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This ITP Show idea was sparked from a piece co-host Ronnie Flores wrote earlier in the week outlining four teams that are in the mix for that prestigious, yet unclaimed crown. Click the link below to listen to the full podcast and continue reading for a brief overview on why these are the four high school teams up for the debate.

There are two recent teams in consideration: 2015-16 Chino Hills, which went 35-0 while playing a loaded national schedule. What stands out most about that Huskies' team is that they accomplished those feats as a public school playing with mainly neighborhood players. Chino Hills were paced that season by current New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball and his brothers, LaMelo and LiAngelo. Seven Chino Hills players went on to play Division 1 college basketball and four are primed to play in the NBA.

The 2019-20 Montverde Academy is the most recent team with a legitimate claim to be the best high school team ever. The Eagles went 25-0, winning their games by a staggering average margin of 38.9 points. MVA had its season cut short due to the Coronavirus pandemic and weren't able to challenge for its fifth GEICO title. It's still to be determined how many Montverde players will make it to the NBA, but coach Kevin Boyle estimates that 12 players from this year's roster will earn Division 1 scholarships.

The other two teams come from earlier in high school hoops history, starting with the famed 82-83 Dunbar team out of Baltimore. The Poets went 31-0 that season and sent 11 of their 13 rostered players to the Division 1 level. NBA players from that squad consisted of Reggie Lewis, Reggie Williams and Tyrone "Mugsy" Bogues. Dunbar played a national schedule in a time period where it was rare for programs to make multiple out-of-state trips to play the upper-echelon competition.

Finally, the 1992-93 Oak Hill Academy team rounds' out the debate. Long-time NBA players Jerry Stackhouse and Jeff McInnis highlighted that 36-0 team which beat six college programs, in addition to 30 high school teams, in its 36-0 campaign. Nine players off of that Warriors team went on to play Division 1 hoops with four making it to the NBA.

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FAB 50 No. 1 Montverde Academy just completed one of the most dominant runs through a high school season. Are the Eagles the greatest team of all-time? We compare and contrast their team and resume to three other all-time great teams. You'll be surprised to see how similar the resumes for these great teams are!

RELATED: Final 2019-20 FAB 50 Rankings | Salute To All-Time FAB 50 No. 1s
Without a question of a doubt, the 2019-20 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) team is one of the greatest of all-time. What the Eagles accomplished over 25 games this past season has only been matched a few times in the history of the high school game going back to Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954, which ushered in an era of the game where statistics are available to research (they are much harder to do when schools were segregated), end-of-season national honors and awards for elite players emerged, and colleges began recruiting nationwide starting with Wilt Chamberlain that next spring.

Of course, most will argue that high school basketball is much better now than it was even 30 years ago, an to an extent it's true. The competition at the top has never been better and the elite high school game has evolved into something that doesn't resemble what the average high school team looked like 30-40 years ago.

The reality of the situation, however, is that all the elements of modern, elite high school basketball have been in play for much longer than the mixtape generation (2005 to current) realizes. National scouting has been around since the early 1970s, teams with elite players have played in national events since that same time period, national weekly team rankings began in 1975, and widely distributed national player rankings have been available since the 1978-79 season.

Besides, great teams and players stand the test of time. With that in mind, we wanted to break down Montverde Academy's resume to that of three other great teams over the past 40 years, one an independent basketball power and the other two public schools.

GREATEST HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS
ALL-TIME TALE OF THE TAPE

Reggie Williams

6'7"   -   SF   -   1983

1982-1983 Dunbar (Baltimore, Md.)
Record: 31-0  
Ranking: No. 1 (preseason No. 1 by USA Today)
Points For: 2,572/83.0
Points Against: 1,442/46.5
Victory Margin: 1,130/36.5
Starters: PG Tyrone "Mugsy" Bouges 5-3 Sr. (5.8 ppg, 7 apg, 7 spg), SG Keith James 6-5 Sr. (9.4 ppg), SF Reggie Williams 6-7 Sr. (23.4 ppg, 12 rpg, 4 apg, 2 bpg), PF Mike Brown 6-4 Jr. (11.2 ppg), C Tim Dawson 6-7 Sr. (9.2 ppg, 12 rpg, 5 bpg).
Roster: Derrick Lewis 6-3 Jr., Darryl Woods 5-9 Sr., Reggie Lewis 6-7 Sr., Herman Harried 6-7 Jr., Bryan Williams 5-6 Jr., Gerard Marable 6-0 Jr., Reggie McNeil 6-2 So., Eric Green 6-2 Jr., Jerry White 6-2 Sr., David Johnson 6-2 Sr.
Resume: The Poets defeated teams from seven states and captured the Poet-Laker Tip-Off, Beltway/Capital City Classic, King of the Bluegrass Tournament, Johnstown Tournament, and won the MSA Class "A" title. To close the season, coach Bob Wade's team crushed nationally-ranked Flint Hill Prep (Roanoke, Va.), 87-59, and defeated a good Cardinal Gibbons (Baltimore, Md.) team, 82-53, to win the Metro Classic. By the time the Flint Hill Prep game came, few people gave coach Stu Vetter's team a chance to stay close, as opposing coaches felt it was just an honor for their team to be able to compete with a team as talented as Dunbar. The first big win of the season was a 67-55 victory over DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) in which James had 16 points and Williams added 14. They simply crushed the field at the prestigious King of the Bluegrass, defeating Carlisle County (Ky.) 65-48 in the title game as Williams had 21 and Dawson 17. Williams, the Mr. Basketball USA National Player of the Year and a top four national recruit, scored 20 more points 22 times and could have went off even more expect the Poets were comfortably ahead by the third quarter in a vast majority of their games. Only one team gave them any real trouble, as King of New York (with McDonald's All-American Kenny Hutchinson) had Dunbar, including Williams, battling major foul trouble. Reserve Reggie Lewis (5.5 ppg/172 pts) stepped up with nine points and 11 rebounds to be named Johnstown (Pa.) Tournament MVP after Dunbar posted a 57-52 victory, the Poets’ only single-digit win. Similar to '93 Oak Hill and '20 Montverde Academy, only one team stayed within double figures.
Analysis: After the 1982 team finished 27-0 and was ranked No. 2 by Basketball Weekly, the 1983 team went wire-to-wire as No. 1, dominating its foes on a national schedule, very comparable to the best schedules played up to that point. Dunbar’s 1982 team started David Wingate (Georgetown) and Gary Graham (UNLV) along with Dawson, Bouges, and Williams and went 27-0, but the 1983 team clearly played better teams. To give one an idea of just how good '82 Dunbar was, it routed nationally-ranked Camden (N.J.), 84-59, to end that program’s long-standing home winning streak while national No. 1 Calvert Hall (which did not play Dunbar in 1982 or 1983) defeated that same team 67-62 in a come-from-behind win. What separated the two Dunbar teams was incredible depth, with at least 11 players with D1 ability on the '83 team. That was evident in Dunbar’s play when the reserves were in and by its margin of victory, as the Poets never let up against any foe. As some would say about Oak Hill's 1993 team and Montverde Academy's 2020 team, the bench was likely a nationally-ranked team.

Jerry Stackhouse

6'6"   -   SF   -   1993

1992-1993 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)
Record: 36-0* (30-0 vs. high school competition) 
Ranking: No. 1 (preseason No. 1 by National Prep Poll)
Points For: 3,211/89.2
Points Against: 1,868/51.9
Victory Margin: 1,343/37.3
Starters: PG Jeff McInnis 6-2 Sr. (17.0 ppg, 8.4 apg, school-record 303 assists) SG Jermaine "Sunshine" Smith 6-2 Sr. (12.2 ppg), SF Jerry Stackhouse 6-6 Sr. (25.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 4.0 apg), PF Alex Sanders 6-7 Jr. (12.7 ppg), C Makhtar Ndiaye 6-9 Sr. (10.3 rpg, 8.1 bpg). 
Roster: Mark Blount 7-0 Soph., Michael Brittain 6-8 Jr., Ronald Williams 6-3 Sr., Vincent Luther 6-4 Sr., Jason Thomas 6-4 Sr., Tavaras Johnson 6-6 Jr.  
Resume: The Warriors defeated teams from 11 states, plus the District of Columbia, as they went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team. People nowadays talk on social media about what would happen if the nation's best FAB 50 teams or all-time great high school teams played colleges. Well, the Warriors did, going 6-0 versus colleges, including a 100-68 win over Roanoke (Va.) College, a 122-76 win over Alice Lloyd College (Ky.) and a 117-68 win over Central Piedmont Community College (N.C.). To be transparent, other great high school teams of yesteryear also beat colleges, such as Wilt Chamberlain's 1955 Overbook (Philadelphia, Pa.) club. Most high school teams were simply overwhelmed by Oak Hill's physicality, size and pressure defense. A 96-8 victory over John Battle (Bristol, Va.) at the Virginia Tip-Off Classic drew national headlines and the Warriors defeated nationally-ranked St. John’s Prospect Hall (Frederick, Md.), 63-49, to win the Iolani Classic. Oak Hill was even more dominant in its second win (91-74) over St. John’s Prospect Hall (another team coached by Vetter) to close the season at the St. James Invitational. The Warriors also captured the prestigious Las Vegas Holiday Prep Classic with a 57-52 victory of Felipe Lopez-led Rice (New York). Ironically, it was the same score that '83 Dunbar won its lone single-digit game by.      
Analysis: This was the first of Steve Smith's national title clubs at Oak Hill and is his best overall club. The National Prep Poll (FAB 50 precursor) and the National Sports News Service (the original end-of-season national rankings) both tabbed Oak Hill No. 1 wire-to-wire, while USA Today had the Warriors No. 3 behind Simon Gratz (Philadelphia, Pa.) and King (Chicago, Ill.). Similar to Dunbar's Williams, Stackhouse was the nation's best wing forward (and a top three national player along with Gratz's Rasheed Wallace and guard Randy Livingston of Newman in New Orleans) and put up big scoring outings. The difference was the physicality, as Stackhouse could simply overpower high school players and had the ability to jump passing lanes because of Oak Hill's huge front line. Stackhouse and McInnis were McDonald’s All-Americans, with the clutch Smith joining McInnis in a backcourt that could really pressure the ball or funnel players towards Ndiaye, who blocked a ton of shots without the worry of foul trouble or playing from behind. This team could go big with Blount (who joined Stackhouse, McInnis, and Ndiaye in the NBA), while Sanders and Johnson helped Oak Hill finish ranked No. 1 as seniors in 1993-94.   

Onyeka Okongwu

6'8"   -   C   -   2019

2015-16 Chino Hills (Chino Hills, Calif.)
Record: 35-0
Ranking: No. 1  (preseason No. 11 in FAB 50)
Points For: 3,447/98.5
Points Against: 2,453/70.1 
Victory Margin: 994/28.4 
Starters: PG Lonzo Ball 6-6 Sr. (23.9 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 11.5 apg, 5.1 spg), SG LaMelo Ball 5-10 Fr. (16.4 ppg, 3.8 apg), SF LiAngelo Ball 6-5 Jr. (27.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg) PF Eli Scott 6-5 Jr. (15.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg), C Onyeka Okongwu 6-8 Fr. (7.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.1 bpg).
Roster: Matthew Reed 5-11 So., Andre Ball 6-7 So., Pierce Richards 5-11 Jr., Jayson Mitchell 6-0 Jr., Nic Manor-Hall 6-2 Fr., Cam Shelton 6-0 So., Grant Trueman 6-2 Jr., Adam Vasquez 6-2 Jr., Shane Hopkins 6-9 Sr.
Resume: The Huskies defeated teams from nine states and captured three major holiday tournaments: The BattleZone Tournament, City of Palms Classic and Maxpreps Holiday Classic. Unlike the other three teams, the Huskies had plenty of close calls, but they did know how to close games. Some of those wins included a 91-90 victory over Jefferson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) that Lonzo Ball saved on a terrific defensive play, a 83-82 overtime win over Montverde Academy (Fla.), a 66-60 overtime win over Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) and a 71-67 win over an unbeaten Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) team. Three of those wins were at City of Palms and the Bishop Montgomery showdown was one of the most highly-anticipated regular season games in recent California history. Bishop Montgomery came into that game ranked No. 7 in the FAB 50 and Steve Baik's club defeated 11 programs that were FAB 50 ranked at some point, including Bishop Montgomery, No. 38 Foothills Christian and No. 43 High Point Christian more than once. Chino Hills had to move up to the No. 1 spot (it started No. 8 by USA Today and No. 5 by Maxpreps) and was No. 1 after the City of Palms Tournament. The Huskies were a clear preseason No. 1 in California and likely would have started in the seven to Top 10 range of the FAB 50 had it won the CIF D1 state title in 2015, when it went 24-8 on the court and lost in double overtime in the state final after Lonzo Ball fouled out.
Analysis:  The Huskies join this conversation for three main reasons. One, the program was a public school and there is misnomer that public schools can't compete at the elite level. Chino Hills is a "neighborhood school" program while Dunbar attracted students from all over Charm City through its magnet program. Second, Chino Hills is a team the video-centric generation of fans can relate to as they make comparisons. Lastly, even though the Huskies didn't start off with the fanfare of the other three clubs in this conversation, it's where you finish and with Okongwu and Melo Ball on their way to the NBA to join Lonzo their greatness continues to cast a shadow as time elapses. Will Scott or Gelo get a NBA crack? After the close calls during the regular season, the Huskies took it up a notch against the toughest post-season competition in California, defeating eight opponents by an average of 29 points in the CIF Southern Section and SoCal Open Division playoffs. Similar to the '83 Dunbar club, late in the season it felt like Chino Hills was a team of destiny and it rolled Bishop Montgomery 84-62 in the SoCal Open title game. With Okongwu and Melo Ball in the lineup, Chino Hills had two 14-year olds and detractors would say that puts them at a big disadvantage against these three other teams. The freshmen duo played fearlessly and beyond their years and Okongwu did a terrific job against older interior post players. It's ironic that Lonzo Ball fouled out in that 2015 state title game because the Huskies starters did a terrific job of not fouling out during the 2015-16, especially Okongwu in the middle as he never fouled out despite having a few close calls with four personals. Baik went with his starters nearly exclusively and the lack of depth was even more noticeable when Andre Ball (the cousin of Zo, Gelo and Melo) was lost to injury during the Maxpreps Holiday Classic. Lonzo Ball did a bit of everything defensively and carried the Huskies on his way to becoming California's all-time assist leader, but the scoring ability of Gelo Ball and the contributions of Scott cannot be overlooked. Chino Hills tied a state record with 18 100-point games and Lonzo Ball was named Mr. Basketball USA while collecting a triple double in 25 of 35 games, a single-season state record that may never be broken.

Day'Ron Sharpe

6'10"   -   C   -   2020

2019-20 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
Record: 25-0
Ranking: No. 1 (preseason No. 2 by FAB 50)  
Points For: 2,173/87.0
Points Against: 1,200/48.0
Victory Margin: 973/38.9
Starters: PG Cade Cunningham 6-7 Sr. (13.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 6.4 apg), SG Moses Moody 6-5 Sr. (10.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg), SF Scottie Barnes 6-8 Sr. (11.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.6 apg), PF Caleb Houstan 6-7 So. (10.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg), C Day'Ron Sharpe 6-10 sr. (12.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg).
Roster: Dariq Whitehead 6-5 So., Ryan Nembhard 6-1 Jr., Langston Love 6-4 Jr., Zeb Jackson 6-2 Sr., Keegan Harvey 6-11 Sr., Jesse Jones 6-3 Sr., Michael Wu 6-7 Jr. 
Resume: The Eagles were preseason No. 2 in the FAB 50 and Maxpreps placed them at No. 1 and, on paper, not much separated Montverde Academy and IMG Academy. The Eagles, however, took their game to another level during the season and just as '83 Dunbar and '93 Oak Hill Academy did, only had one single-digit game. When the Eagles and IMG Academy met in the City of Palms Classic title game, the Ascenders gave Montverde Academy its toughest game of the season, falling 63-55. Montverde Academy defeated IMG Academy twice more, 67-46 and 76-64, while no other team came within 20 points. When Barnes joined the Eagles' roster, it turned a potential juggernaut into a virtual machine, as coach Kevin Boyle's club Eagles defeated 12 FAB 50 ranked clubs (at the time of the matchup), including No. 4 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 76-56 in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicates. The Eagles could have potentially faced three more FAB 50 ranked teams had GIECO Nationals not been wiped out by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Would any of those nationally-ranked clubs have been able to Montverde Academy a good game?
Analysis: IMG Academy edged the Eagles for the preseason No. 1 spot by the slimmest of margins, but in the end it didn't matter and Boyle's club provide to be one of the best teams of all-time. GEICO Nationals notwithstanding, Montverde Academy captured its fifth FAB 50 title in the past eight seasons, and fielded its best overall team in that time frame. When talking about the best teams and how they fared at the time, Montverde Academy has as strong a resume as any. The raw numbers clearly illustrate that and the roster provides more evidence. Cunningham, like Ball, Stackhouse, and Williams before him, is a Mr. Basketball USA talent and the Eagles had incredible depth and balance. The other teams were more reliant on one player for scoring (Williams and Stackhouse) or play-making (Ball), but MVA truly could beat teams in many ways, as seven players averaged 8.3 ppg or more led by Cunningham’s 13.9 ppg. How would that approach work against one of the other three teams mentioned here? The evidence suggests the Eagles would have found a way to be successful. What if Montverde Academy found a way to slow Williams, Stackhouse or Ball down? The evidence suggests others would have stepped up. It would have been interesting to see Montverde Academy play upwards of three ranked foes in succession to see if it could have been pushed to its limit. The contrast between Barnes and Bouges is fascinating because they are catalysts of the same fashion despite a huge difference in size. Could Barnes have slowed down Williams? On the other end, who on Montverde's roster could have stayed with Bouges or kept him from disrupting the Eagles' offense? Some opponents, like Camden (N.J.), didn't respect Bouges because of his size, but he made them pay severely for that by completely disrupting their offense. Could Dunbar have kept up with Montverde Academy on the boards? Dawson and Williams were fine on the glass but would have their work cut out for them trying to slow down Sharpe, who gives the Eagles an All-American at three different positions (lead guard, wing, post). Matchup wise, '93 Oak Hill might be the better comparison and the tougher check for Boyle's club. The Warriors had a huge front line and nobody on MVA's team is the physical wing scorer that Stackhouse was. Cunningham and Moody are tough checks, but McInnis and Smith were mentally tough, battle-tested and capable defenders who could put the ball in the hole when necessary. Unlike Chino Hills, there wouldn't be much issue with Oak Hill playing aggressively because of the firepower on the bench. It's easy to point to the Eagles' ranked players (their ninth man is going to Michigan), but at 5-foot-3 Bouges was ranked No. 24 by All-Star Sports. One had to think if the summer circuit and camp atmosphere was in 1982 what it is today, Lewis would have blown up and been a nationally ranked player. Luckily for Jim Calhoun and Northeastern, he didn't blow up. As role players on the '83 Dunbar team, Brown (No. 16), James (No. 40) and Harried (No. 64) were all top 100 players in the Class of 1984. Montverde Academy would seem to have the edge in versatility because Cunningham is as unique a point guard as we've seen on a team with so much talent. Ball is his equal, but he didn't have the horses around him to work with player No. 2 through No. 12. In a four-team bracket, Montverde Academy would have a strong case as the BEST team of the lot. When you talk about how GREAT the teams are, however, you can't take nothing away from Dunbar and Oak Hill. They have the data to back up their receptive cases and the numbers going forward to take their place amongst the all-time great teams. Stackhouse and McInnis were joined in the NBA by two of their teammates, but Ndiaye and Bount enjoyed cups of coffee. That's what makes '83 Dunbar so unique, as Williams, Bouges and Lewis were three of the top 22 picks in the 1987 NBA Draft. When you add in the fact that trio (along with Wingate from the '82 team) developed into long-time NBA players, it secures Dunbar's spot among the all-time great high school teams. A certain aspect of how great this year's Montverde Academy team is will be determined later by how much success individual Eagles' players have at the next levels of the game compared to Dunbar, Oak Hill, Chino Hills and other great undefeated No. 1 ranked teams that produced multiple NBA players.

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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In episode No. 40 of our  In The Paint Show,"  co-hosts Devin Ugland and Ronnie Flores go hard on the recent Pangos All-West Frosh/Soph Camp and give their seasoned take on the recent ESPN.com story that has its mock draft team now tracking LaMelo Ball as a 2020 NBA Draft Lotto pick and the potential No. 1 overall pick, based on his play at the Australian NBL Blitz this past week.

Ron and Dev break down how they evaluated the deep camp and who stood out amongst those they hadn't evaluated before. They also talk about their focus on those who didn't come in with a big reputation and go over the standouts in the various camp all-star games, and go in the paint on a few snubs!

Ball's continued growth physically and in his game has led ESPN to declare the former Chino Hills (Calif.) standout a potential No. 1 pick in 2020. Is this a surprise? Why wasn't he considered a top tier 2020 draft prospect all along? Were some draft analysts and recruiting experts using his family's fame and misfortune against him? Does his on-court talent outweigh any of the perceived family problems that surround him and are not of his making? Where would Dev and Ron take him in the 2020 NBA Draft right now?

To learn more about our hosts, Ronnie Flores and Devin Ugland, and to get more information about what "In The Paint" is all about, check out our intro below!

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Others at the run included NBA players Montrezl Harrell, Svi Mykhailiuk, and Ike Anigbogu, ex-pros Royce White and Cuttino Mobley, hs grads Cassius Stanley and KJ Martin, unsigned hooper Jordan Stevens, and many others.

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In the third episode of our all-new In The Paint Show," hosts Ronnie Flores and Devin Ugland discuss LaMelo Ball from his Chino Hills (Calif.) days to overseas and now back in the states with SPIRE Institute (Geneva, Ohio). Does the youngest Ball brother have what it takes to join Lonzo in the NBA? The guys also discuss the current state of Pac-12 Conference basketball.

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1. The Top Players Are Living Up To The Hype

The 3-day Hoophall West featured 16 games and 24 teams and every single star player lived up to his advanced billing. There wasn't an elite player who didn't make some sort of impact in his respective game(s). Nico Mannion of Pinnacle (Phoenix, Ariz.), Isaiah Mobley of Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.), Jalen Green of San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno, Calif.), Anton Watson of Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Wash.), De'Vion Harmon and Jalen Wilson of Guyer (Denton, Texas), Kyree Walker of Hillcrest Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.), LaMelo Ball of Spire Institute (Geneva, Ohio), Jaden Hardy of Coronado (Henderson, Nev.), and the Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.) duo of Javon Blacksher and Jaelen House all played to the level expected. There were some young players who turned heads and some unsung heroes, but the big guns were the difference in the top games. The one player who stood out because his production is beginning to match his immense potential and his No. 1 ranking by some recruiting services is 7-foot junior Evan Mobley of FAB 50 No. 23 Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.). His size, length and immense skill is all coming together and most importantly, impacting Rancho Christian's games at a much higher level than his sophomore season. Evan Mobley wasn't as confident and didn't have the stamina he now does because of nagging injuries and pains associated with physical growth. He can finish around the rim with alarming quickness and authority unlike any big man in high school basketball and the rim resembles a nerf hoop when he squares up to it and converts a quick flush. Rancho Christian is effectively working a high-low with the Mobley brothers that it didn't utilize last season and the results have been terrific so far. Evan Mobley had 20 points in a 78-59 victory over Simeon (Chicago) and came back the next night to score 25 points in a 89-79 win over Pinnacle in which the Mobley brothers combined for 47 points.

2. The Hoopla Hasn't Hurt Melo

When Lavar Ball walked into the gym at Chaparral High School, many of the youngsters in the crowd went nuts as if their favorite WWE wrestler made an appearance in the building. With all the attention and the Facebook "Ball In the Family" cameras following the Ball's every move, it could easily hurt a young player's development. That's not the case with LaMelo Ball, who is attending SPIRE Institute (Geneva, Ohio) this season after playing professionally for a year overseas and in his father's JBA league. He continues to track as one of the top players in his original high school class (2019) and is a 17-year old tall (6-foot-6 ish) and unselfish point guard who impacts the game in a variety of ways. The "pro" experience certainly hasn't put Melo head and shoulders ahead of his 2019 peers, but it certainly didn't hurt him, either. For a deeper breakdown of Melo's game, CLICK HERE.

3. Isaiah Jackson Needs More Ink

Melo Ball and 2019 guard "Rocket" Watts grab most of the headlines on SPIRE's team from the media and social media havens, but Isaiah Jackson, a 6-foot-9 2020 combo forward, is an electrifying prospect. Jackson runs the floor well and is a hard check because he's so active. Jackson is a leaper who explodes off the ground for shot blocks and positive defensive plays. There isn't too many players in the country that can go get a block shot or alter one as a secondary defender like him. He doesn't touch the ball enough to lead to rapid offensive development in a high school setting, but perhaps the best thing about his game is he doesn't need the ball to make an impact on the game.

4. Tyler Mcghie Is Denton Guyer's Secret Weapon

The most impressive team of the weekend was the Wildcats, who entered at No. 16 in the latest FAB 50 National Rankings, and came away with two victories: a 80-62 win over No. 14 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) and a 80-74 victory over talented Hillcrest Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.). Guyer is a physically strong team with a multitude of versatile talents, including Michigan-bound Jalen Wilson, who is one of the toughest checks in the country with his ability to play outside or take smaller defenders inside. Oklahoma-bound De'Vion Harmon is a terrific leader and imposes his will on teams, but it could very well be Mcghie that will be the difference-maker in Guyer's state championship aspirations. Wilson, Harmon, and 6-foot-9 junior JaKobe Coles combined for 55 points in the victory over Bishop Gorman and Wilson and Harmon combined for 50 points in the tough win over Hillcrest Prep. Mcghie played well in both games, as he picks his spots and is a terrific spot up shooter. Mcghie, a 6-foot-4 junior, is a bit unassuming on the court and just kills teams with his timely shots and heady plays. He had four 3-pointers and 13 points in the win over Gorman and three 3-pointers and 14 points versus Hillcrest. "He moves well and has great feet," said Guyer head coach Grant Long.

5. DaRon Holmes Jr. Has A Real Chance

There were plenty of talented young (2021 and 2022) prospects in attendance who played well and had big moments for their teams, such as sophomore combo guard Jaden Hardy of Coronado (Henderson, Nev.), freshman center Max Allen of Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), and Holmes deserves mention even though he didn't have a monster game or lead Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) to a big win. The 6-foot-8 2021 4-man really moves well and has plenty of offensive ability and is a good patient passer. Holmes is a long-strider who finishes well and is a high-level two-handed rebounder. Holmes also tracks the ball well for blocking shots and already fields offers from Ole Miss, New Mexico, CAL, ASU, Grand Canyon. He was 4-of-6 from the field for 10 points, had five rebounds and two blocks in Millennium's loss to Rolling Hills Prep (San Pedro, Calif.).

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

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RELATED: We Answer 5 Burning Questions About Melo Ball

The Beginning

We got our first glimpse of LaMelo Ball as an 11-year old at various Southern California grassroots camps and showcases playing with his older brothers. The first thing we noticed was his fearless attitude and his knack to make the big play. That has carried over to his fourth year at what is considered the high school level. By consistently competing against older players as a pre-teen, Ball gained the ability to patiently find his spots and figure out the most effective way to score and make an impact. Lavar Ball, his well-known father, definitely did the right thing by playing him up and letting his youngest of three sons get a taste of big-time grassroots basketball.

We also saw him playing and enjoying himself around gyms during Lonzo Ball's freshman season at Chino Hills High School (in 2012-13) and one of the first things we noticed was his awkward motion and release on his jump shot because, as many young players do, he started shooting the long 3-pointer at such a young age. It went in many times, but it was something that eventually needed to be addressed. He also leaked out on many possessions and played a gambling style of defense because he obviously wasn't big enough and strong enough to rebound or effectively stay in front of most talented 17U guards.

When he entered Chino Hills (Calif.) as a 5-foot-10 freshman starter, he was still the baby-faced and flashy guard social media began to fall in love with the summer prior, but he knew his role on a team that was led by his oldest brother Lonzo (the eventual Mr. Basketball USA choice as national player of the year for 2015-16). He picked his offensive spots and was smart enough on the court to not attempt to do too much on a team that featured two 14-year olds (the other being current USC recruit and Chino Hills senior Onyeka Okongwu) and went 35-0 to finish the season as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation.

The following season (2016-17), Melo Ball was one of four returning starters off Chino Hills' mythical national championship team and, while considered a top 20 national prospect in the 2019 class as a rising sophomore, this was the high school season in which he began to show signs of being a legitimate NBA prospect. Melo was a legit 6-foot-1 and pushing 6-foot-2 at this time. He had the ball in his hands a majority of the time with Lonzo off to UCLA. He displayed improved explosiveness and more potent scoring ability around the basket, while maintaining a healthy dose of flashy ball that was beneficial more often than it was detrimental to the team.

Chino Hills eventually ran its winning streak up to 60 games, as the Huskies challenged the long-standing state winning streak of Compton High School (66 in a row between 1967-69) before falling to Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) at the 2017 Nike Extravaganza. Ironically, in defeat Melo might have played the finest game of his high school career, going for 35 points and getting into the key at will against a senior-laden team stacked with D1-bound talent. More than one McDonald's All-American voter in attendance that day called him a Top 15 recruit in 2019.

In his very next game, Melo Ball went for 92 points and from that point forward, much of his play seemed orchestrated and more along the lines of what we saw from him in his Big Ballers VXT uniform as his father's relationship with then first year Chino Hills head coach Stephan Gilling deteriorated. That gradual disconnect reached a boiling point in the team's CIF Southern Section semifinal loss to Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) when many of Melo's shot attempts were ridiculous and not helping his overall development. Where would his game go from there?

Melo's Current Game

In the fall of 2017, Chino Hills got a new coach (Dennis Latimore) who wanted to run the program his way and feature Okongwu more in the offense. That didn't sit well with Lavar Ball, who pulled his youngest son from high school basketball before his junior season began. Now about 6-foot-4, Ball spent 2017-18 playing what amounted to barnstorming games in Lithuania and in his father's upstart Junior Basketball Association (JBA) league. He did get the benefit of playing against older, stronger players and learned some aspects of the pro game, but again the majority of the games were orchestrated to showcase him and/or his brother LiAngelo Ball, who left UCLA shortly into his freshman campaign. Did that pro experience hurt or help him in comparison to the development other elite 2019 players got in a more traditional high school and grassroots setting?

The answer is Melo's game has seen some natural age progression over the past year (he turned 17 in late August), but nothing that couldn't have been accomplished in a traditional high school and grassroots landscape.

Strengths: It's uncanny how much the 6-foot-5 (pushing 6-foot-6) Melo Ball resembles his oldest brother Lonzo in terms of size, length and feel at the same stage. He has the same upright game and good instincts on both sides of the ball like his brother. Melo is a terrific passer in the half court and finished Friday's 85-69 victory over Bella Vista Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.) before a standing-room only crowd at Hoophall West with 10 assists and only a couple of turnovers. Ball is crafty with the ball in his hands and finds a way to get in the key despite lacking that elite NBA quickness and not attacking the defender low. He uses good basketball IQ, keeps his head on a swivel and covers solid ground with the dribble. Melo does what would be expected of a talented and tall point guard with solid leaping ability and legitimate NBA aspirations.

Weaknesses: While Melo no longer slings the deep ball as he did at 12-13 years old, he still has a low release on his jumper and kicks in his right leg (towards his body) at the apex of his release. He has a tendency to be stationary without the ball, as he hunts the home run play or highlight offensive rebound put back. At this level, those instincts and great timing make up for the lack of constant movement, but it's something he won't be able to get away with at the pro level. Since he doesn't attack the defender low in an attempt create separation, he'll have to continue to work on that shot release. Perhaps out of habit, Melo doesn't compete on defense on every single play, as he can get away with it at the high school/prep school level. He still gambles on plenty possessions as he did with Big Ballers VXT, but looks to push and makes things happen in the open court when he rebounds. (He had nine rebounds and 18 points on 8-of-20 shooting in Friday's win at Hoophall West.)

The Future

LaMelo Ball's journey taking him away from the traditional American developmental environments (namely high school and travel basketball) didn't result in a huge uptick in his development, compared to Class of 2019 peers. The 17-year old Ball tracks as a Top 5-12 prospect in the 2019 class (if he were inserted back into credible and mainstream national player rankings) comparable with other top point guards such as Arizona-bound Nico Mannion of Pinnacle (Phoenix, Ariz.) and unsigned Cole Anthony of Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.). At this stage, Ball is not decisively a better prospect than either Mannion or Anthony. We asked influencers with all three mainstream rankings services (ESPN, 247Sports.com, Rivals.com) in attendance at Hoophall West if they would insert Melo back into their next player rankings update and one said he would not, one was undecided and one said as long as Melo finished out the season with Spire Institute he felt the youngest Ball brother should go back in the deck.

Regardless of whether or not Melo ends up being part of the final national player rankings for the Class of 2019, the likelihood of him playing NCAA basketball is remote. Look for Melo's camp to seek a spot for him in the NBA G League (the NBA's official minor league organization) in 2019-20 and, as expected all along since he was at Chino Hills, a declaration for the 2020 NBA Draft. Melo certainly has the talent and pedigree to play in the league, but he's not a cinch or slam dunk NBA lottery choice. He would benefit from competing more often in high-level games against his peers. He  still has a solid chance to land on a NBA roster even though he hasn't played in many of those types of games in the past calendar year. If Melo Ball does hit it big in the NBA, his unique journey there will only make his must-see story that much more fascinating.

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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The arrival of 7-foot junior Bol Bol made the highly-anticipated CIFSS Open Division playoffs even more intriguing than they already expected to be with four of the nation's best teams potentially meeting in the semifinals. The matchups came to fruition Friday evening before a packed house at the Galen Center. With Bol Bol in the lineup for No. 3 seed Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), his impact was going to be a big factor in a rematch with No. 2 seed Chino Hills (Calif.).

The two teams met earlier in the season in the title game of the 2016 Tarkanian Classic, with Chino Hills coming away with a 84-73  victory. Bol was a factor but was he the difference-maker? In the final analysis he had a big impact on the game and helped the Monarchs hand Chino Hills its first loss to a SoCal team in two seasons with a 83-80 overtime win. Ironically, Mater Dei was the last local team who beat the Huskies in the 2014-2015 CIFSS Open Division quarterfinals.

Bol altered plenty of Chino Hills shots around the rim and finished some key baskets on the other end to help his team advance to next Saturday's CIFSS Open Division title versus FAB 50 No. 15 Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.). The Knights upset top seed and FAB 50 No. 2 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.).

Chino Hills wasn't hitting a high percentage of shots and was a bit weary down the stretch, as it didn't make a substitution during regulation. After all that, however, Chino Hills was still in position to win the game in regulation after back-to-back 3-pointers by senior Li'Angelo Ball and junior Ofure Ujadughele gave Chino Hills (29-2) a 72-66 lead with 4:32 remaining in regulation.

Chino Hills did not score again in regulation. The Huskies did have a chance to win the game in regulation, but with 26 seconds remaining when the play began, sophomore point guard La'Melo Ball dribbled without making a move to the basket until there were six or seven seconds remaining and he ended up taking a 35-foot plus heave with four seconds to go that didn't come close.

Mater Dei (31-1) quickly took control in overtime, scoring the first six points to take a 78-72 lead, including two free throws and a lay-up by junior forward Harrison Butler. Chino Hills had one last run in them, taking a 79-78 lead on a jumper by sophomore forward Onyeka Okongwu with 1:54 remaining in overtime. Chino Hills, which other loss this season came against FAB 50 No. 12 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), has a chance to tie the game with 33 seconds remaining, but Okongwu made only one of two free throws. Trailing 81-80 with 30 seconds remaining and 29 showing on the shot clock, Chino Hills didn't foul until nine seconds remained and the Huskies fouled Mater Dei's best free throw shooter -- junior Spencer Freedman. He nailed both to account for the final scoring, as Gelo Ball's last-ditch 3-point shot attempt with two seconds remaining bounced over the basket and out of bounds.

With the win, Mater Dei avenged its only loss of the season so far, as Bol finished with 14 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots. Freedman finished with 17 points and nine assists, while Justice Sueing, bound for CAL, scored a team-high 25 points, including 7-of-11 free throws.

The Ball brothers combined for 54 points, with Melo Ball scoring a game-high 28 points. The brother duo did hit some clutch shots and Melo Ball got the crowd going with his ball-handling antics, but they shot a combined 13-of-46 from 3-point range. Melo Ball finished 8-of-33 from the field and did not make a 2-point goal. Chino Hills was able to stay in the game with its rebounding and timely shots. Despite the presence of Bol, Chino Hills out-rebounded the Monarchs 52-49, with LMU-bond Eli Scott grabbing 21 points, but scoring only four points.

Chino Hills coach Stephan Gilling wasn't happy with his team's shot selection, but it will have a chance to atone for its woes and could potentially meet Mater Dei for a third time in the regional playoffs, which begin the week after next Saturday's CIFSS section title game. The four CIFSS Open Division semifinalist should be the top four seeds in the SoCal Open Regional playoffs and Chino Hills is likely to be the No. 4 seed.

Mater Dei hopes to grab the top seed by defeating Bishop Montgomery next weekend. Either way, the Monarchs have a big difference-maker who could end up being the difference in winning or losing in the open division playoffs.

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Chino Hills (Calif.) versus Oak Hill Academy (Va.) was one of the best games we've ever recorded and analyzed during the Ballislife era! It had a bit of everything: intensity, drama, and the Three R's: Records, Recruiting, and Rankings.

The "Records" was the 60-game winning streak Chino Hills rode entering the game, the third longest in California history according to Cal-Hi Sports. The state's best mark of 66 games was set between 1967 and 1969 by Compton High School and the second best of 65 by Oakland McClymonds in the late 1950s. Although Oak Hill Academy ended the Huskies' run, when you consider the competition level, national schedule and who Chino Hills beat along the way, it was as remarkable as any winning streak in state history. Chino Hills won a CIF Open Division state title, a CIFSS Open Division section crown, a mythical FAB 50 National Championship, and beat nationally-ranked teams along the way. Chino Hills won the prestigious City of Palms Tournament last season, twice won the Rancho Mirage Holiday Invitational (including in 2015 when the event included Kentucky's Malik Monk), won the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas and beat a host of FAB 50-ranked teams on its run to section and state crowns last season.

The "Recruiting" included some of the nation's best players. Oak Hill's Billy Preston, a Southern California native and 2017 McDonald's All-American selection, helped lead Oak Hill to victory with 16 points and 21 rebounds. The Kansas-bound Preston helped neutralize Chino Hills (25-1) on the glass, where it usually has a big advantage over its opponents. Oak Hill out rebounded Chino Hills in this game, 52-47. Oak Hill Academy (27-3) trailed 72-68 at the end of the third period and 80-72 with five minutes remaining, and that's when Iowa St.-bound Lindell Wigginton took over down the stretch. He scored 14 points in the final five minutes and finished with a team-high 35 points, including 4-of-6 3-pointers. The Nova Scotia, Canada native is underrated nationally and probably should have got more consideration for the McDonald's All-American Game. His scoring output was a season and Oak Hill career high after he had 29 points in Friday's easy win over Jaylen Hands and Foothills Christian (El Cajon, Calif.). LaMelo Ball, a 6-foot-2 and growing sophomore, scored a game-high 36 points for Chino Hills and even surprised some of Oak Hill's talented guards with his ability to get in the key and not just make off-balanced jumpers. More than one McDonald's All-American voter in attendance called him a Top 15 recruit in the national Class of 2019.

"The Rankings" included two of the top dozen teams in the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com. Oak Hill Academy came in No. 12, and with its win, will likely move up ahead of No. 5 Chino Hills in next week's rankings shuffle. No. 2 Sierra Canyon, which won its Nike Extravaganza game over Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), now has a key common opponent factor in its favor over Chino Hills. Earlier this season, Sierra Canyon snapped Oak Hill Academy's 56-game winning streak 83-79, so if the one-loss Trailblazers win out the rest of the regular season, they should snag the top seed in the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs. Oak Hill's only loss of the season is a 80-77 setback to No. 1 Nathan Hale (Seattle, Wash.). In addition to Chino Hills going down after 60 consecutive wins, the nation's longest winning streak also came to a end on Saturday night. FAB 5o No. 39 Federal Way (Federal Way, Wash.) saw its 63-game winning streak end in a 69-59 setback to Kentwood (Covington, Wash.) in the North Puget Sound League title game. The Eagles haven't played close to the national competition Chino Hills has faced the past two season and could drop from next week's rankings.

If Chino Hills played Oak Hill 100 times, the teams could conceivably split 50 games. The teams went back and forth in a game that was sloppy at times. Oak Hill was another team that wasn't quite ready for Chino Hills' unique style and quickly fell behind. The Warriors, however, had enough athletes and size to get back in the game. After trailing 11-2 and 14-4, Oak Hill only trailed 24-21 to close out the first quarter and it was a big phycological lift.

"We definitely were confident, but we didn't play like I thought we would, Oak Hill Academy coach Steve Smith said. "Lindell said 'Coach, I can score on these guys, they are soft'. They weren't soft, but that's just his mentally against anyone we play. When we got down early, I told the guys, there is going to be a billion more possessions in the game. Yes, I thought this was a big win, especially considering some of our struggles this season."

Chino Hills has won many games in which it struggled shooting, but luck wasn't on its side in this one. Gelo Ball scored 23 points, but made only 4-of-22 3-pointers. Still, Chino Hills had a chance to force the game into overtime when it forced a turnover with 9.9 seconds remaining. Gelo Ball, a senior headed for UCLA, was off target on a three after a good contest by Preston. The other two returning starters from last year's FAB 50 championship team, LMU-bound Eli Scott and sophomore Onyeka Okongwu, were efficient. "The Big O" finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Scott had some big-time put backs, finishing with 16 rebounds and 12 points. Scott, however, struggled from the line, making only 4-of-10, while Chino Hills made 14-of-25 as a team. Oak Hill made 14-of-20.

With the loss, Chino Hills' chances of a repeat No. 1 national FAB 50 finish are greatly diminished. If Oak Hill had been No. 1 and still unbeaten, it could potentially bounce back in the post-season to have a shot at No. 1. For now, however, that looks like a tall task because of some of the other clubs ranked in front of the Huskies and some of the unbeaten teams that could win state championships without a loss on its 2016-17 record.

ALL-TIME STATE RECORD LIST
MOST CONSECUTIVE WINS
Source: Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book

66 -- Compton, 1967-1969
65 -- Oakland McClymonds, 1957-60*
60 -- Chino Hills, 2015-2017
59 -- Santa Ana Mater Dei, 1984-86
57 -- San Anselmo Drake, 1980-82
53 -- Compton, 1951-53
53 -- Stockton Stagg, 1971-73
49 -- La Mesa Helix, 1968-70
49 -- Cloverdale, 1982-84
48 -- Oxnard Santa Clara, 1988-90
46 -- Bakersfield East, 1966-68
46 -- Easton Washington Union, 1984-86
46 -- Santa Ana Mater Dei, 2013-2015

*Three abbreviated post-season games (one half in length) at the 1957 Acker Tournament in Redding are not officially counted as wins. If those three were counted, Mack's streak would be 68.
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