By Ronnie Flores

The weekend of March 8-10 was an epic one for high school basketball across the country. That's because many power states conclude their state championship events, and it caused plenty of change to the new FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com. Let's run down the key results:

* Plano East (Plano, Texas) made history by capturing a University Interscholastic League (UIL) state title in the highest classification (Class 6A) by going undefeated. In the final, the Panthers downed then FAB No. 6 Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas), 53-41, before 8,812 at The Alamodome in San Antonio. Leading the way was junior forward D.J. Hall with 18 points in a game Plano East was in control of throughout. Joining Hall on the all-tournament team was Plano East's Jordan Mizell, a 6-foot-2 senior guard.

With the victory, No. 5 Plano East (40-0) guaranteed itself a top five finish in the final 2023-24 FAB 50, which will be published on April 8. Stony Point, which downed No. 49 Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) in the semifinals, 54-46, dropped seven spots this week to No. 13, although its final ranking will not be determined until all the results across the country play out. Stony Point's only two losses in 40 games were to the Panthers.

* In the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAAAAAA title game, No. 35 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) captured its first-ever state crown with a 51-41 victory over then No. 20. McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.). Junior forward Jacob Wilkins, already committed to Georgia, led the way for the Rams with some big plays down the stretch after McEachern was threatening with one final push. Wilkins finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Purdue signee Gicarri Harris, a 6-foot-4 senior, added nine points and five rebounds for the victorious Rams. Grayson (which beat McEachern twice this season), held Indians star forward and Mr. Basketball USA candidate Ace Bailey to four points in the second half, as he netted 18 points on 8-of-20 shots from the field.

McEachern came into the game ranked higher in the FAB 50 because some of its previous national results, including a victory over new No. 25 North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) and an overtime loss to No. 7 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.). Benefitting from Grayson's title game victory the most is new No. 23 Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.), which moves up 11 spots this week because it handed the Rams one of its only two losses with the other coming to No. 22 Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.). Perry was able to avenge two of its in-state losses with the out-of-state losses coming against Harvard-Westlake (twice) and No. 16 Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.).

"It’s something these kids will take with them forever," Grayson coach Geoffrey Pierce told www.ebooksnet.com. "They will forever be know as state champions in the largest classification in Georgia. I can guarantee there are a lot of former players and coaches from Grayson that are celebrating with us."

*At the Golden One Center in Sacramento, Calif., Harvard-Westlake downed No. 37 Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Open Division title game, 50-45, in a hard-fought game before approximately 5,000 fans. The game was close for the final three quarters after the Wolves took a 21-11 lead after one period. Salesian took its final lead (45-44) with 1:31 to go on a lay-up by sophomore Elias Obenyah, but Harvard-Westlake's McDonalds' All-American, USC-bound Trent Perry, scored the game's final six points and came up with a steal with just under a minute remaining to put his team in position to win its second consecutive CIF open state crown, the third program to do that since the advent of the open division in 2013. Perry, who finished with 17 points, hit an elbow jump shot with 26 seconds remaining and two free throws with under 10 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Harvard-bound Robert Hinton scored a team-high 19 points for Harvard-Westlake, which defeated No. 21 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) in Tuesday's SoCal open final, 63-59, behind 28 points from Perry. It was the same team the Wolverines defeated for the CIF Southern Section open title. Harvard-Westlake not only beat Roosevelt and Perry twice, it also defeated McEachern and No. 36 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), which captured the CIF D1 crown on Friday night and handed Salesian its only regular season loss in overtime. The out-of-state loss for Harvard-Westlake came in a one possession game to No. 2 Columbus (Miami, Fla.).

* Columbus became eligible for the Chipotle High School Basketball Nationals (April 4-6) by capturing the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 7A title, the Explorers' third consecutive state crown. The Explorers needed overtime to turn back then No. 31 Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.), 72-67, after giving up a 13-point lead in the third period. Battle-tested Oak Ridge, which downed No. 46 Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.) in the semifinals, 85-74, used a 13-0 run late in the third quarter to get back in the game.

Cameron Boozer, last season's Mr. Basketball USA as a sophomore, came up with a thunderous slam dunk with five seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. Boozer finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals in the big victory. His brother Cayden Boozer added 16 points, while Michigan St.-bound Jase Richardson added 14 points.

In addition to defeating Harvard-Westlake, which moves up three spots to No. 7 this week, the Explorers own victories over No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.), No. 4 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) and No. 6 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.).

Expect the FAB 50's No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6 teams to join top-ranked Montverde Academy at Chipotle High School Basketball Nationals. The eight-team field for the event is expected to be announced this week and all its games will be broadcast live on ESPN platforms.

There will be more movement in the coming weeks based on the results in the states where the playoffs are still going such as Indiana and Pennsylvania, plus Chipotle Nationals. For many of the nation's best teams, however, this past weekend was big and capturing state titles on-the-court is something that can never be taken away, regardless of their final position in the FAB 50.

We'll give our take on the big off-court happenings in New Jersey later this 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

The post NEW FAB 50: EPIC Weekend! 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
Powered by www.ebooksnet.com

(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)

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.

RELATED: Podcast on Kobe's Prep-To-Pro Rise & Legacy | Podcast on The Lasting Legacy of Morgan Wootten |  How Your Team Can Become FAB 50 Ranked

By Ronnie Flores

When the casual fan thinks "early playoff loss", the immediate reaction is "season over" and "big rankings drop". However, there are various playoff formats across the country and luckily for many FAB 50 ranked programs, a loss last week doesn't mean an early end to the 2019-2020 season.

For Centennial (Corona, Calif.), it drew a tough first assignment in the eight-team CIF Southern Section open playoffs, which is formatted into two pools of four teams each, with the winner of each pool playing for the CIFSS open championship on February 28 in Long Beach, Calif. Each team plays three, pre-set games with the higher seed hosting in each game. As the No. 2 seed behind top-seeded and Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), which comes in at No. 17 in the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com, the Huskies and Trailblazers are in separate pools and that guarantees each to be the host in all three pool play games.

Centennial had a tough opening draw with No. 7 seed Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), which actually gave Sierra Canyon its toughest competition on the way to the 2019 CIF Open Division state crown and returned its team basically intact. Mater Dei didn't have a vintage regular season, but still won its league title and would be an awfully tough opening playoff foe for any team in the country. Mater Dei went on the road and pulled out a 66-58 overtime win, as back-to-back 3-pointers by Ryan Evans and Aidan Prukop (22 points) helped the Monarchs take control of the game after Centennial tied it with 2.8 seconds in regulation on a driving lay-up by Portland St.-bound Paris Dawson.

The overtime loss dropped Centennial out of the FAB 50 this week. It might seem like a harsh drop to Huskies' fans, but it comes with plenty of caveats. They have to be behind Mater Dei in the current California pecking order, as well as bubble club Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.), which beat the Huskies 74-67 during the regular season. Sheldon also beat Mater Dei in two overtimes at the Tarkanian Classic and neither of those clubs had great success against out-of-state competition, so Centennial is penalized this week.

Centennial still has to face Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.), a team that handed it one of its three losses, and No. 26 Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) in pool play games this week. Centennial will need some help to win its pool and if Mater Dei, which plays Rancho Christian in its second pool play game on February 18, were to win the pool, it will have done enough to hop Sheldon in the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings and will likely return to the FAB 50 next week. Obviously, should Centennial go 2-1 in its pool and Mater Dei win it, that would help the Huskies as well.

In Texas, getting a local consensus is a bit more difficult, so the 81-77 loss by previous No. 19 Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) to unranked Richardson (Richardson, Texas) was handled differently than the Centennial loss. Duncanville lost to California No. 1 Sierra Canyon by three points, beat the Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) club that Mater Dei lost to, and did well against out-of-state competition. Coach David Peavy's club also owns a 70-68 overtime win over Richardson. In the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches statewide poll (TABCHoops.org), Duncanville actually remained No. 1 this week despite the loss to the Eagles, which checked in at No. 6. In the Hoopinsider.com poll, Richardson took over the top spot with Duncanville falling to No. 2.

What made most sense to us was to drop Duncanville two spots to No. 21, while rewarding Richardson for its victory. Not only did the Eagles only lose the first Region I, District 8 game by two points (70-68) in overtime, it hasn't lost any other game since November 22. That makes Richardson the highest ranked newcomer among three teams this week at No. 23, in front of FAB 50 ranked and fellow Class 6A contender Westlake (Austin, Texas) and Class 5A front-runner Lancaster (Lancaster, Texas), which lost to Duncanville. Westlake and Lancaster drop this week as a result, but they'll have ample opportunity to move back up in the UIL playoffs, which is traditionally one of the toughest post-season brackets to capture, especially in Class 6A.

The Georgia (GHSA) Class AAAAAAA are also tough, so we reward one loss Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) by moving it up three spots to No. 5 after previous No. 5 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) lost its first game in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) to No. 13 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.). For the four WCAC teams in the FAB 50 this week, we simply followed the league standings, as the teams are most concerned with capturing the upcoming WCAC Tournament.

As for Grayson, it has one overtime loss to a Newton (Covington, Ga.) team it demolished 86-39 in a return game and just beat for a second time 82-58 in the Region 8 semifinals. Grayson defeated No. 22 Shiloh (Snellville, Ga.) in the finals, 75-64, and is the only team to defeat the Generals so far this season. Should Grayson capture the GHSA Class AAAAAAA, its season likely wouldn't be over as it would be a strong shoo-in for GEICO Nationals April 2-4 in New York City.

Cardozo (Bayside, N.Y.) fell to High School for Construction (Queens, N.Y.), 86-69, in a puzzling Public School Athletic League (PSAL) Queens Borough quarterfinal game. The Judges had previously defeated Construction by 38 and 26 points. According to long-time Cardozo coach Ron Naclerio, his team was without two starters, Errol White and Aston Miller. Miller did not suit up and White tried to make a go of it, but was unable to participate.

As a result, the Judges drop seven spots to No. 32, as they are penalized but not harshly because they are still the top ranked team in New York City and the team to beat in the PSAL Class AA City Tournament. They don't play again until February 27 so they have time to rest up on their injuries.

Curie (Chicago) is in a similar boat to Duncanville, as it failed to win the Chicago Public League title, but still remains ranked No. 1 locally by the Chicago Sun-Times and other polls. As a result, the Condors drop 16 spots because of their loss to eventual city champ Simeon, but not all the way out of the FAB 50.

When we get to the portion of the post-season where it's win-or-go-home bracket style play, then we'll see more teams harshly penalized for early exits. That's where the opportunity lies for many bubble clubs to make a move into the longest-running weekly national rankings.

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

(Ninth poll of 2019-20 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, February 16; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 23 Centennial (Corona, Calif.), No. 39 Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.), No. 42 O’Dea (Seattle, Wash.).

Bubble Teams:  Allen (Allen, Texas) 28-4; Bartow (Bartow, Fla.) 25-1; Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) 30-2; Benton Harbor (Benton Harbor, Mich.) 14-1; Bloom (Chicago Heights, Ill.) 23-5; Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) 15-5; Brentwood (Brentwood, N.Y.) 20-1; Brookfield Central (Brookfield, Wis.) 18-1; Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 26-3; Clarkston (Clarkston, Mich.) 15-1; Cleveland (Cleveland, Tenn.) 28-0; Collinsville (Collinsville, Ill.) 25-2; Davidson Day (Davidson, N.C.) 27-1; Davis (Kaysville, Utah) 20-1; Dickinson (Dickinson, Texas) 26-5; Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) 19-3; Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, Md.) 16-2; Elizabeth (Elizabeth, N.J.) 17-3; Evanston (Evanston, Ill.) 24-3; Farmville Central (Farmville, N.C.) 22-2; Fort Bend Hightower (Missouri City, Texas) 27-5; Garfield (Seattle) 19-3; Grand Rapids Christian (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 14-1; Hamilton (Sussex, Wis.) 16-3; Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) 23-5; Hellgate (Missoula, Montana) 15-0; Houston (Germantown, Tenn.) 24-3; Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) 18-2; John Paul II (Plano, Texas) 36-1; Lee (Montgomery, Ala.) 30-1; Lincoln (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 13-2; Manasquan (Manasquan, N.J.) 23-1; Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 23-6; McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 20-6; Millbrook (Raleigh, N.C.) 22-2; Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) 19-4; North Little Rock (North Little Rock, Ark.) 19-3; North Shore (Houston, Texas) 30-4; O’Dea (Seattle, Wash.) 18-4; Orlando Christian Prep (Orlando, Fla.) 24-2; Potomoc (Oxon Hill, Md.) 19-1; River Rouge (River Rouge, Mich.) 16-1; Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 15-6; Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.) 21-1; Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) 22-8; Shadow Creek (Pearland, Texas) 24-3; Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) 23-5; Southmoore (Moore, Okla.) 17-3; Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) 24-2; St. Anthony (Long Beach, Calif.) 26-3; St. Augustine (New Orleans, La.) 27-1; St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) 19-1; St. Mark’s (Dallas, Texas) 27-4; Thornton (Harvey, Ill.) 26-1; Trinity Christian (Fayetteville, N.C.) 26-2; Union (Vancouver, Wash.) 22-0; Westover (Fayetteville, N.C.) 24-0; Whitehaven (Memphis, Tenn.) 21-3; Wyoming (Wyoming, Mich.) 14-1; Yates (Houston, Texas) 20-4.

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: Playoffs Cause Change! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

RELATED: Preseason FAB 50 No. 1 Loses

Usually it's the two week period between the pre-Christmas tournaments and the first set of rankings for the New Year that results in big changes in the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com. This season, however, plenty of big changes have already taken place before teams tip off in prestigious tournaments across the country beginning December 17. As a result, there are 11 FAB 50 newcomers in the updated rankings, which is a high number compared to what we usually see in the set of rankings right before the holidays. Traditionally, that's around the number of new teams we see crack the rankings after the holidays.

Not only do we have 11 new teams, but a new No. 1, as preseason No. 1 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) fell to No. 4 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 67-56, at the National High School Hoops Festival in Hyattsville, Md. two weekends ago. The Panthers led by as much as 17 points and were led to victory by Duke-bound point guard Jeremy Roach (16 points, four rebounds, three assists) and junior wing Trevor Keels (25 points, four rebounds, two steals.

Footage courtesy of @SportsHiphop12

4th quarter. On the road. Down 7. 30 seconds left. No quit in our guys. pic.twitter.com/4jxDovlgiQ

— PVI Boys' Basketball (@PVIHoops) December 16, 2019

Paul VI began the season No. 4 FAB 50 and almost didn't have a chance to move up because it went on the road to face a tough Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) club on December 14 and needed an incredible seven overtimes to gut out a 130-128 victory. The Panthers, who trailed by 17 points in the fourth period, needed all their big-time backcourt guns to survive and come out with a "W", as Roach had 31 points, six rebounds and two steals and Keels poured in 30 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Sophomore guard "Dug" McDaniel had 21 points, five assists and five steals and senior guard Josiah Freeman added 20 points, including four 3-pointers, and three steals. All four players fouled out in the Paul VI win.

Paul VI moves up to No. 2, which naturally means Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) takes over at No. 1 following its 76-56 win over preseason No. 3 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) that wasn't really as close as the score indicated. The Eagles play suffocating defense and have length and scoring at each position. If early comparative scores are any indication, it's going to take an incredible effort to knock off Montverde Academy.

Grayson, Oak Hill Academy Make Statement

Paul VI was not the only team to make a statement in the past couple of weeks, as perennial FAB 50 power Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) both came up with important victories.

Oak Hill Academy avenged its only loss of the season with a 83-62 victory over Combine Academy (N.C.). LSU-bound All-American candidate Cam Thomas finished with 23 points and eight rebounds while Jamari Sibley added 15 points in the home win.  The following night at the Battle at the Rock in Fort Mill (S.C.), the Warriors defeated previous No. 33 Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.), 63-52, as Thomas went bonkers with 42 points (including 4-of-8 from 3-point range) and 15 rebounds. As a result, the Warriors move up seven spots to No. 10 as they prepare to do battle at the Iolani Classic in Hawaii this week.

Grayson snapped the 39-game winning streak of McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) with a resounding 83-57 victory as South Florida commit Caleb Murphy came up with a monster 24-point, seven-rebound performance against the defending GHSA AAAAAAA champs. The Rams are a balanced club and got plenty of contributions from their other starters, including Toneari Lane (17 points, seven rebounds), Deivon Smith (17 points, nine rebounds, seven assists) and Ian Schieffelin (13 points, 10 rebounds, 11 blocked shots).

Grayson moves up three spots to No. 14 and the only reason it didn't climb into the Top 10 or to Oak Hill's spot was because of its 84-80 loss to Newton (Covington, Ga.) on December 10, four days before its signature win versus the Indians. Newton hit 14 3-pointers and needed a field goal at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. Grayson will have a chance to avenge the loss when its hosts Newton on January 14.

Can Anyone Beat Montverde Academy at City of Palms?

Tampa Catholic (Tampa, Fla.) is on the bubble and its comparative scores in its two losses (to Montverde Academy and IMG Academy) are telling. MVA had no problem with Tampa Catholic, downing the Crusaders 97-43, while IMG Academy (which is playing without Duke-bound Jalen Johnson) needed two overtimes to down the same team, 76-70.

"We played much better against IMG and that was a home game for us which also helped," Tampa Catholic coach Don Dziagwa told www.ebooksnet.com. "But Montverde showed no weakness against us. Their defensive intensity just took us out of everything we wanted to run."

New No. 1 Montverde Academy now is the odd-on favorite to capture the City of Palms Tournament in Ft. Myers, Fla. If early scores are any indication, IMG Academy will have its hands full its its second game between the winner of No. 20 Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.)-No. 34 Briarcrest Christian (Eads, Tenn.). If Montverde Academy were to lose before the final, it would be considered quite an upset.

On West at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, the December 20 semifinals would pit No. 17 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) versus No. 19 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) in one semifinal with No. 27 Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) taking on host and No. 5 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) in the other at the Orleans Arena off the Las Vegas Strip. There are plenty of dangerous regionally-ranked teams that could knock off any one of the top four seeds by the quarterfinal round.

No. 6 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), which is coming off an emotional win over regionally-ranked St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) in Ohio, will play two showcase games at the Tarkanian Classic, including one on Wednesday evening versus No. 47 Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.).

Joining Oak Hill Academy at the Iolani Classic are No. 18 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.), No. 21 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) and No. 30 Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.).

The next FAB 50 update is scheduled for Monday, January 6 after all the results from the holiday tournaments from around the country are in.

RELATED: Preseason FAB 50 No. 1 Loses

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

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

Dropped Out: No. 23 Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio), No. 24 Etiwanda (Etiwanda, Calif.); No. 26 Legacy Early College (Greenville, S.C.), No. 29 Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.), No. 30 The Rock (Gainesville, Fla.), No. 35 Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.), No. 40 Coronado (Henderson, Nev.), No. 43 Lincoln (Ypsilanti, Mich.), No. 47 Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.); No. 49 Callaway (Jackson, Miss.), No. 50 Park Center (Brooklyn Park, Minn.).

Bubble Teams:  Allen (Allen, Texas) 13-2; Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) 13-1; Benton Harbor (Benton Harbor, Mich.) 2-0; Bloom (Chicago Heights, Ill.) 8-1; Bogan (Chicago, Ill.) 9-1; Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) 2-1; Brooklyn Collegiate (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 6-0; Callaway (Jackson, Miss.) 7-2; Camden (Camden, N.J.) 0-0; Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 6-2; Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) 1-0; Christian Brother’s (St. Louis, Mo.) 2-3; Coronado (Henderson, Nev.) 2-1; Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.) 5-1; Durham Academy (Durham, N.C.) 13-1; Edmond Memorial (Edmond, Okla.) 5-1; Evanston (Evanston, Ill.) 8-0; Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 7-0; Hamilton (Sussex, Wis.) 3-0; Gill St. Bernard’s (Gladstone, N.J.) 0-0; Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.) 12-1; Guyer (Denton, Texas) 10-2; Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) 11-0; John Paul II (Plano, Texas) 12-1; Lancaster (Lancaster, Texas) 10-2; Lincoln (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 0-1; Madisonville-North Hopkins (Madisonville, Ky.) 4-0; Male (Louisville, Ky.) 5-1; Marion (Marion, Ark.) 2-2; Meridian (Meridian, Miss.) 10-1; Millbrook (Raleigh, N.C.) 9-0; Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) 7-2; Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) 5-0; Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) 2-1; Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.) 4-2; Muskegon (Muskegon, Mich.) 1-0; Orchard Lake (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 1-0; Niles Notre Dame (Niles, Ill.) 8-2; North Little Rock (North Little Rock, Ark.) 7-1; North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) 8-0; Rangeview (Aurora, Col.) 4-0; Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) 5-1; River Rouge (River Rouge, Mich.) 2-0; Sanford School (Hockessin, Del.) 1-1; Southmoore (Moore, Okla.) 2-0; Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) 8-1; St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) 3-0; St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) 6-0; St. Mark’s (Dallas, Texas) 8-2; St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.) 4-1; St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) 3-1; Summer Creek (Houston, Texas) 12-3; Tampa Catholic (Tampa, Fla.) 3-2; The Rock (Gainesville, Fla.) 9-4; University Lab (Baton Rouge, La.) 9-0; Whitehaven (Memphis, Tenn.) 8-0; Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 4-2; Wildwood Catholic (North Wildwood, N.J.) 0-0; Windward (Los Angeles, Calif.) 10-1;
Yates (Houston, Texas) 5-4.

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.

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 Rankings: NEW No. 1 & 11 Newcomers! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

The internet went crazy back in June when the world found out that Spiderman had a nasty crossover and Peter Parker was really streetball great Grayson "The Professor" Boucher from the BallUp crew. The Professor is back as Spidey in Spiderman 1.5: The Workout.  This episode shows Spiderman working on his handles and shot at night.  I'm assuming to a drive-by spectator this scene would probably look more odd than the scene in Above the Rim when 2pac's brother is playing without a ball and slapping the backboard in the middle of the night.

If you are in Dallas this weekend, check out Spiderman and a bunch of celebs playing in the Ballup Celebrity game this Saturday.

• GAME 1: Kansas City (June 22, 2013) - G-Smith goes off in debut
• GAME 2: Louisville (June 30, 2013) - Professor & Bone Collector show out
• GAME 3: Indianapolis (July 6, 2013) - G-Smith with the dunk of the summer
• GAME 4: Chicago (July 16, 2013) - Bone Collector & Springs show out
• GAME 5: New York (July 20, 2013) - Professor & Bone Collector shine in Harlem
• "THE SIT DOWN" INTERVIEW: The Professor
• "THE SIT DOWN" INTERVIEW: CEO Demetrius Spencer

Continuing to take the world of streetball by storm, Ball Up announced its 2013 nationwide basketball tour today, which will travel throughout the country this summer. Traveling from Los Angeles to New York, the team will kick off an exciting series of action-packed games on June 22, in Kansas City, MO and will wrap up with a championship game in conjunction with TD Jake’s Megafest festival in Dallas, TX on August 31.

Ball Up’s innovative spin on the game of streetball has redefined the sport by bringing some of the top, untapped talent to basketball courts across the world along with big name stars that have graced the NBA hardwood as well. This year’s impressive roster includes, The Professor, AO, Baby Shaq, Air Up There, Bone Collector, Pat the Roc, Special FX, Springs, Sik Wit It, Violator and G. Smith. Rafer “Skip to My Lou” Alston and Sebastian Telfair will both serve as judges for the open run tryouts in each city. Guest coaches of the opposing teams in each city will be announced as the tour progresses and includes Hall of Fame NBA players and basketball legends. Special contests during each game will also give select lucky fans the opportunity to meet the guest coaches in each region.

As the tour makes its way across the country, Ball Up will be on the quest for a new breed of performer in the annual “Search for the Next” competition, where one lucky player will gain a coveted spot on the roster. “We’re excited about the tour this summer and are very proud to be in our third year,” said Ball Up CEO, Demetrius Spencer. “We have some great surprises lined up for fans and of course, the team is ready to take on the competition each city has to offer.”

In addition to some of the most show-stopping streetball in the world, the highly anticipated games will also feature special guest appearances, musical performances, family entertainment and more. Additionally, taking viewers nationwide behind the scenes on and off the court of the toughest streetball team around, the tour will be filmed for top rated television series, “Ball Up Search for the Next” airing fall on Fox Sports 1. Past and present sponsors of the Ball Up tour include, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Wilson, Marines, SkullCandy, Toyota and Under Armour.

From Slam Online

Dr J, Air Up There, Anthony Anderson and Cedric Cebbalos judging the 2012 Ballup Dunk Contest

Founded in 2009, Ball Up is the leading streetball tour in the nation, featuring the Ball Up All-Stars which include many of the most celebrated and talented streetball players from around the country. Through its debut of the 2011 Ball Up Season on Fox Sports Net nationwide and tours that span the globe, Ball Up provides the ultimate streetball experience for both fans courtside and viewers at home.

COACH: Tracy Murray
SPECIAL GUEST JUDGES: Rafer Alston & Sebastian Telfair

NEWS

• G-Smith appears on SportsNation with the dunk of the summer
• Ballup wins 111-78 in Louisville
• G-Smith dominates in his Ballup debut in Kansas City
• Iverson, Rafer Alston & Ballup in China All-Star game
• Ballup's Special Fx talks about Shaq owing him money & J.Cole on Thisis50
• Ballup beats And1 at LA Lights
• Air Up There dunks over Maria Menounos on ExtraTV
• Life on the Road Episode 1 with The Bone Collector

Website: Ballup.com
Twitter: @Ballup
Facebook: BallupOfficial
YouTube: BallupStreetball

More Ballup News & Videos: On Ballislife

The post Spiderman is back on the basketball court showing how he workouts at night appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Allen Iverson? Tim Hardaway, Jamal Crawford, Steve Francis? Those are the usual suspects that pop up in the conversation for best handles and/or crossover in NBA history but the answer to best handles in the entire universe (maybe just the Marvel Universe) is Spider-Man! Please excuse the fact that he has web that allows him to carry or palm the ball easier than MJ and please ignore that ridiculous scene in the Spiderman reboot a couple of years ago with that Social Network kid. ?If you haven't seen the scene than please spend the next 2 minutes doing so by watching the video below.

I liked the film overall, especially the more serious scenes but that corny scene is going to be left out of the argument. ?We will also ignore the impostor (actually Andrew Garfield taking a break from filming the Spiderman sequel) that was seen a few months ago playing ball at a basketball court in Chinatown with a bunch of kids.

The real web slinging ankle breaking Spider-Man is the one in the first video above toying with the Kevin Durant fan. ?And I hate to break it to all of you Marvel fanatics but Spidey's real name isn't Peter Parker it's Grayson Boucher.

and here's some not so cool Spider-Man basketball moments...

?

• GAME 1: Kansas City (June 22, 2013)?- G-Smith goes off in debut
• GAME 2: Louisville (June 30, 2013)?- Professor & Bone Collector show out
• GAME 3:?Indianapolis (July 6, 2013)?- G-Smith with the dunk of the summer
• "THE SIT DOWN" INTERVIEW: The Professor
  • ?
• "THE SIT DOWN" INTERVIEW:?CEO Demetrius Spencer

Continuing to take the world of streetball by storm, Ball Up announced its 2013 nationwide basketball tour today, which will travel throughout the country this summer. Traveling from Los Angeles to New York, the team will kick off an exciting series of action-packed games on June 22, in Kansas City, MO and will wrap up with a championship game in conjunction with TD Jake’s Megafest festival in Dallas, TX on August 31.

Ball Up’s innovative spin on the game of streetball has redefined the sport by bringing some of the top, untapped talent to basketball courts across the world along with big name stars that have graced the NBA hardwood as well. This year’s impressive roster includes, The Professor, AO, Baby Shaq, Air Up There, Bone Collector, Pat the Roc, Special FX, Springs, Sik Wit It, Violator and G. Smith. Rafer “Skip to My Lou” Alston and Sebastian Telfair will both serve as judges for the open run tryouts in each city. Guest coaches of the opposing teams in each city will be announced as the tour progresses and includes Hall of Fame NBA players and basketball legends. Special contests during each game will also give select lucky fans the opportunity to meet the guest coaches in each region.

As the tour makes its way across the country, Ball Up will be on the quest for a new breed of performer in the annual “Search for the Next” competition, where one lucky player will gain a coveted spot on the roster. “We’re excited about the tour this summer and are very proud to be in our third year,” said Ball Up CEO, Demetrius Spencer. “We have some great surprises lined up for fans and of course, the team is ready to take on the competition each city has to offer.”

In addition to some of the most show-stopping streetball in the world, the highly anticipated games will also feature special guest appearances, musical performances, family entertainment and more. Additionally, taking viewers nationwide behind the scenes on and off the court of the toughest streetball team around, the tour will be filmed for top rated television series, “Ball Up Search for the Next” airing fall on Fox Sports 1. Past and present sponsors of the Ball Up tour include, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Wilson, Marines, SkullCandy, Toyota and Under Armour.

From Slam Online

Dr J, Air Up There, Anthony Anderson and Cedric Cebbalos judging the 2012 Ballup Dunk Contest

Founded in 2009, Ball Up is the leading streetball tour in the nation, featuring the Ball Up All-Stars which include many of the most celebrated and talented streetball players from around the country. Through its debut of the 2011 Ball Up Season on Fox Sports Net nationwide and tours that span the globe, Ball Up provides the ultimate streetball experience for both fans courtside and viewers at home.

COACH: Tracy Murray
SPECIAL GUEST JUDGES: Rafer Alston & Sebastian Telfair

NEWS

• G-Smith appears on SportsNation with the dunk of the summer
• Ballup wins 111-78 in Louisville?
• G-Smith dominates in his Ballup debut in Kansas City?
• Iverson, Rafer Alston & Ballup in China All-Star game
• Ballup's Special Fx talks about Shaq owing him money & J.Cole on Thisis50
• Ballup beats And1 at LA Lights
• Air Up There dunks over Maria Menounos on ExtraTV
• Life on the Road Episode 1 with The Bone Collector

Website: Ballup.com
Twitter: @Ballup
Facebook: BallupOfficial
YouTube: BallupStreetball

More Ballup News & Videos: On Ballislife

The post Spiderman has the nastiest crossover in the universe appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.