 18 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) and No. 21 Wasatch Academy. Interestingly, three of those teams are on the opposite side of the bracket as Oak Hill Academy, which should get to the championship game slated for Saturday evening December 21. LSU-bound Cam Thomas is playing terrific for the Warriors, and he perhaps could jump into the Mr. Basketball USA conversation with big outings in Hawaii and a tourney championship for Oak Hill.

Wood, on the other hand, will have its hands full by the quarterfinals, where it could face No. 21 Wasatch Academy. That quarterfinal game could pit Wood 2021 point guard Rahsool Diggins versus Wasatch Academy 2022 lead guard Richard Isaacs Jr. It doesn’t appear strongman Mady Sissoko will return for Wasatch Academy after an off-season hand injury, so if Wood’s underclass dominated front court can rebound it will have a strong chance to win the quarterfinal showdown. Also watch out for Wood’s Daeshon Sheperd, as the 6-foot-5 junior wing will have to score big for Wood to advance to the tourney semifinals. Long Island Lutheran will likely be awaiting in the semifinals, where another good point guard, Illinois-bound Andre Curbelo, would match wits with either Isaacs or Diggins. It should make for a terrific semifinal contest, as Long Island Lutheran rates as the slight favorite to reach the championship round.

The Tarkanian Classic boasts four teams in its main bracket, two on each side. It would seem No. 17 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) would meet No. 19 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) in one semifinal, with host program and No. 5 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) facing No. 27 Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) on the opposite side. However, don’t be too surprised if the seeds don’t hold up. There are plenty of dangerous teams capable of knocking off the top seeds and a few teams that have already defeated ranked clubs or were once themselves in the FAB 50.

Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) has a super-tough test right off the bat against bubble club Centennial (Corona, Calif.), which despite its guard heavy lineup and losing three potential starters to transfer, has played terrific ball. The Huskies run their sets and harass ball-handlers into submission, so the Saints will have their hands full. The matchup to watch will be Goretti’s Hakim Byrd, one of the top uncommitted guards in Pennsylvania, versus Centennial’s Paris Dawson, who’s headed to Portland St. If Dawson has the outside shot rolling, Centennial could pull off the mild upset. Last Saturday, Centennial defeated previous No. 40 Coronado (Henderson, Nev.), 73-65, by speeding up the Cougars' guards. Ironically, if Centennial defeats the Saints in the first round, it could meet Coronado again in the quarterfinals. Coronado has a tough first round game against Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), which is always a tough out in this tournament and boasts terrific 2023 forward Jalen Lewis. O’Dowd is another team that can really defend the ball, so Jaden Hardy and the other Cougars guards are going to have to take care of the ball and hit timely shots to give the team an opportunity to advance to the semifinals. On the other hand, Mater Dei, which won the first two Tarkanian Classics in 2012 and 2013, should advance to the semifinal contest, with St. Augustine (San Diego, Calif.) giving it a solid challenge in the quarterfinals.

Bishop Gorman always plays tough at home, so it would be the favorites in its quarterfinal contest between either Fairfax (Los Angeles) or Thomas Jefferson (Brooklyn, N.Y.), which is a pick’em game in the first round. Jefferson comes in ranked No. 8 in New York City at 6-3, while Fairfax is unbeaten and already owns a win over archival Westchester (Los Angeles). Fairfax has been getting some excellent scoring performances from San Diego St.-bound Keith Dinwiddie, so if he gets off to a good start it could carry over to the rest of the tournament. Westchester is actually on the same side of the bracket as its rival, but it’s doubtful the L.A. City Section powers will meet in the championship semifinals. The Comets have their hands full with Marion (Ark.), which started off FAB 50 ranked and could be a surprise on its side of the bracket. Marion has a terrific backcourt featuring 6-foot-3 2020 shooting guard Detrick Reeves Jr. and 6-foot 2020 point guard Makyi Boyce. In addition to Lewis, Marion has one of the top freshman in the Tarkanian in 6-foot-1 Jayden Forrest. Westchester is always tough defensively, but lacks scoring consistency thus far.

If Neumann-Goretti-Corona Centennial is not the best first round matchup, then it's No. 27 Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) versus bubble club Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.). One-loss Riverdale Baptist is capable of an upset behind its terrific transfer backcourt of Devon Savage (6-3, 2021) and Guy Flauntroy (5-10, 2021). Sheldon has plenty of weapons and perhaps for the first time in recent memory is healthy and has all its players eligible early in the season. Arizona St.-bound Marcus Bagley of Sheldon could really stamp himself as one of the best players on the West Coast with a big tourney performance, while unsigned senior guard Xavion Brown will have to continue to make plays on both sides of the ball and pound the boards to offset Savage's and Flauntroy’s production. A Sheldon-Marion quarterfinal could be a close game, and if Gorman doesn’t have the services of Stanford-bound Noah Taitz and transfer center Christian Bento is not ready for the intensity of this tourney, Gorman could be upset in the semifinals. The Gaels, however, usually shoot good and play well at home so they are the slight favorites by a whisker in its side of the bracket over Sheldon.

There will be two more FAB 50 ranked teams at the Tarkanian and they will face each other on Wednesday night in a showcase game: No. 47 Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) and No. 6 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.). Many local fans will come out to watch Sierra Canyon, particularly freshman Bronny James, but it will be senior wing B.J. Boston and sophomore guard Amari Bailey Oak Ridge has to worry about slowing down. Oak Ridge has a terrific 1-2 punch with 6-foot-5 Michael James (2021) and 6-foot-3 Jalen Smith (2021). James is one of the fastest-rising juniors in the country and comes in averaging 19.2 ppg, while Smith sports norms of 16 points and six assists. The following night, the Trailblazers will face Northeast (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), a talented team featuring 6-foot-5 Wesley Cardet (2021), 6-foot-3 J.J. Harris (2021) and the highly regarded Bewley Twins, standout 6-foot-8 2023 prospects Matthew Bewley and Ryan Bewley. Sierra Canyon will have its hands full, with Oak Ridge a bit more battle-tested at this level.

Both Oak Ridge and Northeast will participate in the Tarkanian’s “The Eight” Bracket with Oak Ridge the slight favorites. Northeast will have a tough first-round game with Capital Christian (Sacramento, Calif.). Oak Ridge will likely have a tough semifinal contest on Friday with either Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) or Poly (Riverside, Calif.). Poly will have to slow down Liberty’s Julian Strawther, a Gonzaga-bound wing who is capable of 40 point performances against any team in the "The Eight” bracket. The other first-round game pits Mayfair (Lakewood, Calif.) and Desert Pines (Las Vegas, Nev.), the latter a talented team which could give Northeast fits. Mayfair is the type of team that could get upset or has the ability to win the entire bracket behind the spectacular play of senior guard Josh Christopher.

The City of Palms Classic boasts 10 FAB 50 ranked teams in its main bracket, with five on each side. On one side it doesn’t look like any team will have the horses to knock off No. 1 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.). As we stated in this week’s updated FAB 50 rankings, it will take a special performance to knock off the Eagles.

The best first-round matchup is No. 20 Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) vs. No. 34 Briarcrest Christian (Eads, Tenn.), with the winner likely facing No. 8 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) in the quarterfinals. Stepinac can definitely make IMG work and its an excellent opportunity for Briarcrest Christian to show it’s a team to be reckoned with on a national scale. No. 15 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) is battle-tested, but taking down No. 23 O’Dea (Seattle, Wash.) to get to the semifinals won’t be an easy task. It would seem IMG would be the favorites on its side of the bracket, and if Stepinac could pull off the upset it would be our dark horse finalist against Montverde Academy.

As it that isn’t enough, the COP Signature Series is just as intriguing. In fact, the game we're most looking forward to down in Ft. Myers is No. 4 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) versus No. 3 Saint Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.). It’s a terrific opportunity for the Panthers to prove their rankings worth. Saint Frances Academy is a balanced club with no elite superstar, but the Panthers play hard, play together and are experienced. Sunrise’s Kendall Brown is one of the fastest-rising players in the country and the Buffaloes would rate as a slight favorite in this game based on whom they beat so far. The other Signature Series semifinal pits No. 9 Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.)  and its fast-rising 2020 Samson Ruzhentsev versus No. 28 West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.). West Oaks is battle-tested and whomever comes out of this mini-bracket with two wins will clearly be one of the best teams in the country heading into 2020.

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 Holiday Tournament Handicap! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

We have to admit, some of the tournament results we studied and analyzed as the country celebrated the New Year were a bit perplexing. Many elite teams were not consistent or fell flat in their opening game of a big tournament or showcase. Big-time high school basketball teams have to travel and play tough games on the road and the telling sign of a great team is to be able to stay focused and record big wins in adverse conditions.

With that it mind, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) rolled to tournament titles at the Iolani Classic in Hawaii and the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C. to remain unbeaten and retain the No. 1 ranking its held in the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com since the preseason. The Eagles have steamrolled some quality teams, as evidenced by their final two wins in South Carolina. Fast-rising DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) shot over 50 percent from 3-point range and Kevin Boyle's club still won 76-66 in the semifinals before taking apart a pretty good Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) team (70-42) that came into the championship game ranked No. 25. There is a long way to go and plenty of landmines coming up, but should this club re-gain some of the depth it has lost to nagging injuries, this team could very well challenge the 2012-13 edition as Boyle's finest Montverde Academy team.

The major question after all the tournament results came in was who deserved to move up to No. 2 after previous No. 2 Memphis East (Memphis Tenn.) fell in the title game of the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, Fla., 77-72, to previous No. 11 University School (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.). The Sharks became the lowest seed (No. 10) ever to win the prestigious tournament, as they beat previous No. 4 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 71-63 in the semifinals. After Christmas, University School kept up the positive momentum by capturing the eight-team T.J. Warren bracket of the John Wall Holiday Invitational in Raleigh, N.C., to enter 2018 with a 14-0 record.

Was Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), which entered the New Year also unbeaten at 21-0, or the Sharks more deserving of the No. 2 spot? After some deliberation, we decided on Oak Hill Academy for three clear reasons.

First, Oak Hill Academy came in the higher ranked club and had a terrific 73-71 win over previous No. 14 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) in the title game of the Chick-Fil-A Classic in South Carolina when that club still had the services of All-American candidate Silvio De Sousa, who reclassified to enroll early at Kansas at the semester break following the event. Secondly, University School defeated five-loss Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.) by one point (65-64) and one of WCA's losses is to an unranked club. Lastly, is the common opponent factor. The Sharks were forced into double-overtime in the quarterfinals of the City of Palms by Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) before it prevailed 81-72, whereas Oak Hill Academy controlled the Les Schwab Invitational title game with the Monarchs after the first quarter and won in regulation, 67-55. WCA also defeated Mater Dei in regulation, 82-73.

We admit we were real tempted to hop University School in front of the Warriors, but ultimately decided those factors were too succinct to keep the Warriors in the same rankings position they came into the holiday season with. What's great about the debate is the two teams will play on MLK Monday at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. and University School would be under added pressure to win that game should Oak Hill Academy not come out of the loaded Bass Pro Invitational (Springfield, Mo.) the Saturday prior with a tourney title in tow.

As for IMG, it lost 76-60 in the in John Wall Invitational semifinal to the the Hillcrest Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.) team University School easily downed in the final without the services of De Sousa. As coach Sean McAloon pointed out, his team hasn't practiced yet with is new lineup and because of that IMG Academy remains in the FAB 50 until we see how the club re-groups. IMG checks in this week at No. 41.

Excellent Matchups On Tap At Cancer Research Classic

This weekend's Cancer Research Classic in Wheeling, West Virginia (Jan. 5 and 6) will be key for many teams looking to make a move in the FAB 50 and/or keep alive mythical national title dreams.

No. 12 La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) faces both No. 11 Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) and top-ranked Montverde Academy. Imhotep has only lost to DeMatha Catholic, which will face one-loss McEachern in an excellent No. 5 vs. No. 6 FAB 50 matchup. No. 10 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) will look to keep pace with DeMatha in the rankings when it takes on battle-tested Mater Dei.

Gonzaga will face No. 13 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) and DeMatha in the first round of Washington Catholic Athletic Conference play on January 9 and 11, respectively.

RELATED: Ballislife HS Basketball Weekly Showcase 

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

(Third poll of 2017-18 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, December 31; Previous ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 10 Archbishop Molloy (Queens, N.Y.), No. 27 Westlake (Austin, Texas), No. 33 Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.), No. 34 Mountain Brook (Mountain Brook, Ala.), No. 36 Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.), No. 37 Covington Catholic (Park Hills, Ky.), No. 43 Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.), No. 44 Cypress Falls (Houston, Texas) 17-3, No. 45 Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.), No. 46 Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, Calif.).

Bubble Teams:  Belleville West (Belleville, Ill.) 12-1; Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, Okla.) 6-0; Canton (Canton, Miss.) 14-2; Carl Albert (Midwest City, Okla.) 6-1; Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.) 14-1; Creighton Prep (Omaha, Neb.) 7-0; Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.) 8-1; Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 10-2; Cypress Falls (Houston, Texas) 17-3; DeKaney (Houston, Texas) 18-3; East Lansing (East Lansing, Mich.) 6-0; Etiwanda (Etiwanda, Calif.) 14-1; Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 10-4; Fern Creek (Louisville, Ky.) 11-3; Florida Prep (Melbourne, Fla.) 10-2; Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.) 11-0; Hazelwood Central (Florissant, Mo.) 13-1; Hillhouse (New Haven, Conn.) 4-0; Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 10-1; Jefferson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 10-3; John Carroll (Bel Air, Md.) 9-3; Las Cruces (Las Cruces, N.M.) 14-0; Lincoln (Tacoma, Wash.) 10-0; Madison Prep Academy (Baton Rouge, La.) 11-2; McCallie School (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 15-0; Memorial (Tulsa, Okla.) 12-1; Meridian (Meridian, Miss.) 17-1; Midwest City (Midwest City, Okla.) 8-3; Morgan County (Madison, Ga.) 12-0; Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 10-3; Mt. Vernon (Mt. Vernon, N.Y.) 9-0; New Albany (New Albany, Ind.) 8-1; Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 12-2; Olive Branch (Olive Branch, Miss.) 12-2; Orr (Chicago, Ill.) 11-2; Osceola (Kissimmee, Fla.) 11-2; Oshkosh North (Oshkosh, Wis.) 10-0; Pickerington North (Pickerington, Ohio) 6-2; Plymouth-Whitemarsh (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) 7-0; Putnam City North (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 6-2; Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 6-2; Richland (Richland, Wash.) 9-0; Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch, Col.) 9-0; Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) 14-3; Southwind (Memphis, Tenn.) 15-0; Trinity Episcopal (Richmond, Va.) 8-2; Wagner (San Antonio, Texas) 16-4; Warner Robins (Warner Robins, Ga.) 11-1; Warren Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) 8-0; Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 11-1; Waxahachie (Waxahachie, Texas) 14-4; Webster Groves (Webster Groves, Mo.) 4-4; Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) 13-3; Westlake (Austin, Texas) 20-3; Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 13-3.

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 FAB 50 Rankings For 2018! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

Every state is full bore into the 2017-18 season and currently the nation's best teams are testing their wits against each other at holiday tournaments held across the country. The results that transpire over the next two weeks will bring plenty of change to the first FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com of 2018.

The nation's top-ranked team, No. 1 Montverde Academy currently is playing at the Iolani Classic after a successful trip to China where the Eagles easily captured the International Youth Basketball Spectacular with a 85-50 win over Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.) on December 9. Four other FAB 50 ranked teams join Montverde in Hawaii, including No. 32 Greensboro Day (Charlotte, N.C.) vs. No. 46 Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) facing off in an attractive quarterfinal game on Monday evening. The other FAB 50 ranked clubs (besides Montverde Academy) advancing to the quarterfinals are No. 23 Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) and No. 33 Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.).

The prestigious City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, Fla. got under way Monday and we already know No. 5 Hudson Catholic (Jersey City, N.J.) downed preseason No. 8 Webster Groves (Mo.), 84-52, in Monday first round action. This is the Webster Groves team that fell out of the FAB 50 this week after losing to No. 2 Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.) on national television, 80-45, and to regionally-ranked Fern Creek (Louisville, Ky.) 58-40 at the Midwest Showdown Shootout that the Statesmen hosted over the weekend. Webster Groves has struggled without injured point guard Courtney Ramey, who will miss the entire City of Palms Tournament but could be back in action in a couple of weeks.

The Webster Groves-Fern Creek result helped Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) jump up 14 spots in this week's FAB 50 to No. 31, as the Shamrocks defeated Fern Creek, 76-67. A second Kentucky team is one of the eight newcomers this week, as Covington Catholic (Park Hills, Ky.) checks in at No. 37 after knocking off previous N0. 14 Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) 58-53. As for Webster Groves, the team remains of the bubble because of its difficult schedule and the ability to bounce back with Ramey in the lineup. Webster Groves will also appear on the Ballislife HS Basketball Weekly Showcase when it faces Kirkwood (Mo.) at home on February 23 with Ramey hopefully in its lineup.

The highest-ranked newcomer is No. 26 Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.), which has only lost to fast-rising DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.), 86-67, at the National High School Hoopfest the Stags hosted the weekend of December 9-10. Coach Steve Reece's club bounced back the next night to down WCAC power and previous No. 12 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 73-70. DeMatha is another club that will be featured on the Ballislife HS Basketball Weekly Showcase.

Oak Ridge was going to be a cinch preseason FAB 50 club before it was learned power forward Emmitt Williams was arrested October 18 on a sexual assault accusation. By the time Williams, 19, played his first game of the season on December 2, he still hadn't been formally charged, according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel. Reece told the newspaper the Orange County School District cleared him to play and Oak Ridge is looking quite formidable with Williams, Texas A & M recruit Antwan Jones returning from injury and junior leaper Niven Glover easing into the lineup.

Another quality tournament getting under way this week is the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, with the Platinum Division features FAB 50 No. 24 Clark (Las Vegas) and No. 43 Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.). The event is hosted by Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) and also features another club that opened up in the FAB 50: Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.).

Five games will be broadcast by Ballislife from the Tarkanian Classic, including Morgan Park's opening round game versus bubble club and unbeaten Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) on December 21 at 12 am ET/December 20 9 pm PT (CLICK HERE for broadcast link and reminder). The game features a point guard matchup featuring Ayo Dosumnu of Morgan Park (bound for Illinois) and James Akinjo of Salesian (bound for UConn.). Morgan Park could face Rancho Christian in the second round if it hands Salesian its first loss of the season, while Clark opens on the other side of the bracket with state-ranked Pasadena (Calif.).

CLICK HERE to see the full slate of games scheduled to be broadcast by Ballislife from the Tarkanian Classic.

RELATED: Ballislife HS Basketball Weekly Showcase 

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

(Second poll of 2017-18 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, December 17; Preseason ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 8 Webster Groves (Webster Groves, Mo.), No. 22 Apple Valley (Apple Valley, Minn.), No. 31 New Albany (New Albany, Ind.), No. 35 John Carroll (Bel Air, Md.), No. 42 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah), No. 43 Norcross (Norcross, Ga.), No. 44 Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.), No. 47 Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.).

Bubble Teams:  Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) 2-1; Bay Port (Green Bay, Wis.) 5-0; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 5-1; Calloway (Jackson, Miss.) 10-1; Carl Albert (Midwest City, Okla.) 4-0; Creighton Prep (Omaha, Neb.) 5-0; Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.) 4-1; Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 6-1; DeKaney (Houston, Texas) 14-2; Denver East (Denver, Col.) 6-0; Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 6-1; Fern Creek (Louisville, Ky.) 6-1; Florida Prep (Melbourne, Fla.) 8-0; Folsom (Folsom, Calif.) 5-1; Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 7-1; Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.) 6-0; Hillhouse (New Haven, Conn.) 1-0; Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 4-1; Jesuit (Dallas, Texas) 11-1; Jefferson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 8-2; John Carroll (Bel Air, Md.) 7-2; Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 4-1; Madison Prep Academy (Baton Rouge, La.) 6-1; Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas) 10-3; Math, Science & Tech (Houston, Texas) 13-1; Memorial (Madison, Wis.) 7-0; Memorial (Tulsa, Okla.) 9-0; Meridian (Meridian, Miss.) 13-1; Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.) 4-3; New Albany (New Albany, Ind.) 6-1; Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 8-2; North Side (Fort Wayne, Ind.) 6-2; Osceola (Kissimmee, Fla.) 7-0; Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio) 3-1; Pickerington North (Pickerington, Ohio) 2-2; Putnam City North (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 4-0; Richland (Richland, Wash.) 7-0; Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) 6-0; Scott County (Georgetown, Ky.) 6-0; Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) 9-2; South Garland (Garland, Texas) 16-2; St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) 5-0; Sun Prairie (Sun Prairie, Wis.) 4-1; Trinity Episcopal (Richmond, Va.) 6-2; Uniondale (Uniondale, N.Y.) 4-0; Wagner (San Antonio, Texas) 12-2; Warner Robins (Warner Robins, Ga.) 7-0; Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 8-1; Waxahachie (Waxahachie, Texas) 10-3; Webster Groves (Webster Groves, Mo.) 3-2; West (Lee's Summit, Mo.) 4-0; West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.) 11-1; West Linn (West Linn, Ore.) 1-0; Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 10-1.

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 New FAB 50: Eight Newcomers As Tourneys HEAT UP! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

FOLLOW US
TWITTER @BALLISLIFEEAST
YOUTUBE @BALLISLIFEEAST
TWITTER @BALLISLIFEDON

The post Ben Simmons Goes Tracy McGrady with the CRAZY Poster! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

FOLLOW US
TWITTER @ BALLISLIFEEAST
YOUTUBE @ BALLISLIFEEAST
TWITTER @ BALLISLIFEDON

The post Kwe Parker & Harry Giles Bring the Dunk Show to City of Palms! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Check out the re-cap mix of the 2011 City of Palms Classic featuring many of the TOP players and teams in the nation like: Shabazz Muhammad, Julius Randle, Nerlens Noel, Isaiah Austin, Kasey Hill, Mickey Mitchell, Zach Peters, Ricardo Gathers, Katin Reindhart, Xavier Johnson, Wayne Seldon, Tony Parker, Roscoe Allen, Dimitrius Morant and many more!

The post 2011 City of Palms Classic Mixtape: Shabazz Muhammad, Julius Randle, Nerlens Noel & More! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.