By Ronnie Flores

RELATED: ???| The Future Of Big-Time HS Basketball?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria?| How To Make A HS Version Of March Madness? | Updated Mr. Basketball USA Tracker?

Two competitive basketball strongholds, the Chicago Public League and the Baltimore Catholic League, got their respective 2020-21 seasons underway last week. While BCL favorite St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) rang up two wins, CPL contender Whitney Young (Chicago) started off on the right foot with three wins. The Windy City's highest ranked team in the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com, No. 19 Simeon (Chicago), is scheduled to open its season this week against cross-town Curie.

In stark contrast to the plight of teams just tipping off or those states still waiting to play (i.e. California, West Virginia, New Mexico, Washington and Oregon), teams in the Virginia High School League (VHSL) wrapped up their state championships last week. FAB 50 bubble club Green Run (Virginia Beach, Va.) fell from the ranks of the unbeaten in the VHSL Class 5A state title game after losing to once-beaten Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Va.) on Saturday evening, 86-78, in a game played on Stone Bridge's home court.

Green Run held a 18-point lead in the first half, only to see the Bulldogs rally behind the play of Dylan Hundertmark, who netted an incredible 18 fourth-quarter points and finished with 27 overall to lead Stone Bridge to its first ever VHSL state crown. The Bulldogs, who finish 16-1, also got a big game from Jacob Thomas, who finished with 27 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. Green Run, who was on the FAB 50 bubble all season long, finished 9-1.

Teams that have now completed the 2020-21 season are noted with a special asterisk in the FAB 50 this week and moving forward.

In many VHSL regions, teams opted out of winter sports and didn't play this season. For instance in Class 4, Region A, 12 of 14 teams opted out due to COVID-19, according to Matthew Hatfield of VirginiaPreps.com. Even for teams able to play this season, the number of completed games has been all over the board, as evidenced by Stone Bridge's and Green Run's respective final won-loss marks.

This creates a rankings scenario unique to this season because of the wide range of games played among the nation's elite and the circumstances in which the games have been played under. In addition, teams that are full members of a state association have strict travel restrictions, limiting the number of ranked out-of-region opponents they are able to line up. Those games are where the best opportunities to move up in the FAB 50 lay.

The two best examples of this scenario are the situations for No. 17 Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) and No. 40 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.). Coach Joe Mantegna's club at Blair Academy doesn't have any more games officially scheduled. That's right, the team could finish its season 2-0. The club is currently going through a quarantine period and Mantegna hopes to schedule more games in March or April, but there are no guarantees.

For coach Steve Turner's club at Gonzaga, it lost to fellow Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) powers No. 4 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) and No. 28 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.). Because of COVID-19 protocols and restrictions, Gonzaga has no other official games scheduled right now. Turner is having his boys compete as a club/travel team to get his players the best opportunities to catch the eye of college recruiters via stream or game film.

Blair Academy fell two spots in the FAB 50 this week and will have trouble maintaining a spot in the Top 20 of the final FAB 50 in its current situation. For Gonzaga, a final FAB 50 ranking will be hard to maintain with a 0-2 mark... even though as it stands now those losses are to higher ranked teams. Although coach Turner told www.ebooksnet.com he honestly feels like he'd have a Top 25 team under normal circumstances, he understands the unique situation we are in as rankings compilers.

We do have a few teams with 0-0 marks or only a few games under its belt ranked, as to give fans a sense of how we project those teams would fare against FAB 50 competition and where they would fall in the pecking order in their respective state. That's why we put so much research and work into our preseason rankings so were not moving up or moving out teams blindly. It's based on years of accumulating scores and knowing the relative strength of teams from various states at any given time.

If teams don't accumulate a big enough sample size to prove their rankings worth, they'll likely fall in the FAB 50. And for teams that don't get to play an official 2020-21 season, we'll simply remove them from the rankings as we did with preseason No. 37 Coronado (Henderson, Nev.).

For the teams from states that are scheduled to play in the spring (i.e. California, Washington, Oregon), it will be hard for them to move up as they normally could with a full slate of games. They simply won't have enough quality opponents to face, as the rest of the country will be wrapped up and there won't be the normal slate of tournaments.

We'll also have to determine when to announce our FAB 50 national champion. In every season prior to 2020-21, we waited for all games to be completed, but this season could stretch into June if Oregon has an official season. We'll have to determine if there is any realistic chance a team playing its season in the spring can overtake the No. 1 team (which is likely to emerge from GEICO Nationals scheduled for April 1-3). Right now that answer is "no". The same thing applies for our 2020-21 Mr. Basketball USA announcement, although we'll likely wait until all games are complete to announce for annual Elite All-American Team.

With much of our Southeast Region completing its seasons on time, and with the majority of our?West Region?going to a spring schedule, we'll also publish our final regional rankings at various times as states finish up.

Besides the VHSL title games, the big result that came in this week was Creighton Prep (Omaha, Neb.) knocking off previous No. 25 Millard North (Omaha, Neb.), 76-75, as Prep's Justin Sitti nailed two free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining to seal the victory. Sitti finished with 15 points, while 6-foot-9 junior Luke Jungers scored a season-high 22 points in the comeback victory.

Creighton Prep in this week's highest ranked newcomer at No. 44, while the Mustangs drop out of this week's rankings. It may seem as if Millard North, which owns a win over No. 27 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), is penalized in the rankings too harshly for the one-point loss, but whomever emerges as Nebraska's Division A state champ will finish ranked ahead of the Warriors.

Millard North has a split with No. 22 Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.), whose only other loss is to No. 2 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.). Creighton Prep's only two losses are to Bellevue West, including a 79-77 overtime setback on January 30.

RELATED: ???| The Future Of Big-Time HS Basketball?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria?| How To Make A HS Version Of March Madness? | Updated Mr. Basketball USA Tracker?

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

(10th poll of 2020-21 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, February 21; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Does not include results vs. out-of-season opponents; ****Season complete.)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 25 Millard North (Omaha, Neb.), No. 45 River Rouge (River Rouge, Mich.).

Bubble Teams:? Adams (South Bend, Ind.) 20-1; American Fork (American Fork, Utah) 15-6; Blue Ridge (St. George, Va.) 11-0; Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) 17-1; Callaway (Jackson, Miss.) 9-0**; Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 13-7; Carmel Christian (Matthews, N.C.) 23-1; Cedar Falls (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 17-0; Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 0-0; Central (Little Rock, Ark.) 18-4; Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) 17-1; Christ The King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 0-0; Clinton (Clinton, Miss.) 17-1; Eagle’s Landing (McDonough, Ga.) 24-1; Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) 0-0; Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio) 17-3; Evanston (Evanston, Ill.) 7-0; Fairhope (Fairhope, Ala.) 27-1; Fenwick (Oak Park, Ill.) 5-1; Forest Hill (Jackson, Miss.) 18-1; Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 0-0; Grand Blanc (Grand Blanc, Mich.) 4-1; Green Run (Virginia Beach, Va.) 9-1****; Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) 0-0; Kell (Marietta, Ga.) 17-6; Kingfisher (Kingfisher, Okla.) 19-1; Knoxville Catholic (Knoxville, Tenn.) 20-3; Las Cruces (Las Cruces, N.M.) 0-0; Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) 21-2; Legacy Early College (Greenville, S.C.) 9-7; Liberty Heights (Charlotte, N.C.) 14-1; Magnolia (Magnolia, Ark.) 17-0; McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 21-4; Mentor (Mentor, Ohio) 19-0; Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) 22-2; Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) 13-4; Mundelein (Mundelein, Ill.) 7-1; North Laurel (London, Ky.) 16-0; Notre Dame College Prep (Niles, Ill.) 8-1; Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) 21-2; Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) 6-1; Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.) 22-3; Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) 10-1; Rangeview (Aurora, Col.) 9-0; Richardson (Richardson, Texas) 21-1; River Rouge (River Rouge, Mich.) 3-1; Seattle Prep (Seattle, Wash.) 0-0; Shadow Creek (Pearland, Texas) 20-2; Shawnee (Lima, Ohio) 21-1; South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie, Texas) 19-0; Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) 17-2; Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Va.) 16-1****; St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 0-0; St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) 0-0; St. Mark’s (Dallas, Texas) 7-1; Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.) 11-1; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 8-0; Westlake (Saratoga Springs, Utah) 18-3; Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 22-5; Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 3-0; Windward (Los Angeles, Calif.) 0-0.

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 21 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 UPDATED FAB 50: Where Do We Go From Here? appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

RELATED:    | The Future Of Big-Time HS Basketball | FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | How To Make A HS Version Of March Madness 

While some states continue to wait for their 2020-21 season to tip off, others are entering the playoffs this weeks and in the ones too come. Last week, Michigan's top teams got rolling while it was reported the Baltimore Catholic League will roll out the balls this week. While Illinois' season has gotten underway, the start of the season is still delayed for Chicago Public Schools.

One of the greater Chicago region's top teams entering the season, Notre Dame College Prep (Niles, Ill.), took its first loss last week to unranked Mundelein (Mundelein, Ill.). As a result it was one of four teams to drop from the rankings this week. Expect more drops and movement in the coming weeks as the playoffs get underway and the competition grows stiffer.

There was plenty of movement in this week's FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com and the majority of it was a result of the Heartland Hoops Classic in Grand Island, Neb.

Last week, there was a spirited rankings debate between NIBC member programs Montverde Academy of Florida and Sunrise Christian Academy of Kansas at the top of the FAB 50. At the Heartland Hoops Classic, previous No. 36 Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) gave the No. 2 ranked Buffaloes a good game before falling, 75-68.

Bellevue West makes the biggest jump in the FAB 50 this week, up 14 spots to No. 22, and not primarily because it had a good showing against No. 2 Sunrise Christian Academy, which was playing without point guard and Mr. Basketball USA candidate Kennedy Chandler. The Thunderbirds only other loss is in double overtime to Millard North (Omaha, Neb.), a team they have split with, winning the return game 81-69 on January 29.

Millard North came up with the big win at the Heartland Hoops Classic, knocking off FAB 50 power and then No. 7 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 80-76. Millard North's split with Bellevue West is its only loss so far this season and the big win over Oak Hill causes the Mustangs to also move up 14 spots in the FAB 50, as they crack the Top 25 after holding down the No. 39 spot in last week's rankings.

Hunter Sallis

6'3"   -   CG   -   2021

Mr. Basketball USA candidate Hunter Sallis of Millard North was dominant in the victory over Oak Hill, finishing with 32 points (13-of-21 FGs), five rebounds and two blocked shots. Teammate Saint Thomas added 29 points (8-of-18 FGs), six rebounds, eight assists and four steals. Both class of 2021 standouts for the Mustangs are undecided for college with Sallis expected to choose between Creighton, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon and UCLA on his birthday, March 26.

Thomas got Millard North off to the start it wanted by knocking down four 3-pointers, as the Mustangs took a quick 18-5 lead. Millard North led by three points (40-37) at halftime. Oak Hill briefly took the lead in the third period, but Thomas hit free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Obviously Millard North's big win helped Bellevue West's ranking, but neither team was able to make a bigger jump up because Sunrise did play without Chandler and Oak Hill Academy is now six games above .500 after 22 contests. Oak Hill Academy has played its usual murderous schedule (with half of its losses coming against No. 1 Montverde Academy and the No. 2 Buffaloes), but the loss to Millard North causes a 20-spot drop. Oak Hill does own one victory in three games against No. 5 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah), but Millard North doesn't have another win to point to that warrants a smaller drop for the Warriors.

The Millard North-Oak Hill Academy result also causes a ripple affect for La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), which is two games under .500. The Lakers have also defeated Wasatch Academy once in three tries, but have lost twice to Oak Hill. That causes La Lumiere to drop to 22 spots to No. 33.

To put Oak Hill's loss to Millard North in a broader perspective, Oak Hill lowest FAB 50 ranking since going unranked in 1987-88 (the first year of the National Prep Poll) is a No. 23 finish in 2012-2013 when Steve Smith's club finished 33-6.

The highest final FAB 50 ranking ever for a team from Nebraska came in 2004-2005 when point guard Josh Dotzler led Bellevue West to a No. 17 final ranking in the FAB 50. That team won their second consecutive Class A state crown.

As far as Oak Hill Academy and La Lumiere bouncing back, it doesn't appear there will be a conference tournament for National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) members as was originally scheduled for March 11-13 in Indiana. It now appears Montverde Academy and Sunrise Christian Academy will have a rubber match to decide the inaugural NIBC title that same weekend.

The game's winner will also likely grab the top seed at GEICO Nationals, which is scheduled for April 1-3. Because of COVID-19, that end-of-season tournament likely won't be the final high school games played for the 2020-21 season, as is normally the case, because of the scheduled late starts in a few states.

RELATED:    | The Future Of Big-Time HS Basketball | FAB 50 Rankings Criteria 

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

(9th poll of 2020-21 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, February 14; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Does not include results vs. out-of-season opponents.)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 18 Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.), No. 30 Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.), No. 37 Notre Dame College Prep (Niles, Ill.), No. 40 Fern Creek (Louisville, Ky.).

Bubble Teams:  Adams (South Bend, Ind.) 18-1; Blue Ridge (St. George, Va.) 10-0; Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) 16-1; Callaway (Jackson, Miss.) 9-0**; Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 12-7; Carmel Christian (Matthews, N.C.) 21-1; Cedar Falls (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 15-0; Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 0-0; Central (Little Rock, Ark.) 18-4; Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) 16-1; Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Col.) 6-0; Christ The King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 0-0; Clinton (Clinton, Miss.) 17-1; Eagle’s Landing (McDonough, Ga.) 24-1; Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) 0-0; Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio) 16-3; Evanston (Evanston, Ill.) 3-0; Fairhope (Fairhope, Ala.) 26-1; Fenwick (Oak Park, Ill.) 3-0; Forest Hill (Jackson, Miss.) 18-1; Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 0-0; Grand Blanc (Grand Blanc, Mich.) 2-0; Green Run (Virginia Beach, Va.) 8-0; Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) 0-0; Kell (Marietta, Ga.) 15-6; Kingfisher (Kingfisher, Okla.) 19-1; Knoxville Catholic (Knoxville, Tenn.) 18-3; Las Cruces (Las Cruces, N.M.) 0-0; Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) 19-2; Legacy Early College (Greenville, S.C.) 9-7; Liberty Heights (Charlotte, N.C.) 13-1; Magnolia (Magnolia, Ark.) 17-0; McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 21-4; Mentor (Mentor, Ohio) 16-0; Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) 13-4; Mountain Pointe (Pheonix, Ariz.) 7-1; Mundelein (Mundelein, Ill.) 4-1; North Laurel (London, Ky.) 14-0; Notre Dame College Prep (Niles, Ill.) 5-1; Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) 20-2; Oxford (Oxford, Ala.) 28-2; Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) 5-1; Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.) 22-3; Rangeview (Aurora, Col.) 7-0; Richardson (Richardson, Texas) 21-1; Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 8-1; Seattle Prep (Seattle, Wash.) 0-0; Shadow Creek (Pearland, Texas) 20-2; Shawnee (Lima, Ohio) 19-1; South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie, Texas) 19-0; Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) 17-2; St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 0-0; St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) 0-0; St. Mark’s (Dallas, Texas) 5-1; ?Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.) 9-0; Trenton Catholic (Trenton, N.J.) 3-1; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 8-0; Westlake (Saratoga Springs, Utah) 18-1; Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 21-4; Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 0-0; Windward (Los Angeles, Calif.) 0-0.

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 21 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

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