By Ronnie Flores

RELATED: Subscribe on iTunes to "In the Paint Show” podcast  | Final East Top 20 | Final Southeast Top 20  | Final Midwest Top 20 | Final Southwest Top 20 | Final West Top 20 | Salute To All-Time FAB 50 Champions

In our previous rankings update on March 17, we knew there was a good chance the 2019-20 high school season was completed at that point. Not all the state associations had officially cancelled their state tournaments at that point and GEICO Nationals, the end-of-the-season tournament held since 2009, was postponed indefinitely.

When school districts around the country began closing doors in late March for the rest of the 2019-20 academic year as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic and when the Paragon Marketing Group announced on April 1 GEICO Nationals would be cancelled this season, it was time to release the final 2019-20 FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com. We were willing to wait to see if any more games could be played even into May, but when the number of Coronavirus cases started doubling by the day, especially in hotspots like New York and New Jersey, towards the end of March reality began to sink in that not only were high school games done for the year but many aspects of everyday life would be changed forever.

To get an idea as to the scope of COVID-19 and how much it impacts sports on all levels, take a look at this year's final rankings. As indicated below by asterisk, 37 of the 50 ranked teams were unable to finish their seasons due to the pandemic, as more than 20 states were unable to finish their respective tournaments. Not all of them won their final game, as some were due to participate in the Alhambra Catholic Invitational in Maryland, March 12-14. In addition, seven of the eight eligible teams for the rankings invited to GEICO Nationals all finished ranked in the Top 10 of the FAB 50.

Even though no games were played since our last rankings update, the final FAB 50 for 2019-20 shows one newcomer, No. 43 Mountain Brook (Birmingham, Ala.). The Spartans only lost one-game in-state, the AHSAA Class 7A state final by two points (40-38) to No. 32 Lee (Montgomery, Ala.). The other losses were to Olive Branch (Miss.), which beat the Briarcrest Christian (Tenn.) team No. 45 Male (Louisville, Ky.) lost to in overtime, and to No. 26 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), which was knocked from a GEICO Nationals berth and a top five ranking by losing in the GHSA Class AAAAAAA state final to No. 23 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.).

Montverde Academy: One of the Best of All-Time?

The teams invited to GEICO Nationals were announced and below are the four quarterfinal matchups that would have taken place. Had No. 4 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) won Alhambra Catholic (which included three other FAB 50 ranked teams), it would have been the highest ranked team not in the GEICO Nationals field. Since No. 1 Montverde Academy easily downed DeMatha Catholic, and No. 6 Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.), the next highest ranked team not in the GEICO field, lost to No. 2 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah), the eventual FAB 50 mythical national champ would have been this year's GEICO Nationals champion.

We break down how the four games would have impacted the rankings had they been played:

Jalen Green

6'5"   -   SG   -   2020

FAB 50 No. 1 Montverde Academy vs. Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.): The Eagles won their 25 games by an average of 39 points per game and beat 12 teams ranked in the FAB 50 at the time of the game. Led by Mr. Basketball USA candidate Jalen Green, Prolific Prep would have been a formidable foe for Montverde Academy even as an No. 8 seed. To see a talent of Green's caliber facing the depth of Montverde made for an interesting matchup. Prolific Prep did lose to No. 7 La Lumiere when it wasn't fully healthy. The dynamics of the Eagles taking on healthy and rested teams, potentially over three consecutive days instead of a couple of quality teams a week, made this one of the most highly-anticipated GEICO Nationals ever.

Mady Sissoko

6'9"   -   C   -   2020

No. 2 Wasatch Academy vs. No. 5 IMG Academy: The Tigers wanted to show on a big stage they were worthy of their lofty ranking and No. 2 seed against the defending GEICO Nationals champs. The Ascenders were ranked higher in the FAB 50 than other polls because we know what their capabilities are when playing focused and determined, which they likely would have been at this event. Another factor for IMG Academy's high rating (it was the No. 7 seed in this event) was it being the only team to play Montverde Academy within 20 points (a 63-55 loss in the City of Palms title game). The Tigers may have been without MSU-bound Mady Sissoko at this event, but they were still a formidable club in many games without him. This would have been a classic "pick 'em" game.

Cameron Thomas

6'3"   -   SG   -   2020

No. 3 Sunrise Christian Academy vs. No. 9 Oak Hill Academy: Some veteran observers felt the Buffaloes were the second best team they'd seen all winter behind Montverde Academy. Still they did drop a game to No. 6 Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (which wasn't invited) and would have faced a team that had plenty of confidence coming on. Oak Hill Academy hasn't always played its best at this event, but that's only because they have been on the losing side of some real tight games. They were even one Cameron Thomas 3-pointer from beating La Lumiere in last year's semifinals when that club was No. 1 in the country. Thomas, who averaged 31.4 ppg and is Oak Hill's all-time leading scorer, could have used this tournament to boost his Mr. Basketball USA candidacy. Both teams also liked it chances to make the tournament final with Montverde Academy on the opposite side of the bracket.

No. 7 La Lumiere vs. No. 10 Dorman: LaLu and the Cavaliers were eager to play in this event. When COVID-19 broke out, event organizers moved the event from New York City to Dorman's home gym in Roebuck, S.C., which would have created a nice home court advantage for the Cavs (provided fans were allowed to attend). Dorman's only loss was to No. 9 Oak Hill Academy (which was seeded lower) and it was able to climb quite high in the rankings, but eventually fell back behind Oak Hill when the team it defeated in the Beach Ball Classic title game (No. 33 St. John’s of Washington, D.C.) began to drop games after New Year's. La Lu has plenty of big-game experience, and whomever would have gotten through this game would've had a tough task likely going up against top-ranked Montverde Academy.

Even without GEICO Nationals, Montverde Academy will likely go down as one of the greatest teams of all-time (which we will go into further detail in the coming weeks). Three wins at this event over top 10 ranked teams would have further cemented that status. GEICO Nationals might have displayed just how dominant Montverde Academy was this season, since it's been quite difficult for any program to win three games in dominant fashion as this event. Even more so, it could have showed if there was indeed any other potentially great team in 2019-20.

Based on the results of the season, there was clearly only one team in that category and it was head and shoulders ahead of the rest.

RELATED: Subscribe on iTunes to "In the Paint Show” podcast  | Final East Top 20 | Final Southeast Top 20  | Final Midwest Top 20 | Final Southwest Top 20 | Final West Top 20 | Salute To All-Time FAB 50 Champions

Final 2019-20 FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(Fourteenth and FINAL poll of 2019-20 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, March 15; There are no bubble clubs listed, as the final Region-By-Region Top 20 Rankings will be released later this week; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates season cut short due to COVID-19 Pandemic.)

Dropped Out: No. 48 Beecher (Flint, Mich.).

Editor's Note: No bubble clubs are included in the Final FAB 50, as the final 2019-20 Top 20 Regional Rankings will be released later this week.

Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 20 years ago.

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

The post FINAL 2019-20 FAB 50: Montverde Academy Is No. 1! 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
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(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: Past, Present & Future of FAB 50

There were concerns in the scholastic ranks regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) over a week and a half go and the plight of the FAB 50 ranked Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) basketball team brought the public health issue to the attention of high school basketball players and coaches nationwide. Sheldon was able to play in its California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) NorCal Open Division semifinal contest after being re-instated into the tournament following its removal by the Elk Grove Unified School District, but by that time FAB 50 No. 34 Sheldon and the rest of the remaining field had a feeling it was a race against the clock. Sheldon won its regional semifinal contest, and on the same night FAB 50 No. 17 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) recorded a hard-to-believe 63-61 comeback win over No. 22 Etiwanda (Calif.) to win the SoCal Open championship. Because Sheldon’s game on Saturday was postponed until Tuesday, the NorCal and SoCal regionals were not on the same schedule.

Crazy the plight of Sheldon to get to NorCal Regional Final, as its season comes to an end w/a "W" 1 game short of its ultimate goal. It's crazy how much changed in 24 hours around sports since this aired on #Emerge (@aminajadeTV). Season over for Huskies, O'Dowd & Sierra Canyon. pic.twitter.com/q4pDFkNxQJ

— www.ebooksnet.com (@Ballislife) March 12, 2020

The "race against the clock” for state associations was full bore on Wednesday, but by the time it was announced on Wednesday NBA player Rudy Gobert had tested positive for Coronavirus, the situation had became a full-blown pandemic. In a span of 24 hours beginning last Wednesday, many professional leagues shut down operations and college conferences called off their season-ending tournaments before NCAA selection Sunday. Eventually the entire NCAA tournament was cancelled for 2020 and many state associations at the high school level followed suit. By Friday, a vast majority of state governing bodies cancelled the remainder of their respective state tournaments.

By then Coronavirus had affected all facets of life. Here’s how it will affect the FAB 50 and the other things Ballislife touches.

FAB 50 Rankings

With no sanctioned games early this upcoming week, we’ll do our next set of rankings by Tuesday, March 17. There is simply no reason to rush it out with no games being played immediately this week. While a vast majority of state governing bodies that still hadn’t completed their state tourneys before last weekend canceled it, a few such as Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and Arkansas announced postponements. Four states went ahead and continued with games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, as Louisiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and New Mexico crowned state champions over this past weekend. Among ranked teams, No. 31 Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) won its fourth straight state title in dominant fashion, defeating No. 50 St. Augustine (New Orleans, La.) in the D1 title game, 66-39, as Mr. Basketball USA candidate Reece Beekman earned MOP honors after recording a triple-double of 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. The state tournament was played in front of a limited number of fans as mandated by the LHSAA.

There will be movement in this week’s rankings, but we’re still not sure it will be the final rankings of the season. On Sunday night the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) held a meeting to determine if its state championships would commence on March 19 and March 20 with only essential personnel in attendance. As of now, the MSHSAA state tournament is still tentatively on, but that could change at any time.

If this latest update is indeed the final rankings, they will look different than if this was just the thirteenth poll of the 2019-20 season. When we do our final rankings, we look at the totality of the season and not just the previous week. Teams are judged, first and foremost, against the team that won the final game of the year, meaning its state champion or top ranked team in that respective state. With many states unable to finish up their state tournament, this year’s final rankings will include analyazing more teams than ever that won its final game of the season. In a quick analysis of the final rankings, some teams will be ranked based more on the round of the state tournament bracket they reached, rather than the totality of the season, because the bracket was never completed. The final rankings will be more greatly influenced on the prior week’s rankings because of the uncertain nature of the results that never took place. There is no projections of what could or might have happened, as on-court results are always the most important factor.

As one West Coast high school coach mentioned, it’s a disappointment that his team couldn’t finish its season on the court (his team reached the state semifinals), but the scenario created a situation where less teams ended its season with a loss. Losses always increases the chances of the losing team dropping in the final rankings. There is always the possibility of upsets in state tournaments (because the competition usually gets better the deeper a team advances in the bracket) and when there is an upset involving a ranked team, that scenario not only can pull up the winning club in the final rankings, but potentially pull up teams it lost to.

We are still not sure if this week’s rankings will be the last.

In addition to the state tournaments that postponed its playoffs, GEICO Nationals postponed its event last week scheduled for Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) April 2-4 after it moved from New York City, which is one of the regions of the country hit hardest by the current pandemic. Event organizers and some of the teams are holding out hope our country’s current situation doesn’t get much worse before it starts getting better. Already we know many spring sports around the country are in peril, as school districts around the country have shut its doors for an indefinite period of time. It was announced Sunday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending no gatherings of 50 or more throughout the United States for the next eight weeks. That means the chances of these state tournaments finishing up and GEICO Nationals taking place just went down a notch. If the season does get completed at a much later date, we'll still come back and do an updated set of rankings to reflect those results.

Post-Season Honors

The good news here is many states competed its season, and a vast majority got over 90 percent of the season completed. So there is enough data to compile our usual post-season honors, namely our annual Elite All-American Team, Underclass All-American team and Mr. Basketball USA. As we mentioned, spring sports around the country will be hit hard, but unlike NCAA athletes, high school basketball players and athletes won’t be able to petition for their year back.

We’ve already began to reach out to coaches to get their season stats and individual numbers, a process that would usually happen a bit later in the season. We'll still have a final Mr. Basketball USA Tracker after we compile some of the statistics of the nation’s best. The nomination process will be more important this season, because some of the nation’s best players and teams had a few less games than they would in a normal season. And it’s not just any games, as a big playoff run or a great championship performance is a great resume builder, especially if its comes in an upset. Already it’s been announced the Jordan Brand Classic and the McDonald’s All-American Game will not be held this year, so our nation’s elite won’t be able to close out their careers enjoying the festivities and opportunities that national all-star games provide. This is important, because a player's evaluation (good or bad) against his peers in a practice setting or a big performance during a national all-star game can help his candidacy or be the factor that puts one candidate over the other. Those particular barometers won’t be available this season. Simply put, there are less measurements we normally would use to evaluate a player’s All-American candidacy this season.

An announcement will be made soon about the status of the Ballislife All-American Game, which was scheduled to take place in Southern California on May 2. Even if the annual event must be cancelled, we’ll still have an announcement of the deserving individuals who were extended an invitation to play.

Grassroots and Recruiting

It’s been announced the Nike EYBL, has cancelled its April stops and the other shoe company-sponsored events (adidas and Under Armour) will follow suit. NCAA officials are now meeting to determine what, if anything, will be implemented with existing April live periods, which include two weekends in 2020. There will be no off-campus NCAA recruiting until at least April 15th. Already many spring leagues have been cancelled or postponed because many college and junior college campus facilities are shut down of all activity for the rest of the month or even into April, along with high school facilities.

EYBL 2020 Update pic.twitter.com/3oFGic50JH

— EliteYouthBasketball (@NikeEYB) March 13, 2020

Independent event operators can operate at their pleasure during dead periods, but with local ordinances in affect with regards to gatherings (sports or otherwise), there will be limited opportunities for non-live period events as well. When restrictions are lifted, one has to think some parents will ease their kids back into the cycle of games in crowded facilities and traveling across the country.

For colleges, the Coronavirus situation is likely to impact the low-major schools the most, as elite players that usually commit to high-major programs are identified earlier and have more options to make a college choice. College coaches already don’t have enough of a sample size in the current structure and recruiting calendar, so any new limitations is likely going to affect the schools that didn’t already have their main targets completely evaluated or schools that typically are more deliberate in their evaluations and get commitments later in the recruiting process.

Coronavirus is going to affect graduating 2020s who needed the spring to give colleges more evaluation time and 2021s that haven’t already been identified. This is unchartered territory for both colleges and recruits. This spring and summer (or whenever the live period actually takes place) is going to be crucial for players to participate in the events that will offer them the best exposure to the level they’ll likely play at in college. More than ever, it will be imperative for parents and coaches to be realistic about the level players are shooting to play at in college and make informed decisions based on whatever recruiting calendar is put in place when our current pandemic dies down.

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 How Coronavirus Affects High School Basketball 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

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