By Ronnie Flores

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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RELATED:? 2022-23 Underclass POYs | Preseason Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | Updated Tracker: Wide-Open Race | ?All-Time Honorees?| Ballislife Podcast Network?|

Boozer, the terrific power forward who led Columbus (Miami, Fla.) to the FHSAA Class 7A crown and No. 6 final FAB 50 ranking, topped the voting in this season's final tracker and today is honored with the title of 2022-23 Mr. Basketball USA.

"Wow, Mr. Basketball USA Player of the Year is an incredible honor," Boozer told Ballislife. "I feel lucky to be selected among so many outstanding players this year. I feel like any time you are recognized for an award such as this it takes you back for a minute and just makes you very thankful for everything it took to accomplish this goal. I am extremely appreciative of the honor and hope to be a great representative of Mr. Basketball USA Player of the Year."

Boozer is appreciative of earning the nation's most prestigious individual honor and the scouts, media and fans alike are appreciative of his tremendous skill level and dominance as a mere tenth-grader. Boozer teamed up with his twin brother Cayden to lead the Explorers to a 26-4 record against national competition and it was actually Cayden who had a big game in the state final with 21 points. Throughout the season, it was Cameron who consistently dominated foes to the tune of 21.1 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 4..2 apg and 2.0 bpg, while shooting 62.1 percent from the field, 41.6 from 3-point line and 89.1 percent from the free throw line.

Despite having only one high school season under his belt, Boozer started out No. 4 in the preseason Mr. Basketball USA Tracker balloting, but moved to No. 1 in late February by one point over USC-bound senior Isaiah Collier of FAB 50 No. 20 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.), who ended up being his stiffest challenger for player of the year honors and is the Senior Player of the Year honoree. Boozer led a group of five candidates that appeared on nine of 10 ballots (among a record group of 34 players nominated for player of the year honors) with 84 points, including six of the 10 first-place votes (no other player had more than one first-place vote). The others to appear on nine ballots: Collier with 76 points (five second place votes), Texas-bound forward Ronald Holland of Duncanville (Texas) with 71 points (five third place votes), Kentucky-bound guard D.J. Wagner of Camden (N.J.) with 56 points (one second place and one third place vote) and Kentucky-bound forward Justin Edwards of Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) with 50 points (one first place vote). Edwards was a recent MVP at the 2023 Ballislife All-American Game in Norwalk, Calif. ?? ? ? ? ? ????

All of the four candidates to seriously challenge Boozer were all seniors. To get a better perspective of just how dominant Boozer was this season and how the panel feels about his ability, one only needs to look at how a rare it has been for a sophomore to be considered for first or second five All-American honors over the years on the annual All-American Elite Team,?which will be published for the 29th time in the next week.?

In the 16 years of Mr. Basketball USA balloting, only Emoni Bates (a sophomore at Eastern Michigan who recently declared for the 2023 NBA Draft) has come close to the top of the balloting as a sophomore. ?In 2020 he finished in fourth place behind Mr. Basketball USA Cade Cunningham (Pistons), Evan Mobley (Cavs) and Jalen Green (Rockets) with 48 points while appearing on eight ballots. Before the balloting era, a high school sensation named Lew Alcindor was considered the unofficial runner-up to Edgar Lacey of Jefferson (Los Angeles, Calif.) in 1963 and was a two-time honoree over the next two seasons. Lucas, one of high school basketball's first stars known nationwide, was the first sophomore to be first five All-American and was also a two-time honoree (1957-58). As a sophomore in 2000-01, LeBron James probably should have received more serious consideration among Dajuan Wagner (the choice and D.J. Wagner's father) and future NBA big men Tyson Chandler and Eddie Curry. Only three sophomores have been second five All-Americans over the years: DeAndre Ayton in 2015, Michael Gilchrist in 2009 and O.J. Mayo in 2005 and among that trio only Ayton didn't go on to be named Mr. Basketball USA. ?

The senior class of 2023 is considered one of the weaker classes overall in recent memory, despite some individual brilliance, and the 2024 class, led by class player of the year Tre Johnson, is considered a mild group as well with one season to go. 2025 is a different story and is off to a roaring start, as the three before-mentioned tenth-graders appeared on the ballots and are considered among the best players in the country, regardless of class. ?

D.J. Wagner, who played at Camden as his father did over 20 years ago when he was the nation's top player, was the class player of the year in each season as an underclassmen before Boozer moved to the front of the pack this past season. Each season is its own entity, so what will Boozer do for an encore? How will next season play out? What does his development curve look like with two more seasons of high school basketball? ? ?

"Who in the junior class is going to keep them (the sophomores) off the top of the list next year?" lamented panel member Van Coleman of Nothing But Net Magazine. "Tre Johnson, Ian Jackson and Dylan Harper, those guys have to step it up because, right now, Boozer is at the top of the list, followed very closely by Flagg in his own class. There’s not much difference between the juniors and those sophomores. I don’t know if the voters will put Flagg as high as he really needs to be. As far as the seniors go, Wagner had the best career, Collier had the best season and Holland came on late."

Next season the process will start all over again with a clean slate, but based on production, Boozer is considered the best for 2022-23. ?

Editor's Note: Click on the "+" sign next to each player's number to view how many first, second, third or fourth place votes he got and his overall point total. Previous tracker results are also listed ("Prev.").

2022-23 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker Panel

Paul Biancardi, ESPN National Director of Basketball Recruiting
Frank Burlison, BurlisonOnBasketball.com Publisher
Van Coleman, Nothing But Net Magazine
Jordan Divens, Maxpreps.com National Basketball Editor
Ronnie Flores, www.ebooksnet.com National Grassroots Editor
Chris Lawlor, Blue Star Media National Analyst
Jerry Meyer, McDonald's All-American Voter
Horace Neysmith, AllMetroHoops.com
Patrick Stanwood, Patrick Stanwood Basketball
Dinos Trigonis, Fullcourt Press Editor & Publisher

About Basketball USA Tracker Panel
www.ebooksnet.com's panel of 10 experts, which includes six McDonald’s All-American selection committee members, casts its vote for the top national player of the year candidates. Each panelist lists his top seven candidates regardless of class. The votes are then tabulated on a 10-point scoring system with a first-place vote equaling 10 points, a second-place vote earning nine points and down to four points for a seventh-place vote. The number in parenthesis refers to the numbers of ballots on which a player appeared and previous rankings refers to position in the previous tracker.

For the all-time list of Mr. Basketball USA honorees, CLICK HERE.

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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