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Final, Expanded 2023-24 FAB 50 Rankings!

Ronnie Flores — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 21:32:54 +0000

All 50 ranked teams written up with explanations for why they were placed in these positions with comparisons to preseason ranking. The FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com is the official rankings of the National Sports News Service, which date back to the 1952 season. Montverde Academy of Florida is the 2023-24 mythical national champion, as the program captured its seventh FAB 50 title since 2013, tying Oak Hill Academy of Virginia for most all-time No. 1 finishes. ?

Compiled by Ronnie Flores

(Preseason ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included.)

1. (1) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 33-0
This team made history for a variety of reasons, as it became the third team under coach Kevin Boyle (344-26 at MVA, 854-158 overall) to claim a FAB 50 title with an unbeaten record. The 2020 team didn’t get an opportunity to compete in Chipotle Nationals because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but this year’s team was able to match the 2018 team by going wire-to-wire as the FAB 50 No. 1 team. The 2021 MVA team also went wire-to-wire No. 1 but was not unbeaten. The Eagles closed out their season with a Chipotle Nationals crown, courtesy of a 79-63 win over No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) in the championship game, their second victory over that same club. Curtis Givens came off the bench to nail 6-of-9 3-pointers and score 24 points while All-Americans Cooper Flagg and Derik Queen added 16 and 19 points, respectively, as the program upped its record to 29-6 all-time at the end-of-season tournament. Between those three players, there was only nine shots missed while Flagg (16.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.7 bpg, 1.6 spg) blocked six shots. Flagg averaged 20.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg in three Chipotle Nationals victories, as the Eagles recorded a whopping 24 victories over teams that were FAB 50 ranked at some point during the 2023-24 season. Queen was the Eagles’ leading scorer (16.4 ppg) and shot 68.3 percent from the field while attempting only three 3-pointers, as this club had uncanny balance and thrived by taking quality shots from the field. Montverde Academy’s other three starters averaged double figures for a team that played as tough a schedule as any MVA team ever and only had three games decided by single-digits. For its dominance, this club will ultimately be compared to its 2020 unit and by living up to expectations was able to claim the program’s seventh Chipotle Nationals crown and seventh No. 1 FAB 50 crown. The No. 1 finish means MVA ties Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) for the most all-time FAB 50 national titles. Regardless of where it stands on the list of most dominant teams the program has ever produced, it will be remembered for playing up to expectations against one of the toughest schedules ever seen among FAB 50 ranked teams.

2. (3) Columbus (Miami, Fla.) 28-5
Similar to No. 3 Paul VI and No. 5 Long Island Lutheran, the Explorers lost to No. 1 Montverde Academy twice, but are able to finish one spot ahead of Paul VI because of their 70-61 victory over the Panthers at the Spalding Hoophall Classic. Columbus lost to Montverde Academy in the semifinals of Chipotle Nationals after falling behind big just as it did in its first matchup with the eventual FAB 50 champions. Junior Cameron Boozer finished with 29 points and seven rebounds in Columbus’ final game of the season and was remarkably consistent throughout the year for a team that lived up to expectations, averaging 22.2 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 2.7 apg and 2.1 bpg. Columbus qualified for Chipotle Nationals by defeating No. 15 Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) in overtime, 72-67, in the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 7A championship game. Boozer’s slam dunk with five seconds remaining sent the game into overtime and he finished it with 24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Columbus also got strong seasons from Cam’s brother, Cayden Boozer (12.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 7.6 apg) and Michigan St.-bound Jase Richardson (15.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.3 spg). In addition to defeating No. 3 Paul VI, the Explorers also downed No. 4 No. 4 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.), No. 6 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) and No. 8 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.), the latter in the title game of the Les Schwab Invitational in Portland, Ore.

3. (5) Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) 35-3?
As the season came to a close, the big ranking decision involved placing the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) champs at No. 2 or leaving them behind Columbus of Florida, which lost in Chipotle Nationals semifinals to the same Montverde Academy team the Panthers fell to in the event’s title game, 79-63. The Panthers did have two fewer losses than the Explorers, but MVA’s victory margins over Paul VI in comparison to the margins vs. Columbus are in similar range that a rankings flip to go against a head-to-head result (Columbus defeated Paul VI) was unwarranted. Although that decision was a close call, what cannot be disputed was the expectation for Paul VI to be in the thick of the FAB 50 title race for the second consecutive season and being able to live up to that. Although this year’s club wasn’t able to ascent to the No. 1 spot as the 2022-23 club did, coach Glen Farello’s club was able to capture its second WCAC title in there years with a 63-51 win over No. 30 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) at American University. Duke-bound Darren Harris, the WCAC MVP, led the way with 20 points and seven rebounds. Harris (17.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.0 spg) scored 36 points in Paul VI’s first round win at Chipotle Nationals over No. 17 IMG Academy (101-89), netted 20 points in the semifinal victory over No. 7 Link Academy (58-44) and averaged 24.0 ppg in three games at the event. Also playing key roles on a deep team that won its third consecutive VISAA D1 state crown and finished 15-0 in WCAC regular and tourney play were sophomore guard Jordan Smith Jr., a third team All-Met selection by the Washington Post, and honorable mention choice Isaiah Abraham, a senior forward. An unbeaten WCAC run like Paul VI’s last occurred in 2011-12 when the Panthers finished No. 12 in the FAB 50.

4. (BB) Plano East (Plano, Texas) 40-0
The Panthers were the definition of team, and check in as the highest rated public school team for 2023-24. Plano East started out No. 14 in Southwest Regional Rankings, but exceeded expectations by capturing a University Interscholastic League (UIL) state title in the highest classification (Class 6A). Coach Matt Wester’s team steadily climbed in the rankings and turned heads with a 55-50 win over Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas) in the championship game of the long-running Whataburger Tournament. That was Stony Point’s only loss of the season until the two teams once again locked horns in the state title game at the The Alamodome in front of 8,812. Plano East was in control and posted a historic 53-41 victory over the then No. 6 ranked team in the FAB 50. D.J. Hall led the way for Plano East with 18 points, while Rachard Angton, a 5-foot-10 senior, came on the bench to score 13 crucial points. Stony Point led by two points early in the game momentarily, as Plano East not only won its first UIL state crown, but the first state title in school history in any sport. Hall (15.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg) was named Class 6A Tourney MVP and TABC all-state, while Jordan Mizell, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, was a TABC all-Region 1 choice.

5. (4) Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 21-5?
The Crusaders were expected to challenge Montverde Academy for the EYBL Scholastic (formerly NIBC) League title and they played up to par all season long. They finished 10-2 in league play, losing once to the top-ranked Eagles and dropping a game to No. 16 AZ Compass Prep. LuHi was able to overcome that loss with two victories over No. 6 Link Academy, a win over No. 17 IMG Academy and one over No. 19 Don Bosco Prep. LuHi qualified for Chipotle Nationals, where it saw its season come to an end with a 71-58 setback to No. 2 Columbus in the quarterfinals. Leading the way for coach John Buck’s successful program for the second consecutive season was Baylor-bound shooting guard V.J. Edgecomb (17.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, 2.3 spg), who made many big plays on both sides of the ball and was named all-league for the second consecutive year. Also putting forth a terrific season was junior point guard Kayden Mingo, a third team all-EYBL Scholastic choice. Mingo averaged 15.2 ppg in league play for a team whose four of its five losses were to the two top-ranked teams in the country.

6. (2) Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) 26-7?
After capturing the 2023 FAB 50 national crown in only its second season eligible for the national rankings, Link Academy was expected to be a main challenger to Montverde Academy for a chance at back-to-back No. 1 finishes. That didn’t materialize, although the Lions had only one loss that can be pointed to that was to a team out of their rankings range. That was a loss in EYBL Scholastic play to No. 34 Brewster Academy, as Link Academy fell twice to No. 5 Long Island Lutheran and to No. 3 Paul VI. Coach Billy Armstrong’s club was able to avenge its regular season loss to No. 7 Prolific Prep with a 80-76 double overtime victory in the opening round of Chipotle Nationals before falling in the semifinals to Paul VI, 58-44. Link Academy, which finished in third place in the EYBL Scholastic standings one game behind (9-3) No. 5 Long Island Lutheran, were led by All-American and first team all-league choice Tre Johnson. The Texas-bound shooting guard averaged 15.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 3.6 apg. Alabama-bound guard Jasper Johnson earned third team all-league honors while averaging 11.9 ppg, while LaBaron Philon, also bound for Alabama, scored 24 points in the avenging win over Prolific Prep and sported norms of 10.0 ppg and a team-high 4.3 apg.

7. (6) Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) 31-6
The Crew played right in the range expected of them in the preseason and earned a Chipotle Nationals berth for the fifth consecutive season. On a team built to challenge for the FAB 50 title, the big problem was health, as the team went 13-0 heading into Chipotle Nationals with its top seven players healthy. In the first game of the season for sophomore forward Tyran Stokes, The Crew upped their record to 9-1 with a 77-76 win over Link Academy when that club was No. 2 in the FAB 50. In the rematch with all top seven players available, Prolific Prep fell in double overtime, 80-76. There were three McDonald’s All-Americans on the team (Washington-bound point guard Zoom Diallo, Alabama-bound forward Derrion Reid and Alabama-bound center Aidan Sherrell), but the top player was junior A.J,. Dybansta. He helped Prolific Prep win its second consecutive Grind Session regular season and tourney title by finishing with team highs in points (21.2 ppg) and rebounds (9.4 rpg), while adding 3.5 apg.

8. (11) Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) 33-3
The Wolverines lived up to expectations and then some, as No. 2 Columbus was the only team it didn’t beat on a tough schedule, falling to the Explorers on a controversial call in the waning moments of the Les Schwab Invitational championship game, 55-54. Coach Dave Rebibo’s club lost back-to-back Mission League games the same week after a MLK Monday victory over No. 24 McEachern, but the Wolverines avenged those losses by beating Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) by four points in the Mission League Tournament semifinals and by defeating Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 72-38, in the CIF Southern Section open playoffs. By going on to defeat No. 13 Roosevelt in the CIFSS open title game and CIF open final, Harvard-Westlake became the first team since Sierra Canyon in 2019-20 to start as preseason No. 1 in California and officially finish as the Cal-Hi Sports State Team of the Year. It was a preseason goal of Harvard-Westlake to win both section and state open crowns, after winning only at the state level in 2022-23 and behind the play of Trent Perry, basically refused to lose down the stretch. The McDonald’s All-American closed his senior strong, scoring 42 points in Harvard-Westlake’s 73-72 SoCal open semifinal win over Carlsbad (Calif.), netting 28 points in a come-from-behind win over Roosevelt in the SoCal open final, and scoring the last six points of the game and coming up with a clutch steal down the stretch in a 17-point performance in a 50-45 win over No. 32 Salesian in the CIF open title game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Senior Robert Hinton and junior Nik Khamenia also stepped up in the playoffs with the team’s role players knowing exactly what was expected of them.

9. (NR) Fishers (Fishers, Ind.) 29-1
The Tigers didn’t crack the preseason Midwest regional rankings, but served notice they were a force to be reckoned with by defeating preseason No. 8 Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.), 74-61, and preseason No. 3 Kokomo (Ind.), 77-55, early in the season. Ben Davis was the defending Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Class 4A state champs and Kokomo the defending runner-up, but Fishers proved to be the class of the Hoosier field in 2023-24. Fishers avenged its only loss to Carmel (Ind.) with a 54-41 victory and beat Kokomo once again in the IHSAA Class 4A playoffs. Coach Garrett Winegar’s club went on to face Ben Davis for a second time in the Class 4A state final and with the stakes at their highest, came away with a 65-56 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The defending champions led Fishers heading into the final period, 48-47, but the Tigers scored the first six points of the final period to take control of the game. Fishers junior guard JonAnthony Hall and senior forward Keenan Gardner led the way down the stretch, as Hall finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds while Gardner had 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Garner, a 6-foot-6 senior bound for IUPUI, was the ringleader all-season long and was named to the first team A.P. all-state team. Taden Metzger, a 6-foot-2 senior guard who scored 10 points in the state title game, and Hall, a Grid-Hoop standout, were honorable mention choices. Ben Davis was coming off a 33-0 season in which it finished ranked No. 4 and had the Tigers not dropped the one contest, it would have finished in that range, too.

10. (NR) Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.) 30-0
Another team we didn’t have on our preseason Midwest Region radar was the Vikings, who ran roughshod through their Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) competition en route to a D2 state crown. Wisconsin Lutheran was able to defeat preseason FAB 50 No. 17 De Pere, 70-68, during the regular season to snap that team’s 42-game winning streak, as Duke-bound Kon Knueppel racked up 38 points in the big win. De Pere was the defending D1 state champs and the Vikings went on to defeat three-time defending D2 state champ Pewaukee three times during the season, including a 83-62 victory in the D2 state title game. Pewaukee came into that contest a FAB 50 bubble club, but was no match for Wisconsin Lutheran as Knueppel shared the sugar with 11 points and 11 assists. In the state semifinals, Wisconsin Lutheran downed Nicolet (Glendale, Wis.), 56-54, on a lay-up right before the buzzer by junior Alex Greene (7.6 ppg) off a pretty feed from sophomore Zavier Zens (9.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.7 apg). Knueppel (25.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 5.3 apg) was named WBCA state Mr. Basketball and was a three-time all-state choice, while senior Logan Rindfleisch, a 6-foot-5 wing headed to UW-Oshkosh, also earned all-state mention while averaging 13.9 ppg.

?11. (BB) Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas) 38-2?
This team had a season to be proud of even though the results came up one game short of their desired goal of a UIL Class 6A state crown. Similar to eventual champ Plano East, Stony Point started a bit too low in our regional rankings forecast at No. 12 in the Southwest (two spots higher than the Panthers), but steadily climbed after rebounding from its 55-50 loss to Plano East in the Whataburger Tourney title game. Stony Point’s big win in the postseason came in the regional semifinals when it defeated preseason FAB 50 No. 30 Brennan (San Antonio, Texas), 69-68, and secured a high FAB 50 ranking with its 54-46 state semifinal victory over No. 48 Beaumont United. Stony Point had a chance to avenge its only loss in the highly-anticipated final but came up short, 53-41. Josiah Moseley was Stony Point’s only double-digit scorer in the game, finishing with 18 points, 12 rebounds and four assists for a club that was outscored in each quarter. The Villanova-bound Moseley (22.8 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.8 bpg) earned second team All-American Elite team honors and was a TABC all-state choice, while junior Uzziah Bunton (12.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 5.1 apg, 1.8 spg) and senior Junior Goodlet (10.9 ppg) were named TABC all-Region 4.

12. (BB) Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.) 33-0
In 2022-23, the Vikings began as the No. 2 North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) team in our Southeast Region pecking order behind Myers Park of Charlotte, but ended up as the state’s best team. This season, Central Cabarrus actually opened up at No. 18 in the Southeast Regional Rankings behind NCHSAA schools Myers Park and Chambers of Charlotte, but exceeded expectations en route to a second consecutive Class 3A state title. Central Cabarrus did have some key graduation losses, but coach Jim Baker’s club was able to run the table for the second consecutive season, downing 71st of Fayetteville, 90-62, in the state title game. Lees-McRae commit Desmond Kent Jr. (19.8 ppg, 9.0 rpg) had 20 points in the first half and added nine rebounds, five steals, two assists and two blocks, while senior forward Josh Dalton (15.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg) scored a game-high 22 points. The Vikings also recorded a key semifinal win by downing previously unbeaten Hickory (N.C.), 87-78, as Kent went for 25 points. Baker had three other double-digit scorers at his disposal in junior Emari Russell (10.3 ppg), and Catawba College-bound twin brothers Carson Daniel (11.7 ppg, 8.1 apg, 4.5 spg) and Chase Daniel (11.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 7.2 apg, 3.2 spg). With their success the past two seasons, the Vikings enter 2024-25 with the nation’s longest winning streak at 65 games. The program has won 95 of its last 96 contests.

13. (44) Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) 31-4
It was a successful season for Mustangs coach Steve Singleton, who coached Roosevelt to a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) D1 state title in 2017 and a Tyson Chandler-led Dominguez (Compton, Calif.) team to a D2 state title and No. 17 FAB 50 ranking. Despite not winning a section or state title, this team is actually ranked higher than that Dominguez club led by a 7-footer a few months from being the No. 2 pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. Roosevelt fell to No. 8 Harvard-Westlake in both the CIFSS open title game and SoCal D1 title game and split with the other two teams it lost two, including Big VIII League rival Centennial (Corona,. Calif.). In the preseason, we knew Roosevelt was going to be dynamic with the eligibility of junior guards Brayden Burries and Isaac Williamson restored after sitting out the 2022-23 season, but the Mustangs were even better than expected, as they beat Centennial in the league title game and avenged the loss to JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) with a 64-51 victory in CIFSS open pool play. With Burries (24.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.5 apg and 2.7) and Williamson back next season along with point guard Myles Walker and glue player Dom Copenhagen, this team should begin next season much higher than its 2023-24 preseason spot.

14. (BB) St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.) 29-2
After advancing to the NJSIAA Non-Public Group B title game in 2022-23, we got tipped off the Purple Roses would be terrific in 2023-24 by an event operator, and he turned out to be spot on. St. Rose started out at No. 14 in the East Region Top 20, one spot outside of the FAB 50 and that tuned out to be too low. After losing their first game to Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.), 62-59, the Purple Roses were too cohesive and talented for any other team to handle expect No. 1 Montverde Academy (beat them 84-55). The Purple Roses defeated No. 18 Archbishop Stepinac at the Jordan Holiday Classic and went on to capture the Non-Public B state crown with a 73-29 whitewashing of Immaculate Conception (Montclair, N.J.). That win cemented their status as New Jersey’s No. 1 team, as Villanova-bound Matt Hodge finished his career with 14 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. St. Rose relied on defense the entire season, and it came up with 10 blocks in the title game, including five from 6-foot-6 Gio Panzini, who netted a game-high 16 points and nine rebounds. The third senior in the eight-man rotation, Maryland-bound Jayden Hodge (12.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.6 apg), was the team’s top overall talent and helped this program win its first state title since 1977.

?15. (28) Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) 27-4
Similar to No. 14 St. Rose, the Pioneers lost big to No. 1 Montverde Academy (97-66), but it’s losses to Bishop O’Connell of Virginia (preseason No. 44 in FAB 50) and to unranked Westminster Academy of Florida that keep them behind that New Jersey state champion. Oak Ridge certainly showed what type of team it was when it gave No. 2 Columbus all it could handle in the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 7A championship game, going into overtime before falling, 72-67. After a slam dunk tied the game near the end of regulation, Oak Ridge junior guard Jalen Reece’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer rimmed out. The Pioneers were down 16 at one juncture, but made a huge comeback behind the efforts of junior Jamier Jones, who canned three 3-pointers in the third period and finished with 16 points and six rebounds. Senior Jordan Tillery (16 points, 13 rebounds, five assists) also played well in his final game for coach Steve Reece. His club was able to down then No. 46 Winter Haven (Fla.) in the semifinals, 85-74, to snap that team’s 27-game winning streak as Jones (19.2 ppg) went bonkers from the field (12-of-15) and finished with 29 points. With Jones and Reece (15.4 ppg), the coach’s son, back in the fold along with the rapidly improving Tim Winkler (4.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg), the Pioneers could start next season higher than this ending position.

?16. (16) AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) 27-6
The Dragons finished exactly in the spot forecasted for them in the preseason and qualified for Chipotle Nationals for the fourth consecutive season. Coach Pete Caffey’s club was the No. 8 seed and fell to top seed and season-long FAB 50 No. 1 Montverde Academy, 64-49. The Dragons finished the EYBL Scholastic League in fourth place (9-4) behind No. 6 Link Academy (9-3). AZ Compass Prep was able to record a victory over No. 5 Long Island Lutheran (10-2), but also fell to unranked Wasatch Academy of Utah in league play. Outside of Wasatch Academy, Caffey’s crew lost only to teams ranked ahead of it, with two of the losses coming to Montverde Academy. Junior guard Jeremiah Fears led the way, averaging 13.8 ppg and earning third team all league honors. The Dragons will have a fine team once agains next season, but must replace the grit and rim protection of Grand Canyon-bound Sammy Yeanay and VCU-bound Luke Bamgboye.

17. (7) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 18-9
The Ascenders weren’t quite as good as forecasted in the preseason, but they were formidable and could compete with the nation’s best teams. The high overall loss count means a 10-spot drop from the preseason, but a victory over No. 7 Prolific Prep offsets its 96-92 loss to No. 19 Don Bosco Prep and a loss to No. 28 Bullis. The Ascenders were the No. 7 seed at Chipotle Nationals and fell to No. 2 seed Paul VI, 101-89, and now sport a 6-5 all-time mark at the event. Point guard Darius Acuff, a junior, was the leading scorer in EYBL Scholastic games (21.3 ppg) and averaged 20.4 ppg and 5.5 assists to earn first team all-league honors. Donnie Freeman (16.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg) had 21 points and seven rebounds in his final game for the Ascenders and the third team all-leaguer is now headed to Syracuse, while bookend forward Khani Rooths is bound for Louisville.

18. (13) Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) 26-4
The Crusaders won their second straight Catholic High School Athletic Association AA crown and were one of the nation’s best teams throughout the season. In 2022-23, they were FAB 50 ranked until losing in the New York State Federation Tournament of Champions AA final, an event that was discontinued. Before last season, Stepinac last captured the Catholic League title in 2018, as it was the favorite in 2020 before COVID-19 abruptly stopped the post-season in New York, while there wasn’t much of a 2020-21 season. Patrick Massaroni (169-80) coached a unit that only lost one game to an unranked team it had already beaten twice, St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.), in the New York Archdiocesan Class AA title game. The Crusaders other three losses are to higher ranked teams (including No. 1 Montverde Academy) and they own victories over No. 19 Don Bosco Prep and No. 21 Perry. They defeated Nazareth (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 66-51, in the state title game as three-time all-CHSAA pick Boogie Fland (19.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.6 apg and 2.4 spg) scored 18 points, while sophomores Jasiah Jervis and Hassan Koureissi added 15 points each. Stepinac downed PSAL champ Eagle Academy (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 75-64, to close its season as Fland (Alabama) and Quinnipiac-bound Braylan Ritvo (14.2 ppg) netted 22 and 21 points, respectively, in the inaugural Catholic vs. Public League AA title game at Long Island University.

19. (18) Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) 29-3
With the New Jersey Tournament of Champions discontinued after the 2021-22 season, the Ironmen were not able to take on NJSIAA Non-Public Group B champ No. 14 St. Rose after capturing its own state title in Group A. Similar to that club, Don Bosco Prep lost to Patrick School, but must remain behind St. Rose since its second loss is to No. 5 Long Island Lutheran with the third loss a 74-67 setback to No. 18 Archbishop Stepinac. Led by Rutgers recruit Dylan Harper, the Ironmen captured the New Jersey Non-Public A title with a 56-29 victory over Paul VI (Haddonfield, N.J.). Harper produced as well as any player in America down the stretch, nearly outscoring Paul VI by himself (26 points) and going for 38 points and eight rebounds in the prior game versus highly-regarded St. Peters Prep in the North Jersey Non-Public A title game. Harper, the son of former NBA guard Ron Harper who averaged 22.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 2.7 apg, also led his team to a win over No. 24 McEachern.

20. (35) St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 27-1
Coach Todd Colvert’s club was preseason FAB 50 ranked in three of the last four seasons and more than lived up to expectations with this year’s unit, capturing the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) D1 state crown. St. Mary Prep had its top seven returnees back from a mildly surprising semifinalist unit in 2022-23, so it wasn’t a big surprise the Eaglets only dropped one game in the Catholic League to University of Detroit-Jesuit in December. The Eaglets came back to avenge that loss with a 76-68 victory, as All-American Trey McKenney and junior power forward Jayden Savoury combined for 48 points. McKenney (22.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 2.5 apg) scored 21 points in the first half and finished with 32 points in the state D1 title game victory over North Farmington (63-52) to give the program its first state title since 2000, when the program finished 28-0 and was ranked No. 10 in the FAB 50. McKenney proved to be one of the most difficult checks in the country and yet another junior honors candidate for Colvert was 6-foot-3 Sharod Barnes, who averaged 12.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 4.4 apg.

21. (NR) Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.) 27-2?
Dorman of Roebuck opened up as the top-ranked team from the Palmetto State at No. 20 in the Southeast Region Top 20, but when the dust cleared it was evident the Blazers should have been regionally ranked. Ridgeview did drop two in-state contests to Westwood of Blythewood and cross-town A.C. Flora, but were able to avenge both losses. Coach Joshua Staley’s club also defeated No. 23 Grayson (58-53) and No. 27 John Marshall (also 58-53). The Blazers downed Riverside, 58-52, in the South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) AAAA title game after jumping out to a 20-6 lead and holding on to capture their fifth state title. Ridge View was led by Korie Corbett with 18 points and Jayden Pretty with 15 points. Corbett, a sophomore wing, was named all-state after averaging 16.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.1 apg and 2.3 spg.

22. (33) Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) 24-6
For a while, it looked like the Pumas would finish ranked in the range of their preseason forecast or even a bit lower after they lost twice to Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) teams. Perry, however, closed strong and so did the out-of-state teams they lost to. No. 18 Archbishop Stepinac won a New York state title and No. 8 Harvard-Westlake, which beat the Pumas twice, won California’s open state title. After losing to Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.), the team it beat in the first AIA open title game in 2022-23, the Pumas actually dropped out of the nation's longest-running weekly national rankings but returned at No. 34 after downing then No. 38 Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.), 71-67, to repeat as AIA open division state champs. Incredibly, Perry was down 17 points but chipped away at its deficit behind some big shots by guard Barron Silsby and the clutch play of Koa Peat, already a two-time All-American with his senior season to go. Silsby had 10 second half points to help Perry overcome a 41-32 halftime deficit and Peat finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. Perry won the Class 6A crown in 2021-22 and is 14-0 in the playoffs the past three seasons with Peat (20.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.2 bpg) in the lineup. Arizona high school hoops fans are already anticipating his quest for an unbeaten career postseason run.

23. (29) Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 30-2
The Rams opened the season as the No. 2 Georgia High School Association (GHSA) team behind McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) and in front of Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.), the team it fell to in the 2022-23 GHSA Class AAAAAAA semifinals. Grayson got over the hump and erased some demons by capturing its first-ever state crown with a 51-41 victory over then No. 20 McEachern, the same team it beat 79-62 in a true road game at the Georgia Elite 8 Tip-Off Classic. Junior Georgia commit Jacob Wilkins made some big plays down the stretch after McEachern made one final push, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Purdue signee Gicarri Harris, a 6-foot-4 senior, added nine points and five rebounds for the victorious Rams, who also defeated No. 37 Kell (70-54), the Class AAAAA champion. In 2019-20, Grayson got all the way up to No. 4 in the FAB 50 before falling in the AAAAAAA title game, but this year’s ranking cake is baked, so to speak, because of its two out-of-state losses. Grayson fell to No. 21 Ridge View and No. 22 Perry.

24. (21) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 26-6
McEachern started the season ranked higher in the FAB 50 than Grayson by eight spots and came into the GHSA Class AAAAAAA title game ranked higher in the FAB 50 than that club because of its previous national results, including a win over No. 25 North Mecklenburg and an overtime loss to No. 8 Harvard-Westlake. McEachern played the Rams better than it did in their first game, but eventually fell 51-41 after making one final push in the fourth quarter. The Indians’ other losses were to No. 2 Columbus, No. 3 Paul VI and to No. 19 Don Bosco Prep, so it’s only natural they finish one spot behind their in-state nemesis. National player of the year (Mr. Basketball USA) finalist Ace Bailey had 18 points in his final game, but only four in the second half. Against national competition, Georgia’s Mr. Basketball finished with norms of 32.5 ppg, 15.5 rpg, 3.5 apg and 2.4 bpg.

25. (26) North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) 30-3
The Vikings moved down one spot after capturing the NCHSAA Class 4A state crown to make room for a McEachern of Georgia club that had to drop, too, after losing in its respective state title game. On the flip side, North Meck also finish one spot higher than forecasted in the preseason when it opened as the NCHSAA’s No. 2 team behind the Myers Park of Charlotte club it lost to in the 2023 Class 4A Western Regional Final. McEachern was one of the three losses for North Mecklenburg, with the others coming against No. 36 Camden and No. 6 Link Academy. North Meck downed No. 26 Myers Park in the state quarterfinals, 79-63, as Duke-bound All-American Isaiah Evans went bonkers with a season-high 48 points, including 21 consecutive in the third period. In the semifinals, it took North Meck overtime to down Lake Norman, 65-61, as Evans scored four points in the final 40 seconds to force overtime. His jumper with 40 seconds remaining in OT gave his team the lead and his two free throws down the stretched sealed the victory. New Hanover came into the state title game unbeaten, but Evans’ 23 points and eight rebounds propelled North Meck to a 57-47 victory. For the season, the N.C.B.C.A. State Player of the Year led the program to its third state crown by averaging 27.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.2 apg and 2.3 spg.

?26. (15) Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.) 27-3
The Mustangs were the preseason No. 1 NCHSAA for the second consecutive season and were coming off a year in which they captured the Class 4A title. With their three big guns back, Myers Park had its eyes on a FAB 50 title run, but ran into a North Mecklenburg team that wouldn’t be denied in the Class 4A state quarterfinals. Myers Park led until late in the second quarter, but the wheels fell off in the third, as it trialed by 20 points (56-36) heading into the final period of an eventual 79-63 loss. Notre Dame-bound Sir Mohammed (13.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.8 apg, 2.3 spg) led the way in a losing effort with 20 points, while Tennessee-bound Bishop Boswell (11.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 5.9 apg) and junior Ashton King added 14. The Mustangs showed they were a serious FAB 50 threat when they took No. 3 Paul VI into overtime before losing, with the other loss coming versus in-state Combine Academy. In addition to King (7.4 ppg), Myers Park (which beat No. 27 John Marshall), return highly-regarded Sadiq White Jr. (16.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg) next season.

27. (8) John Marshall (Richmond, Va.) 25-3
Similar to No. 26 Myers Park, the Jayem Justices had FAB 50 title aspirations in the preseason, but came up just short of that level. Unlike Myers Park (which beat John Marshall), the Justices were able to capture a third consecutive Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 2A state crown. Their 2020-21 club might have been the most talented on paper, but didn’t play any games because of the COVID-19 Pandemic so technically its a fourth consecutive title after wining it all in 2020. John Marshall’s FAB 50 ranking is easily laid out, as it lost to No. 21 Ridge View, while its loss to St. Christopher’s of Richmond is offset by a win over No. 29 Sidwell Friends. Led by VHSL Class 2A Player of the Year Damon “Redd” Thompson (18.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 4.1 apg), John Marshall easily downed Virginia High, 89-32, in the state title game with its James Madison signee going for 12 points, four rebounds, six assists and two steals in a game that went to a running clock early. Without a VHSL Tournament of Champions or open division, the Justices’ dominance in its division is nearly counter productive to its greatness. The program’s average margin of victory in its six playoff games was 60 points, while its 2023 post-season winning margin was 65.5 ppg. Under coach Ty White, the program has now won five state titles in the past seven seasons and six since 2014. In all, the Justices enter 2024-25 having won 24 consecutive playoff games and have all-state talents Latrell Allmond (6-9 sophomore) and Aiden Argabright (5-11 junior) returning, along with 6-foot-9 junior Marcus Jackson and 6-foot-6 junior Desmon Rose.

28. (38) Bullis (Potomac, Md.) 27-3
The Bulldogs started out as our No. 4 team for the DMV and there could have been six or seven ranked teams, as the region is that talented. For the second consecutive season, coach Bruce Kelley’s club captured the Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) title, defeating Georgetown Prep (Bethesda, Md.), 70-52, behind a balanced offensive attack and good rebounding. Junior Adrien Stevens led the way with 14 points, while junior center Eric Reibe added 13 points with senior Caden Diggs chipping in 12 points. After a short-handed Bullis club was upset in the first round of the 2023 Maryland Private School State Tournament, this year the Bulldogs fared much better, advancing to the title game before falling in double overtime to DeMatha Catholic, 74-68. Bullis’ also lost another overtime game to No. 44 Jackson-Reed and a third game to Moravian Prep of North Carolina, but those losses are offset by victories over No. 17 IMG Academy and No. 29 Sidwell Friends. Stevens (14 ppg, 43 percent 3-point) was the top honors candidate and will be back along with the highly-regarded Reibe, but the club will miss Diggs (Old Dominion) and two-time All-Met choice Tyler Boston (Holy Cross).

?29. (9) Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) 27-4
The Quakers didn’t fare quite as well as they wanted to versus FAB 50 title contenders, but it was another terrific season for coach Eric Singletary (279-133). His club lost to No. 28 Bullis (60-56), in overtime to No. 27 John Marshall (63-55), to No. 6 Link Academy and to No. 3 Paul VI. Sidwell Friends did finish strong, however, capturing the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) Class AA title with a 47-37 victory over St. John's (Washington, D.C.). From a rankings standpoint, the big playoff victory was a 52-52 semifinal victory over then No. 16 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), which finishes right behind the Quakers in the rankings. Acaden Lewis, a play-making point guard, had 16 points vs. St. John’s and was the difference-maker vs. Gonzaga with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists. Georgetown-bound forward Caleb Williams had another terrific season on both ends of the floor. He joined Lewis (14.5 ppg) on the Washington Post All-Met team, with junior forward Jalen Rougier-Roane also earning post-season acclaim. Sidwell Friends has now won three consecutive DCSAA state titles and four in the past five seasons heading into 2024-25 with Lewis, Rougier-Roane and guard Caleb Gillus all returning.

30. (12) Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 28-6
The Purple Eagles opened as the No. 2 team in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) and finish as its No. 2 ranked team behind FAB 50 No. 3 Paul VI, the preseason favorite. The one-point (53-52) loss to No. 29 Sidwell Friends in the DCSAA semifinals dropped the Purple Eagles 13 spots the week after the game and prevents them from finishing in the range expected in the preseason. Sidwell Friends was the only non-WCAC or EYBL Scholastic member coach Stephen Turner’s club lost to, as it also fell to No. 1 Montverde Academy and No. 5 Long Island Lutheran. Gonzaga split with Bishop O’Connell and the loss to Paul VI in the WCAC title game was actually it second setback to the Panthers. Nyk Lewis (13 ppg, 6 rpg, 4.5 apg) was first team All-Met for the second consecutive season with his senior year two go. Turner (468-171) also has second team All-Met selection Derek Dixon (6-3) and honorable mention choice Christian Gurdak (6-10) returning.

31. (19) St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 28-7
The Braves rebounded from failing to advance to the CIF Southern Section open title game and losing the Trinity League title to No. 46 Mater Dei by capturing the CIF D1 state crown. Coach Matt Dunn’s club defeated San Ramon Valley (Danville, Calif.) in the state final, as Loyola-Chicago-bound Jack Turner led the way with 20 points, including 4-of-6 3-pointers. After losing to Trinity League champ Mater Dei twice in league play, Bosco got its avenging victory with a 71-68 overtime win in the SoCal D1 final. Junior point guard Elzie Harrington had 22 points in the win over Mater Dei and sophomore Brandon McCoy had 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocks and averaged 19.7 ppg and 11 rpg in the regional playoffs. St. John Bosco lost to then FAB 50 ranked Sierra Canyon and to No. 8 Harvard-Westlake in CIFSS open pool play, to No. 13 Roosevelt (the team that played Harvard-Westlake for the section title), to No. 3 Paul VI and to Chris The King of New York in the semifinals of the Iolani Tournament in Hawaii.

32. (BB) Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) 31-2
The Pride began No. 19 in West Region Top 20, but they were much better than that and were one game away from finishing in the Top 15. It got over its demons in the NorCal open regionals (0-5 between 2013-23) to advance to the CIF open championship game, where it gave No. 8 Harvard-Westlake all it could handle before falling, 50-45. Two late turnovers doomed any chance Salesian had to pull off the mild upset and allowed the Pride to hop the No. 31 St. John Bosco team it lost to in overtime at The Classic at Damien. Salesian might have been the most balanced NorCal team we’ve ever evaluated, as six players averaged between 6.3 and 9.0 ppg. The ringleader was Hawaii-bound point guard Aaron Hunklin-Claytor, the Tri-County Rock League Player of the Year for the second consecutive season who averaged 8.4 ppg (tied for second on the team with fellow all-stater De’Undrae Perteete), 3.9 rpg and 3.8 apg.

33. (25) La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) 23-5
After going 5-7 in the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (now EYBL Scholastic) in 2022-23, LaLu had a more talented team, closed games better and was able to finish in a four-way tie for fifth place in the conference standings. At 7-5, the Lakers tied with No. 17 IMG Academy (which they lost to), No. 34 Brewster Academy (which they beat) and with unranked Wasatch Academy. Coach Patrick Holmes’ team key conference win came against fourth place and No. 16 AZ Compass Prep to help offset the above mentioned losses and those to conference foes Oak Hill Academy and No. 1 Montverde Academy. Junior Jalen Haralson and Jerry Easter received the most post-season acclaim, while fellow junior Chuck Love was another standout.

34. (BB) Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) 27-7
In its first season being eligible for the FAB 50 after joining the EYBL Scholastic League, the longtime New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) power (which now has a prep and a national high school team) started No. 16 in the East Regional Rankings. That was only three spots outside the FAB 50, but coach Jason Smith’s club started a tad bit low after ended up finishing in a four-way tie for fifth place in the conference standings. Brewster not only lost to No. 33 La Lumiere head-to-head in two overtimes (74-66), it lost to No. 17 IMG Academy and to Veritas Prep of California, two EYBLS clubs La Lumiere defeated. Brewster Academy, competitive in every game outside its loss to No. 1 Montverde Academy, was led by third team all-EYBLS choice and Gatorade State Player of the Year Nojus Indrusaitis (14.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.3 apg), whose headed for Iowa State, and BYU-bound point guard Elijah Crawford (13.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 5.1 apg).

35. (NR) Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) 28-4
The Celtics quietly had a terrific campaign as an independent program. Yes, the Patrick School did lose games to Bridgton Academy of Maine, Phelps School of Pennsylvania, and to Our Savior Lutheran of New York, but the Celtics deserve rankings credit for the quality of their wins. They downed No. 14 St. Rose and No. 19 Don Bosco Prep, the two highest ranked New Jersey state champions. Patrick School’s top talents were St. John’s-bound guard Jaden Glover, junior guard Brandon Lee and Manhattan College-bound forward William Sydnor.

36. (BB) Camden (Camden, N.J.) 30-2
The High had a team not quite as talented nor acclaimed as its 2022-23 unit, but became embroiled in a major playoff controversy for the second straight year. The ’23 unit led by D.J. Wagner wasn’t able to defend its ’22 state title after a melee in the first-ever Camden County Tournament led to the team being booted from the playoffs. In this year’s NJSIAA Group 2 state semifinal, it appeared Manasquan defeated The High on a buzzer-beating field goal as time expired before a game official waived off the basket to give Camden the 46-45 victory. Manasquan filed a lawsuit before Camden met Arts of Newark for the state crown to overturn the result, but the NJSIAA stuck to its bylaws that the game was over the moment the referees left the gym despite admitting the mistake. Led by Louisville recruit Billy Richmond (17.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.6 apg), Camden went on to win the state crown and only lost to St. Frances Academy of Maryland and to No. 24 McEachern. Our rankings are always results based and from a national perspective based on our criteria it wouldn’t have made sense to penalize Camden, as controversies, blown calls and off-court rulings have been part of the high school landscape for decades.

37. (NR) Kell (Marietta, Ga.) 28-3
The Longhorns missed the Southeast Regional Top 20 in the preseason and got off to a slow 1-3 start. One of the teams they lost to, Newton, ended up only losing to No. 24 McEachern by only three points (67-64) in the playoffs and Kell’s other early losses were to that same McEachern team and to No. 23 Grayson, the two teams that ended up playing in the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAAAAAA title game. Kell went on to end the season on a 27-game winning steak that culminated with a 62-51 victory over Eagle’s landing in the AAAAA title game. Coach Jermaine Sellers’ club won its second consecutive state crown behind the play of AAAAA Player of the Year C.J. Brown, a University of South Florida recruit, and his backcourt mate and Alabama A&M recruit Jaylen Colon, a second team all-state choice by sandysspeil.com.

38. (NR) Homewood Flossmor (Flossmor, Ill.) 33-4
The Vikings have a proud history and for the first time ever won the Illinois High School Association’s top prize by defeating a talented Normal Community unit, 60-48, in the Class 4A state title game. Junior Bryce Heard led the way with 21 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, while Jayden Taylor, a 5-foot-11 sophomore, added 15 points for a club that only lost two games in-state. The Vikings lost to Bradley-Bourbannis, split with Bolingbrook, defeated Bloom, Chicago Public League champ Curie and a Thorton of Harvey team that spent plenty of time FAB 50 ranked twice. As Illinois’ top-ranked team, the Vikings cannot be ranked any higher because of the defeat margins vs. No. 30 Gonzaga (77-47) and Fishers of Indiana (78-57).

39. (NR) Reidsville (Reidsville, N.C.) 29-0?
After going 26-1 and losing in the NCHSAA Class 2A state title game in 2022-23, this season the Rams upped the ante by a game, capturing the Class 2A crown with a perfect mark. The Rams defeated Farmville Central (Farmville, N.C.), 78-77, in overtime, in a terrific title game. Reidsville junior Johnniyus Sharpe Jr. made all 10 of his free throw attempts, as the Rams went 13-of-13 from the line in the hostly contested contest. Sharpe Jr. finished with a game-high 29 points, including 3-of-6 3-pointers, while Grid-Hoop dynamo Kendre Harrison finished with 19 points, 17 rebounds and blocked five shots. Harrison, a sophomore, was the ringleader all season long by recording 25 double-doubles and averaging 19.4 ppg, 15.1 rpg, and 3.7 bpg while shooting 67 percent from the field.

40. (NR) Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) 26-3
The Cahillites captured their 34th Philadelphia Catholic League title in dramatic fashion, as they defeated Archbishop Ryan, 46-45, in overtime. It looked like Archbishop Ryan was going to claim the crown when Ryan Everett hit a 3-pointer to give his team a 45-44 lead with 8.5 seconds remaining, but Roman’s Kabe Gass hit the game-winner on a pull-up 17-footer as the clock hit 0.00 after he dribbled the length of the court without the Cahillites calling a timeout. Yes, Roman Catholic did lose to Parkland in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals, but that doesn’t change the fact the Cahillites avenged their loss to Father Judge in the PCL semifinals, 65-57, while the dramatic win over Archbishop Ryan also avenged another of their three losses. Junior Shareef Jackson (17.3 ppg) earned first team all-PCL honors, while senior Travis Reed (Chestnut Hill) earned second team laurels for a club that won its second consecutive league title.

?41. (37) St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) 26-3
Some Midwest prognosticators felt we had the Wildcats a bit too high as our No. 6 team from the region, but that spot ended up being in the range for a club that won the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) D1 crown. Coach Cam Joyce’s club defeated Centerville, 66-56, before 5,189 at University of Dayton Arena as four players scored in double figures led by 6-foot senior guard Jack Zapolnick with 14 points, plus seven assists, and 6-foot-1 senior guard Matt Ellis’ 12 points. The difference in the game was St. Ignatius’ 3-point shooting, as it made 7-of-15 3-pointers, including a 3-for-3 performance by senior forward Michael Lamirand. This is a natural spot for the Wildcats as they only suffered one in-state loss with the others coming against No. 15 Oak Ridge and St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.), which lost to No. 40 Roman Catholic. The Wildcats won their first state title since 2001 when they finished No. 40 in the FAB 50 after capturing St. Ignatius’ first D1 state crown.

42. (BB) Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) 25-5
The Tigers started out at No. 17 in West Region Top 20, as the fourth highest rated Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) team behind Desert Mountain, Sunnyslope and top-rated Perry. It was a terrific regular season in which coach Ty Amundsen’s club defeated Desert Mountain and Sunnyslope twice. The Tigers look like they were going all the way after opening up a big lead on Perry in the AIA open title game. Millennium's Sabien Cain knocked down seven 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes of the title game, as then No. 38 Millennium built an early 17-point lead. In the end, Perry stormed back and won, 71-67, as Millennium dropped its first game to an AIA foe at the most inopportune time. Cain, who had 33 points in the title game, sophomore Cameron Holmes and junior Kingston Tosi led a team that only lost to teams ranked ahead of it: No. 11 Stony Point, No. 3 Paul VI and No. 25 North Mecklenburg at the City of Palms, and to No. 32 Salesian.

43. (NR) Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.) 27-2
The Blue Devils played a national level schedule and beat qualify FHSAA teams, including six that made the final four in their respective classifications. They lost their first game of the season to Burlington School of North Carolina, then rattled off 27 consecutive victories, including one over two-time Alabama Class 7A state champ hoover, before running into No. 15 Oak Ridge in the Class 7A state semifinals. Winter Haven was looking to capture its first state crown since the Otis Birdsong-led 1973 team, but came up two games short after falling to the Pioneers, 85-74. Yale-bound Isaac Celiscar (21.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 5.0 apg, 2.0 spg) and Stetson-bound Jamie Phillips Jr. (15.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 6.3 apg) led a team with four double-digit scorers.

44. (NR) Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.) 33-3
The Tigers lost to St. John’s in the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) Class AA semifinals, but their overall resume was just too strong to keep them out of the FAB 50. Jackson-Reed defeated No. 28 Bullis in overtime, 61-58, defeated Philly Catholic League finalist Archbishop Ryan, South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah). We considered Chicago Public League champ Curie, Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class 6A state champ Imhotep Charter and Independence (Thompson’s Station, Tenn.) for the FAB 50, but all three lost to South Shore. Jackson-Reed, whose other losses are to No. 30 Gonzaga and No. 37 Kell, had a balanced attack led by second team All-Met selection Jayden Fort (11.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg), a junior, and senior guard Scottie Hubbard (8.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg).

?45. (48) Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) 27-1
We figured the Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) Class A state championship would come down to Millard North and the Thunderbirds. After all, the two clubs had met in the previous four state title games. Sure enough, the two clubs met again for all the marbles and it was Bellevue West defeating its rival, 57-48. The win gave Bellevue West its second straight state crown, avenged the club’s only regular season loss and allowed it to finish in the range expected in the preseason. South Dakota St-bound Jaden Jackson led the way in the state final with 21 points, seven rebounds and three steals. For the season, the state player of the year averaged 17.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.9 apg and 2.0 spg and helped the Thunderbirds go 106-8 in his four-year career.

46. (42) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 29-6
Good offensive execution and terrific outside shooting allowed the Monarchs to advance to the SoCal D1 final, where they fell in overtime to Trinity League rival and No. 31 St. John Bosco, 71-68. Gary McKnight (1,272-140) had a club that won its 40th league crown in his 42nd season as head coach by defeating Bosco twice during the regular season. After losing sophomore Brannon Martinsen for the post-season to injury, Mater De went 0-2 in CIFSS open play, but bounced back to beat a Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks club that spent some time FAB 50 ranked in the regional semifinals. Martinsen will return along with sharpshooters Owen Verna and Luke Barnett, the latter whom McKnight feels might be the best shooter in program history.

47. (BB) Lyon County (Eddyville, Ky.) 36-3
The Lyons, a program with 277 students, opened up No. 14 in Midwest Region Top 20, but ended up breaking in the FAB 50 by capturing the Kentucky High School Athletics Association (KHSAA) Sweet 16. Lyon County downed Harlan County (Rosspoint, Ky.) in the Sweet 16 final, 67-58, before 13,568 at historic Rupp Arena. Travis Perry, Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball, hit 5-of-9 3-pointers en route to 27 points, along with five assists and two steals vs. Harlan County. Jack Riddick and Brady Shoulders added 15 points each for the Lyons, who downed then No. 25 Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.) 58-49 in the semifinals a few hours before taking on Harlan County behind Perry’s 24 points. Lyon County also beat state champions from Alabama (Buckhorn) and South Carolina (Lexington). Kentucky still employs the one-class system (as does Delaware) and because of Eddyville’s and Harlan’s size, Perry (29.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 5.0 apg, 3.9 spg) is now a state folk hero after leading his team to its first state title.

48. (BB) Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) 34-4
The Timberwolves began No. 17 in Southwest Regional Rankings, but for the second consecutive year exceeded national expectations. After winning back-to-back University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 5A state crowns in 2021 and 2022, Beaumont United was moved up to Class 6A last season and advanced to the state title game. This season, TABC All-State picks Kayde Dotson (18.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.2 apg) and Clarence Payia III (17.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg) led a Timberwolves club that advanced to the Class 6A semifinals before falling to No. 11 Stony Point, 54-46. The program has now finished FAB 50 ranked for four consecutive seasons.

49. (NR) Northwest (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) 25-0
Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) was our top-ranked Kansas team in the preseason, two spot behind Beaumont United at No. 19 in the Southwest Region, but it was Northwest that emerged as the state’s best team. The Cougars culminated their perfect run to the KSHSAA Class 6A state title with a 47-38 victory over Wichita Heights. Northwest defeated Sunflower League foe Mill Valley in the semifinals and captured its first state title on its 14th trip to state since 1973 using an all-underclass starting lineup led by all-staters Keaton Wagler, a junior, and Ethan Taylor, a sophomore. The Cougars are the sixth and final team from the Southwest to earn a ranking, edging out Oklahoma’s top team, Owasso, and New Mexico’s best club, Volcano Vista, the latter which started at No. 18 in the region sandwiched between Beaumont United and Blue Valley Northwest.

50. (NR) Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.) 36-2
The Warhawks are the eighth and final Midwest club to crack the FAB 50, beating out Chicago Public League champ Curie, St. Joseph of California from the West Region, Imhotep Charter of Philadelphia from the East Region and Lexington of South Carolina from the Southeast Region. Great Crossing’s season ended in the KHSAA Sweet 16 semifinals with a 58-49 loss to eventual champ No. 47 Lyon County, with its only regular season loss coming in double overtime to Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) member Bishop O'Connell of Virginia. Helping the Warhawks earn the final spot in the final rankings despite falling in the semis is O’Connell defeating two FAB 50 ranked teams and similar to Lyon County, owning a win over Lexington of South Carolina. After losing in the Beach Ball Classic final to O’Connell, Great Crossing downed Chaminade of Missouri, 72-46, and before the Beach Ball won the King of the Bluegrass Tournament with a win over Central of Little Rock, Ark.

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

The post Final, Expanded 2023-24 FAB 50 Rankings! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

2023-24 High School All-American Elite Team

Ronnie Flores — Tue, 14 May 2024 00:13:18 +0000

Mr. Basketball USA Cooper Flagg, national junior player of the year Cameron Boozer and three of Flagg’s teammates highlight 30th annual All-American Elite Team produced by www.ebooksnet.com Grassroots Editor Ronnie Flores. Elite honor squad includes 20-man first team and 30-man second team.

The 2023-24 All-American Elite Team, now published for the 30th consecutive season and on the www.ebooksnet.com platform for the tenth year, includes 41 of the nation’s best seniors, led by 2024 Mr. Basketball USA Cooper Flagg of FAB 50 No. 1 Montverde Academy and 10 talented juniors.

Flagg and five juniors, including class player of the year Cameron Boozer of FAB 50 No. 2 Columbus (Miami), headline the 20-player overall first team. ??There are eight repeaters off the 2022-23 All-American Elite Team, including six who made first team. Boozer is a repeat first five choice and was the 2022-23 Mr. Basketball USA as a sophomore, the first ever tenth-grade honoree. Flagg, who was classified as a sophomore last season, moved up from the second five to earn Mr. Basketball USA honors as a senior in his third year of playing high school basketball. Two other 2022-23 sophomores earning repeat All-American honors as juniors are third five selection Koa Peat of FAB 50 No. 22 Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) and fourth five selection Maleek Thomas of Lincoln Park Performing Arts (Midland, Pa.). Both Peat and Thomas led their teams to state titles in 2023-24.

Kansas-bound big man Flory Bidunga of Kokomo (Ind.) moves up from third five to second five and Texas-bound Tre Johnson of FAB 50 No. 6 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) repeats as second five honoree. Johnson was last season’s national junior of the year at Lake Highlands (Garland, Texas).

There are three players off last season’s 30-player second team who earned All-American status, including Rutgers-bound first five choice Dylan Harper of FAB 50 No. 19 Don Bosco Tech (Ramsey, N.J.), a scoring guard that challenged Flagg for Mr. Basketball USA honors. Two second team repeaters helped Montverde Academy make history with four All-Americans choices off this year’s roster, the first time ever one program has had more than three players honored not only in the last 30 years, but including our retroactive picks dating back to the 1954-55 season.

UCONN-bound Liam McNeeley averaged 12.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.9 apg and 1.1 spg while shooting 46 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line for the FAB 50 champions. Meanwhile, Baylor-bound point guard Rob Wright averaged 12.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 6.0 apg and 1.2 spg while shooting 42.8 percent from 3-point range on a team that not only included the eventual Mr. Basketball USA choice, but another first five performer in Maryland-bound Derik Queen.

All underclassmen are eligible for All-American Elite Team selection. No sophomore was selected and in 30 seasons of publishing annual All-American teams (plus the retroactive teams), no freshman has ever made the first team.

Our national coach of the year is Jim Baker of Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.). The Vikings finished No. 12 in the FAB 50 and own the nation's longest winning streak at 65 games.

National Grassroots Editor Ronnie Flores selects this performance-based All-American team with input from Mr. Basketball USA panelists. It is chosen after the conclusion of the season, which makes the All-American Elite team more reflective of players who made state championship runs.
This honors squad has been chosen in its current format since the 1994-95 season and is powered by www.ebooksnet.com for the tenth consecutive season. This team is chosen regardless of class and is not exclusive or preferential to seniors chosen for national all-star games.

2023-24 All-American First Team

First Five

G — Dylan Harper, Don Bosco Tech (Ramsey, N.J.) 6-4 Sr.
One of four juniors to make the second team in 2022-23, one left for college early, two repeated and Harper catapulted to serious national player of the year candidate as a result of a monster season that included individual and team success. The powerful guard averaged 22.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 2.7 apg for a team that captured the New Jersey Non-Public A state title with a 29-3 record. Harper went for 38 points and eight rebounds in the North Jersey Non-Public A title game for a team that finished No. 19 in the FAB 50. With his size, change of pace and explosiveness, Harper was the most dominant guard in the country and displayed his talent in the post-seasons all-star games. He was named co-MVP of the McDonald's All American Game with 22 points and five assists. He also made the game-winning shot in the Jordan Brand Classic and finished with a game-high 30 points. His production led him to two first-place votes in the Mr. Basketball USA Tracker and 86 points, second only to eventual honoree Cooper Flagg. He will join fellow first five selection Ace Bailey at Rutgers.

F — Cooper Flagg, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 6-9 Sr.
Even though he only put up modest numbers last season (9.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.2 bpg) it was readily apparent he was one of the nation’s best players as a sophomore for the nation’s No. 2 team. Flagg re-classed up to the 2024 class and took his game one step further as a senior, leading an unbeaten club that was expected to be the nation’s best to the FAB 50 title with a 33-0 record. Flagg led a team that recorded 24 wins over ranked teams by dominating with his defensive prowess and shot-making ability. After becoming only the third sophomore to earn first or second five All-American honors in the last ten years, Flagg received eight of 10 first place votes to become Montverde Academy’s fifth Mr. Basketball in 10 seasons. For the season, Flagg averaged 16.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.7 bpg and 1.6 spg while being named EYBL Scholastic League Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. ??*

F — Airious Bailey, McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 6-9 Sr.
Put it all together in a memorable senior season that saw him lead the Indians to a 26-6 mark and No. 24 FAB 50 ranking. Some recruiting experts feel “Ace” has the best long-term potential of any senior, and his production wasn’t too shabby, either. Against rugged competition, Bailey averaged 32.5 ppg, 15.5 rpg, 3.5 apg and 2.4 bpg. He not only finished as a top five vote-getter in the Mr. Basketball USA Tracker, he was named Georgia Mr. Basketball by sandysspiel.com. Headed to Rutgers along with good friend and fellow first five selection Dylan Harper, Bailey was named a McDonald’s All-American and also participated in the Nike Hoop Summit, where he recorded 14 points and six rebounds for Team USA.

F — Cameron Boozer, Columbus (Miami, Fla.) 6-9 Jr.
Already named National Junior Player of the Year, Boozer didn’t repeat as Mr. Basketball USA, but he was one of four players to appear on all ten final ballots of the Mr. Basketball USA Tracker. It’s nearly impossible to meet expectations after becoming the first sophomore ever to earn national player of the year honors, but Boozer was just as dominant as a junior. He led the Explorers to their third consecutive FHSAA Class 7A state title and No. 2 final FAB 50 ranking. Columbus couldn’t get over the hump vs. Montverde Academy in two attempts, but did beat No. 3 Paul VI (Va.). Boozer had 14 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, four blocks and three steals vs. Paul IV, 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals in the first game vs. MVA and 29 points and seven rebounds in the second contest. For the season, Boozer averaged 22.2 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, and 2.1 bpg while shooting 62 percent from the field (234-378), 41 percent from the 3-point line (43-105) and 82 percent from the free throw line (155-188). He has a chance next season to become the first three-time first five choice since LeBron James in 2001-2003.

C — Derik Queen, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 6-9 Sr.
This year’s MVA team will ultimately be compared to the program’s 2019-20 juggernaut, and for the second time in five seasons, the Eagles place two players on the first five. That season, Mr. Basketball USA Cade Cunningham was complimented by Scottie Barnes, who did a bit of everything for one of the best teams of all-time. Before that duo, you have to go all the way back to 1974-75 with future NBA players David Greenwood and Roy Hamilton at Verbum Dei (Los Angeles) to find a pair of teammates selected first five Elite All-Americans. Queen was this team’s Swiss-Army-Knife in that he could contribute in a variety of ways, but was also the Eagles’ leading scorer (16.4 ppg). With his unselfishness and dominance around the basket, the Maryland bound big man added 7.6 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg and just under a block per game for a 33-0 club. In displaying how important his role was, Queen shot 68.3 percent from the field (while only attempting three 3-pointers all season) and 79 percent from the free throw line. Many felt Queen was the most dominant player at the City of Palms and he also put forth a MVP performance at the McDonald's All-American Game with 23 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Second Five

G — Johnuel “Boogie” Fland, Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) 6-3 Sr.
?Highly regarded coming into high school, Fland produced each season and saved his best for last. With his speed and body control, Fland’s play-making ability from the lead guard was a sight to behold, as he was basically unstoppable in stretches and still unselfish. He led Stepinac to the New York Catholic League title, posting norms of 19.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.6 apg and 2.4 spg for the No. 18 team in the FAB 50. He had a 43-point, 11-rebound playoff game vs. rival Christ the King (Middle Village) and was named New York Mr. Basketball for his outstanding play. Fland was also named all-CHSAA for the third straight season and the Class AAA Player of the Year. He went for 17 points, five rebounds and three assists in his team’s comeback victory at the McDonald’s All-American Game.

G — V.J. Edgecombe, Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 6-5 Sr.
On a talented team that competed for the FAB 50 national title, Edgecombe was the leader on both ends of the floor and arguably the most talented two-guard in the country. With his shot making ability and spectacular defensive plays that often included clutch steals or a highlight block, Edgecombe led LuHi to a second place finish in the EYBL Scholastic League with a 10-2 mark and No. 4 finish in the FAB 50. He was named first team all-league for the second consecutive season and finished with norms of 17.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.0 apg and 2.3 spg. Bound for Baylor, Edgecomb scored 17 points for the World Team at the Nike Hoop Summit.

G — Tre Johnson, Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) 6-5 Sr.
If V.J. Edgecombe is not the top off-guard in the country, then Johnson surely is. His sweet-shooting touch was on full display at the McDonald’s All-American Game, where he knocked down 5-of-7 3-pointers and had 17 points. One of the toughest checks in the country and a repeat second five choice, both Johnson and Edgecombe appeared on five of 10 ballots in the final Mr. Basketball USA voting. After earning National Junior Player of the Year honors at Lake Highlands (Garland, Texas) last season, Johnson led Link Academy to a berth in Chipotle Nationals, where it defeated Prolific Prep in the first round of the event and finished 26-7. Johnson, bound for Texas, averaged a team-high 15.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 3.6 apg for the No. 6 team in the FAB 50. He finished the season shooting 39 percent from 3-point range and 89.1 percent from the free throw line.

F — A.J. Dybantsa, Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) 6-7 Jr.
On a talent-laden team with three McDonald’s All-American choices, it was the highly-regarded junior that was the team’s leading player. He was listed as a freshman in 2022-23, but re-classified into the 2025 class in the off-season and some feel he’s the best overall prospect not only in the class, but regardless of class. Prolific Prep battled injuries to many of its best players, but Dybansta was the most consistent, and dynamic player, capable of carrying the team or turning around a big game with his vast offensive arsenal. Originally from Brockton, Mass., Dybansta led a 33-6 team that finished No. 7 in the FAB 50 and only lost two games at full strength. He joined Cameron Boozer as the only two juniors to appear on every ballot of the Mr. Basketball USA Tracker after finishing with a team-high 21.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg (also team-high) and 3.5 apg.

C — Flory Bidunga, Kokomo (Ind.) 6-10 Sr.
After being the second leading vote-getter on the Indiana A.P. All-State team as a junior, he was named Mr. Basketball of the state as a senior, out-distancing Purdue-bound guard Jack Better of Brownstown Central in points, 198-122. Bidunga also tied for No. 8 on the final Mr. Basketball USA Tracker with fellow second teamer Tre Johnson and moves up from the third five as a junior when he led the Wildkats to their first state title game appearance since 1989. This season, the McDonald’s All-American selection averaged 19.0 ppg, 12.9 rpg, 3.2 apg and 4.4 bpg in leading Kokomo to the Class 4A regional finals. Bidunga is not only a terrific defender and shot blocker, he’s one of the most efficient offensive players in high school basketball history. After making 81 percent (207-263) of his shots from the field as a junior, he converted 236-of-290 shots (81.4 percent) as a senior and shot 80.3 percent from the field in his three-year career. The Congo native was a two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year and finished his career with 1,609 points, 1,132 rebounds and 402 blocked shots. Bidunga posted six triple doubles, including three as a senior, and 49 double-doubles the past two seasons.

Third Five

G — Travis Perry, Lyon County (Eddyville, Ky.) 6-2 Sr.
Not only is Perry one of the most accomplished players on this year’s Elite team, he’s now a Bluegrass Folk Hero after leading Lyon County to a Sweet 16 title and No. 47 FAB 50 ranking. He led a program where 277 students attend the school to a 36-3 mark and scored 27 points in the state title game to earn Sweet 16 MVP honors. For the season, the future Kentucky Wildcat averaged 29.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 5.0 apg, and 3.9 spg while earning state Mr. Basketball honors while receiving 91 of 124 first-place votes. His career numbers are mind boggling, as Perry began playing with his Lyon County teammates in second grade and joined the varsity in seventh grade. Perry scored 5,481 points in 201 career games, while scoring in double figures in 196 of those games with four of those five single-digit games coming before ninth grade. He also made career 712 3-pointers.

G — Trent Perry, Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) 6-4 Sr.
Emotional leader and clutch play-maker for a team that won CIF section and state crowns and finished No. 8 in the FAB 50. Perry actually led Harvard-Westlake to back-to-back CIF open crowns and averaged 18 ppg, 6 rpg, 5.8 apg and 1.2 spg as a senior for a 33-3 club. Even more than his averages, Perry was clutch for the Wolverines in their biggest games, as he had a open division record 10 assists in the 2023 CIF state final vs. Santa Maria St. Joseph to go along with 16 points and eight rebounds, while scoring his team’s last six points after trialing 45-44, in this season’s state final. Perry was named California Mr. Basketball for his efforts and was this season’s CIFSS Open Division Player of the Year. He’s a two-time all-state choice and two-time Mission League Player of the Year. The UCLA recruit led led Harvard-Westlake to a 108-15 mark against rugged competition and is headed for UCLA.

F — Isaiah Evans, North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) 6-7 Sr.
?In a strong year for teams and individual talent in North Carolina, Evans stood out among the best players, earning state player of the year honors from the N.C. Basketball Coaches Association. He’s one of the country’s most dynamic talents and offensive players, capable of carrying his team when necessary. He led North Meck to a 30-3 mark and the NCHSAA Class 4A title and along the way scored a season-high 48 points, including 21 consecutive in the third period, in a state quarterfinal victory over FAB 50 ranked Myers Park (Charlotte). For the season, the Duke recruit averaged 27.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.2 apg and 2.3 spg and was selected top play in the McDonald’s, Jordan Brand and Nike Hoop Summit all-star games.

F — Darren Harris, Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) 6-5 Sr.
His resume is much like his PVI teammate last year, Deshawn Smith-Harris, who was also a third five selection. Harris was MVP of the prestigious Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) and led his team to the VISAA D1 state title (its third straight) as well as the WCAC regular season (15-0) and tourney title. This team was expected to compete for a FAB 50 title and did, advancing to the Chipotle Nationals title game with Harris leading the way by averaging 24.0 ppg, including 36 in the first round win over IMG Academy. For the season, Harris averaged 17.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.1 apg and 2.0 spg for one of the most balanced and talent-laden teams in the country. He’ll join Mr. Basketball USA Cooper Flagg and fellow first team All-Americans Isaiah Evans and Kon Knueppel at Duke.

F — Koa Peat, Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) 6-8 Jr.
A repeat third five selection, Peat has a terrific chance to supplant 1996 Mr. Basketball USA Mike Bibby as the most accomplished player the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) has ever produced. The AIA open division started in Peat’s sophomore season and he scored 35 points in the title game win over Sunnyslope of Phoenix. In this season’s open title game, he went for 21 points, 13 rebounds and four assists to help his team overcome a 17-point deficit to defeat Millennium (Goodyear). Perry won the Class 6A crown in 2021-22 and is 14-0 in the playoffs the past three seasons with this powerful forward in the lineup. He’s already been a two-time Gatorade State POY and enters his senior season with 1,649 points. Peat, also an accomplished player for USA Basketball who will look to earn a third gold medal later this summer at the FIBA 17U World Cup, posted season averages of 20.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 3.4 apg, and 2.2 bpg as Perry finished 24-6 and No. 22 in the FAB 50.

Fourth Five

G — Mercy Miller, Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 6-3 Sr.
This sweet shooting guard received plenty of attention during the season for his lack of respect in national player rankings, even though he’s the son of a celebrity (rap mogul Master P). He’s been on our radar for years as a talented prospect and put it all together in a monster senior season in which he became the first Notre Dame player to score 1,000 points or more in a season. Miller was one of the nation’s best two-guard scorers (28.8 ppg), an instinctual rebounder (9.3 rpg) and unselfish in knowing when to get teammates involved or take over a game. Despite facing defenses that sold out to stop him, Miller was at his best in big games, and in any five-game sample from Notre Dame’s 31-4 season Miller's averages would be nearly identical to his season averages, including the eight state ranked teams the Knights faced. Miller had 29 points in the win over state No. 1 Harvard-Westlake and 33 in the loss in the Mission League final to the same team and was considered the runner-up for state Mr. Basketball to third five pick Trent Perry. After leading Notre Dame to the CIF Southern Section D1 crown, he was named his section’s D1 Player of the Year and chosen to the L.A. Times All-Star Team. He’s headed to Houston.

G — Meleek Thomas, Lincoln Park Performing Arts (Midland, Pa.) 6-3 Jr.
A repeat fourth five selection, Thomas’ season was on par with what he accomplished as a sophomore: fantastic outings for a 27-3 team that finished No. 19 in the East Region Top 20. A top five recruit in his class, many in West Pennsylvania are hoping he joins his good friend and teammate Brandin Cummings at Pitt. As a sophomore, Thomas was named Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Player of the Year and this season he and Cummings (22.8 ppg) shared the honor after leading Lincoln Park to back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A titles. Known for his competitive nature and clutch play, Thomas averaged 22.7 points and 10.4 rebounds for a team that won its last 20 games. Cummings (who averaged 29.8 ppg in the PIAA playoffs) finished with 2,224 career points, while Thomas enters his senior season with 1,750.

F — Kon Knueppel, Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.) 6-6 Sr.
Led his team to a perfect 30-0 mark and No. 10 FAB 50 ranking by getting teammates involved or taking over when he had to. Knueppel saved this best for last, posing 11 points and 11 assists in the WIAA D2 state title game win over three-time defending state champ Pewaukee. For the season, Knueppel averaged 25.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg and 5.3 apg and was named WBCA state Mr. Basketball in the process. For his career, Knueppel racked up 1,978 points, 808 rebounds and 398 assists, while Wisconsin Lutheran posted a 99-11 four-year mark. Knueppel is part of a Duke recruiting class that includes four first team selections, including Mr. Basketball USA Cooper Flagg.

F — Morez Johnson, Thorton (Harvey, Ill.) 6-9 Sr.
One of the nation’s most dominant interior players, Johnson made the most of his only season in a Wildcats’ uniform, leading Thorton to a 29-5 mark and the Class 3A Super-Sectionals. Johnson produced each night despite defenses geared to stop him, posting 29 double-doubles. He finished the seasons with norms of 17.2 ppg, 14.1 rpg, 3.5 apg, 3.4 bpg and 2.6 spg. For his efforts, Johnson was named Gatorade State POY and voted state Mr. Basketball by coaches and the media. This season was the third time he was named a first team IBCA all-state selection, with the first two all-state nods coming at St. Rita of Chicago. He had eight points, four rebounds and blocked a shot off the bench for Team USA in the Nike Hoop Summit.

C — Caleb Wilson, Holy Innocents (Atlanta, Ga.) 6-9 Jr.
One of the top 2025 prospects in the country, Wilson is a versatile talent who had a breakout junior campaign. Wilson can dominate the game in various fashions and is capable of triple-doubles with assists or blocked shots in any game he plays. For the season, Wilson averaged 20.8 ppg, 14.6 rpg, 4.7 apg and 4.4 bpg for a Holy Innocents team that finished 26-7 as the Class AAAA runner-ups. For his efforts, Wilson was named first five all-Georgia and the Class AAAA Player of the Year.

2023-24 All-American Second Team

G — Darius Acuff, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 6-2 Jr.
G — Jalil Bethea, Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) 6-4 Sr.
G — Brayden Burries, Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) 6-5 Jr.
F — K. Annor Boateng, Central (Little Rock, Ark.) 6-5 Sr.
F — Jacob Cofie, Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) 6-9 Sr.
G — Brandin Cummings, Lincoln Park Performing Arts (Midland, Pa.) 6-3 Sr.
F — Donnie Freeman, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 6-8 Sr.
G — Gicarri Harris, Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 6-4 Sr.
F — Matthew Hodge, St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.) 6-8 Sr.
F — Jaxon Johnson, Alta (Sandy, Utah) 6-9 Sr.
F — Jamier Jones, Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) 6-6 Jr.
F — Ryan Jones Jr., The Rock (Gainesville, Fla.) 6-8 Sr.
G — Cooper Lewis, Lehi (Utah) 6-2 Sr.
F — Jackson McAndrew, Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) 6-9 Sr.
G — Trey McKenney, St. Mary’s Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 6-3 Jr.
F — Liam McNeeley, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 6-7 Sr.
G — Paul McNeil, Richmond Senior (Rockingham, N.C.) 6-5
G — Juni Mobley, Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 6-0 Sr.
F — Josiah Moseley, Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas) 6-8 Sr.
F — Trent Noah, Harlan County (Baxter, Ky.) 6-6 Sr.
G — Ahmad Nowell, Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 6-0 Sr.
G — Tahaad Pettiford, Hudson Catholic (Jersey City, N.J.) 5-11 Sr.
G — Labaron Philon, Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) 6-4 Sr.
F — Billy Richmond, Camden (N.J.) 6-6 Sr.
F — Cameron Scott, Lexington (S.C.) 6-6 Sr.
C — Thomas Sorber, Archbishop Ryan (Philadelphia, Pa.) 6-9 Sr.
F — Bryson Tucker, Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) 6-6 Sr.
F — Dylan Warlick, Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 6-6 Sr.
G —Robert Wright II, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 6-1 Sr.
F — Tounde Yessoufou, St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.) 6-5 Jr.

Note: ESPN selections 2010-2012; EA SPORTS selections 2003-2009; Student Sports selections prior to 2003; Selections are based on high school accomplishment, not future college/pro potential, and are reflective of those that lead their teams to state championships. The editors of www.ebooksnet.com do not knowingly select fifth-year players, and those ineligible due to age or academics, Mr. Basketball USA or to its various All-American teams.

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 2023-24 High School All-American Elite Team appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Cooper Flagg Named Mr. Basketball USA!

Ronnie Flores — Fri, 03 May 2024 16:02:05 +0000

Duke-bound small forward from FAB 50 national champ Montverde Academy (Fla.) makes history in being named 2024 Mr. Basketball USA by www.ebooksnet.com. The spectacular all-around talent originally from Maine is the fifth honoree for the nation's highest individual high school basketball honor from Montverde Academy in the past 10 seasons. Flagg is joined by five other national player of the year candidates on all 10 ballots in the final Mr. Basketball USA Tracker balloting. The first Mr. Basketball USA Tracker was conducted in 2008, the first real time choice came in 1996 and our retroactive picks date back to 1955.

Elite high school talent plays great, no matter the situation or program. Some elite talents are fortunate to play with other good talent around them, while others must carry lesser teams. In today's environment, a great talent will be found and promoted on social media, so it's rare when a great talent goes unappreciated.

For Cooper Flagg of Montverde Academy (Fla.), his unique talents coincide with his unique situation on the nation's best team. He starred with a group of players who were All-Americans in their own right, the Eagles started off No. 1 in the FAB 50 and were expected to dominate the 2023-24 high school scene. The team didn't skip a beat, finishing 33-0 and their individual talents were recognized by the 10-man Mr. Basketball USA Tracker panel.

It could be easy to overlook individual brilliance on a team as talented as Montverde Academy, or to dismiss the success as simply stock-piling talent, but no less than four MVA players received recognition as national player of the year candidates. On a team with plenty of stars and in a year with plenty of viable candidates, Flagg stood out, topping the voting in the final tracker, and today is honored with the title of 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA.

"Cooper is not just a great player, he's an infectious leader with a work ethic and an approach that separates him from all players in his class," said Montverde Academy coach Kevin Boyle. "Cooper doesn't play basketball to score points or be popular; this kid plays the game to win and be a champion. There's no one like Cooper Flagg."

Flagg did have an abundance of talent around him and that is reflected in the final voting. Maryland-bound teammate Derik Queen finished sixth in the voting while appearing on eight of 10 ballots. UConn-bound wing Liam McNeeley and point guard Curtis Givens also were among 31 candidates who received recognition for the production-based national player of the year honor selected by Ballislife's 10-man panel of national scouts. Flagg was one of four candidates to appear on all ten ballots, an unusually high number at the end of the season.

Montverde Academy only had three games decided by single-digits, yet defeated 24 teams that were FAB 50 ranked at some point during the season, as individually Flagg met every challenge and performed well on the big stage. For the season, the Duke commit averaged 16.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.7 bpg and 1.6 spg, while shooting 54.7 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from 3-point range. At Chipotle Nationals, Flagg averaged 20.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg in three victories and blocked six shots in the title game win over No. 3 Paul VI (Va.).

"Flagg is the best 'player/prospect' out of the U.S. high school ranks in many years, perhaps since Anthony Davis," said panel member and U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Famer Frank Burlison. "He has the ability to be a dominant college player in every aspect of the game in what will be his only college season."

Flagg is the fourth Duke-bound Mr. Basketball USA, joining 1985 honoree Danny Ferry, 2018 choice RJ Barrett and Dariq Whitehead for the 2021-22 season. He is the fifth honoree from Montverde Academy in the past 10 seasons, joining Ben Simmons in 2015, Barrett, Cade Cunningham in 2020 and Whitehead. Boyle has now coached six national players of the year, as Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was the choice in Boyle's final season at St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) in 2010-11.

"Cooper understands the expectations that have been built around him and in his two years at Montverde, his skillset has developed to an advanced level," Boyle said. "Most of all the kid's success stems from his ability to compartmentalize and mentally prepare for the biggest moments, better than anyone."

Not only was Cooper able to separate himself from a crowded pack, what made this year's Mr. Basketball USA race so unique is that Flagg re-classified up during the off-season and last season's honoree, Cameron Boozer of Columbus (Miami, Fla.) was returning for his junior campaign after becoming the first tenth-grader ever to earn Mr. Basketball USA honors.

Flagg was a second five All-American Elite team selection as a tenth-grader, while Boozer earned top honors. Despite Boozer having another terrific campaign, Flagg's combination of talent and team success was the difference. Boozer was one of the four players to appear on all ten ballots, tallying 78 total points, but zero first place votes. He did receive two second-place and six third-place votes after averaging 22.2 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.1 bpg while shooting 62 percent from the field (234-378), 41 percent from the 3-point line (43-105) and 82 percent from the free throw line (155-188) for a team that won its third consecutive FHSAA Class 7A state title and finished No. 2 in the FAB 50.

"The gap between Boozer and Flagg as a 'prospect/player' is much slimmer than that between he and anyone below Boozer on my list, with each of 3-thru-10 almost interchangeable, depending on the time of day," Burlison said. "Almost “underrated” now – as crazy as that sounds – because of the elevation of the national perspective over the past year or so of Flagg and A.J. Dybansta."

Flagg tallied eight first place votes (10 points each), one second and one fourth place vote for his 96 total points. Only one other candidate received a first place vote, as Rutgers-bound point guard Dylan Harper received the other two that Flagg didn't receive after leading Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) to the New Jersey Non-Public A state title and No. 19 FAB 50 ranking with a 29-3 record. Harper closed strong, as he was named co-MVP of the McDonald's All American Game with 22 points and five assists and made the game-winning shot at the Jordan Brand Classic, finishing with a game-high 30 points.

The other prospect to appear in all 10 final ballots was another elite player who re-classed up in the off-season. A.J. Dybansta of Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) is another super junior who could challenge Boozer for the most prestigious production-based honor in high school basketball in 2024-25. As this year clearly proved, each season is its own entity and the process will start all over again with a clean slate for each player once the 2024-25 season commences.

As far as 2023-24 goes, it's impossible to deny Flagg's talent and the impact it had on his team not tasting defeat from start to finish.

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

Rank	Prev.	Name	High School	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
1	1	Cooper Flagg (10)	Montverde Academy (FL)	8	1	0	1	96
2	3	Dylan Harper (10)	Don Bosco Prep (NJ)	2	4	2	1	86
3	2	Cam Boozer (10)	Columbus (FL)	0	2	6	0	78
4	5T	A.J. Dybansta (10)	Prolific Prep (CA)	0	1	0	2	55
5	7	Ace Bailey (9)	McEachern (GA)	0	1	1	1	50
6	12	Derik Queen (8)	Link Academy (MO)	0	1	0	1	40
7	8	V.J. Edgecombe (5)	Long Island Lutheran (NY)	0	0	1	0	24
8T	4	Flory Budunga (3)	Kokomo (IN)	0	0	0	0	15
8T	7	Tre Johnson (5)	Link Academy (MO)	0	0	0	0	15
10	18T	Boogie Fland (3)	Archbishop Stepinac (NY)	0	0	0	0	11
11T	NR	Donnie Freeman (2)	IMG Academy (FL)	0	0	0	0	8
11T	NR	Darren Harris (2)	Paul VI (VA)	0	0	0	0	8
13T	NR	Trent Perry (1)	Harvard-Westlake (CA)	0	0	0	1	7
13T	16T	Meleek Thomas (1)	Lincoln (PA)	0	0	0	1	7
15T	10	Koa Peat (2)	Perry (AZ)	0	0	0	0	6
15T	NR	D.J. Hall (1)	Plano East (TX)	0	0	0	0	6
17	NR	Isaiah Evans (1)	North Mecklenburg (NC)	0	0	0	0	5
18T	NR	Brayden Burries (2)	Roosevelt (CA)	0	0	0	0	4
18T	9	Ian Jackson (3)	Our Savior (NY)	0	0	0	0	4
18T	NR	Brandon McCoy (1)	St. John Bosco (CA)	0	0	0	0	4
21T	NR	Curtis Givens (1)	Montverde Academy (FL)	0	0	0	0	3
21T	11	Derrion Reid (1)	Prolific Prep (CA)	0	0	0	0	3
21T	NR	Tyran Stokes (1)	Prolific Prep (CA)	0	0	0	0	3
21T	NR	Tounde Yessoufou (1)	St. Joseph (CA)	0	0	0	0	3
25T	NR	Jahlil Bethea (1)	Archbishop Wood (PA)	0	0	0	0	2
25T	NR	K. Annor Boateng (1)	Little Rock Central (AR)	0	0	0	0	2
27T	NR	Kon Knueppel (1)	Wisconsin Lutheran (WI)	0	0	0	0	1
27T	NR	Brannon Martinsen (1)	Mater Dei (CA)	0	0	0	0	1
27T	NR	Liam McNeely (1)	Montverde Academy (FL)	0	0	0	0	1
27T	NR	Mercy Miller (1)	Notre Dame (CA)	0	0	0	0	1
27T	NR	Josiah Mosely (1)	Stony Point (TX)	0	0	0	0	1

2022-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker Panel

Paul Biancardi, ESPN National Director of Basketball Recruiting
Frank Burlison, BurlisonOnBasketball.com Publisher
Van Coleman, Nothing But Net Magazine
Jordan Divens, Maxpreps.com National Basketball Editor
Ronnie Flores, www.ebooksnet.com National Grassroots Editor
Chris Lawlor, Blue Star Media National Analyst
Horace Neysmith, AllMetroHoops.com
Patrick Stanwood, Patrick Stanwood Basketball
Dinos Trigonis, Fullcourt Press Editor & Publisher
Ani Umana, 5StateHoopReport.com

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

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

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

The post Cooper Flagg Named Mr. Basketball USA! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Final 2023-24 FAB 50: MVA Wins Chipotle Nationals!

Ronnie Flores — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 07:33:51 +0000

Chipotle Nationals closed out the 2023-24 season and it's now time to publish our final FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com. Montverde Academy of Florida captured the tournament title to go wire-to-wire No. 1, with the results of the event involving eight teams causing some movement within the Top 20.

By Ronnie Flores

The big question heading into 2024 Chipotle Nationals was if any team could seriously challenge season-long FAB 50 No. 1 Montverde Academy of Florida. The Eagles were facing as talented a crop of teams the program has ever faced in the end-of-season event that has been played for 16 years. The Eagles were also facing seven potential teams, all ranked within the top 14 of the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com prior to the start of the event, that they beat at least once earlier in the season.

There is an old saying it's hard to beat a good team twice, but the battle tested and top seeded Eagles won three games at Brownsburg (Ind.) to capture the event title for the seventh time in the last 11 times the event was held. Montverde Academy's 79-63 victory over No. 2 seeded and FAB 50 No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) makes the Eagles the official 2023-24 FAB 50 National Champs.

Many veteran onlookers felt Paul VI was the best bet to upset Montverde Academy, but the all-around brilliance of Duke-bound Cooper Flagg and the shot making ability of LSU-bound Curtis Givens was the difference in the championship contest. Flagg, the leading Mr. Basketball USA candidate, was named tourney MVP after scoring 16 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and blocking six shots versus Paul VI. In Montverde Academy's three victories, Flagg averaged 20.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg and had only blocked one shot in the first two games before his big defensive performance in the final.

Montverde Academy led 45-32 at halftime, as both Givens and Flagg hit big field goals right before intermission. Whenever Paul VI looked to make a run, Givens would hit a big 3-pointer to play the role of rally-killer. Flagg's block and run out dunk right before the third period buzzer which gave his team a 60-46 lead summarized the game and the event. No matter what any team tried to do, Montverde Academy had an answer.

Givens finished with 24 points, including 6-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. Also making a big impact as a matchup nightmare was Maryland-bound forward Derik Queen. He used his big body, passing ability and uncanny moves around the basket to finish with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists. Queen, who averaged 16.3 ppg and 6.7 rpg at the event, should also be considered a Mr. Basketball USA candidate.

"In almost 40 years of coaching this year's team was as close has any I’ve ever had both on and off the court," Montverde Academy head coach Kevin Boyle told www.ebooksnet.com. "They won seven games versus nationally-ranked top five teams and 14 versus nationally-ranked top ten teams. They are in the conversation as the greatest team of all-time and clearly along with Montverde Academy 2020, Dunbar 1983, Oak Hill Academy 1993 and Montverde 2018 one of the five best teams of all- time."

The big ranking decision coming out of the event was one to move up Paul VI one spot to No. 2 as the runner-up or leave Columbus (Miami, Fla.) in that spot after the Explorers fell in the semifinals to Montverde Academy, 84-70. Even though Paul VI advanced one round further at Chipotle Nationals, the Panthers lost a head-to-head matchup to Columbus, 70-61, at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Massachusetts, so the Explorers remain at No. 2. Although Columbus did fall behind big early in its game with MVA just as it did in the first meeting between the two, MVA's victory margins over the Explorers and the Panthers were in similar range that a rankings flip to go against the head-to-head result was unwarranted.

Flagg finished with 28 points in the win over Columbus while Queen added 16 points and six rebounds. Cameron Boozer, last season's Mr. Basketball USA as a sophomore, led Columbus with 29 points (3-of-11 3-point) and seven rebounds.

Paul VI knocked off then No. 11 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) in its semifinal, 58-44, as Duke-bound Darren Harris led the way with 20 points. Harris also scored a team-high 16 points in the championship final loss to Montverde Academy and had 36 points (5-of-9 3-point) in the 101-89 first round win over then No. 14 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.). Link Academy is able to move up five spots after defeating then No. 6 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), 80-76 in double overtime, in the first round. Link Academy and Prolific Prep split games this season, but with Link Academy avenging the regular season loss, it finishes ranked one spot ahead of The Crew from Napa, Calif.

In its first round victory, Montverde Academy took down then No. 12 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.), 64-49, as Flagg had 16 points while Queen finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.

This is Montverde Academy's third FAB 50 national title team to finish unbeaten, joining the already legendary 2020 team that didn't get the opportunity to compete in Chipotle Nationals because of COVID-19 and the 2018 team. The 2018 team also went wire-to-wire as FAB 50 No. 1 team just as this year's close knit group did.

For Montverde Academy, the program has now finished No. 1 in the FAB 50 seven times, which ties Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) for the most all-time FAB 50 national titles. We'll have more detail on that achievement and this year's MVA team in our annual "Salute to All-Time FAB 50 No. 1 Teams".

There was also some movement in the final rankings after we reviewed the entire season log for each team that we'll explain in our Final, Expanded FAB 50 Rankings with detail on each team.

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

(16th and final poll of 2023-24 regular season; Through games played on Saturday, April 6; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

No.	Prev.	High School (City)	Record
1	1	Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)	33-0
2	2	Columbus (Miami, Fla.)	28-5
3	3	Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.)	35-3
4	5	Plano East (Plano, Texas)	40-0
5	4	Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)	21-5
6	11	Link Academy (Branson, Mo.)	26-7
7	6	Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.)	33-6
8	7	Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.)	33-3
9	9	Fishers (Fishers, Ind.)	29-1
10	9	Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.)	30-0
11	13	Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas)	38-2
12	8	Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.)	33-0
13	20	Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.)	31-4
14	15	St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.)	29-2
15	26	Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.)	27-4
16	12	AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.)	27-6
17	14	IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)	18-9
18	16	Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.)	26-4
19	17	Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)	29-3
20	18	St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)	27-1
21	19	Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.)	27-2
22	21	Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.)	24-6
23	22	Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)	30-2
24	23	McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.)	26-6
25	24	North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.)	30-3
26	26	Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.)	27-3
27	27	John Marshall (Richmond, Va.)	25-3
28	28	Bullis (Potomac, Md.)	27-3
29	29	Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.)	27-4
30	30	Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)	28-6
31	31	St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)	28-7
32	32	Salesian (Richmond, Calif.)	31-2
33	33	La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.)	23-5
34	34	Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.)	27-7
35	35	Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.)	28-4
36	36	Camden (Camden, N.J.)	30-2
37	37	Kell (Marietta, Ga.)	28-3
38	38	Homewood Flossmor (Flossmor, Ill.)	33-4
39	39	Reidsville (Reidsville, N.C.)	29-0
40	40	Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.)	26-3
41	41	St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio)	26-3
42	42	Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.)	25-5
43	43	Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.)	27-2
44	44	Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.)	33-3
45	45	Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.)	27-1
46	46	Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)	29-6
47	47	Lyon County (Eddyville, Ky.)	36-3
48	48	Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas)	34-4
49	49	Northwest (Shawnee Mission, Kan.)	25-0
50	50	Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.)	36-2

Dropped Out: None.

Editor's Note: No bubble clubs are included in the final FAB 50, as the final 2023-24 Top 20 Regional Rankings include all the teams considered for the bubble.

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 24 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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Chipotle Nationals: Can Anyone Beat Montverde Academy?

Ronnie Flores — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 01:15:17 +0000

Will Chipotle Nationals be a coronation for the No. 1 team in the FAB 50 National Team Rankings? Or will another ranked squad in the eight-team field give the Eagles a serious run for their money? We give a quick breakdown of the matchups and some insight to Chipotle Nationals (formerly known as GEICO Nationals).

The program at Montverde Academy in Florida has won Chipotle Nationals, the end of-season tournament founded in 2009 when it was known as the ESPN RISE National High School Invitational, a record six times. The program, which will make its record 13th appearance this April, won the event in 2013-15, 2018, 2021-22. Those years do not coincide with the years Montverde Academy captured its six FAB 50 national titles. That’s because in 2020, the program put together its best team, only to be denied a chance for a coronation at the event because the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 version of the event never took place.

In 2022, Kevin Boyle’s Eagles won the event for the sixth time, downing Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) in the title game, 60-49. That season, however, MVA finished No. 2 in the FAB 50 behind Duncanville (Texas), which beat them in a head-to-head matchup on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Panthers junior guard Aric Demings.

Many fans and scribes felt the 2020 event would be a coronation for that Cade Cunningham-Scottie Barnes led club that defeated its foes, including 12 FAB 50 ranked teams, by 39.0 ppg, one of the largest winning margins among elite high school basketball programs we’ve covered over the years. This year’s unit, which has another terrific starting five led by Mr. Basketball USA candidates Cooper Flagg (Duke) and Derik Queen (Maryland) and three other players who were serious McDonalds’ All-American candidates, hasn’t been that dominant in its winning margin, but some feel Chipotle Nationals (April 4-6 in Brownsburg, Ind.) is a coronation of sorts.

One aspect of its resume this year’s MVA club has over previous title teams, even the 2019-20 unit that will go down as one of the best in high school history, is its strength of schedule. Flagg, Queen, Liam McNeeley (Indiana) and company defeated a whopping 21 teams that have been FAB 50 ranked at some point during the regular season. Obviously that number could grow to 24 in this eight-team bracket. One interesting aspect of the field is Montverde Academy has beaten all seven of its potential opponents at this event, outscoring the other seven participants by nearly 15 ppg (the Eagles have beaten FAB 50 No. 4 Long Island Lutheran of New York and No. 6 Prolific Prep of California twice).

To answer the question, yes, Montverde Academy can be beat. There is just too much talent and familiarity within the teams in this field.

Will it be easy? No. Would it be an upset? Yes, but not a big one it that occurred after its first round game with FAB 50 No. 12 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.), the No. 8 seed. This AZ Compass Prep team is gritty and fearless. Led by junior (2025) guard Jeremiah Fears, it just doesn’t have the elite scoring talent the Eagles have across the board. MVA beat the Dragons, 58-46, in a December meeting in Las Vegas that was fairly competitive.

Whoever wins the No. 4 vs No. 5 seed quarterfinal matchup between Long Island Lutheran and FAB 50 No. 2 Columbus (Miami, Fla.), could potentially give MVA all it can handle in the semifinals. Columbus’ seeding really doesn’t match the quality of wins it has, even though Cameron Boozer and company have losses to unranked Wasatch Academy and No. 17 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), along with losses to No. 6 seed Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) and to Montverde Academy in a game that wasn’t very competitive (89-61). Columbus does have a win over No. 2 seed and FAB 50 No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) and over Long Island Lutheran (which lost to AZ Compass Prep).

Boozer, last year’s Mr. Basketball USA as a sophomore, his twin brother Cayden Boozer and Jase Richardson, a talented guard headed to Michigan St., played more cohesively over the last month of the season and are motivated to show the Explorers can play with Montverde, but beating Long Island Lutheran a second time won’t be an easy task. V.J. Edgecombe could have a breakout tournament and LuHi has plenty of depth, including standout juniors such as Kiyan Anthony, Nigel James, Jacob Ross and Kayden Mingo. Whoever survives that first round game should have plenty of confidence vs. Montverde Academy in a potential semifinal on April 5.

Last year, we felt Paul VI had a tough draw against Link Academy, the eventual Chipotle Nationals champ and FAB 50 No. 1 team. We felt whoever won that No. 4 vs. No. 5 quarterfinal matchup had a chance to win the whole tournament and Link ran the tables after a 68-65 win over the Panthers. This year, Paul VI is the No. 2 seed and could be even better. The Panthers return most of their cast, including Duke-bound Darren Harris, one of the better talents in this tournament. The individual numbers don’t do Harris justice on this deep and balanced team that could be the one that gives Montverde Academy all it can handle in the championship game.

Paul VI opens up with No. 7 seed IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), the lowest ranked team in the field (No. 14) which already has a loss to the Panthers. With junior guard Darius Acuff Jr., the Ascenders will always have a chance because of his penchant for scoring and play-making. In fact, he led the EYBL Scholastic League (which includes five Chipotle Nationals participants) in scoring at 21.3 ppg. The key to the No. 2 vs. No. 7 seed game will be if IMG Academy’s front court players, such as Donnie Freeman, can slow down Paul VI on the boards and keep the Panthers from second shot opportunities.

Montverde Academy has played in the most overall tournament games by far (26-6 record in 12 appearances), but No. 6 seed Link Academy actually has the best winning percentage in the event’s history (5-1) after advancing to the title game in 2022 in its first year of eligibility and winning it all last year. Coach Billy Armstrong will have his team ready in its matchup with No. 3 seed Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), a dangerous club that could win it all if it’s healthy and in sync. Link Academy has a legitimate Mr. Basketball USA candidate in Tre Johnson that could help the Lions pull off a minor upset against a team it has already lost to, 77-76, in the first game of the season super sophomore Tyran Stokes played for The Crew after missing the team's first nine games. During the middle portion of its schedule (nearly two months), McDonald’s All-American Derrion Reid was out with injury, but he’s an indispensable piece if Prolific Prep is to defeat Link Academy, potentially Paul VI and possibly meet Montverde Academy in the finals.

Nobody has played Montverde Academy tougher than Prolific Prep. Playing the Eagles tough, however, and beating this year’s team, are two different things. Montverde Academy’s unit knows what’s at stake in trying to live up to the lofty standards that previous MVA units set. The field, however, is as talented as it’s ever been and these teams know each other inside and out. Whoever emerges will be a worthy champion and if that is one of the top four seeds, it willl likely finish at No. 1 in the final FAB 50 on April 8.

Chipotle Nationals April 4 Lineup

No. 1 Montverde Academy (1) vs. No. 12 AZ Compass Prep (8), 8 pm ET
No. 4 Long Island Lutheran (4) vs. No. 2 Columbus (5), 4 pm ET
No. 6 Prolific Prep (3) vs. No. 11 Link Academy (6), 6 pm ET
No. 3 Paul VI (2) vs. No. No. 14 IMG Academy (7), 2 pm ET

Note: Seeds listed in parenthesis. All quarterfinal games televised on ESPNU. The semifinals on April 5 will be televised on ESPN2, as will the title game on April 6 (12 pm ET).

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 The Paint: Breaking Down 2024 McDAAG!

Ronnie Flores — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 09:33:33 +0000

The rosters for the 2024 McDonald's All-American Game were released on January 23 and the "In The Paint" Show broke it down in a special edition (Ep. 178) of its weekly podcast. The ITP crew goes hard on this year's McDonald's All-American selections. Did FAB 50 No. 1 Montverde Academy (Fla.) deserve to have more than three choices? The podcast also breaks down the trends, snubs, the college choices, and the future of the game.

McDonald's All-American Game Notes & Tidbits

*The 2024 game will be played at the Toyota Center in Houston, April 2 (9 pm ET, ESPN). The 2023 game was also played in Houston after the 2022 game was played at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.?

*The first recognized team in 1977 had 15 players and actually played against the DMV team in the Capital Classic, which began in 1974. The actual East vs. West format began in 1978 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia.

*Every NCAA championship team since 1978 has had a McDonald’s All-American on its roster except three: 2002 Maryland, 2014 UConn, 2021 Baylor.

*A majority of the teams that have finished No. 1 in the FAB 50 National Team Rankings or by the National Sports News Service before 1987-88 has had a McDonald’s All-American on the roster. The five mythical national championship teams that did not have a future McDonald’s All-American on its roster are: 2009-10 Yates (Houston, Texas), 1998-99 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 1994-95 St. Augustine (New Orleans, La.), 1985-86 Camden (N.J.) and 1985 Spingarn (Washington, D.C.). Five other teams didn’t have a senior McDonald’s All-American, but had a future one as an underclassmen: 2010-11 St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) with junior Kyle Anderson, 2004-05 Niagara Falls (N.Y.) with sophomore Johnny Flynn, 1999-00 Dominguez (Compton, Calif.) with junior Tyson Chandler, 1995-96 St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) with junior Anthony Perry and 1990-91 Simon Gratz (Philadelphia, Pa.) with sophomore Rasheed Wallace.

Programs with the Most McDonald’s All-Americans

35: Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of WIlson, Va.) 1980
17: Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), 2013
12: DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 1979
12: Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) 2016
11: IMG Academy (Brandenton, Fla.) 2017
10: Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 2009
8: St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 1984
7: Dunbar (Baltimore, Md.) 1983
7: Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 1984
6: Camden (N.J.) 1981
6: Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) 1978
6: Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 1995

Note: Program listed by first year team member selected. Findlay Prep and St. Anthony are now closed. The only Oak Hill Academy McDonald’s All-American selection who wasn’t coached by retired coach Steve Smith was Glen Mayers in 1980. In the past two seasons since he retired as head coach, Oak Hill Academy has not produced a McDonald's All-American. Oak Hill has had some notable players that would be considered snubs as well, most notably Rod Strickland in 1985 and Cam Thomas in 2020. ?

*IMG Academy has produced all of its All-Americans selections since 2016-17 and was the first program to have three players selected in the same year, when the 2019 FAB 50 No. 1 team produced Armando Bacot Jr., Josh Green and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. IMG Academy produced three players for a single game once again in 2022 with Jaden Bradley, Jarace Walker and Keyonte George. IMG Academy produced one selection this year in Syracuse-bound Donnie Freeman. That brings IMG's total to 11 selections in the past eight seasons. ?

*The 2020 FAB 50 title team at Montverde Academy also had three selections: Mr. Basketball USA Cade Cunningham, first five Elite All-American Scottie Barnes and forward Day'Ron Sharpe. This season, Montverde Academy once again has three players selected in Mr. Basketball USA candidates Cooper Flagg (Duke) and Derik Queen (one of three undecided players) and Indiana-bound Liam McNeeley. Montverde Academy has produced the second most McDonald's All-Americans by one program after Oak Hill Academy with 17. With Georgia-bound forward Asa Newell and Baylor-bound point guard Robert Wright not selected for this year's game, it's highly unlikely more than three players from one school in the same season will ever get selected for the game. Wright, in particular, we feel is vastly underrated and rate as a national Top 10 prospect. ?

*Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) produced three selections this year and now is tied with long-time FAB 50 power DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) for third all-time with 12 selections, all in the past nine seasons. Those players are Zoom Diallo (Washington), Aiden Sherrell (Alabama) and Derrion Reid (Alabama). DeMatha's first McDonald's All-American was guard Sidney Lowe as part of the famed 1979 Class.

*In 1977, McDonald's All-American Game Founder Bob Geoghan tapped DeMatha coach Morgan Wootten?as the Selection Committee Chairman. Retired UCLA coach John Wooden was named McDonald's Game Chairman. Geoghan had Wootten coach the U.S. All-Star team in the first McDonald's Capital Classic in 1974. The Naismith Hall of Fame coach was also chosen by Sonny Vaccaro to coach in the first Dapper Dan Roundball Classic in 1965.?

*In 1978-79, DeMatha opened up as preseason No. 1 team in the country after capturing the mythical national title in 1977-78. The Stags finished 28-3 in 1978-79. Lowe's backcourt mate Dereck Whittenburg?wasn't originally selected for the 1979 McDonald's Game, but ended up playing as a late fill-in for injured Jimmy Braddock of Baylor Prep (Chattanooga, Tenn.). Whittenburg ended up making two free throws to send the game into overtime and nailed a jump shot in overtime to give the East team a lead it would not relinquish in a 106-105 victory. Whittenburg was also the hero for the D.C. metro team at the McDonald's Capital Classic against a star-studded U.S. team. He nailed a deep corner jumper with eight seconds remaining to secure the D.C. Metro Team's 86-85 victory. Lowe and Whittenburg both went to N.C. State and were almost joined by Wootten following their freshman season of college. Ultimately, he turned down the N.C. State job to stay at DeMatha. The DeMatha backcourt stars would go on to become NCAA champions under Jim Valvano. In the 1983 NCAA title game, Whittenburg let fly another long-range jumper as time was about to run out -- and it came up a bit short. Teammate Lorenzo Charles, however, slammed home the shot to give NC State a dramatic win over heavily favored Houston.? ?

*The first pair of high school teammates originally selected to the McDonald’s All-American Game were Arron Bain (Villanova) and George Lynch (North Carolina) in 1989 from Flint Hill Prep (Roanoke, Va.).?

*Since 2017, the teams that make up the EYBL Scholastic League (previously known as the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference), plus Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) and now defunct Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) account for over 29 percent (55 of a possible 192) of all the McDonald’s All-American selections. The high mark was 11 of the 24 in 2022.

Father-Son McDAAG Duos (In Order Prior):

Doc Rivers, Proviso East (Maywood, Ill.) 1980 & Austin Rivers, Winter Park (Fla.) 2011
Gary Springer, Ben Franklin (New York) 1980 & Jaden Springer, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 2020
Milt Wagner, Camden (N.J.) 1981 & Dajuan Wagner, Camden (N.J.) 2001
James Blackmon Sr., Marion (Ind.) 1983 & James Blackmon Jr., Marion (Ind.) 2014
Ricky Winslow, Yates (Houston) 1983 & Justise Winslow, St. John’s (Houston) 2014
Rick Brunson, Salem (Mass.) 1991 & Jalen Brunson, Stevenson (Lincolnshire, Ill.) 2015
Charles Bannon Sr., Artesia (Lakewood, Calif.) 1993 & Charles O’Bannon Jr., Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 2017
Lester Earl, Glen Oaks (Baton Rouge, La.) 1996 & Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 2019
Dujuan Wagner, Camden (N.J.) 2001 & D.J. Wagner, Camden (N.J.) 2023
LeBron James, St. Mary-St. Vincent (Akron, Ohio) 2003 & Bronny James, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 2023

Note: The Wagners are the first father-son-grandson combo to ever play in the game. All three of them played on nationally-ranked teams at Camden (N.J.).?

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 In The Paint: Breaking Down 2024 McDAAG! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

UPDATED FAB 50: New Year, 15 New Teams!

Ronnie Flores — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 03:45:22 +0000

After all the holiday tournaments and showcases are in the book, this is the most spellbinding weekly FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com that we can remember in the past 20 years. The first update of 2024 shows 15 newcomers, led by No. 6 Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.). Next week should include more movement following the MLK weekend showcases.

By Ronnie Flores

After all the dust has settled from the holiday events, there is a plethora of newcomers to the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com, the first weekly update of the New Year. In the previous update on Dec. 11, there was a whopping 13 newcomers, which was the most we could recall in recent memory up to that point. This time around, there is even more, as 15 teams crack the nation's longest-running weekly national rankings. Since the current FAB 50 format was adopted for the 1999-2000 season, it's the most we can recall joining the fray in a single update.

Does the change mean the rankings are less accurate than previous seasons or that we didn't do our homework in the preseason? No, not necessarily. In fact not at all. It's more a case of rewarding teams that play strong schedules and more of the nation's top talent congregating at fewer schools. The schools in the middle of the FAB 50 pack tend to beat up on each other and expect teams to continue to shuffle in the rear 25 as the season wears on. As far as the Top five, it's a completely different story.

Preseason No. 1 Montverde Academy continues to lead the pack, as the Eagles captured the 50th annual City of Palms Tournament in Ft. Myers, Fla., and lead the EYBLS league standings. Montverde Academy has defeated 10 teams ranked in this week's FAB 50, including the other four teams in the top five and six teams in the top 11.

It will take a monumental effort to take down the Eagles, as coach Kevin Boyle's club took down No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.), 69-62, in the COP semifinals and No. 2 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.), 73-59, in the title game. The Paul VI score was the closest margin of victory so far for a team that is already being compared to the best for a program that has won six FAB 50 national titles, but is Paul VI better than LuHi? Veteran observers at the COP were split on that question, but the debate is likely to be settled on the court. Paul VI still has many landmines remaining in Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) play and LuHi will get another shot at MVA on Feb. 16 at the Bob McKillop Invitational.

Speaking of landmines, there will be plenty for teams this week, as the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo. (Jan. 11-13) and the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. (Jan. 11-15), headline the slate of MLK weekend events. Paul VI will make the vaunted “Springfield Double” trek as it will look to take the Bass Pro TOC crown over the likes of No. 25 Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.), No. 27 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) and No. 46 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.). After a travel day on Sunday, Paul VI will battle No. 8 Columbus (Miami, Fla.) on MLK Monday at 1 pm ET.

McEachern will also double dip, taking on No. 10 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) on Monday at 11 am ET. Columbus will play another game in Massachusetts, taking on Long Island Lutheran on Saturday at 4 pm ET. LuHi's second game will take place on Monday at 3 pm ET vs. No. 11 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.). Top-ranked MVA will play three games, including one on Sunday vs. No. 9 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) at 7:30 pm ET.

Our next rankings update will be on Tuesday, January 16 and will include all the MLK Monday results.

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

(3rd poll of 2023-24 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, January 7; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

No.	Prev.	High School (City)	Record
1	1	Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)	15-0
2	2	Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)	11-1
3	3	Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.)	11-1
4	5	Link Academy (Branson, Mo.)	14-4
5	6	Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah)	8-2
6	NR	Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.)	13-1
7	17	Don Boso Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)	8-2
8	7	Columbus (Miami, Fla.)	13-4
9	4	Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.)	18-2
10	9	Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.)	17-1
11	15	AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.)	15-4
12	16	De Pere (De Pere, Wis.)	11-0
13	23	Plano East (Plano, Texas)	22-0
14	12	Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.)	12-2
15	25	Fishers (Fishers, Ind.)	12-0
16	21	Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas)	21-1
17	NR	Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.)	15-0
18	NR	St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.)	9-1
19	NR	Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.)	18-1
20	11	Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)	14-1
21	28	Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)	17-1
22	27	Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.)	10-0
23	31	Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)	14-1
24	19	Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.)	12-2
25	32	Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.)	9-0
26	8	Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)	11-2
27	45	McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.)	10-3
28	38	Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.)	17-0
29	20	North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.)	11-2
30	NR	Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.)	14-1
31	NR	Huntsville (Huntsville, Ala.)	21-1
32	43	Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.)	17-2
33	NR	Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)	17-1
34	35	Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.)	12-3
35	48	Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.)	10-0
36	NR	Kell (Marietta, Ga.)	13-3
37	42	Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.)	15-2
38	29	Bullis (Potomac, Md.)	10-2
39	NR	Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.)	18-0
40	30	IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)	6-6
41	10	Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.)	7-3
42	NR	Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.)	13-0
43	NR	Westminster Academy (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)	9-4
44	NR	Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.)	12-2
45	NR	Christ the King (Middle, Village, N.Y.)	8-1
46	18	St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)	15-3
47	NR	Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.)	10-0
48	14	Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.)	8-4
49	50	Curie (Chicago, Ill.)	15-1
50	NR	Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.)	11-0

Dropped Out: Previous No. 13 John Marshall (Richmond, Va.), No. 22 Lincoln Park (Midland, Pa.), No. 24 Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas), No. 26 Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), No. 33 La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), No. 34 St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.), No. 36 Hudson Catholic (Hudson, N.J.), No. 37 St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio), No. 39 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.), No. 40 Salesian (Richmond, Calif.), No. 41 Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), No. 44 Alta (Sandy, Utah), No. 46 Archbishop Ryan (Philadelphia, Pa.), No. 47 Thornton (Harvey, Ill.), No. 49 (49) Owyhee (Meridian, Idaho).

Bubble Teams:? Alexander (Douglasville, Ga.) 13-2; Allen (Allen, Texas) 20-4; Alta (Sandy, Utah) 13-1; Atascocita (Humble, Texas) 23-2**; Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.) 16-2; Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) 20-1; Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) 11-1; Berkmar (Lilburn, Ga.) 13-2; Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) 7-0; Brennan (San Antonio, Texas) 18-4; Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) 12-2; Camden (Camden, N.J.) 8-1; Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.) 10-0; Cordova (Cordova, Tenn.) 16-1; Dakota Valley (North Sioux City, S.D.) 7-0; DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 12-3; East Lansing (East Lansing, Mich.) 8-0; Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) 10-0; Fort Bend Clements (Sugar Land, Texas) 20-0; Garfield Heights (Garfield Heights, Ohio) 9-0; Homewood Flossmor (Flossmor, Ill.) 14-1; John Marshall (Richmond, Va.) 9-3; Lake Ridge (Mansfield, Texas) 19-3; Lake Taylor (Norfolk, Va.) 11-0; Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) 21-3; La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) 9-3; Lexington Catholic (Lexington, Ky.) 14-1; Liberty Magnet (Baton Rouge, La.) 17-2; Lyon County (Eddyville, Ky.) 15-1; Madison Prep (Baton Rouge, La.) 13-2; Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) 9-1; Moravian Prep (Hudson, N.C.) 16-1; Mt. Carmel (Chicago, Ill.) 17-2; North Crowley (Ft. Worth, Texas) 19-3; North Farmington (Farmington Hills, Mich.) 8-0; Northwest (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) 6-0; Oak Park (Kansas City, Mo.) 10-1; Park Center (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) 11-1; Pascagoula (Pascagoula, Miss.) 15-1; Raymond (Raymond, Miss.) 16-3; Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) 15-1; Southern Guilford (Greensboro, N.C.) 12-1; St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.) 13-2; St. Mary’s (St. Louis, Mo.) 17-1; St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 7-1; Thornton (Harvey, Ill.) 13-2; Totino-Grace (Fridley, Minn.) 7-3; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 8-3; Volcano Vista (Albuquerque, N.M.) 11-1; Westfield (Westfield, Ind.) 9-0; Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.) 13-1; Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.) 12-0.

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: New Year, 15 New Teams! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

NEW FAB 50: Holiday Madness!

Ronnie Flores — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 08:00:10 +0000

Explosive play on the court leads to explosive movement off it, as the second edition of the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com for the 2023-24 season shows the most newcomers of any poll in recent memory. There is plenty of movement and a whopping 13 newcomers this week, led by No. 24 Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas). This week also shows the return of two well-known national powers to the nation's longest running weekly national rankings. The upcoming major holiday tournaments should lead to more movement.

By Ronnie Flores

The highly-anticipated No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup between top-ranked Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) and No. 2 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) didn't quite materialize as expected on Dec. 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. as part of the EYBL Scholastic Showcase. Coming into the contest, Link Academy already took a 77-76 loss on Dec. 2 to then No. 8 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) at the Derek Smith Shootout in Louisville, Ky.

Regardless of the prior results or ranking coming in, Link Academy figured to be one of the few teams capable of upsetting the top-ranked Eagles. If anything, it was expected to be a competitive game and it turned out to be that even though Montverde Academy led by 23 points (56-33) after three quarters. The Lions played a spirited fourth quarter and got their deficit down to six (48-42), but shot selection and lack of defensive stops proved to be their downfall as Montverde Academy moved to 8-0 with the 71-59 victory.

Texas-bound Tre Johnson was the catalyst that made the game interesting in the fourth quarter, as the Mr. Basketball USA candidate finished with 25 points, including 6-of-8 3-pointers, for the Lions. Montverde Academy out-rebounded Link Academy, 40-25, and was credited with 16 assists to Link Academy's six.

Mr. Basketball USA front-runner and Duke-bound forward Cooper Flagg was one of four Eagles in double figures with 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Undecided big man Derik Queen led MVA in the scoring department with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Baylor-bound point guard Robert Wright had 16 points and six assists.

Saturday afternoon at the Las Vegas Aces practice facility in Henderson, Nev., No. 15 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) actually gave the Eagles a tough game as well, but never led and trialed by 19 points mid-way through the third period. Still the 16-16 fourth quarter stalemate was a moral victory of sorts for the Dragons, who similar to Link Academy, got within 48-42 before falling 58-46.

Georgia-bound power forward Asa Newell led Montverde Academy with 16 points and also had eight rebounds. Junior point guard Jeremiah Fears had a productive game for the Dragons, finishing with 13 points.

There are no moral victories in credible national rankings, although losing to the Eagles didn't hurt AZ Compass Prep or hurt the other teams that have lost to MVA so far. Each week across the country there are controversial finishes, disputed calls and notable circumstances that could cause a team to lose a game it felt it should have won. We have hundred of results to pour over and consider each week, and even though winning in the bottom line, sometimes those circumstances come into play.

One such case occurred when Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas) met Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) in a battle of unbeaten clubs on Dec. 2. The game was decided at the buzzer when Stony Point's Uzziah Bunytn, a 6-foot- junior guard, intercepted a mid-court heave, squared up and launched a shot from half-court that went in to give his team a dramatic 66-63 victory. There was 0.8 seconds showing on the game clock when the long inbounds pass was thrown. There was some controversy as to if the shot should have counted, but what there was no question about is Stony Point tied the game with two seconds and Lake Travis still doesn't have any other loss on its resume.

As a result, Lake Travis is one of 13 newcomers this week at No. 26, two spots behind the highest ranked newcomer, fellow University Interscholastic League (UIL)club Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) at No. 24. The Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) has Beaumont United, last season's Class 6A state runner-up, as its top-ranked club, but we go with Stony Point as Texas' top-ranked club based on national results. Not only have the Tigers' handed Lake Travis its only loss, they have handed No. 35 Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) its only loss, 82-69.

Millennium is another newcomer and replaces previous No. 29 Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) as the top-ranked Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) club. Perry lost to Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.), 53-53, and one of Sunnyslope's two losses is to Millennium. Its other setback is to No. 18 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.). Because Desert Mountain (Scottsdale, Ariz.) lost to unranked Pinnacle (Phoenix, Ariz.) and defeated previous No. 38 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) in overtime, no other Arizona team can crack the back end of the FAB 50.

There are tons of other results in the past two weeks that caused as much change as we've seen in any poll in recent years, but the one event that has the biggest impact on the rankings was the National High School Hoops Festival at DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) over the weekend. When the dust settled two FAB 50 mainstays returned to the FAB 50 this week: The host Stags at No. 39 and Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) at No. 31.

On Dec. 10, DeMatha downed previous No. 42 Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.), 75-51, to remain unbeaten on the young season, as Ashton Meeks finished with a game-high 23 points. On Saturday, DeMatha easily downed Campbell Hall (North Hollywood, Calif.), 80-54.

Earlier on Sunday, new No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) defeated then No. 10 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.), 65-47. Sidwell Friends other loss was to No. 13 John Marshall (Richmond, Va.) in overtime. On Saturday evening, John Marshall dominated the overtime period, 11-3, to defeat Sidwell Friends, 63-55. Paul VI also needed a dominant overtime (16-8) on Saturday to knock off No. 12 Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.), 78-70. Myers Park's second loss is to No. 43 Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.), which suffered its only loss to battle-tested Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas).

Oak Cliff Faith Family is one of this season's surprising teams to take multiple losses and fall from the rankings. Perhaps no bigger surprise is preseason No. 10 Richmond Heights (Richmond Heights, Ohio) losing its first three games of the season to fall all the way out this week.

As for Oak Hill Academy, the Warriors are back in the FAB 50 with a 11-1 mark, with their only loss a 84-57 setback to new No. 2 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) at the Marshall County Hoopfest in Kentucky. Oak Hill Academy wasn't ranked in this year's preseason for the first time since 1988-89.

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

(2nd poll of 2023-24 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, December 10; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

No.	Prev.	High School (City)	Record
1	1	Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)	9-0
2	3	Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)	3-0
3	4	Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.)	5-0
4	8	Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.)	12-1
5	2	Link Academy (Branson, Mo.)	9-2
6	6	Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah)	5-2
7	7	Columbus (Miami, Fla.)	3-2
8	13	Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)	5-0
9	12	Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.)	9-0
10	14	Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.)	3-0
11	17	Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)	8-0
12	26	Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.)	4-2
13	9	John Marshall (Richmond, Va.)	4-1
14	10	Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.)	2-2
15	15	AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.)	9-3
16	18	De Pere (De Pere, Wis.)	3-0
17	19	Don Boso Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)	0-0
18	20	St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)	7-0
19	24	Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.)	4-0
20	27	North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.)	6-0
21	30	Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas)	15-0
22	22	Lincoln Park (Midland, Pa.)	3-0
23	43	Plano East (Plano, Texas)	15-0
24	NR	Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas)	13-0
25	NR	Fishers (Fishers, Ind.)	6-0
26	NR	Lake Travis (Austin, Texas)	14-1
27	NR	Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.)	4-0
28	33	Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)	7-0
29	40	Bullis (Potomac, Md.)	3-0
30	5	IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)	3-3
31	NR	Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)	11-1
32	35	Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.)	3-0
33	16	La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.)	6-1
34	36	St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)	1-0
35	NR	Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.)	8-1
36	37	Hudson Catholic (Hudson, N.J.)	0-0
37	39	St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio)	2-0
38	NR	Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.)	6-0
39	NR	DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.)	6-0
40	NR	Salesian (Richmond, Calif.)	6-0
41	41	Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)	5-0
42	NR	Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.)	4-1
43	21	Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.)	12-1
44	44	Alta (Sandy, Utah)	5-0
45	47	McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.)	5-2
46	31	Archbishop Ryan (Philadelphia, Pa.)	3-1
47	NR	Thornton (Harvey, Ill.)	6-1
48	NR	Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.)	3-0
49	50	Owyhee (Meridian, Idaho)	1-0
50	NR	Curie (Chicago, Ill.)	7-1

Dropped Out: Previous No. 11 Richmond Heights (Richmond Heights, Ohio), No. 23 Kokomo (Kokomo, Ind.), No. 25 Winston-Salem Christian (Winston-Salem, N.C.), No. 28 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.), No. 29 Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.), No. 32 Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.), No. 34 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.), No. 38 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), No. 42 Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.), No. 45 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), No. 46 Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah), No. 48 Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.), No. 49 Totino-Grace (Fridley, Minn.).

Bubble Teams:? Alexander (Douglasville, Ga.) 9-0; American Fork (Utah) 4-2; Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) 1-2; Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) 3-1; Berkmar (Lilburn, Ga.) 8-1; Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) 3-1; Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) 3-0; Brennan (San Antonio, Texas) 13-4; Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) 7-1; Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, Okla.) 2-0; Camden (Camden, N.J.) 0-0; Canton (Canton, Miss.) 8-0; Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.) 5-0; Centerville (Centerville, Ohio) 1-0; Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.) 5-0; Central (Little Rock, Ark.) 6-0; Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 0-0; Dakota Valley (North Sioux City, S.D.) 1-0; De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 7-0; Desert Mountain (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 4-1; Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) 8-0; Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) 4-5; Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) 2-0; Fort Bend Marshall (Missouri City, Texas) 16-0; Homewood Flossmor (Flossmor, Ill.) 8-1; Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 2-0; Iowa (Iowa, La.) 5-1; JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) 11-0; Kell (Marietta, Ga.) 4-3; Kenwood Academy (Chicago, Ill.) 4-2; Kokomo (Kokomo, Ind.) 4-2; Liberty Magnet (Baton Rouge, La.) 9-1; Little Rock Christian Academy (Little Rock, Ark.) 5-1; Lyon County (Eddyville, Ky.) 3-1; Madison Prep (Baton Rouge, La.) 5-1; Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wis.) 3-0; Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) 4-0; Moravian Prep (Hudson, N.C.) 12-0; Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 8-0; Newton (Covington, Ga.) 6-1; North Crowley (Ft. Worth, Texas) 14-1; Oak Park (Kansas City, Mo.) 4-0; Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) 4-2; Park Center (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) 4-0; Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) 5-3; Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) 9-1; Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 8-1; Southern Guilford (Greensboro, N.C.) 7-0; South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie, Texas) 13-3; St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.) 0-0; Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.) 3-2; Totino-Grace (Fridley, Minn.) 1-1; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 4-2; Volcano Vista (Albuquerque, N.M.) 5-0; Westfield (Westfield, Ind.) 5-0; Westminster Academy (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) 3-0; Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 7-2; W.T. White (Dallas, Texas) 8-2; Yazoo City (Yazoo City, Miss.) 11-0.

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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1st Regular Season FAB 50: Lots of Movement!

Ronnie Flores — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 01:31:20 +0000

There was a full slate of holiday showcases and tournaments over Thanksgiving weekend and the results caused plenty of movement in the first edition of the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com for the 2023-24 season. The fastest-rising club is new No. 6 No. 32 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) as it knocked off previous No. 3 Columbus (Miami, Fla.). EYBL Scholastic play will cause movement in coming weeks, while Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.) leads list of newcomers at No. 21.

By Ronnie Flores

As we stated in the preseason, the teams that made up the back end of the FAB 50 National Team Rankings?powered by?www.ebooksnet.com have plenty to prove and work to do in order to move up into the top half of the nation's longest-running national rankings. The gap between the majority of the Top 25 and the bottom 25 is growing wider each year and the teams at the top of the rankings generally play tough schedules and tend to beat up each other.

These two rankings factors are especially true for teams that belong to the newly-announced Nike EYBL Scholastic League, a 14-team loop previously called the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC). One of its members, preseason No. 23 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah), pulled off the first upset of the 2023-24 regular season when it took down previous No. 3 Columbus (Miami, Fla.), 75-73, in one of the marquee games of the Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta, Ga.

The Tigers shot the ball well from the outside, canning 12-of-31 3-pointers, while the Explorers made 5-of-24 in a two point game. Coach Paul Peterson got a big game from 6-foot-8 2024 (senior) forward Bhan Buom with 19 points, six rebounds and 4 assists. Junior guard Isiah Harwell also played well, scoring 15 points and canning 3-of-7 3-pointers, while 6-foot-4 senior Fischer Brown nailed four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points for a team that moves up 17 spots in the first rankings update of the regular season.

The reason the Tigers are able to move up (despite a 65-56 loss to Dream City Christian of Arizona at the Holiday Hoopsgiving) is they have plenty of landmines upcoming in league play, plus Columbus can't fall too far in the rankings (falling four spots to No. 7) as it owns victories over previous No. 21 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), 86-59, and over previous No. 6 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), 81-78 in overtime. On top of that, Columbus will get its crack on the road at top-ranked Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) on December 1 (5:30 pm ET, ESPN2). That game will feature last year's Mr. Basketball USA, junior Cameron Boozer of Columbus, and this year's preseason front-runner, Duke-bound senior forward Cooper Flagg of Montverde Academy.

Boozer, the only sophomore to ever earn a production-based national player of the year honor, had 26 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in a losing effort versus Wasatch. Incredibly, in the overtime victory over Prolific Prep, Boozer fouled out with 55.9 seconds remaining in regulation and with the Explorers trialing 68-61. That's when his twin brother Cayden Boozer, a 6-foot-4 junior point guard, spark the comeback. Columbus cut its deficit to 70-69 on his 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds remaining, then Prolific Prep's Winters Grady put his team up three after two made free throws. Columbus' Jase Richardson then sprinted to the 3-point line and threw in a banked 3-point shot as time expired to send the game into overtime and the Columbus faithful into a frenzy.

Richardson, a Michigan St. pledge who began his career at Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), finished with 19 points, including five in overtime after going for 17 points and seven rebounds in the close loss to Wasatch Academy. Cayden Boozer finished with 25 points, while top-rated junior A.J. Dybansta scored 35 points for Prolific Prep.

Prolific Prep will look to rebound from the loss this Saturday in Louisville, Ky., when The Crew takes on No. 2 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) at the Derek Smith Shootout. Link Academy will take on top-ranked Montverde Academy on December 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

This week, four University Interscholastic League (UIL) teams fell from the rankings, but Lone Star State hoop fans shouldn't fret. There are many fine teams in Texas and two that were on the preseason FAB 50 bubble and in the Southwest Region Top 20 moved in as unbeaten clubs: No. 30 Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas) and No. 43 Plano East (Plano, Texas). Texas' preseason top-ranked teams have also played many more games already than many teams from other regions in the country and started off playing tough schedules, particularly at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest in Dallas. We envision a scenario where some of the UIL's top state title contenders can and will move back in after the rest of the country begins to play games. Some of the teams with 0-0 records at this point, and those that remain in the rankings that don't play high-powered schedules, are susceptible to being hopped down the line by those that took on tough teams early or play a schedule more national in scope.

We nearly decided to keep Texas power Duncanville (Texas) in the FAB 50, but eventually decided the margin of defeat versus Stony Point was a bit too large (90-65). We also had to make room for Alta (Sandy, Utah), which defeated preseason No. 14 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), 75-56, at the 5 for The Fight Hoopfest in Utah on Nov. 20.

Alta will take on No. 46 Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) on December 5. That club dropped an early season contest to still unbeaten and newcomer Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.), which jumps into the FAB 50 at No. 28 after starting out two spots outside of the FAB 50 at No. 11 in the preseason Southeast Region Top 20.

The next FAB 50 update is scheduled for Monday, December 11.

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(1st poll of 2023-24 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, November 26; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

No.	Prev.	High School (City)	Record
1	1	Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)	4-0
2	2	Link Academy (Branson, Mo.)	6-0
3	4	Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)	0-0
4	5	Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.)	0-0
5	7	IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)	2-0
6	23	Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah)	3-2
7	3	Columbus (Miami, Fla.)	2-1
8	6	Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.)	8-1
9	8	John Marshall (Richmond, Va.)	0-0
10	9	Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.)	0-0
11	10	Richmond Heights (Richmond Heights, Ohio)	0-0
12	11	Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.)	4-0
13	12	Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)	0-0
14	13	Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.)	0-0
15	16	AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.)	7-1
16	25	La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.)	5-0
17	29	Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)	6-0
18	17	De Pere (De Pere, Wis.)	0-0
19	18	Don Boso Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)	0-0
20	19	St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)	1-0
21	NR	Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.)	9-0
22	22	Lincoln Park (Midland, Pa.)	0-0
23	20	Kokomo (Kokomo, Ind.)	1-1
24	43	Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.)	1-0
25	24	Winston-Salem Christian (Winston-Salem, N.C.)	7-2
26	15	Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.)	0-1
27	26	North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.)	2-0
28	BB	Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.)	6-0
29	33	Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.)	3-0
30	BB	Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas)	5-0
31	32	Archbishop Ryan (Philadelphia, Pa.)	0-0
32	28	Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.)	2-1
33	42	Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)	2-0
34	44	Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.)	5-0
35	34	Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.)	0-0
36	35	St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)	0-0
37	36	Hudson Catholic (Hudson, N.J.)	0-0
38	46	Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)	4-0
39	37	St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio)	0-0
40	38	Bullis (Potomac, Md.)	0-0
41	39	Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)	0-0
42	40	Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.)	0-0
43	BB	Plano East (Plano, Texas)	9-0
44	NR	Alta (Sandy, Utah)	2-0
45	14	Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.)	1-2
46	31	Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah)	1-1
47	21	McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.)	2-2
48	48	Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.)	0-0
49	49	Totino-Grace (Fridley, Minn.)	0-0
50	50	Owyhee (Meridian, Idaho)	0-0

Dropped Out: Previous No. 27 Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas), No. 30 Brennan (San Antonio, Texas), No. 41 Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.), No. 45 South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie, Texas), No. 47 Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas).

Bubble Teams:? American Fork (Utah) 0-1; Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco, Calif.) 0-1; Atascocita (Humble, Texas) 8-1; Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) 4-0; Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) 0-1; Berkmar (Lilburn, Ga.) 3-0; Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) 0-0; Brennan (San Antonio, Texas) 6-4; Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) 4-0; Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, Okla.) 0-0; Brownsburg (Brownsburg, Ind.) 2-0; Camden (Camden, N.J.) 0-0; Canton (Canton, Miss.) 4-0; Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.) 2-0; Centerville (Centerville, Ohio) 0-0; Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.) 1-0; Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) 0-0; Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 0-0; De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 1-0; Desert Mountain (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 0-0; Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) 3-0; Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) 3-3; Eastern Hills (Ft. Worth, Texas) 5-1; Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) 0-0; Fishers (Fishers, Ind.) 2-0; Homewood Flossmor (Flossmor, Ill.) 4-0; Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 0-0; Kenwood Academy (Chicago, Ill.) 1-0; Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) 8-0; Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1-0; Little Rock Christian Academy (Little Rock, Ark.) 2-0; Lyon County (Eddyville, Ky.) 0-0; Madison Prep (Baton Rouge, La.) 3-0; Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wis.) 0-0; Mater Lakes Academy (Miami, Fla.) 2-0; Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) 4-1; Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 3-0; Newton (Covington, Ga.) 4-1; North Crowley (Ft. Worth, Texas) 9-1; Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 3-0; Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas) 4-3; Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 7-0; Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) 2-0; Seven Lakes (Katy, Texas) 7-3; South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie, Texas) 7-2; St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.) 0-0; Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.) 2-0; Thornton (Harvey, Ill.) 4-0; Valley (West Des Moines, Iowa) 0-0; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 1-1; Volcano Vista (Albuquerque, N.M.) 0-0; Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) 0-0; W.T. White (Dallas, Texas) 5-1.

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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Cooper Flagg Official Ballislife Mixtape Vol 1!!

Cazzie Luz — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 12:37:57 +0000

The 6'8" 16 year old Cooper Flagg has caught the eye of the world lately and that doesnt look to end anytime soon. The Duke signee is explosive and can shoot the ball with the best of them.

The post Cooper Flagg Official Ballislife Mixtape Vol 1!! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Salute to All-Time FAB 50 No. 1s

Ronnie Flores — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 06:06:43 +0000

A detailed listing of the all-time No. 1 nationally-ranked high school basketball teams

Note: The FAB 50 National Team Rankings 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 they were compiled by the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 for the 1999-2000 season. The FAB 50 is the longest-running weekly national rankings.

(Each school listed with win-loss record, head coach and source of ranking. Rankings key: BIL - FAB 50 powered by Ballislife; GR - Grassroots Hoops FAB 50; SS - Student Sports FAB 50; ESPN - POWERADE/ESPN RISE FAB 50; Rivals - Rivals FAB 50; Fox - Fox FAB 50; NSNS - National Sports News Service; NPP - National Prep Poll -- The Associated Press, ESPN, The Sporting News; USA - USA Today Super 25; BW - Basketball Weekly.)

FAB 50 ERA

2023 -- Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) (27-1); HC-Bill Armstrong; BIL-- The Lions began the season No. 11 in the FAB 50 and had the talent to start even higher, but were breaking in a new coach and cast of players after Rodney Perry left for an assistant coaching position at Kansas St. In 2021-22, Perry led the program to the GEICO Nationals title game, losing to Montverde Academy and finishing No. 4 in the FAB 50. This season the independent program on the campus of Camp Kanakuk had lofty aspirations and the talent level to meet those goals under new coach Bill Armstrong. The Lions started off the season 23-0 before losing by a wide margin to preseason No. 1 Montverde Academy, 84-58, at the Metro Classic in N.J. Link Academy just couldn’t overcome early 15-0 and 12-0 runs, but it bounced back at GEICO Nationals to make up for that awful first quarter against the Eagles. Led by Baylor-bound guard Ja'Kobe Walter and junior guard Elliot Cadeau, who is committed to North Carolina, Link Academy defeated three top 20 foes to claim the program’s first GEICO Nationals crown in its second year as an eligible program. In the quarterfinals, the Lions were involved in a tough No. 4 vs. No. 5 seed contest, as Link Academy was a surprise No. 4 seed and downed FAB 50 No. 18 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.), 68-65, behind Walter's 34 points (including four 3-pointers). Top seeded Montverde Academy fell in its quarterfinal contest to FAB 50 No. 14 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) by a point (46-45) and the Lions were able to atone for their lone regular season loss by downing the club that just knocked off the top seed, 67-61, as Cadeau had 16 points and 10 assists. Tennessee-bound guard Cameron Carr came up big for the Lions in the win over Sunrise Christian Academy with 18 points. Link Academy, which entered the eight-team tournament No. 2 in the FAB 50, was able to secure the top spot with a dominant 73-55 championship game victory over No. 9 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.). The Lions were in control throughout the title game, taking a 35-25 halftime lead and extending it to 44-26 after starting out the second half on a 9-1 run. Walter netted a championship game-high 21 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 3-point shots while, Tyler McKinley, a 6-foot-9 junior, had a big outing with 17 points and six rebounds. Walter averaged 21.3 ppg in three GEICO Nationals games, while Cadeau averaged 9.7 ppg, 9.7 apg, and 2.3 spg, while his 29 total assists broke the event record held by Montverde Academy's Andrew Nembhard, who had 28 in 2018. Coach Armstrong’s club actually defeated Sunrise Christian Academy during the regular season, 72-66, as the Lions defeated seven FAB 50 ranked foes, including No. 32 Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas) by 30 points, 70-40. Like many outstanding ball clubs, Armstrong had a balanced attack throughout the season, with Walter (14.4 ppg, 37.8 3-PT FG, 4.0 rpg, 1.7 spg), Cadeau (10.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 7.3 apg, 1.9 spg) and Carr (11.6 ppg, 75.0 2-PT FG, 87.2 FT, 3.1 rpg) leading the way in the backcourt, while LSU-bound power forward Corey Chest (7.3 ppg, 76.3 2-PT FG, 3.2 rpg) and Phillips (6.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.2 bpg) playing key interior roles.

2022 -- Duncanville (Texas) (35-1); HC-David Peavy; BIL-- The Panthers began the season No. 7 and had aspirations to compete for the FAB 50 title after finishing as Texas' top-ranked team three years running. The team got its big chance when it faced No. 1 and defending FAB 50 champ Montverde Academy (Fla.) at Hoophall West in Pheonix after it moved up to No. 5. Duncanville battled back from a 21-8 deficit after one period to win the game at the buzzer, 67-66, on a 3-pointer by junior guard Aric Demings. At that point in the season, Duncanville had beaten six FAB 50 ranked foes in 10 games. The Panthers did lose in overtime by two points (60-58) to Richardson (Texas) and that team got as high as No. 7 in the FAB 50, but the Panthers never fell behind Montverde Academy in the rankings. Duncanville was behind No. 1 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) for the second half of the season, but when the Buffaloes were upset in the first round at GEICO Nationals and Montverde Academy went on to win the prestigious end-of-season tournament over five teams that were in the Top 10, it opened the door for the Panthers to re-gain the top position after the Richardson loss. In all, Duncanville won seven games against teams that were FAB 50 ranked at the time, including No. 33 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 80-73, No. 5 Centennial (Corona, Calif.), 75-50, and No. 26 McKinney (Texas), 69-49, in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 6A title game after that club downed Richardson by two points (54-52) in the regional quarterfinals. In addition to Demings (9 ppg, 42 percent 3-point), junior forward Ashton Hardaway (9 ppg, 66 3-pointers), junior power forward Cam Barnes (6 ppg, 5 rpg, 53 percent FG) and senior forward Davion Sykes (9 ppg, 5 rpg) made first team all-district. McDonald's All-American Anthony Black (13 ppg, 58 percent FG, 5 rpg, 3.5 apg) was named District 11-6A Offensive Player of the Year and junior Ron Holland (15 ppg, 60 percent FG, 8 rpg, 2 spg) its overall player of the year. There is a bit of a misnomer that public school programs belonging to state associations cannot compete with academy-type programs, but Duncanville's resume means a third public in seven years finishes as the top-ranked team in the country. Duncanville is also the third UIL program to capture the FAB 50 title in 20 years, joining Lincoln (Dallas) in 2001-02 and Yates (Houston) in 2009-10. All of Texas' other mythical national championships occurred before the advent of weekly, in-season national rankings (1975-76).

2021 -- Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) (24-1); HC-Kevin Boyle; BIL-- It wouldn't be fair to compare this unit to the 2019-20 team that is considered one of high school basketball's all-time greats, as this team carved out its own niche in FAB 50 lore. The Eagles began the season at No. 1 and stayed there throughout, even when their 44-game winning streak was snapped by FAB 50 No. 2 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) in the two powers' second meeting of the regular season. By virtue of joining the newly-formed National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC), nearly every game on the regular season schedule was against a team of national or regional significance. All the teams in the NIBC played each other more than once and Montverde Academy won the inaugural NIBC title game with a 61-57 victory over Sunrise Christian Academy. The Eagles closed out the season by winning their fifth GEICO Nationals title, after last season's team was denied the opportunity to compete in the season-ending tournament for elite teams because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Eagles bested No. 23 Oak Hill Academy of Virginia (85-64) in the quarterfinals, AZ Compass Prep of Arizona (51-49) in the semifinals and Sunrise Christian Academy for the third time during the season in the title game (62-52). They not only went 4-1 against No. 2 Sunrise Christian Academy and No. 3 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), the Eagles won 16 games against teams that were FAB 50 ranked at some point in the season. That 16-game total doesn't include AZ Compass Prep, the only other team to defeat Sunrise Christian Academy. MVA beat AZ Compass Prep without Dayton-bound big man DaRon Holmes at GEICO Nationals and also with him in the lineup in overtime, 76-65, at the Montverde Academy Invitational. This team's defining moment came when it went 12-of-12 from the field in the decisive third quarter of the GEICO Nationals title game that broke it open in favor of the Eagles. Montverde Academy got quality, inside looks from junior center Jalen Duren and back-breaking 3-pointers from Creighton-bound Ryan Nembhard in those eight minutes. It was truly a team effort throughout the year for a program that has now won six mythical FAB 50 national titles in the past nine seasons. Duren (14.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.2 bpg) was dominant inside all season long and Nembhard (6.5 ppg, 6.0 apg) emerged as an elite floor general. Michigan-bound Caleb Houstan, the only returning starter from last year's historical unit, (13.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg), shot nearly 53 percent from the field and 40 percent from the 3-point line. Baylor-bound Langston Love (12.7 ppg), the third returning senior along with Nembhard, was one of four double-digit scorers along with junior Dariq Whitehead (10.4 ppg). As a team, the Eagles shot 55.1 percent from the field.

Cade Cunningham

6'7" - PG - 2020

Jaden Springer back and a host of other talented players, on paper the Ascenders had the talent to play with Montverde Academy, which returned Cade Cunningham and Moses Moody and also had a plethora of available talent on deck. When Scottie Barnes joined the Eagles' roster, it turned a potential juggernaut into a virtual machine, as Montverde Academy ran roughshod through a national schedule with an average winning margin of 39 ppg. 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 despite no true facilitator and highly-regarded Jalen Johnson not part of the equation. The Eagles opened the season with a 84-51 win over No. 20 Duncanville (Texas), defeated No. 4 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 76-56 and beat IMG Academy two more times. In addition, Kevin Boyle's club defeated No. 29 Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) 81-48 and No. 13 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 83-47. In all, the Eagles defeated 12 FAB 50 ranked clubs (at the time of the matchup) and could have potentially faced three more had GIECO Nationals not been cancelled because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Despite not being able to participate at that event, Montverde Academy captured its fifth FAB 50 title in the past eight seasons, and fielded its best overall team in that time frame. Video-centric younger fans will want to compare this team to the 2016 Chino Hills (Calif.) that dominated its playoff competition and produced an average margin of victory of 28.4 ppg, but the all-time great team that is a better comparison is the undefeated 1993 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) team. The Warriors had a huge front line, had a Mr. Basketball USA talent (Jerry Stackhouse), beat one high school team 96-8 and beat six college teams. Oak Hill's average margin of victory was 37.3 ppg. From the standpoint of producing an all-time great team that also had success at the next levels, this Montverde Academy team may one day be favorably compared to the undefeated 1983 Dunbar (Baltimore, Md.) team. The Poets also had a large winning margin (36.5 ppg) and produced three of the top 22 picks in the 1987 NBA Draft. Similar to Dunbar, this year's Eagles team was incredibly balanced with seven players averaging 8.3 ppg or more led by Cunningham’s 13.9. He also averaged 4.2 rpg and 6.4 apg, while Barnes was third on the team in scoring (11.6 ppg), second in rebounding (6.5), second in assists (4.6 apg) first in deflections (1.7 dpg), and first in steals (1.9 spg). While the average margin of victory stands out, the individual numbers doesn't do this team justice and it will interesting to follow how the players develop on the next levels of the game.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

6'8" - PF - 2019

Jaden Springer, who averaged 21.3 ppg in the three victories at the event. IMG Academy edges McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) for the FAB 50 crown, as the Indians were No. 2 when they received an invite to GEICO Nationals, then chose not to participate in the event. McEachern, the GHSA Class AAAAAAA champions, had an incredible season, defeating eight teams in the final FAB 50. Only one, however (No. 5 Mountain Brook of Alabama), finished in the Top 10. That was a significant win because Mountain Brook handed IMG Academy its only loss, a 72-67 setback that prevented a McEachern-IMG Academy game during a holiday tournament. The Ascenders were able to overcome that loss by defeating six FAB 50 ranked teams. The main difference between their resume and McEachern's being that all six of those wins came against teams ranked in the Top 12: No. 3 La Lumiere, No. 4 Montverde Academy, No. 8 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.), No. 10 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), No. 11 Sunrise Christian Academy and No. 12 University School (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.). IMG Academy defeated Sunrise Christian Academy, 65-50, in the quarterfinals of GEICO Nationals behind Springer's 26 points, the same total he had in the comeback win over Montverde Academy. Had McEachern (which beat Sunrise Christian Academy in overtime) accepted the GEICO Nationals bid, not only could it have potentially met IMG Academy, it could have bolstered its resume to include wins over 11 FAB 50 clubs. As it stands, the quality of IMG Academy's victories, including two over Top 5 teams that went into the game ranked higher, was enough to edge an unbeaten team with the common opponent factor in its favor. In addition to Springer, McAloon's club was led by three McDonald's All-Americans, GEICO Nationals MVP forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Villanova), wing Josh Green (Arizona) and post player Armando Bacot (North Carolina).

RJ Barrett

6'7" - SG - 2018

2018 -- Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) (36-0); HC-Kevin Boyle; BIL-USA-NPP.-- In the preseason, there was a huge rankings decision to determine if No. 1 should be the Eagles or Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.). After beating Montverde Academy twice in three games in 2016-17 and finishing with the highest ranking ever for a team from Tennessee (No. 3), it was completely logical to place Memphis East at No. 1. We ultimately went with Montverde Academy because we reasoned it would be difficult for Memphis East to have the ball bounce its way and get the breaks for two consecutive seasons, while also factoring in the Eagles' motivation level after coming up short the previous two seasons. When the dust settled there was no controversy, as Montverde Academy defeated 15 opponents who were ranked or previously ranked in the FAB 50 en route to an undefeated campaign. Memphis East lost three games and ended up ranked No. 4. By defeating No. 2 University School (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) 76-58 in the GEICO Nationals title game, Montverde Academy not only captured its fourth mythical national title in six years, it finished undefeated for the first time since head coach Kevin Boyle took over for the 2011-12 season. In each of those four championship seasons, the Eagles began their season as preseason FAB 50 No. 1. This is the first time MVA did not fall in the rankings and regain the top spot. In 2012-13, the Eagles lost back-to-back games, while the 2013-14 team lost on-court to Curie (Chicago, Ill.) in a game that was later forfeited by the Condors, and rose back to No. 1 after Curie lost on the court. The 2014-15 team lost one game in December (to Wheeler of Marietta, Ga.) before returning to No. 1 in the second poll of January. The ring-leader for Boyle's club this season was Duke-bound left-handed big guard

RJ Barrett, who broke Ben Simmons' all-time GEICO Nationals scoring mark and averaged 26.7 points and 10 rebounds in his team's three victories. Barrett had 25 points and 15 rebounds in the title game win over University, which defeated preseason No. 3 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 80-65 in the tournament semifinals to avenge an earlier loss.

Michael Porter Jr. grabbed 27 points and 17 rebounds and the Mcdonald's All-American Game MVP finished his senior season with averages of 37.6 ppg, 14.5 rpg, and 5.2 apg. The Raiders edged out La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) for top rankings billing in a decision that was heightened when Hale was invited but decided not to participate in Dick's Nationals, an end-of-season tournament the Lakers won over a field that included six other FAB 50-ranked teams. Similar to Oak Hill Academy in 2012 when it finished No. 1 but did not play at the event but owned a win over a La Lumiere team that No. 2 Findlay Prep lost to, the common opponent factor became paramount in Hale's championship season. Hale (which also beat Oak Hill Academy of Virginia at the Hoophall Classic) defeated the Sierra Canyon team that La Lumiere suffered its only loss to. Oak Hill Academy was the preseason No. 1 and La Lumiere was No. 2. This was only the second time in the FAB 50 era that the FAB 50, the National Prep Poll and USA Today Super 25 didn't name a consensus national champion, as Hale dropped in the USA Today poll after declining the Dick's Nationals invite to No. 4, one spot behind a Findlay Prep team Sierra Canyon defeated 76-47.

Lonzo Ball

6'6" - PG - 2016

2016 -- Chino Hills (Chino Hills, Calif.) (35-0); HC-Steve Baik; BIL-USA-NPP.-- The Huskies started out as California's No. 1 ranked team, but a national title became in reach after the Huskies defeated preseason FAB 50 No. 1 and three-time defending champion Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) by a point in the quarterfinals of the City of Palms Tournament in Florida and went on to win that tourney title. After that, the Huskies won the Maxpreps Holiday Classic and defeated seven preseason ranked FAB 50 teams after New Year's, including No. 36 Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) 71-67 in one of California's most anticipated regular-season games in recent memory. In the playoffs, the Huskies were even more dominant against the toughest playoff competition in California, defeating eight opponents by an average of 29 points in the CIF Southern Section and SoCal Open Division playoffs, including Bishop Montgomery 84-62. By winning the CIF Open Division state title, Chino Hills became the sixth public school since 2000 to earn the mythical national title and the first team ever from California's Inland Empire region to earn national No. 1 honors. The last unbeaten team from California to finish No. 1 was Inglewood (29-0) in 1979-80, led by Cal-Hi Sports Mr. Basketball Ralph Jackson (UCLA) and future NBA guard Jay Humphries. By finishing unbeaten with 35 wins, the Huskies tied the state record for most wins by an unbeaten team first set in 2013-14 by Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), according to Cal-Hi Sports. That Mater Dei team finished No. 2 in the FAB 50 behind Montverde Academy. Led by UCLA-point

Lonzo Ball, Chino Hills averaged 98.5 points per game and tied a state record with 18 100-point games.

Ben Simmons, led the way with 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the 70-61 win over Oak Hill Academy, which fell to 0-4 in Dicks Nationals championship games. Montverde Academy became the first team in the weekly poll era (1976-current) to win three consecutive mythical national titles and only the second program following the legendary McClymonds (Oakland, Calif.) teams of 1958-60 led by future NBA standout and head coach Paul Silas. Simmons was a fixture on all three of Montverde's championship teams and played a different role on each. He was a key reserve as a sophomore, the team's best frontcourt and overall player as a junior and a facilitator and all-around threat as a senior. Montverde was the preseason No. 1 for the third consecutive season and fell from the top spot for one week this season after losing to Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) in the City of Palms Tournament championship game. Wheeler later lost to a West Linn (West Linn, Ore.) team the Eagles defeated 70-58. Oak Hill Academy then took over the top spot for a week before losing to Hamilton (Memphis, Tenn.) in a game that was later overturned in the Warriors' favor via forfeit. Oak Hill and Montverde then met in the last game of the season to decide the mythical national title in the court. In all, Kevin Boyle's club defeated 17 teams that were at some point ranked or included in the final FAB 50.

2014 -- Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) (27-1*); HC-Kevin Boyle; SS-USA-NPP.-- The Eagles defeated No. 3 Oak Hill Academy 71-62 in the finals of the Dick's Sporting Goods National High School Tournament to capture their second consecutive mythical national title. Montverde Academy becomes the first repeat national champion in the FAB 50/National Prep Poll era since Oak Hill Academy in 1993-94. The Eagles' championship at Dick's Nationals capped off a season in which it beat 16 teams that were at some point ranked or included in the final FAB 50. That does not include Huntington Prep of West Virginia, which it defeated in the Dick's Nationals semifinals, or Curie of Chicago, which beat the Eagles on the court only to have that game forfeited later on in the season. As it did the previous season, coach Kevin Boyle lined up a daunting schedule in late December and January and the Eagles came away 10-1 on the court playing around the country against some of the nation's top teams. Montverde Academy also captured the tournament title at the prestigious City of Palms Classic. Boyle's club wasn't as strong on the interior as it 2013 club, but junior Ben Simmons had a breakout campaign. He averaged 20.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game at the Dick's Nationals while McDonalds' All-American shooting guard

D'Angelo Russell often took over point guard duties and led the team in crunch time. In all, Boyle's club carried seven Division I bound seniors.

2013 -- Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) (26-2); HC-Kevin Boyle; SS-USA-NPP.-- The Eagles defeated No. 22 Oak Hill Academy of Virginia (77-71, OT), Prime Prep Academy of Dallas (57-55) and No. 2 St. Benedict’s of New Jersey (67-65) to capture the 2013 National High School Invitational (NHSI) in North Bethesda, Md. to conclude the season. Montverde Academy defeated St. Benedict’s on a last-second 3-pointer by Jalyn Patterson. In the NHSI semis, St. Benedict’s ended the 54-game winning streak of No. 3 Findlay Prep, which beat Montverde Academy at the buzzer at the Hoophall Classic. Montverde’s other loss was also at the buzzer against unranked Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) two nights before the Findlay Prep game. The Eagles are the first FAB 50 No. 1 team to lose two games in 13 years, but not many teams around the country would have taken on the daunting January schedule coach Kevin Boyle lined up for his teams and both losses came in the game's closing seconds. Montverde Academy started off as the nation’s preseason No. 1 team in the FAB 50, the only credible outlet to start the Eagles at No. 1, and their overall schedule and key wins were enough to overcome the two close losses to become the first ever Florida to finish ranked No. 1 in the nation since the National Sports News Service began end-of-the-season ratings in 1952. It’s also the first ever mythical national title for Boyle, who had two teams at now closed St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) open preseason No. 1 and a few others come within a buzzer beater of the No. 1 ranking.

2012 -- Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) (44-0); HC-Steve Smith; ESPN-USA-NPP.--It was a remarkable comeback for No. 2 Findlay Prep in the championship game of the ESPNHS National High School Invitational, but going to overtime to beat No. 3 Montverde Academy is not what the Pilots needed to create a change at the top of the final POWERADE FAB 50. Oak Hill’s 44-0 record, including a win over the La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) team Findlay Prep lost to, is the best in school history. It is second-best all-time for a mythical national champion after the 46-0 mark for Kashmere (Houston) in 1974-75. On their way to perfection, the Warriors defeated teams from 13 states, the District of Columbia and Canada, including five FAB 50 ranked teams. Leading the way for coach Steve Smith, now with a 27-year 860-53 record, were 5-foot-11 point guard and McDonald's All-American Tyler Lewis, a North Carolina State commit, plus 6-foot-5 Jordan Adams (UCLA), 6-foot-3 D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Georgetown) and 7-foot A.J. Hammons (Purdue). For Smith and the program at Oak Hill Academy, this year’s FAB 50 national crown is the seventh since 1993. The Warriors claimed their last one in 2007 with a 40-1 record. Their other No. 1 finishes were in 2004 (38-0), 2001 (33-0), 1999 (31-0), 1994 (30-1) and 1993 (36-0). Oak Hill Academy was invited to play in the NHSI, but declined this year, citing the team’s recent tour of exhibition games in China. The No. 1 team won’t always come as a result of the NHSI championship game, but we won’t always automatically rank an unbeaten club that declines an invite No. 1, or move up a team to No. 1 after it finishes an unbeaten season while turning down an invite to an event it is eligible for. Every situation like this one requires a deep examination of the circumstances.

Kyle Anderson

6'7" - PG - 2012

2011 -- St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (33-0); HC-Bob Hurley, Sr.; ESPN-USA-NPP.--Montrose Christian felt if it won the end-of-season ESPN RISE National Invitational (NHSI), it would consider itself national champions. No one would deny the Mustangs those feelings and the winner of the NHSI did indeed win a national championship. But it’s not the same as being considered national champion among every state champion in the land and it’s not the same as a mythical national champion based on national rankings. According to criteria that have been used for over 20 years by the POWERADE FAB 50 rankings compilers, Montrose ends at No. 2 in final rankings behind St. Anthony, which did not compete at the NHSI. The Friars capped the school's sixth unbeaten season with their 11^thTournament of Champions state crown and fourth national poll championship. International Basketball Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley, who surpassed 1,000 career wins during the season, won his 24th Non-Public B state crown with a 62-45 win over FAB 50 No. 3 St. Patrick. The Friars' victims also included FAB 50 ranked Mount Vernon (Mount Vernon, N,Y.), Boys & Girls (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Friends Central (Wynnewood, Pa.) plus DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) by a 75-25 margin and Linden (Linden, N.J.), the only team to defeat FAB 50 No. 2 Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.). The Friars were led by 5-foot-9 senior point guard Myles Mack, a Rutgers recruit, and 6-foot-7 junior

Kyle Anderson, who had a terrific game vs. Mr. Basketball USA Michael Gilchrist in the big showdown 62-45 win over St. Patrick.

2010 -- Yates (Houston, Texas) (32-0); HC-Greg Wise; ESPN-USA-NPP.--The Lions are the first from Texas to end No. 1 in the nation since 2002 when Lincoln (Dallas) won the Class 4A state title and went 40-0 behind future NBA star Chris Bosh. En route to winning its own Class 4A state crown, Yates set a national record with 15 straight 100-point games and also established a new state record with 170 points in a single outing. Despite the high-scoring antics, Yates didn’t come close to having the best record of an unbeaten team from Houston that finished No. 1 in the nation. That total is 46-0 for Kashmere High, which the National Sports News Service (FAB 50 precursor) named the No. 1 team for 1974-75 in the end of the season poll. In this year’s Class 4A state final, the Lions swamped Lancaster, 92-73, and won their second straight title. They also extended their two-year winning streak to 58 games. A 97-96 victory over No. 2 Neumann-Goretti in the final game at the Iolani Classic in Hawaii wound up being the mythical national title decider. Key players for head coach Greg Wise’s team were senior Joseph Young (Providence), senior Brandon Peters (Western Kentucky) and senior Darius Gardner (Stephen F. Austin). Wise's team, with depth and a signature full-court defense that never let up, captured its second straight Class 4A title and had an average winning margin greater than 40 points per game.

2009 -- Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) (33-0); HC-Michael Peck; ESPN-USA-NPP.-- The Pilots captured the inaugural ESPN RISE National High School Invitational in North Bethesda, Md., beating previous No. 1 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 74-66. Avery Bradley Jr. (20 points) and junior Cory Joseph (18) combined to score 38 points and both were named to the all-tournament team, which Bradley copping tourney MVP honors. A Mr. Basketball USA finalist headed to Texas, Bradley Jr. played lockdown perimeter defense in three victories and veteran Oak Hill Academy coach Steve Smith praised Bradley as the best guard his program has faced. Coach Michael Peck’s two-year old program competed as a team that did not allow postgraduates for the first time and topped No. 5 Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.), 60-43, in the semifinals, as Bradley scored 13 of his game-high 27 points in the first quarter and had 15 points, six rebounds and five assists in a 76-55 first round win over Mountain State Academy (Beckley, W.Va.). The three-day tournament had six ranked teams and two regional ones, playing to packed arenas at Georgetown Prep's Hanley Center. Other big contributors were seniors D.J. Richardson and Victor Rudd.

2008 -- St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (32-0); HC-Bob Hurley, Sr.; Rivals-USA-NPP.--The Friars capped an unbeaten season with their 10th state Tournament of Champions title. It was the fifth unbeaten season, and third national crown, for 36-year coach Bob Hurley, who guided No. 1 teams in 1989 and 1996. Hurley has a 933-101 career record with 22 of the school's 25 North Jersey Non-Public B crowns. The Friars defeated Science Park, 69-36, in the TOC final after routing Immaculata, 76-41, in the semifinals. During the season, the Friars defeated two Top 25 teams in Utah champion Lone Peak and state rival St. Patrick. The team was led by 6-foot-3 senior guard Mike Rosario, an EA SPORTS All-American candidate and Rutgers recruit. Hurley's son, Danny, coached the No. 2 team in the country at St. Benedict's in nearby Newark. Hurley Sr. was recently elected to the Naismith Hall of Fame, only the second high school coach ever selected following six-time mythical national title winning coach Morgan Wootten of DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.).

2007 -- Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) (40-1); HC--Steve Smith; SS-USA-NPP.--The Warriors captured their sixth national ranking title by recording their second straight 40-1 record season and winning 96 of their last 98 games. This season, Oak Hill defeated six of seven teams ranked in the top 30 of the FAB 50. The Warriors defeated No. 8 Norcross, No. 9 South Medford, No. 13 Mater Dei, No. 22 Liberty Tech, No. 23 Fairfax, and No. 27 Montrose Christian. Oak Hill's lone loss was by 78-75 to No. 5 Simeon in Chicago. Three Warriors will earn All-America honors including McDonald's All-American Nolan Smith, a Duke recruit, who averaged 22 points and 4.5 assists a game. Other A-A honorees are Michigan recruit Alex Legion and Brandon Jennings. Coach Steve Smith has a 22-year record of 684-40 with previous national titles in 2004, 2001, 1999, 1994 and 1993. Why wasn't Oak Hill No. 1 last year despite an identical 40-1 season? Because they lost their last game to Kevin Durant and Montrose Christian plus Lawrence Central of Indianapolis went unbeaten with Greg Oden and Mike Conley and went wire-to-wire as our No. 1 team. The FAB 50 was the only national ranking last year that had that squad No. 1 from the start and considering what that duo is doing this season at Ohio State our rankings look even more credible.

Greg Oden

7'0" - C - 2006

2006 -- Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) (29-0); HC--Jack Keefer; SS-USA-NPP.--The Wildcats went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 ranked FAB 50 team and stamped itself among the legendary squads in the basketball-rich Hoosier State. As a comparison, USA Today had them No. 5 in its preseason rankings. Lawrence North became only the third state team to win three consecutive state crowns by capturing the Class 4A title with an 80-56 finals' romp over eight-time champion Muncie Central. The other two teams were Marion from 1985-87 and Franklin from 1920-22. The win streak of 45 games ties the state mark set by the Oscar Robertson-led Indianapolis teams of 1955-56 at Crispus Attucks. The average winning margin was 20.3 points and victims included Ohio Division II champion Dayton Dunbar, No. 19 in the FAB 50, and defending Illinois Class AA champion Glenbrook North, No. 30 in the FAB 50. Leading North were two four-year regulars, and Ohio State recruits, who helped teams compile a 103-7 record --

Greg Oden, the 7-foot consensus National Player of Year honoree, and guard Mike Conley. Oden averaged 22 points, 10.5 rebounds and shot 74% from the floor. Conley averaged 16.5 points. Coach Jack Keefer won his fourth state title. North is the first Indiana mythical national champion since Washington of East Chicago captured the 1971 crown.

2005 -- Niagara Falls (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) (28-1); HC--Dan Bazzani; SS-NPP.--Our FAB 50 national championship nod to Niagara Falls is as much a nod to how strong New York teams were this year than any other factor. The Wolverines won their first mythical national championship on the strength of titles at the City of Palms tourney in Florida and the New York Federation state playoff tourney. In Florida, Niagara Falls defeated FAB 50-ranked Arlington Country Day of Jacksonville, Fla., the Florida 2A state champion, and Raines of Jacksonville, a 4A power. On their way to the New York Federation championship, the Wolverines defeated FAB 50-ranked New Rochelle and regionally ranked John F. Kennedy and Xaverian. The only loss for the Wolverines was to FAB 50-ranked Vashon of St. Louis, 69-66, in OT. Leading the way for Niagara Falls was junior wing Paul Harris, arguably the nation’s best on-ball defender who scored 19 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists with a broken thumb on his shooting hand in the state title game. He averaged 19.7 points and 12.6 rebounds while sophomore point guard Johnny Flynn contributed 15.2 points, 5.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds.

Rajon Rondo

6'2" - PG - 2004

Rajon Rondo (6-1), a Kentucky signee. Smith, who might declare for the NBA Draft, averaged 23 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots a game and is probably the most athletic player in school history. Rondo set a school record by averaging 12 assists per game, including single-game efforts of 31, 27 and 27 while chipping in 20 points per night. The Warriors defeated teams from 13 states, including FAB 50 No. 7 Mount Vernon, No. 8 Westchester and No. 11 Fairfax. While the legendary 1993 Oak Hill team had more depth than this club, the starting five on this club matches up with any previous team, according to head coach Steve Smith. The closest winning margins were by five points over Dougherty and 10 points versus Moeller (Ohio) and the Warriors claimed titles at Iolani Prep Classic in Honolulu, the GlaxoSmithKline Invitational in Raleigh, N.C., the Mountain State Coal Classic in Beckley, W.Va., and won marquee games at the NIKE Extravaganza in Los Angeles and the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton, N.J. Smith now has an 19-year record of 570-36.

LeBron James

6'8" - SF - 2003

LeBron James made a statement by scoring 52 points in the win over the Comets in his first game back with the team after being suspended for two games for accepting two "throwback" jerseys from a local sporting goods store. The Fightin' Irish also made a statement by beating Oak Hill by 20 points on national television, one of the worst losses in the Steve Smith-era for the Warriors. It was a season that wound up even better than expected, if that's possible, with James in the lineup. King James’ team played one of the most ambitious schedules ever and did not lose on the court. The MVP in the McDonald's and EA SPORTS Roundball Classic All-Star games and the probable No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, James averaged 30.6 points for the season and ended with 2,646 career points, third best in Ohio history, while the Irish went 102-5 on the court with four FAB 50 rankings. This team wasn’t just James, either, as the nucleus of the team played together since middle school. Forward Romeo Travis, point guard Dru Joyce Jr., the son of the head coach, and the role players meshed well with James and this team has to be considered among the all-time best considering the teams they beat during an unbeaten season. St. Vincent-St. Mary’s started No. 7 in the FAB 50 (as a comparison the Irish began No. 23 by USA Today) and had it not been upset in the Division II state final in 2002 (James’ only in-state loss in four years) and finished No. 40, this year’s team would have began at No. 3 instead of four spots lower. In our rankings system it goes to show that what a program accomplished prior can affect pre-season positioning and play in role in how fast or high a team can rise in the FAB 50. Obviously with the schedule and results this team played, those four spots became a moot point as that loss fueled the fire more than anything else.

2002 -- Lincoln (Dallas, Texas) (40-0); HC--Leonard Bishop; SS-USA-NPP.--The Tigers won the Class 4A title by routing nationally-ranked and defending champion Beaumont Ozen, 71-51, in the final. Lincoln, led by center Chris Bosh (Georgia Tech recruit) and Bryan Hopkins (Southern Methodist), went unscathed against a schedule that included three other FAB 50 teams besides Ozen. An early-season win over FAB 50 ranked Midwest City (Okla.) vaulted the Tigers into the rankings and they also recorded wins over No. 23 Fort Worth Dunbar and No. 24 Cedar Hill. They took over the No. 1 spot when defending national champion Oak Hill Academy suffered its only loss versus No. 28 Mater Dei in the Golden State. In 2001, Sugar Land Willowridge was an impressive large class state champ from Texas with a perfect record. This year Lincoln did it again, but unlike Willowridge, the Tigers were able to finish No. 1 in the nation instead of No. 2 to become the first Texas boys basketball team in 27 years to claim a mythical national rankings championship. The last Texas team to claim No. 1 honors was the 46-0 record Houston Kashmere team, which was crowned No. 1 in 1975 by the National Sports News Service. Two other Houston teams also captured titles in the 1970s. Legendary coach Jackie Carr guided Wheatley High to top spots with 43-1 and 39-0 records in 1973 and 1970, respectively.

2001 -- Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) (33-0); HC--Steve Smith; SS-USA-NPP.--The Warriors went wire-to-wire as the nation’s No. 1 team and completed its march to the mythical national crown with a 93-79 victory in late February over Notre Dame Academy of Winchester, Va. Steve Smith’s club posted wins over five state champions and beat programs from 11 states overall. Three of those teams -- No. 3 St. Vincent-St. Mary of Akron, Ohio; No. 8 Salem of Salem, Va.; and No. 13 Osseo of Osseo, Minn. -- lost their only games of the season to Oak Hill. There were two close results for a program that has now won 98 of its last 100 games. The first was Billy Edelin's last minute layup that proved to be the winning points in a 79-78 victory over St. Vincent-St. Mary and super sophomore LeBron James on Jan. 13. Three weeks later, DeSagana Diop scored with six seconds left, pushing a Feb. 3 game against Blue Ridge (Dyke, Va.) to overtime, which the Warriors won 76-69. Oak Hill defeated schools from 11 states, including four teams in the final FAB 50 and numerous regionally ranked teams. Oak Hill won five tournaments, including national events in Las Vegas, St. Louis and Raleigh. Seniors Rashaad Carruth (Kentucky), Edelin (Syracuse) and Diop (possibly NBA bound) led the Warriors. This team set school records for field goal percentage (62.1), three-point percentage (45.5) and assists per game (24.5). Diop averaged 14.6 points, 13.1 rebounds (387). Mario Boggan (14.4 ppg), the top junior contributor, shot a staggering 81.6 percent from the field and had 32 points and 12 rebounds in the final win. Edelin, the leading scorer (21.2 ppg), shot 73.6 percent. Rashaad Carruth (18.5 ppg) hit a school-record 118 3-pointers and Justin Gray (10.1 ppg) rounded out the lineup for a program that won the program’s fourth mythical national title since 1993 and set school records for field goal percentage (62.1), three-point percentage (45.5) and assists per game (24.5).

Tyson Chandler

7'0" - PF - 2001

2000 -- Dominguez (Compton, Ca.) (35-2); HC--Russell Otis; Fox-USA-NPP-NSNS.--The Dons took over the No. 1 spot in the FAB 50 after a 60-47 victory in February over defending national champion Oak Hill Academy of Virginia. That 13-point victory avenged an earlier 54-50 loss to the Warriors at the Iolani Classic in Hawaii. The Dons' other loss was in their fourth game in overtime to No. 17 Clovis West of Fresno, which played in the California Div. I state final. They did not avenge that defeat, but beat No. 23 Artesia of Lakewood 72-63 in the finals of the Best of the West Tournament one day after the Pioneers defeated Clovis West in the semifinals, 72-47. The Dons capped their season by winning a fourth state Division II state title in last five years and finished with a 28-game win streak. The ringleader for Dominguez was 7-foot center Tyson Chandler, who dominated state and numerous national opponents as well with athletic play and shot-blocking ability. “The Franchise” scored 18 points in limited minutes against Philadelphia’s Eddie Griffin in a matchup pitting the nation’s best junior (Chandler) versus an elite All-American senior (Griffin) and led Dons to a 21-point win over Roman Catholic. He also had 17 points and defended well in the return win over Oak Hill, which finished No. 2 in the FAB 50, and finished with game norms of 20.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.7 blocks and 3.2 assists while earning National Junior Player of the Year honors. Steve Moore and point guard Micah McKinney were other key players although McKinney missed the state tournament final with a broken hand. "I've said all year that this was a team of great chemistry,” head coach Russell Otis remarked. “I've had some teams before that had better talent, but what separates these guys is that basketball-wise they do whatever it takes to win.”

National Prep Poll Era

1999 -- Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) (31-0); HC--Steve Smith; NPP-USA-NSNS.--The routine was the same almost every week for the Warriors from Oak Hill Academy -- study hard and go to class the first four days of the week. On Fridays, it was time to hit the road, venturing to such places as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Minneapolis. On every one of its trips this year, the “Road Warriors” came home a winner as they won five tourney titles in five different states, including the 54-team Reebok Holiday Classic in Las Vegas. The team’s closest game of the season was a 61-60 victory over No. 5 Christ The King of Middle Village, N.Y., at the Glaxco-Wellcome tourney. Other close calls came against Minnetonka, Minn., and No. 3 Dominguez of Compton, Calif., 64-60. Six-foot-7 Ronald Slay led Oak Hill in scoring with 16.3 points per game and also collected 6.5 rebounds per game. Slay also was MVP at the Reebok Holiday Classic, where the Warriors rolled past No. 7 Mt. Zion of Durham, N.C., 81-50, in a title match up performance that head coach Smith called ”our best game of the year" against a team Oak Hill beat twice. Travis Watson, also 6-foot-7, set a school single season rebound record with 386 (12.5 per game) and scored at a 15.3 ppg clip. The backcourt also was strong with Jerry Reynolds (12.7 ppg), junior Cliff Hawkins (11.7 ppg) and senior point guard Steven Blake (8.8 ppg, 7.3 apg.). The 31-0 record marked the school’s third undefeated season in the last nine years, following the 29-0 record established in 1989-90 and the 30-0 mark from 1992-93. “To be honest I didn’t think at the beginning of the season we would be as good as we have over the past four or five years,” Smith said. “Talent-wise, it’s not the best we’ve had. But once they got on the floor they were great.”

1998 -- St. John's (Frederick, Md.) (25-0); HC--Stu Vetter; NPP-USA-NSNS.--On Saturday, February 28 at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C., St. John’s at Prospect Hall laid claim to the mythical national title with a 32-25 victory over Oak Hill Academy of Virginia. The game was played without a shot clock and marred by poor shooting, but salvaged by St. John’s tenacious defense and a court-ordered appearance from junior Damien Wilkins, who had previously been suspended from school. He scored eight points and helped neutralize the Warriors’ tall frontline. No. 5 Oak Hill had its 23-game winning streak snapped and besides No. 23 Liberty, Mo., no other top 25 ranked team besides St. John’s finished the season undefeated. All-American Jason Capel iced the game with two free throws with 19.5 second left as the 6-foot-8 Duke recruit led a team that won tournaments in Hawaii, North Carolina and Maryland. The Vikings beat two other top 25 teams and finished the season having won 36 games in a row and 50 of their last 51 games. It was the second mythical national crown for head coach Stu Vetter, as he led Flint Hill Prep of Oakton, Va. to a 23-0 record in 1987 and No. 1 ranking by the National Sports News Service (National Prep Poll precursor) and USA Today.

1997 -- Manual (Peoria, Ill.) (31-1); HC--Wayne McClain; NPP-USA-NSNS.--The Illinois High School Association coined the phrase “March Madness” years ago, but this year the moniker really hit home as the Manual Rams has to survive – and win – three games within a 24-hour period to claim the mythical national title. Manual dropped an overtime game to Carver of Chicago in December and needed some divine intervention to set up a historic Class 2A semifinal showdown with Thornton on Harvey. Defending national champion St. Anthony’s of New Jersey was knocked off in overtime 82-80 by Rice of New York after sophomore Kenny Satterfield drained a 17-footer to send the game into overtime. St. John’s Prospect Hall of Maryland was then moved up to No. 1, but the next weekend they were stunned by St. Francis of Baltimore, 75-74, at the Charm City Classic as All-American pivot Mark Karcher swished a 25-footer with 2.9 seconds left. Manual was in position to claim the mythical national title after that as it beat Chicago Public League champ Whitney Young in the quarterfinals, although a shoulder injury to emotional leader Sergio McClain put a scare in Rams’ fans. In the titanic meeting with No. 14 Thornton before 11,522 fans, the Rams fell behind 18-4 but junior Frank Williams got them back in the game and Manual led 29-26 at halftime. Thornton then took a 37-29 lead but an injured McClain led a 20-0 charge and his team took a 49-37 lead. Amazingly, Thornton made one last push before falling, 65-62. The Rams then beat West Aurora 47-41 in the final, their 24 consecutive victory and 32nd consecutive playoff win that secured a unprecedented fourth straight Class AA state title. The coach’s son led the team with a 18 ppg., but his value really wasn’t measured by stats. In addition to McClain and Williams, McDonald’s All-American center Marcus Griffin contributed to the team’s historic run.

Kobe Bryant-led Ardmore (Pa.) Lower Merion team. Hurley’s team snuck up on opponents when it won the TOC in 1995 with wins over Paterson Catholic, St. Patrick of Elizabeth, and unbeaten and nationally-ranked Shawnee of Medford, but this team played up to lofty expectations every game. National Junior of the Year Anthony Perry paced the team with averages of 20.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists and has led the Friars team in scoring all three of his seasons on the varsity. Six-foot-5 leaper Ike Williams and 6-foot-3 sharpshooter Mike Frey and Basit also played key roles in St. Anthony’s championship season.

1995 -- St. Augustine (New Orleans, La.) (37-1); HC--Bernard Griffith; NPP-USA-NSNS.--The Purple Knights opened the season unranked in the National Prep Poll Top 25, but climbed to the No. 1 spot during the season and capped their improbable run to the top of the polls with a 57-33 victory over Catholic-Baton Rouge in the Class 5A state title game. St. Augustine lost its second game of the season to in-state rival Glen Oaks and top-notch junior Lester Earl, but won two holiday tournaments and finished the season riding a 36-game winning streak. Bernard Griffith upped his record to 242-36 in his eight seasons at St. Augustine and has been selected district coach of the year six times and was also named Student Sports National Coach of the Year this year. Leading the Purple Knights to their third state title overall was 6-foot-5 forward Maurice Robertson, the Times-Picayune's All-Metro Large Schools most outstanding player who averaged 17.0 ppg. The other bookend forward was 6-foot-7 junior Eugene Edgerson, a no-nonsense type that checked in with norms of 15.9 points and 6.0 rebounds. The preseason No. 1 team, St. John’s of Prospect Hall, finished No. 2 after losing in overtime to Laurel (Md.) Baptist, which received 40 points and six assists from Louis Bullock to pull out a 62-56 victory. Preseason No. 2 Oak Hill Academy lost three times, but beat preseason No. 4 Mater Dei in the finals of the Las Vagas Holiday Classic while preseason No. 3 Farragut of Chicago, led by consensus national player of the year Kevin Garnett and super junior Ronnie Fields, was stunned in the Class 2A state quarterfinals by a Thornton of Harvey team led by Tai Streets.

1994 -- Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) (30-1); HC--Steve Smith; NPP-USA-NSNS.--Oak Hill had the fire power to finish unbeaten for the second consecutive season, but they were stunned 65-48 at the Las Vegas Holiday Prep Classic by Dominguez of Compton, a team that finished regionally ranked at 28-4. Since Dominguez did not win a California Div. II state title, the Warriors needed some help to climb back to the top of the polls and that exactly what they got when previously unbeaten King of Chicago was upset by Westinghouse, 59-58, and Mater Dei of Santa Ana suffered its first and only loss to No. 2 Crenshaw of Los Angeles, 71-67, in a much-anticipated Div. I SoCal Regional final. Those results allowed Oak Hill to finish No.1 after the early loss in Las Vegas. Leading the way for the Warriors was the stellar backcourt of 6-foot-2 Curtis Staples and 6-foot-5 Tarik Turner, both transfers from St. John’s Prospect Hall in Maryland. Staples, a Virginia commit, averaged 24 points and four assists while Tuner will join Mr. Basketball USA Felipe Lopez at St. John’s. Six-foot-11 Mark Blount, 6-foot-6 Tavares Johnson and 6-foot-7 Alex Sanders, holdovers from Oak Hill’s dominant 1993 club, were the leaders up front. Sanders actually was the only returning starter for a club that won the Above the Rim Tournament in San Diego with wins over St. John’s Prospect Hall and Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland as Oak Hill has now won 157 of its last 161 games. No. 2 Crenshaw had a team with a comparable resume and comparable talent to Oak Hill, but they lost to Simon Gratz of Philadelphia, 70-65, and then to Columbia (S.C.) Richland Northeast, 74-65, in the third place game of the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C. when all-state forward Kris Johnson was suspended for violating a team rule.

Jerry Stackhouse

6'6" - SF - 1993

1993 -- Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) (30-0); HC--Steve Smith; NPP-NSNS; Philadelphia, Pa., Simon Gratz (31-0); HC--Bill Ellerbee; USA.--The Class of 1993 produced a ton of quality individual talent and three dominating teams, but when it was all said and done the best team was judged to be Oak Hill Academy. Coach Steve Smith had his first unbeaten club in 1990, when 6-foot-10 Elite All-American Anthony Cade led the Warriors to a 29-0 mark and No. 2 ranking. Despite a No. 3 finish in USA Today’s Super 25, this was clearly Smith’s best team in his eight years as Oak Hill’s head coach. In 1990, Oak Hill played second fiddle to Chicago King, but this season the Jaguars, with twins towers Rashard Griffith and Thomas Hamilton, finished No. 3 at 32-0 behind No. 2 Simon Gratz of Philadelphia, which finished 31-0. Gratz was led by Mr. Basketball USA Rasheed Wallace and was named the third best team all-time in city history by the Daily News, but Oak Hill was simply on another level. The Warriors rolled to the tournament title at the Las Vegas Holiday Prep Classic and tournament director Larry McKay remarked, “It was like men playing against boys as the Warriors dominated a talented field of teams.” In all, Oak Hill beat teams from 11 states and Australia and finished 30-0 against high school competition and 36-0 overall. First team Elite All-American

Jerry Stackhouse, who scored 27 points in the McDonald's All-America Game, averaged 25.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Point guard Jeff McInnis set a school record with 303 assists and averaged 17 points and will join Stackhouse at North Carolina. Center Makhtar Ndiaye averaged 10.3 rebounds and 8.1 blocks a game and depth was provided by the likes of guard Jermaine “Sunshine” Smith, center Mark Blount and forwards Alex Sanders and Tavares Johnson. In all, nine players are considered Div. I recruits.

1992 -- Dunbar (Baltimore, Md.) (29-0); HC--Pete Pompey; NPP-USA-NSNS.--The Poets went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team and have won 52 consecutive games. Considering No. 2 Oak Hill Academy finished with two losses, including one to the Poets, there’s no question Dunbar is the top team in the land but ultimately this team is going to be judged against the Poets’ legendary 1983 unit, the club most veteran observers feel is the best high school team of the modern era. "With the '92 team, it was almost like 'now it's my turn to take over the game' with each of the players," explained Sam Davis of the Baltimore Sun, who followed both teams on the prep beat for the Baltimore Sun and traveled to see them play in showcase games. "The 1992 team wasn't always on the same page. They were a free-spirited team with their own goals. (Pete) Pompey is a good coach and a good man, but doesn't have (1983 head coach) Bob Wade's dominant personality." This year’s Poets faced tougher competition overall than the 1983 unit as they won a tournament in Erie, Pennsylvania, played at the KMOX Shootout in St. Louis and also played at the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Dunbar defeated No. 12 Simon Gratz of Philadelphia in the Beach Ball finals after Gratz had defeated No. 7 St. Joseph’s of Alameda, California in the semifinals, 60-53. Jason Kidd and company from St. Joseph’s were edged in the finals of the Great Florida Shootout by St. Raymond’s of the Bronx, but that New York club was no match for Dunbar as they beat the New Yorkers, 93-82, in the semifinals of the Charm City Classic. In finals, Pompey’s club beat No. 14 St. Anthony’s of New Jersey and also embarrassed highly regarded Vashon, 75-49, in front of that school's hometown fans at the KMOX Shootout. Leading the way for Dunbar was a pair of McDonald All-Americans in 6-foot-6 Donta Bright, the National Sophomore of the Year in 1990, and 6-foot-2 Michael Lloyd. 6-foot-6 junior Keith Booth will likely play in the McDonald’s game next year and Davis also points to the play of unsung hero Cyrus Jones as a main reason Dunbar was able to survive its moments of individualism.

1991 -- Simon Gratz (Philadelphia, Pa.) (27-1); HC--Bill Ellerbee; NPP; Detroit, Mi., Southwestern (26-1); HC--Perry Watson; USA-NSNS.--The Bulldogs repeated as the Public League champion with a 47-43 victory over Franklin Learning Center at the Civic Center. A year earlier, Gratz had rolled past Franklin LC, 80-60, as then 6-foot-8 freshman Rasheed Wallace scored 23 points in the easy win. Gratz didn’t seal the win this year, however, until second team all-city guard Levan Alston (11.4 ppg.) sealed the game with two free throws after no-nonsense post presence Wilfred Kirkaldy drew an offensive foul on FLC's Faron "Meatball" Hand with eight seconds left. Alston and National Sophomore of the Year Wallace (13.8 ppg.) were the double-digit scorers in a balanced starting lineup that included forward Andre Griffin, center Calvin Wingfield and junior guard Contrell Scott. The 6-foot-9 Kirkaldy, a Brooklyn native who played his junior season at Oak Hill Academy, actually didn’t start but played the important minutes at center and averaged 14.1 ppg., and the Bulldogs often got a spark off the bench from freshman dynamo Shawn ''Reds'' Smith, a 5-foot-8 guard. Speaking of Oak Hill, the No. 4 Warriors handed Gratz its only loss, 67-59, in the semifinals of the Great Florida Shootout. The Bulldogs, however, won the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina with a 44-40 victory over St. Joseph’s of Cleveland and were able to move back in front of the Warriors in the polls after Oak Hill suffered an uncharacteristic 28-point loss to a Robert Hughes-coached club at Dunbar of Fort Worth, Texas.

1990 -- King (Chicago, Ill.) (32-0); HC--Landon Cox; NPP-USA-NSNS.--Chicago Public League power Martin Luther King opened up the season as the National Prep Poll's and USA Today's No. 1 ranked team. King, under Landon "Sonny" Cox, then went wire-to-wire as the nation's top team and won the Illinois Class AA state title with a 65-55 victory over cross-town Gordon Tech. In the first all-city final in state tournament history, 6-foot-4 McDonald’s All-American Jamie Brandon netted 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while bruising 6-foot-6 forward Johnny Selvie added 17 points and 11 rebounds. Selvie was a four-year starter as was Brandon, who ended his career with 3,174 points, second on the state's all-time career scoring list and was called the, “Money player every truly great team has,'' by veteran talent scout Bob Gibbons. Although the Jaguars played down to the competition at times, they indeed faced tough teams in the public league and during the Windy City Classic while remaining undefeated despite the distractions of Selvie’s arrest on drug charges. The IHSA also made King forfeit 13 games for using an ineligible player, a ruling that was overturned after an appeal by King. Cox had a senior-oriented team, as five of the top six players were seniors, including Brandon, Selvie, 6-foot-3 guard Ahmad Shareef, 5-foot-10 Fred Sculfield and top sub Damian Porter, a 6-foot-10 center. Sculfield backed up 6-foot-11 Rashard Griffith, the National Freshman of the Year who is expected to help keep King in the national rankings picture over the next three years and also expected to be Chicago’s next great prep player as Brandon departs for the University of Illinois.

1989 -- St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (32-0); HC--Bob Hurley, Sr.; NPP-USA-NSNS.--The Friars capped an unbeaten season by winning the first state Tournament of Champions with a 62-55 victory over regionally-ranked Elizabeth. Six-foot-7 Jerry Walker, a Seton Hall recruit, was named tourney MVP and 6-foot-4 wing Terry Dehere, also headed to Seton Hall, scored a team-high 20 points in the title game while 6-foot point guard Bobby Hurley Jr., a Duke recruit, adding 16 points for the Friars. St. Anthony had to overcome some adversity throughout the season and came through with flying colors. In the preseason, Bobby’s younger brother Danny, the top player on the junior varsity team as a freshman who was expected to be the top guard off the bench as a sophomore, shattered his finger and missed the season. Later in the season, 6-foot-7 Sean Rooney, the team’s top rebounder, tore ligaments in his ankle during a 64-43 win over All Hollows of the Bronx. Six-foot-6 junior Jose Ortiz stepped in the lineup for Rooney and the Friars didn’t miss a beat, defeating teams from 10 states in addition to winning the TOC and finishing the season riding a 50-game winning streak. Highlighting the regular season was a tournament victory at the Great Florida Shootout and an impressive 64-45 victory, in front of a national television audience, over No. 9 Flint Hill Prep of Oakton, Va. in the finals of the King Cotton Classic in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The Friars even recorded a 68-59 victory over Solesbury Prep of Pennsylvania, a school with post-graduates, to close out the regular season. Rounding out the team’s excellent starting line up is 6-foot-5 freshman Rodrick Rhodes, who edged California phenom Jason Kidd, from St. Joseph’s of Alameda, for National Freshman of the Year honors.

1988 -- Tolentine (Bronx, N.Y.) (30-1); HC--John Sarandrea; NPP-USA-NSNS.-- There was little doubt the Big Apple fielded the best crop of teams nationally among cities known for producing basketball talent this season. Most veteran observers also considered the CHSAA the best league in the country and it was the Wildcats that captured the school’s first CHSAA title since 1982. The season opened on a good note for Tolentine as the Wildcats defeated two-time defending CHSAA champ Archbishop Malloy of Queens, 76-72, before an overflow crowd. Tolentine was led to victory by 6-foot-7 Elite All-American Malik Sealy with 19 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Sealy, New York’s Mr. Basketball, was the ringleader all season as he finished the season shooting 65.4 percent from the field with norms of 21.4 points and 10.2 rebounds and was named tourney MVP of both the CHSAA and state championships. In the CHSAA final, the Wildcats had an expected return match up with No. 8 Malloy. Malloy took a 37-36 halftime lead, but Sealy responded by scoring six straight points to tie the game at 49. He eventually scored 18 of the Wildcats’ final 27 points, including a resounding dunk that gave his team a 63-61 lead, in an eventual 70-65 victory. Tolentine went on to win the Class A state title with a 95-69 win over Our Savior Lutheran of the Bronx as sophomore forward Brian Reese netted 23 points with Sealy adding 21 points. Reese was one of two standout sophomores on Tolentine’s squad, the other being guard Adrian Autry. The CHSAA’s also had a third 10th-grader, Cardinal Hayes’ Jamal Mashburn, considered among the top 10 nationally and two of the 10 best juniors nationally in Malloy's Kenny Anderson and Christ the King’s Jamal Faulkner. Outside the Big Apple, the Wildcats only lost to No. 2 St. Anthony of Jersey City, N.J., 62-58, but that contest was actually played in Hawaii in the championship game of the Iolani Prep Classic. In the semifinals St. Anthony downed Dunbar of Baltimore, 84-71, while the Wildcats mauled No. 17 Flint Hill Prep of Virginia, 97-69, to end that program’s 59-game winning streak. Tolentine was then able to jump back in front of St. Anthony in the polls after the Friars were upset by Ferris of Jersey City after leading by nine points with just under two minutes remaining.

All-Time No. 1's

1987 -- Flint Hill (Oakton, Va.) (23-0); HC--Stu Vetter; NSNS-USA.

1986 -- Camden (Camden, N.J.) (30-0); HC--Clarence Turner; NSNS-USA.

1985 -- Spingarn (Washington, D.C.) (31-0); HC--John Wood; NSNS; Dunbar (Baltimore, Md.) (28-1); HC--Bob Wade; USA.

1984 -- Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) (31-2); HC--Ron Palmer; NSNS; DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) (39-2); HC--Morgan Wootten; USA.

1983 -- Dunbar (Baltimore, Md.) (31-0); HC--Bob Wade; NSNS-USA.

1982 -- Calvert Hall (Towson, Md.) (34-0); HC--Mark Amatucci; NSNS-BW.

1981 -- Quincy (Quincy, Ill.) (33-0); HC--Jerry Leggett; NSNS-BW.

1980 -- Inglewood (Inglewood, Calif.) (29-0); HC--Vince Combs; NSNS-BW.

1979 -- Southwest (Macon, Ga.) (28-0); HC--Don Richardson; NSNS-BW.

1978 -- DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) (28-0); HC--Morgan Wootten; NSNS-BW.

1977 -- West Philadelphia (West Philadelphia, Pa.) (30-0); HC--Joey Goldenberg; NSNS-BW.

1976 -- Dunbar (Washington, D.C.) (29-0); HC--Joe Dean Davidson; NSNS; Canarsie (Brooklyn, N.Y.) (24-0); HC--Mark Reiner; BW.

1975* -- Kashmere (Houston, Texas) (46-0); HC--Weldon Drew; NSNS; Verbum Dei (Los Angeles, Calif.) (28-1); HC--George McQuarn; BW.

1974 -- Verbum Dei (Los Angeles, Calif.) (30-2); HC--George McQuarn.

1973 -- tie: Wheatley (Houston, Texas) (43-1); HC--Jackie Carr; Verbum Dei (Los Angeles, Calif.) (29-2); HC--George McQuarn.

1972 -- Thornridge (Dolton, Ill.) (33-0); HC--Ron Ferguson.

1971 -- Washington (East Chicago, Ind.) (29-0); HC--John Molodet; Schenley (Pittsburgh, Pa.) (25-3) HC--Spencer Watkins.

1970 -- Wheatley (Houston, Texas) (39-0); HC--Jackie Carr.

1969 -- Compton (Compton, Calif.) (30-0); HC--Bill Armstrong.

1968 -- Compton (Compton, Calif.) (32-0); HC--Bill Armstrong.

1967 -- tie: Ambridge (Ambridge, Pa.) (27-0); HC--Charles DeVenzio; Newark (Newark, N.J.) (26-0).

1966 -- DeWitt Clinton (New York, N.Y.) (21-0); HC--Robert Buckner.

1965 -- DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) (28-1); HC--Morgan Wootten.

1964 -- Power Memorial (New York, N.Y.) (30-0); HC--Jack Donahue.

1963 -- Power Memorial (New York, N.Y.) (27-0); HC--Jack Donahue.

1962 -- DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) (29-3); HC--Morgan Wootten.

1961 -- Collinsville (Collinsville, Ill.) (32-0); HC--Vergil Fletcher.

1960 -- McClymonds (Oakland, Calif.) (22-0); HC--Paul Harless.

1959 -- McClymonds (Oakland, Calif.) (22-0); HC--Paul Harless.

1958 -- McClymonds (Oakland, Calif.) (21-0); HC--Paul Harless.

1957 -- Middletown (Middletown, Ohio) (27-0); HC--Paul Walker.

1956 -- tie: Middletown (Middletown, Ohio) (25-0); HC--Paul Walker; Crispus Attucks (Indianapolis, Ind.) (31-0); HC--Ray Crowe.

1955 -- Crispus Attucks (Indianapolis, Ind.) (31-1); HC--Ray Crowe.

1954 -- Pampa (Pampa, Texas) (28-0); HC--Clifton McNeely.

1953 -- Pampa (Pampa, Texas) (26-0); HC--Clifton McNeely.

1952 -- Compton (Compton, Calif.) (32-0); HC--Ken Fagans.

*All selections prior to 1975 by National Sports News Service (unless noted)

National Negro High School Tournament

A national tournament for segregated Black high schools took place from 1929-1967. It was held at Hampton, Va., Institute (now Hampton University), 1929-33; Gary, Ind., 1934-35, Roanoke, Va., 1936-1937, Fayetteville State College (N.C.), 1938-44, Tennessee State (Tenn.), 1945-65, and Alabama State College (Ala.), 1966-67. It was known as the The Southern Interscholastic Basketball Tournament from 1949 until the final year in 1967.

Source: Charles Herbert Thompson, LSU Historial Dissertations and Theses, 1980

1929 -- Armstrong (Washington, D.C.) d. Douglass (Huntington, W.Va.), 20-19

1930 -- Armstrong (Washington, D.C.) d. Douglass (Huntington, W.Va.), 32-23

1931 -- Phillips (Chicago) d. Genoa (Bluefield, W.Va.), 39-14

1932 -- No Tournament

1933 -- Roosevelt (Gary, Ind.) d. Henderson Institute (N.C.), 37-6

*1934 -- Roosevelt (Gary, Ind.) d. Central Colored School (Louisville, Ky.), 39-24

*1935 -- Roosevelt (Gary, Ind.) d. Kelly Miller (Clarksburg, W.Va.), 21-19

**1935 -- Genoa (Bluefield, W.Va.) d. Interurban Heights (Jefferson County, Ala.), 19-17

*1936 -- Roosevelt (Gary, Ind.) d. Kelly Miller (Clarksburg, W.Va.), 37-17

**1936 -- Rosenwald (Harlan County, Ky.) d. Dorchester Academy (Midway, Ga.), 20-19

**1937 -- Avery Institute (Charleston, S.C.) d. Mayo-Underwood (Frankfort, Ky.), 21-20

**1938 -- Xavier University Prep (New Orleans, La.) d. Garnet (Charleston, W.Va.), 12-9

*1939 -- Roosevelt (Gary, Ind.) d. E. E. Smith (Fayetteville, N.C.), 28-21

**1939 -- Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) d. Cuyler Beach (Savannah, Ga.), 31-29

*1940 -- Roosevelt (Gary, Ind.) d. Gary District (Gary, W.Va.), 37-24

**1940 -- Lincoln (Evansville, Ind.) d. Cuyler Beach (Savannah, Ga.), 31-29

*1941 -- Morningside (Statesville, N.C.) d. Armstrong (Richmond, Va.), 34-32

**1941 -- Booker T. Washington (Sand Springs, Okla.) d. Booker T. Washington (Seminole, Okla.), 38-24

*1942 -- Sumner Academy (Kanas City, Kan.) d. Garnet (Charleston, W.Va.), 31-26

**1942 -- Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) d. Southern Lab (Baton Rouge, La.), 42-19

*Sponsored by the National Interscholastic Athletic Association

**Sponsored by Tuskegee Institute

1943 -- No Tournament (World War II)

1944 -- No Tournament (World War II)

*1945 -- Douglass (Oklahoma City, Okla.) d. Elkhorn (Switchback, W. Va.), 36-33

*1946 -- Booker T. Washington (Cushing, Okla.) d. Middleton (Tampa, Fla.), 44-40

*1947 -- Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) d. Middleton (Tampa, Fla.), 51-42

*1948 -- Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) d. Don Thompson Vocational (Tampa, Fla.), 52-29

*Sponsored by the National High School Athletic Association

1949 -- St. Elizabeth (Chicago, Ill.) d. Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.), 57-36

1950 -- St. Elizabeth (Chicago, Ill.) d. Ballard-Hudson (Macon, Ga.), 56-49

1951 -- St. Elizabeth (Chicago, Ill.) d. Booker T. Washington (Cushing, Okla.), 46-40

1952 -- Central Colored School (Louisville, Ky.) d. Wheatley (Houston, Texas), 41-38

1953 -- Western (Paris, Ky.) d. Booker T. Washington (Montgomery, Ala.), 70-41

1954 -- Laurinburg Institute (Laurinburg, N.C.) d. Dunbar (Summerset, Ky.)

1955 -- Central Colored School (Louisville, Ky.) d. Burt (Clarksville, Tenn.), 85-61

1956 -- Central Colored School (Louisville, Ky.) d. Douglass (Lexington, Ky.), 81-61

1957 -- St. Elizabeth (Chicago, Ill.) d. McKinley (Baton Rouge, La.), 61-53

1958 -- Pearl (Nashville, Tenn.) d. Carver (Dothan, Ala.), 68-58

1959 -- Pearl (Nashville, Tenn.) d. Scipio Jones (North Little Rock, Ark.), 76-72

1960 -- Pearl (Nashville, Tenn.) d. Roosevelt (West Palm Beach, Fla.), 74-50

1961 -- Burt (Clarksville, Tenn.) d. Webster (Minden, La.), 73-70

1962 -- Booker T. Washington (Memphis, Tenn.) d. Carter Parramore (Quincy, Fla.), 66-61

1963 -- Pearl (Nashville, Tenn.) d. Jim Hill (Jackson, Miss.), 64-55

1964 -- Parker (Birmingham, Ala.) d. Armstrong (Richmond, Va.), 81-79

1965 -- Lanier (Jackson, Miss.) d. Booker T. Washington (Suffolk, Va.), 58-55

1966 -- Coleman (Greenville, Miss.) d. Dunbar (Lynchburg, Va.), 81-54

1967 -- Booker T. Washington (Montgomery, Ala.) d. Temple (Vicksburg, Miss.), 71-56

National Interscholastic Tournament Finals (at University of Chicago, Bartlett Gym)

1930 -- Athens (Athens, Texas) d. Jena (Jena, La.), 22-16; HC--Jimmy Kitts.

1929 -- Athens (Athens, Texas) d. Classen (Oklahoma City, Okla.), 25-21; HC--Jimmy Kitts.

1928 -- Ashland (Ashland, Ky)., d. Canton (Canton, Ill.), 15-10; HC--James Anderson.

1927 -- Morton (Cicero, Ill.) d. Batesville (Batesville, Ark.), 18-16; HC--H. K. Long.

1926 -- Fitchburg (Fitchburg, Mass.), d. Fargo (Fargo, N.D.), 25-14; HC--Clarence N. Amiott.

1925 -- Wichita (Wichita, Kan.), d. El Reno (El Reno, Okla.), 27-6; HC--A. R. Young.

1924 -- Windsor (Windsor, Colo.), d. Yankton (Yankton, S.D.), 25-6; HC--Joseph E. Ryan.

1923 -- Kansas City (Kansas City, Kan.), d. Rockford (Rockford, Ill.), 43-21; HC--C. W. Corsant.

1922 -- Lexington (Lexington, Ky.), d. Mt. Vernon (Mt. Vernon, Ohio.), 46-28; HC--John Barclay.

1921 -- Washington (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) d. West Lafayette (West Lafayette, Ind.), 43-19; HC--Leo V. Novak.

1920 -- Wingate (Wingate, Ind.), d. Crawfordville (Crawfordville, Ind.), 22-16; HC--Merrill Eaton.

1918-19 -- not staged because of World War I.

1917 -- Township (Evanston, Ill.) d. Freeport (Freeport, Ill.), 27-22, ot.; HC--James W. Bixby.

Note: Head coaches (HC) listed for championship team.

National Catholic Interscholastic Tournament Finals
(at Loyola University, Chicago; Alumni Hall)

1941--Leo (Chicago, Ill.) d. St. Francis Mission (St. Francis, S.D.), 49-41, ot.

1940--Catholic (Fort Wayne, Ind.) d. St. Michael (Santa Fe, N.M.), 35-33.

1939--Catholic (Fort Wayne, Ind.) d. Leo (Chicago, Ill.), 44-37.

1938--St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.) d. Loyola (Winnetka, Ill.), 31-22.

1937--Fenwick (Oak Park, Ill.) d. Catholic (Joliet, Ill.), 30-27.

1936--De La Salle (Chicago, Ill.) d. St. Mary (Anderson, Ind.), 45-29.

1935--St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.) d. St. Mel (Chicago, Ill.), 29-24.

1934--Catholic (Joliet, Ill.) d. St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.), 30-17.

1933--Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.) d. St. Rita (Chicago, Ill.), 31-10.

1932--St. Patrick (Chicago, Ill.) d. St. Mel (Chicago, Ill.), 22-20.

1931--De La Salle (Minneapolis, Minn.) d. Academy (Jasper, Ind.), 23-21.

1930--De La Salle (Chicago, Ill.) d. Academy (Jasper, Ind.), 25-14.

1929--De La Salle (Chicago, Ill.) d. St. Stanislaus (Bay St. Louis, Miss.), 25-16.

1928--De La Salle (Joliet, Ill.) d. University (St. Louis, Mo), 32-11.

1927--De La Salle (Joliet, Ill.) d. Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.), 26-11.

1926--St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.) d. Aquinas (Rochester, N.Y.), 18-16.

1925--St. Mel (Chicago, Ill.) d. Marquette Academy (Milwaukee, Wis.), 15-7.

1924--Spalding (Peoria, Ill.) d. Marquette Academy (Milwaukee, Wis.), 21-7.

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 Salute to All-Time FAB 50 No. 1s appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

UPDATED FAB 50: Playoff Madness!

Ronnie Flores — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 01:16:11 +0000

The playoffs are here and this is the time in the season when a team's spot in the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com will be challenged. There are going to be some great opportunities for teams to move up, or in, the industry's longest-running weekly national rankings over the next month. There are four newcomers to this week's FAB 50 led by No. 40 Penn (Wishawaka, Ind.)

While high school basketball doesn't have a March Madness type national playoff tournament like college basketball does, there is certainly plenty of excitement around the various state playoff tournaments that begin this week in selected states around the country. There will be crazy storylines, upsets and the ability for teams in the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com to make a statement, or for team's to quickly move up from the vast bubble list.

The team that made the loudest statement last week was No. 2 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), which took on No. 3 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) in the marquee game of the Metro Classic at Kean University in Union, N.J. This was a rematch of last year's title game at GEICO Nationals in which Montverde Academy won its sixth event crown and finished No. 2 in the FAB 50.

In this game, Link Academy came in undefeated and ready to stake its claim to the top spot in the rankings, but the Eagles had other ideas and showed once again how hard it is to climb all the way to the top of the FAB 50, something Montverde Academy was able to do six times between 2013 and 2021. Montverde Academy jumped all over the Lions, storming out to a 17-2 lead highlighted by a 15-0 run.

Before the first quarter was even over, Montverde Academy went on another 12-0 run and led 29-7 after one period. Link Academy tried to make up the stagger, but could get no closer than 12 points in the second quarter, as the Eagles posted a dominant 84-58 victory.

Improved junior forward Derik Queen led a balanced attack with a game-high 21 points and 13 rebounds. Junior wing Liam McNeeley netted 15 points, while junior guard Curtis Givens added 13 points. Oregon-bound forward K.J. Evans had a good all-around game with 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while junior forward Asa Newell added 10 points and nine rebounds.

Montverde Academy has now won 14 consecutive games (including a 84-62 win over No. 24 and Metro Classic host Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) the night after the Link Academy win) since a 56-55 loss to No. 28 Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) at the Iolani Classic in Hawaii in December. So what has made the difference since the Mt. St. Joseph game?

"We made a decision to reduce the rotation from 10 players to eight," Montverde Academy coach Kevin Boyle told Ballislife. "We challenged the players toughness and commitment to meet Montverde's standard. We also implemented our full court press that has allowed us to speed the game up."

Montverde Academy, which is 10-1 in National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) play, has one conference and regular season game remaining versus No. 20 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)on February 10. Should the Eagles win that game against a club it has already beaten once this season, MVA will be the top seed at GEICO Nationals, set for March 30-April 1.

For the FAB 50 ranked clubs that will participate in that end-of-season event, the key is to remain engaged and be ready for tough competition after a long break. While some clubs have made a concerted effort to schedule a few extra games into late February or early March, Boyle and has staff have handled being ready after the layoff better than any other academy-type program. Montverde Academy is 26-5 (.839) all-time at the event.

Midwest Region Breaks Through

All four newcomers to this week's FAB 50 hail from the Midwest Region, led by No. 40 Penn (Wishawaka, Ind.). The Kingmen are the No. 2 ranked team in basketball-crazed Indiana and have only lost one game, 65-53, to still unbeaten and FAB 50 No. 8 Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.).

Wisconsin's No. 1 ranked team, unbeaten De Pere (De Pere, Wis.), checks in at No. 43, while Kentucky's top-ranked club, Warren Central (Bowling Green, Ky.), checks in at No. 50.

It's not very often over the year's that the top team in the Chicago Public League (CPL) is not FAB 50 ranked, but that's the case this week as previous No. 42 Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) fell to bubble club Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.), 56-46, at the Bank of O'Fallon Shootout in Illinois. With seven overall losses, Vashon is not quite a FAB 50 club right now and this week we go against local rankings that kept Simeon as No. 1 in its metro area.

Replacing Simeon in the FAB 50 is our No. 1 team from the same region: No. 48 Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.). The Redwings have won each outing since the turn of the New Year after taking a 52-49 loss to Simeon on December 30.

The most early anticipated playoff games will come from the CIF Southern Section open division playoffs in Southern California, which being February 10. There are two pools of four teams each with the winner of each pool squaring off at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on February 25.

If the seeds hold up (the higher seed hosts each of the three pool play games), it would be No. 7 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) vs. No. 11 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.). Centennial is the top seed, so FAB 50 No. 34 Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) is in the Huskies' pool at No. 4, while FAB 50 No. 19 West Ranch (Valencia, Calif.) is in the Wolverines' pool at No. 3

The field also includes two teams that have been previously FAB 50 ranked: No. 5 seed Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) and No. 8 seed Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), both of whom play in the Mission League alongside Harvard-Westlake. Rounding out the field are No. 6 seed St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), the champions of the rugged Trinity League, and No. 7 seed St. Bernard (Playa Del Rey, Calif.), the co-champions of the Del Rey League alongside Bishop Montgomery. All eight teams will be part of the SoCal regional tournament, which culminates in the NorCal vs. SoCal CIF State Championships, March 10-11, at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif.

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

(8th poll of 2022-23 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, Feb. 5; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

No.	Prev.	High School (City)	Record
1	1	Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.)	22-1
2	2	Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)	22-2
3	4	John Marshall (Richmond, Va.)	20-0
4	5	Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas)	24-1
5	3	Link Academy (Branson, Mo.)	23-1
6	6	Columbus (Miami, Fla.)	20-3
7	7	Centennial (Corona, Calif.)	25-3
8	8	Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.)	22-0
9	9	Lake Highlands (Dallas, Texas)	24-3
10	10	Camden (Camden, N.J.)	19-2
11	13	Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.)	28-1
12	12	Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)	14-2
13	14	Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.)	19-3
14	15	St. John’s (Washington, D.C.)	21-2
15	11	Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.)	14-6
16	19	Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.)	22-0
17	18	Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas)	27-1
18	23	Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.)	25-1
19	24	West Ranch (Valencia, Calif.)	27-1
20	16	IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)	16-6
21	17	AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.)	17-5
22	25	West Linn (West Linn, Ore.)	19-1
23	29	Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.)	16-2
24	21	Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.)	12-5
25	22	Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)	20-2
26	27	Garfield (Seattle, Wash.)	18-0
27	28	Park Center (Brooklyn Park, Minn.)	17-0
28	30	Mt. St. Jospeh (Baltimore, Md.)	27-3
29	34	Cass Tech (Detroit, Mich.)	17-0
30	26	DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.)	22-5**
31	35	Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.)	19-0
32	33	Carter (Dallas, Texas)	24-2
33	31	Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.)	18-2
34	20	Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.)	25-2
35	36	Pinson Valley (Pinson, Ala.)	26-0
36	37	Carmel Christian (Matthews, N.C.)	25-3
37	41	Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)	14-1
38	40	Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas)	20-3
39	43	Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.)	16-6
40	NR	Penn (Wishawaka, Ind.)	17-1
41	44	Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.)	15-6
42	45	Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.)	18-4
43	NR	De Pere (De Pere, Wis.)	19-0
44	32	St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio)	15-1
45	46	Lake City (Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho)	18-0
46	47	Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, Okla.)	17-0
47	48	Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.)	27-2
48	NR	Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.)	25-1
49	50	Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.)	22-2
50	NR	Warren Central (Bowling Green, Ky.)	22-1

Dropped Out: Previous No. 38 Bullis (Potomac, Md.), No. 39 Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), No. 42 Simeon (Chicago, Ill.), No. 49 North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.).

Bubble Teams:??Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 19-6; Bullis (Potomac, Md.) 21-2; Cardinal Ritter (St. Louis, Mo.) 18-3; Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.) 13-4; Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.) 17-1; Centerville (Centerville, Ohio) 17-2; Central (Little Rock, Ark.) 20-4; Chambers (Charlotte, N.C.) 17-5; Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) 17-2; Eagle’s Landing (McDonough, Ga.) 23-1; Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 15-2; Ellison (Killeen, Texas) 29-3; Farmville Central (Farmville, N.C.) 20-1; Federal Way (Federal Way, Wash.) 20-1; Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 20-4; Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 17-5; Hayfield (Alexandria, Va.) 19-1; Horn Lake (Horn Lake, Miss.) 26-1; Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.) 24-6**; Joliet West (Joliet, Ill.) 22-5; Jonesboro (Jonesboro, Ark.) 21-3; Kell (Marietta, Ga.) 20-2; Kennedy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) 16-0; Kenwood Academy (Chicago, Ill.) 21-5; Kimball (Kimball, Texas) 23-2; Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) 15-8; MacArthur (Decatur, Ill.) 24-2; McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 17-6; Metamora (Metamora, Ill.) 24-2; Muskegon (Muskegon, Mich.) 13-1; Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.) 18-4; Newton (Covington, Ga.) 15-7; Nixa (Nixa, Mo.) 19-0; Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 20-9; North Farmington (Farmington Hills, Mich.) 13-1; North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) 20-2; Northern Nash (Rocky Mount, N.C.) 22-0; Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 20-12; Oak Park (Kansas City, Mo.) 20-1; O’Dea (Seattle, Wash.) 15-5; Olympic (Charlotte, N.C.) 21-1; Putnam City North (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 17-1; Radnor (Radnor, Pa.) 20-0; Reading (Reading, Pa.) 20-1; Richmond Heights (Richmond Heights, Ohio) 20-0; Sacred Heart Griffin (Springfield, Ill.) 24-2; Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) 23-3; Staley (Kansas City, Mo.) 19-2; Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) 22-4; St. Andrew’s (Potomac, Md.) 17-3; St. Augustine (San Diego, Calif.) 22-4; UOD Jesuit (Detroit, Mich.) 15-2; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 12-7; Volcano Vista (Albuquerque, N.M.) 21-1; Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 12-10.

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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1st Regular Season FAB 50: NEW No. 1!

Ronnie Flores — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 06:22:16 +0000

There was a full slate of holiday showcases and tournaments over Thanksgiving weekend and the results caused plenty of change in the first edition of the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com for the 2022-23 season. The highest ranked among seven newcomers is No. 32 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) as NIBC play tipped-off in Utah last week. NIBC results also create a new No. 1, as previous No. 4 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) takes over the top spot after becoming FAB 50 eligible for the first time this season.

By Ronnie Flores

As we stated in the preseason, this year's crop of elite teams and players have plenty to prove. One of the reasons we put Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) at preseason No. 1 in the FAB 50 was its track record. Sure coach Kevin Boyle has talent at his disposal, but so do other top ranked teams, particularly those in the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC). It also helped that the Eagles captured the Top Flight Invitational bracket at The Border League in Las Vegas in October. In that title game, Montverde Academy edged AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) in overtime and downed Centennial (Corona, Calif.) in the semifinals. But the most prominent reason the program began at No. 1 is its success when it reached the pinnacle of high school basketball. Montverde has repeatedly won big games while ranked No. 1 and has a 26-5 record all-time at GEICO Nationals over the years.

Based on the results so far this season, it's an easy call to move up preseason No. 4 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) to No. 1 after the Dragons downed Montverde Academy, 65-54, in their first-ever NIBC regular season game on November 22. Coach Ed Gipson's club cemented the move by downing preseason No. 2 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) the next evening at The 5 For The Fight National Hoopfest in Utah, 53-47, to move its current season record to 7-0. Beating the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams on back-to-back nights for a program eligible for the FAB 50 for the first time is a remarkable feat and the challenge for Gipson and his staff and players will be retaining the top spot in the?FAB 50 National Team Rankings?powered by?www.ebooksnet.com?.

Cincinnati-bound Rayvon Griffith had a terrific game versus Montverde Academy with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. It was a total team effort, as four other AZ Compass players scored at least eight points, while the defense forced 17 Montverde Academy turnovers and scored 17 points off those turnovers. The next night against Sunrise Christian, point guard Jordan Ross led the way offensively with 10 points (including 8-of-9 free throw attempts). Once again, however, it was the defensive effort that told the story, as the Dragons scored 19 points off 15 Buffaloes turnovers. Simply put, AZ Compass plays with the necessary defensive intensity to not only be the No. 1 ranked team in the country, but to stay the No. 1 ranked team in the country in a season in which it will face tough competition on a nightly basis.

"Last week in Utah was a great week for our program, as we captured two big wins to start our inaugural season in the NIBC," said AZ Compass Prep Director Pete Kaffey. "Our players and coaching staff are looking forward to going to Kansas this week to win two big NIBC games to stay undefeated.”

The game against Sunrise Christian was a "trap game" for AZ Compass Prep, as the Buffaloes were coming off a surprising 56-55 loss to regionally-ranked and FAB 50 bubble club American Fork (American Fork, Utah). Perhaps the Buffaloes missed a healthy Ohio State-bound Scotty Middleton more than would have been expected before the game, but the first big rankings question of the season was what to do with Sunrise Christian Academy after it lost on back-to-back nights. We decided to drop them seven spots to No. 9 because of the closeness of the game with AZ Compass Prep and because of the upcoming games versus a plethora of ranked foes. Coach Luke Barnwell's club looks to get on track at the Air Capital Hoopfest this week in Wichita, Kan. At some point, the American Fork result will become more prominent of a FAB 50 factor depending on how well that club and the Buffaloes play in the weeks and months to come.

Preseason No. 1 Montverde Academy drops to No. 2 after it bounced back from the loss to AZ Compass Prep with a 85-42 victory over Pleasant Grove (Utah).

The top newcomer this week is another NIBC club. Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) jumps in at No. 32 after defeating American Fork, 69-64, one night after that club upset Sunrise Christian Academy. Four players scored in double-figures for the Tigers led by senior forward Osiris Grady with 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from the line. Over the weekend, Wasatch Academy traveled down to Atlanta for the Holiday Hoopgiving and came away with two victories, including a resounding 60-36 win over new No. 40 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.). South Carolina commit Collin Murray-Boyles played well and the backcourt duo of senior R.J. Jones (Kansas St.) and sophomore Isiah Harwell are off to a hot start for coach Paul Peterson's club.

The margin in the Wasatch Academy-McEachern result is significant because McEachern played FAB 50 No. 6 Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) fairly tough (78-69) one game after knocking off preseason No. 35 Grovetown (Grovetown, Ga.), 88-80. Duncanville, meanwhile, had beaten four teams in its five games that were either ranked in the preseason or currently ranked, including a 59-57 victory on Saturday over No. 8 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest at Sandra Meadows Memorial Arena at Duncanville. The Panthers, who finished No. 1 in the FAB 50 last season before being stripped of their University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 6A state title by Texas' governing body for high school athletics, put together a terrific defensive effort in the closing minutes against the defending California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) open division champs. Duncanville didn't allow a field goal attempt on Centennial's final possession and also got a big fourth quarter from Texas-bound and Mr. Basketball USA candidate Ronald Holland, who finished with 24 points. Duncanville, which will not participate in the UIL playoffs, faces No. 41 Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.) in its next game December 2.

The performances of regionally-ranked Durango (Las Vegas, Nev.) at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest and Coronado (Henderson, Nev.) at the O'Dowd Thanksgiving Showcase in Oakland, Calif., over the weekend helped defending NIAA Class 5A state champ Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) break into the FAB 50 at No. 43 as the second-ranked NIAA club behind No. 15 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.). Durango won two games against solid Texas clubs and Coronado downed previous No. 27 Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.), 78-70, behind a 26-point effort from UCLA recruit Sebastian Mack. The next evening in Oakland, he hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer in a 55-53 win over Salesian (Richmond, Calif.). Coronado faces No. 27 Simeon (Chicago) at Hoophall West in Arizona on December 10.

Durango, Liberty, Bishop Gorman, and Coronado wil all participatie in the Platinum Bracket at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, December 19-22. The field also includes new No. 47 Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas) and No. 35 West Ranch (Valencia, Calif.), which downed No. 37 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) by two points, 66-64, on November 19. Notre Dame handed Modesto Christian its second loss in two nights, 98-72, at the NorCal Tip-Off Classic in Dublin, Calif.

Liberty and new No. 36 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) were the "first two out" of the preseason rankings. Gonzaga gives the powerful Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) three FAB 50 ranked teams with long-time FAB 50 mainstay DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) also a contender. DeMatha Catholic faces Notre Dame in Southern California on December 3.

The next FAB 50 update is scheduled for Monday, December 12.

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

(1st poll of 2022-23 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, November 27; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

No.	Prev.	High School (City)	Record
1	4	AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.)	7-0
2	1	Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)	1-1
3	3	Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.)	0-0
4	5	Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.)	0-0
5	6	IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)	0-0
6	8	Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas)	5-0
7	7	Camden (Camden, N.J.)	0-0
8	9	Centennial (Corona, Calif.)	4-1
9	2	Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.)	2-2
10	10	Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.)	0-0
11	11	Link Academy (Branson, Mo.)	5-0
12	12	Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.)	3-0
13	13	Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.)	2-0
14	15	Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.)	5-0
15	16	Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)	1-0
16	17	Christ The King (Middle Village, N.Y.)	0-0
17	21	Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.)	0-0
18	18	Columbus (Miami, Fla.)	1-1
19	22	John Marshall (Richmond, Va.)	0-0
20	28	Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.)	1-0
21	14	Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio)	0-1
22	34	Lake Highlands (Dallas, Texas)	4-1
23	23	Centerville (Centerville, Ohio)	0-0
24	19	Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.)	1-1
25	25	Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)	0-0
26	26	Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.)	1-0
27	29	Simeon (Chicago, Ill.)	0-0
28	31	Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.)	0-0
29	33	St. John’s (Washington, D.C.)	0-0
30	30	Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)	9-0
31	39	Kenwood Academy (Chicago, Ill.)	1-0
32	BB	Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah)	4-0
33	40	St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.)	1-0
34	45	Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.)	0-0
35	NR	West Ranch (Valencia, Calif.)	4-0
36	BB	Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)	2-0
37	38	Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.)	4-1
38	42	Carmel Christian (Matthews, N.C.)	6-1
39	36	La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.)	4-1
40	BB	McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.)	5-2
41	49	Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.)	6-0
42	24	The Rock (Gainesville, Fla.)	7-3
43	BB	Liberty (Henderson, Nev.)	0-0
44	41	Titino-Grace (Fridley, Minn.)	0-0
45	43	George Rogers Clark (Winchester, Ky.)	0-0
46	44	North Laurel (London, Ky.)	0-0
47	BB	Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas)	8-0
48	47	Pewaukee (Pewaukee, Wis.)	1-0
49	BB	Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.)	2-0
50	50	Owyhee (Meridian, Idaho)	0-0

Dropped Out: Previous No. 20 Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.), No. 27 Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.), No. 32 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), No. 35 Grovetown (Grovetown, Ga.), No. 37 Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas), No. 46 Isidore Newman (New Orleans, La.), No. 48 Grissom (Huntsville, Ala.).

Bubble Teams:? American Fork (American Fork, Utah) 1-1; Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) 0-0; Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) 0-0; Bentonville (Bentonville, Ark.) 1-0; Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) 4-0; Brophy Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.) 0-0; Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) 0-0; Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 1-2; Carter (Dallas, Texas) 4-1; Catholic Central (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 0-0; Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) 0-0; Coronado (Henderson, Nev.) 2-0; Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) 2-0; Del City (Del City, Okla.) 0-0; DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 0-0; Durango (Las Vegas, Nev.) 2-0; Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 1-1; Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 0-0; Gray Collegiate Academy (West Columbia, S.C.) 2-0; Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 4-1; Heights (Wichita, Kan.) 0-0; Isidore Newman (New Orleans, La.) 3-1; Joliet West (Joliet, Ill.) 2-0; Kimball (Kimball, Texas) 4-1; Martin (Arlington, Texas) 6-1; Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 2-0; Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.) 0-2; Newton (Covington, Ga.) 2-1; Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 4-0; North Crowley (Ft. Worth, Texas) 8-1; Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) 2-0; O’Dea (Seattle, Wash.) 0-0; Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) 0-0; Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) 4-0; Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.) 4-1; Putnam City West (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 2-0; Sacred Heart Griffin (Springfield, Ill.) 0-0; Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 2-1; Staley (Kansas City, Mo.) 0-0; St. Bernard (Playa del Rey, Calif.) 3-0; St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) 1-0; St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 0-0; St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) 1-0; Varina (Richmond, Va.) 0-0; Volcano Vista (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1-0; Waukee (Waukee, Iowa) 0-0; Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 2-1.

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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Preseason 2022-23 SOUTHEAST Region Top 20 Rankings!

Ronnie Flores — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 23:03:08 +0000

As a follow up to the preseason FAB 50, we go 20 teams deep from five separate regions of the nation. Preseason No. 1 ranked teams by region are Paul VI (East), Montverde Academy (Southeast), Cathedral (Midwest), Sunrise Christian Academy (Southwest) and AZ Compass Prep (West). Nobody across the country ranks as many teams as the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com.

Preseason 2022-23 FAB 50
Region-By-Region Rankings

By Ronnie Flores

(Final 2021-22 ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

FAB 50 Preseason?
SOUTHEAST Region Top 20
(Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee)

1. (1) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 22-4
2. (2) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 21-5
3. (NR) Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 25-5
4. (8) Columbus (Miami, Fla.) 29-2
5. (14) The Rock (Gainesville, Fla.) 25-8
6. (NR) Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.) 17-9
7. (NR) Grovetown (Grovetown, Ga.) 29-3
8. (7) Carmel Christian (Matthews, N.C.) 26-3
9. (NR) Isidore Newman (New Orleans, La.) 28-5
10. (NR) Grissom (Huntsville, Ala.) 24-5
11. (NR) Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.) 33-7**
12. (7) Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 26-2
13. (NR) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 15-10
14. (13) Gray Collegiate Academy (West Columbia, S.C.) 23-4
15. (NR) Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 20-9
16. (NR) Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.) 22-6
17. (NR) Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) 21-8
18. (NR) Newton (Covington, Ga.) 24-6
19. (NR) Westminster Academy (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) 22-7
20. (NR) Tupelo (Tupelo, Miss.) 25-4

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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Final, Expanded 2021-22 FAB 50 Rankings!

Ronnie Flores — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 07:37:34 +0000

All 50 ranked teams written up with explanations for why they were placed in these positions with comparisons to preseason ranking. The FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com is the official rankings of the National Sports News Service, which date back to the 1952 season. Duncanville of Texas is the 2021-22 mythical national champion, the third public school program in seven season to finish as the FAB 50 No. 1 and the first Texas program in 20 years.

Compiled by Ronnie Flores

(Preseason ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included.)

1. (7) Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) 35-1?
What put the Panthers in position to finish as the No. 1 ranked team in the country was their non-district schedule. Coach David Peavy’s club scheduled aggressively, and by the time it played then No. 1 Montverde Academy at Hoophall West in Phoenix in early December, it was its sixth FAB 50 ranked opponent in 10 games. Duncanville’s 67-66 buzzer-beating victory on a 3-pointer by junior guard Aric Demings turned out to be the biggest shot of the 2021-22 season. That’s because the Eagles went on to capture the GEICO Nationals against some of the nation’s best academy-type programs. Duncanville rose to No. 1 after that victory, but lost the pole position after falling in overtime by two points (60-58) to Richardson (Texas) in late December at the Whataburger Tournament. Due to the nature of that loss and because both Texas teams participate in the same UIL playoff division, Duncanville never fell behind Montverde Academy in the rankings and Richardson got to as high as No. 7 in the FAB 50. Duncanville was behind then No. 1 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) for the second half of the regular season, but when the Buffaloes were upset at GEICO Nationals’ opening game it catapulted the Panthers back to No. 1 in the FAB 50. Duncanville downed No. 28 McKinney (Texas), 69-49, in the UIL Class 6A title game after that club downed Richardson by two points (54-52) in the regional quarterfinals and beat seven FAB 50 ranked teams, including No. 5 Centennial (Corona, Calif.), 75-70, and No. 32 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 80-73. McDonald's All-American Anthony Black (13 ppg, 58 percent FG, 5 rpg, 3.5 apg) was named District 11-6A Offensive Player of the Year and junior Ron Holland (15 ppg, 60 percent FG, 8 rpg, 2 spg) its overall player of the year for a team that is the third UIL program to capture the FAB 50 title in 20 years, joining Lincoln (Dallas) in 2001-02 and Yates (Houston) in 2009-10. Duncanville has now won three consecutive Class 6A state crowns and been Texas' top ranked team for the past four seasons and should field another strong team in 2022-23

??2. (1) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 22-4?
There was some thought to place the Eagles at No. 1 after capturing GEICO Nationals for the second consecutive season and the sixth time overall since 2013, which was coach Kevin Boyle’s second season at the helm. In his first season (2011-12), the Eagles lost in the GIECO Nationals title game and finished at No. 9. They have not finished lower than No. 5 in the past 10 seasons. Perhaps if the Eagles had a few less losses, there would have been a stronger push to place them No. 1 for the third consecutive season, but the head-to-head result with No. 1 Duncanville ultimately couldn’t be overcome. Montverde Academy downed AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) in its GEICO Nationals opener, 72-63, beat No. 6 IMA Academy in comeback fashion in the semifinals, 62-57, to avenge the two losses in National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) play and downed No. 4 Link Academy, 60-49, in the championship game. Montverde Academy also split games with NIBC champ and No. 3 Sunrise Christian Academy. Regardless of its final ranking, it was another impressive season for a program that lost 2020-21 National Junior of the Year Jalen Duren to early enrollment at Memphis. Duke-bound Dariq Whitehead stepped up to average 17.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 3.8 apg after averaging 10.4 ppg and 8.3 ppg, respectively, on back-to-back FAB 50 title teams in 2021 and 2020. Whitehead hit clutch shots down the stretch in the GEICO Nationals victories over IMG Academy and Link Academy, while Texas-bound Dillon Mitchell also played to an All-American level. The talented forward averaged 11.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg, and 1.4 bpg at GEICO Nationals and was MVP of the City of Plays Classic after the Eagles downed No. 8 Oak Hill Academy in the title game, 60-55.

3. (3) Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 25-2?
Regardless of how its season finished, it shouldn’t diminish the fact Luke Barnwell’s unit had a superlative year in the first full season of the eight-team National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC). After losing to Montverde Academy in the 2021 NIBC title game, the Buffaloes only lost one game conference and regular season game. After losing to Montverde Academy 53-44 during NIBC weekend in December, the Buffaloes bounced back with a 71-61 victory during January NIBC weekend, as Kansas-bound Gradey Dick (20 points) and junior Scotty Middleton (19 points) lead the way. In addition to the split with MVA, the Buffaloes handed No. 4 Link Academy its only regular season loss, defeated No. 6 IMG Academy twice, downed No. 8 Oak Hill Academy (64-61) and No. 11 La Lumiere (60-45). Despite losing two All-Americans and four starters, the Buffaloes finished No. 3 in the FAB 50 for the second consecutive season, as Dick stepped up and became a bonafide Mr. Basketball USA candidate by averaging 18 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2 apg and 2 spg while being named NIBC MVP. The field was considered wide-open heading into GIECO Nationals because of depth and balance and that turned out to be accurate when the top-seeded Buffaloes were upset by No. 8 seed Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), 59-56, behind a 3-pointer from the left corner with four seconds remaining by sophomore Julian Sensley. Had Sunrise Christian captured GEICO Nationals, it would have captured the program’s first ever FAB 50 crown. Also turning in an All-American campaign for Barnwell’s club was Duke-bound Mark Mitchell (16.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 2.7 apg.). Junior Layden Blocker also his terrific moments for a club that spend a majority of the regular season ranked No. 1.

4. (40) Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) 34-2?
As a first-year program, we decided to slow play the Lions in the preseason even though we knew their talent level exceeded their positioning. We should of had the Lions at least 15-20 spots higher, but even then they still would have exceeded preseason expectations, losing only one game in the regular season and advancing to GEICO Nationals title game. Coach Rodney Perry’s club beat a host of quality clubs and were sitting at 26-0 entering a match-up with then No. 1 Sunrise Christian Academy. Behind their terrific front court, the Lions were in range to pull off the win before the Buffaloes executed a bit better down the stretch and won, 74-65. Link Academy’s chances at avenging that loss went out the window when the Buffaloes were upset in the first round of GEICO Nationals by a Prolific Prep team the Lions already beat twice during the regular season. After defeating No. 8 Oak Hill Academy, 81-67, in its opening round game, Link Academy took care of Prolific Prep, 60-53, in its semifinal contest. The Lions were right in the championship game versus Montverde Academy until Dariq Whitehead hit a jumper to give MVA a 55-49 lead with 1:30 remaining in the game. Tennessee-bound Julian Phillips was Link’s only double digit scorer in the title game with 16 points. Jordan Walsh and Phillips were both McDonald’s All-American choices with Michigan-bound Tarris Reed the third anchor on the stellar front line.

5. (14) Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 33-1?
Similar to No. 4 Link Academy, the Huskies exceeded preseason expectations although their postponing was in line with the talent level at coach Josh Giles’ disposal. Usually the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has four or five teams in the final FAB 50, but even though only two teams join the Huskies in the final rankings, it doesn’t at all diminish what they accomplished. They were impressive in closing out a tight game versus NorCal open champ Modesto Christian with a 11-2 run en route to a 59-50 victory in the CIF open title game at the Golden One Center in Sacramento. It was realistically the only one of seven post-season games Giles’ club did not dominate. In fact, its closest margin of victory against SoCal open competition was a 68-48 win over No. 43 Harvard-Westlake, a team that split with No. 32 and state No. 2 Sierra Canyon. After avenging a CIF Southern Section open playoff loss to Harvard-Westlake, Sierra Canyon was no match for the Huskies in the SoCal open final, falling 83-59. All five of Centennial’s starters reached double figures in the win over Sierra Canyon and four of them will be back. The only graduating senior is Cal-Hi Sports Mr. Basketball choice Donovan Dent (New Mexico). Two hours before Centennial wrapped up its state crown, No. 1 Duncanville won the Texas Class 6A state crown after defeating Centennial and Sierra Canyon on back-to-back nights in Texas back in November. That 75-70 setback was the only loss for a program that finished No. 22 in 2020-21 with four sophomore starters. That season, CIF basketball was a spring sport and Centennial chose not to play in the regional because there was no state championships. This was actually the program’s first CIF state crown with the Huskies finishing as Cal-Hi Sports State Team of the Year in back-to-back seasons.

6. (2) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 21-5?
Since capturing the FAB 50 crown 2018-19 in the second season under current coach Sean McAloon, the Ascenders have been right in the thick of the FAB 50 title race and were competitive once again this season. This talented group only lost to other NIBC clubs, falling twice to regular season champ Sunrise Christian Academy, splitting with No. 8 Oak Hill Academy and No. 11 La Lumiere. The highlight of the regular season was twice defeating No. 2 Montverde Academy, 65-64 and 57-53. After losing to La Lumiere at the Metro Classic, the Ascenders defeated the Lakers in the first round of GEICO Nationals, 76-51. In the semifinals against Montverde Academy, they had a 47-41 lead after three quarters but were outscored, 21-10, in the final quarter and lost 62-57. IMG gave a valiant effort at GEICO even though it played without injured Alabama-bound point guard Jaden Bradley, a three-year standout for McAloon. Four-year standout Jarace Walker averaged 16.7 ppg (68 percent from the field) 8.2 rpg, 4.0 apg, and 2.2 bpg while shooting guard Keyonte George (Baylor) averaged 17 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 3.1 apg, including 21.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg at GEICO Nationals. Had IMG Academy held its lead in the third game with Montverde Academy, or if Link Academy would have been GEICO Nationals champ, the results still would have pointed toward placing Duncanville at No. 1 since both of those clubs lost to first round loser Sunrise Christian Academy.

7. (21) Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 26-2?
After capturing the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 4A state crown, the Eagles were the favorites at the inaugural State Champions Invitational, which was created this year by Paragon Marketing Group as a spin off of GEICO Nationals for eligible state championship clubs. The Eagles answered any questions about which was the best of the four teams in field by defeating No. 23 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) in the semifinals, 59-37, as Central Florida commit Taylor Hendricks led the way with 24 points and 12 rebounds. CCA was even better versus No. 36 Auburn (Wash.) in the championship game at Berkeley Prep in Tampa, Fla., dominating the Trojans from the opening tip on both ends of the floor en route to a 71-44 victory. CCA jumped out to leads of 18-4 and 24-5 and never looked back, as all five starters hit for double figures with tourney MVP Hendricks finishing with 13 points, five rebounds and three blocks. As impressive as Calvary Christian Academy was in its two SCI wins, it had nowhere to rise in the final FAB 50 after losing to unranked Milton (Ga.) and to GEICO Nationals champ Montverde Academy at the buzzer on a 3-pointer by Illinois-bound Skyy Clark. No. 6 IMG Academy, of course, beat MVA twice during the regular season. Florida Atlantic-bound Brenen Lorient, Michigan-bound Gregg Glenn and juniors Carl Cherenfant and Marvel Allen rounded up the excellent lineup for coach Cilk McSweeney. If the SCI falls on the ideal dates and can add some power states such as Texas and California, it will one day be as coveted a title as GEICO Nationals.

8. (6) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 33-8
The 81-67 loss to No. 4 Link Academy in the opening round of GEICO Nationals marked an end of an era in high school basketball, as it was the last game for longtime Warriors coach Steve Smith. He took over the program in 1985-86 and after an early rough patch were some of the nation’s top programs refused to play academy-type schools, Smith cleaned up the reputation of his program and it helped all independent academies going forward. For over three decades his team was the standard-bearer as far as bringing in talent from all over the country, meshing it into a fine team and getting out on the road and challenging itself against the best competition. If Smith wasn’t successful, it’s hard to imagine GEICO Nationals and the NIBC existing. Smith’s last team played right to the level expected in the preseason: competitive in the NIBC and a tough out for any team in the country. The Warriors had one poor outing vs. AZ Compass Prep (78-55) and lost twice to No. 2 Montverde Academy, while splitting with No. 6 IMG Academy and No. 11 La Lumiere. Another terrific win for this club was a 61-54 triumph at the Metro Classic over No. 9 Roselle Catholic. Smith’s top player and 34th McDonald’s All-American choice was big guard Chris Livingston, who averaged 18.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg and 3.2 apg. Other backcourt standouts included Judah Mintz and Caleb Foster, while Devin Ree was an unsung hero upfront. Smith captured the GEICO Nationals title in 2016 (when the team finished No. 2 in the FAB 50) captured its last FAB 50 title in 2012 (when it did not play at GEICO Nationals) and finished No. 1 in the FAB 50 seven times overall. The 2016 team was the final one of eight over the years that finished No. 2 in the FAB 50. Only once since the FAB 50 began 1987-88 were the Warriors unranked to begin the season (1988-89).

?9. (20) Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 29-2?
The No. 2 seed in the final New Jersey Tournament of Champions, coach Dave Boff’s club was able to avenge its only regular season loss with a 61-58 victory over No. 12 Camden in the championship game. Senior Braxton Jones hit a jumper to give the Lions a 58-57 lead with 27.7 seconds remaining in overtime and it was his only points of the hotly-contested contest. North Carolina-bound Simeon Wilcher, a junior, had a big game with 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while sophomore Rich Brisco added 10 points and eight rebounds. Camden came into the game No. 10 in the FAB 50 and had beaten the Lions 67-64 in the season opener for both teams. Wilcher averaged 17.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 7.1 apg for a club whose only other loss was to No. 9 Oak Hill Academy and will go down as the last team to capture the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s TOC crown. Roselle Catholic also captured its fourth TOC crown since 2013, while its 2020 team also qualified before the season was cut short by COVID-19. The TOC’s first champ, 1988-89 St. Anthony of Jersey City, is considered one of the best high school teams of all-time and the TOC was valuable for national rankings purposes, but the vote to end it passed overwhelmingly, 33-4, with two abstentions. The thought process behind the decision is the extension of the season benefits few and now the regular season will be extended a week for the benefit on many more.

10. (NR) Weddington (Matthews, N.C.) 31-0
After finishing 18-0 and winning the North Carolina High School Athletic Associationx(NCHSAA) Class 3A title in 2020-21, the Warriors should have received more preseason consideration in the nation’s longest-running weekly rankings. As it stands, they finish as the highest ranked team that wasn’t on our preseason radar after moving up to Class 4A, capturing the state title with an unblemished mark and finishing the season with a 49-game winning streak. The Warriors copped their second consecutive state title with a 75-58 victory over Panther Creek (Cary, N.C.), as Belmont-bound Kyle Frazier (21 points), William & Mary-bound Chase Lowe (20 points) and Presbyterian-bound A.J. Cook (17 points) led a balanced attack. Lowe averaged 17.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 4.4 apg and 2.6 spg, Frazier averaged 15.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, and 2.1 apg, while Cook averaged 12.1 ppg, 3.2 apg and 2.1 spg for a senior-oriented bunch.

11. (28) La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) 20-5?
After an uncharacteristic 10-10 season in 2020-21 that was plagued by COVID-19 and poor shooting performances against top teams, we slow played the Lakers in the preseason. Coach Patrick Holmes’ club bounced back nicely and was ultra-competitive in the NIBC, finishing as the fifth and final NIBC club ranked in the FAB 50. Behind a much-improved backcourt, La Lumiere split games with No. 6 IMG Academy and No. 8 Oak Hill Academy, with the other losses coming against NIBC champ Sunrise Christian and FAB 50 No. 2 Montverde Academy (twice). All-American candidate and Notre Dame-bound J.J. Starling averaged 17.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 3.1 apg, while dynamic sixth man Aden Holloway averaged 16.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 3.0 apg. Jeremy Fears also had a terrific season for Holmes while averaging 9.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.1 app and 2.2 spg. La Lumiere was able to stay in front of No. 12 Camden because of the IMG Academy split and playing MVA relatively closer. Next season, the NIBC will expand to 10 teams with FAB 50 bubble club Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) and AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) joining a conference that could have as many as seven teams ranked in the 2022-23 preseason FAB 50.

12. (4) Camden (Camden, N.J.) 31-3?
It was a bitter ending for the top seed in the final New Jersey TOC, as the Panthers had high hopes to win the coveted title. They were the prohibitive preseason favorite and took on a Roselle Catholic team it beat during the regular season. The game went into overtime and Camden had a chance to take the lead with 4.5 seconds remaining on a pull-up 17-foot jumper from junior D.J. Wagner, but the shot was off. After two made free throws by Roselle Catholic, Wagner had a chance to tie it at the buzzer but his heave near half court was off. As it stands, The High will go down as the last public school to capture the TOC back in 1999-2000 when Wagner’s father, Dajuan,?led the Panthers to a No. 16 final FAB 50 ranking. As for this edition of the Panthers, their only other losses were in back-to-back games to GEICO Nationals champ Montverde Academy (52-40) and to State Champions Invitational champ Calvary Christian Academy (66-48). A two-time Gatorade State POY, Wagner (19.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.5 spg, and 3.3 apg) has led Camden to a 73-4 mark in his three varsity seasons, but came up just short in his only legitimate opportunity to capture a TOC crown, as New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) clubs didn’t have full post-seasons in 2019-20 and 2020-21 because of COVID-19. With Wagner and 7-foot center Aaron Bradshaw back in 2022-23, The High will be in the thick of the FAB 50 title race for the third consecutive season.

13. (29) Glenbard West (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) 37-1?
We were way ahead of the curve when it came to giving the Hilltoppers the national acclaim they deserved after a 13-1 season shortened by COVID-19 in 2020-21. Glenbard West lived up to expectations and then some, winning the IHSA Class 4A state title with a dominant 56-34 win over Whitney Young (Chicago). Center Braden Huff and Paxten Warden led the way with 19 points each. Glenbard West had no trouble with Bolingbrook in the state semifinals (77-47) and actually beat Whitney Young (the Chicago Public League champ) twice. This well-oiled unit will go down as one of the best teams in Illinois history, but from a national perspective can’t climb any higher. The Warriors lost to No. 32 Sierra Canyon on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer and No. 12 Camden defeated the Trailblazers, 66-62. Huff, the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year headed to Gonzaga, averaged 16.8 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg, 1.5 spg and 1.5 bpg, while Army-bound Bobby Durkin averaged 12.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 3.3 apg, Warden averaged 11.6 ppg and 3.7 rpg, and Princeton-bound Caden Pierce averaged 11.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 5.1 apg.

?14. (BB) Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) 22-4
The Patriots closed out their season in grand fashion, avenging three losses to No. 15 Gorman, including a 77-61 setback to the Gaels in the NIAA Class 5A Southern Final, with a state final victory. In that game, Liberty and Gorman hooked up for the fourth time and the Gales led 52-46, but the Patriots outscored the nine-time defending state champion 8-2 down the stretch to force overtime. Liberty took a four-point lead, then Gorman got a 3-pointer from John Mobley with 2.4 seconds to go to cut its deficit to one point and incredibly stole the inbounds pass. A last-ditch 3-point attempt, however, was off and Liberty held on for a 62-63 championship game win. Many times, the timing off a loss plays a big role in the final rankings and Gorman couldn’t be ranked higher than Liberty because it lost its final game of the season to the state champion. Yes, Liberty had a stinker loss to unranked Serra (Gardena, Calif.), but it’s not as if the Patriots playing Gorman close was a fluke. Liberty had a 19-point lead on Gorman in the title game of the Tarkanian Classic, but the Gaels pulled out an incredible double overtime victory. Liberty also gets credit for a 79-62 win over No. 30 Oak Cliff Faith Family and a playoff win over a talented Durango (Las Vegas, Nev.) club. Co-State Player of the Year and St. Mary’s-bound Josh Jefferson average 17.8 ppg, 10.0 rpg and 3.8 apg while sophomore point guard Dedan Thomas Jr., who came up big against Gorman in the final outing, averaged 13.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.4 apg and 2.0 spg. Liberty was a bit perplexed it wasn’t chosen for the State Champions Invitational, but it’s unlikely Thomas would have played because of injury.

?15. (26) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 30-1?
After defeating Spanish Springs (Sparks, Nev.) in the NIAA Class 5A semifinals, the Gaels (ranked No. 11 at the time) were riding a 43-game winning streak entering the state final vs. then No. 35 Liberty. Coach Grant Rice’s program wasn’t able to extend its winning streak or state championship winning streak of nine in 2020-21 because the season was cancelled in Nevada, but both came to a halt when Liberty pulled off the 66-62 win in double overtime. Sure Gaels’ supporters were disappointed with the outcome (and the drop in the rankings following), but it’s not as if Liberty wasn’t a quality team with a solid resume. It would be tough for any club in this range of the FAB 50 to beat a team like Liberty four times, including twice in a week. Gorman had to drop 21 spots when they lost to No. 32, and fell behind Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.). The reason was Sierra Canyon’s season was still ongoing and it still had an opportunity to take out No. 5 Centennial in the California open playoffs. That never materialized and Gorman eventually kept rising back to the level it played during the season as the rest of the country wrapped up its post-season. Co-State Player of the Year Darrion Williams, a Nevada recruit, finished with 18 points and nine rebounds in his final game, while sophomore sharpshooter John Mobley Jr. had 20 points. Rice has a young core returning and should rate in the preseason in this range once again.

16. (BB) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) 31-5?
Perhaps it was because of their abbreviated 2020-21 season when they went 7-4, but we decided to keep the Panthers out of the preseason rankings and it turned out to be the wrong choice. There was more player movement than usual in the powerful Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) and none of its teams got a full season in 2020-21 because of COVID-19, but considering PVI started at No. 4 in 2020-21 and the last time the program wasn’t ranked in the preseason prior to this season was 2015-16, it wasn’t a sound choice. The Panthers proved that by capturing their first WCAC tourney crown since 2013-14 (the program went unbeaten in regular season play in 2017-18) with a 42-41 victory over No. 26 Bishop McNamara. Coach Glen Farello’s club beat McNamara two out of three games and its two losses to game WCAC foe Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) was offset by a split with DeMatha Catholic (which began at No. 8 in the preseason), a split with No. 32 Sierra Canyon and victories over No. 18 Imhotep Charter and No. 34 Mt. St. Joseph. The graduation loss of WCAC Player of the Year and four-year standout Dug McDaniel will be tough, but this program should be in the FAB 50 mix once again next season as it carried 12 underclassmen and only one other senior (Bryce Downey) other than McDaniel. Included in that group is Jaquan Womack, one of three freshmen and the player who scored the winning lay-up with less than one second remaining in the WCAC title game off a pretty feed from the Michigan-bound McDaniel.

17. (22) North Little Rock (North Little Rock, Ark.) 27-3
The Charging Wildcats finished right in the range expected on them in the preseason after capturing the program’s second consecutive Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) Class 6A state crown. North Little Rock closed out the season with a 65-47 victory over Bentonville, as guard Nick Smith Jr. netted 25 points. For coach Johnny Rice, it was technically his program’s third consecutive state crown, as the 2019-20 6A final was canceled because of COVID-19, and his sixth in 10 seasons. The 2020-21 club began on the FAB 50 bubble and finished No. 47, but the expectations for this club were much higher after Smith transferred over from Sylvan Hills (Sherwood, Ark.). Rice’s club lost to No. 6 IMG Academy (80-59), No. 7 Calvary Christian Academy (64-55) and to No. 20 Jonesboro (62-48), but the Jonesboro loss at the Barry Pruitt Hurricane Classic was offset by victories over No. 29 Beaumont United and No. 30 Oak Cliff Faith Family, plus quality clubs Kimball (Dallas, Texas), Richardson (Texas), Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) and Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.). Smith, the two-time Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Player of the Year who some feel is the nation’s top recruit in the 2022 class, averaged 26.5 ppg, 8 rpg, and 7.3 apg, while fellow McDonald’s All-American Kel’el Ware (Oregon) averaged 20.3 ppg, 12 rpg and 5.7 bpg.

?18. (10) Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 27-4**?
The 2020-21 club could get no higher than No. 20 in the East Region because a COVID-19 interruption forced the Panthers to miss the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) state tourney, but this year’s club was able to complete the task. In fact, there wasn’t much surprise Imhotep dispatched of New Castle (Pa.) rather easily, 54-39, in the Class 5A final. After all, it also easily took down Chester in the state semifinals, 66-41. Junior Justin Edwards led the way in the title game with 20 points, six rebounds and four steals, while fellow junior Rahmir Burno added 12 points and six rebounds. The Panthers started the season with a 60-57 loss to preseason No. 18 Reading (Pa.), but were able to climb back up in the rankings with victories over No. 34 Mt. St. Joseph, No. 35 Neumann-Goretti, No. 37 St. Frances Academy and highly-regarded Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.). The other losses came against No. 6 IMG Academy (88-69), No. 16 Paul VI (59-50) and in overtime to cross-town Lincoln, a team it split with. The PIAA’s top rated club was led by Edwards, who averaged 18.3 mpg and 8.3 rpg. Burno is already a two-time all-state choice while sophomore guard Ahmad Nowell is one of the best players in his class nationally.

?19. (31) Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.) 26-3?
We rated the Cardinals as the slight favorites in the race for the NYC Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) Class AA title over No. 24 Archbishop Stepinac. At the end of the day, the clubs split four games, but it was Hayes that won the city title with a 79-59 victory. Senior forward Tobe Awaka had 24 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots, while super sophomore Ian Jackson had 21 points, four assists and three rebounds in the title game. In the semifinals, Hayes was able to avenge its only other loss with a 73-62 win over a St. Francis Prep (Fresh Meadows, N.Y.) that was for a time the highest ranked New York FAB 50 team. Awaka was named the CHSAA’s MVP after sporting norms of 19.2 ppg, 13.9 rpg, 2.0 apg and 3.0 bpg, while Jackson (19.5 ppg) was also named first team all-state.

20. (NR) Jonesboro (Jonesboro, Ark.) 28-3?
The Hurricane got their season off to a grand start by knocking off preseason No. 22 North Little Rock in the Barry Pruitt Hurricane Classic title game, 62-48, as junior Isaac Harrell was named MVP. Jonesboro was no match for No. 4 Link Academy in its next game (72-41), but did not lose in-state en route to the Class 5A state crown, the program’s fifth since 2013-14. Jonesboro capped the season off with a 55-28 rout of Marion, as Oklahoma St.-bound Quion Williams led the way with 17 points. Deion Buford-Wesson also had a big game with 15 points for a club that lost games to Amarillo (Texas) and Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.), the latter which was FAB 50 ranked for a majority of the season. The Hurricane lost to Dr. Phillips 55-44 and No. 21 Orlando Christian Prep lost to the same club, 48-37.

?21. (23) Orlando Christian Prep (Orlando, Fla.) 26-4**?
Not having an open division or tournament of champions type format really hurts fans of FHSAA basketball wanting to see the best teams duke it out in the state title game. Fortunately this season, Florida’s top teams played tough schedules and the top three ranked preseason clubs all participated in the City of Palms Tournament. We began defending Class 7A champ Dr. Phillips as the top-ranked team, but No. 7 and defending Class 3A champ Calvary Christian beat that club, 55-51, and OCP lost to Dr. Phillips, but that club didn’t end up repeating while the Warriors rolled to their second consecutive Class 2A state crown with a 66-49 win over Sagemont (Weston, Fla.). A.J. Brown (Ohio University) had 21 points while Ven-Allen Lubin (Notre Dame) had 15 points and 11 rebounds in their final high school game. OCP played a much tougher schedule than it did last season when it finished 28-0 and this season finished right in the range expected of it in the preseason with key victories over St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) and Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) with its other losses coming against Calvary Christian in overtime (73-66), to No. 2 Montverde Academy (75-34) and to cross-town Olympia by two points in its second game. Brown averaged 17.8 ppg and 3.4 rpg while Lubin averaged 14.3 ppg and 7.3 rpg.

22. (NR) Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio) 26-2?
The Tigers moved slowly into the FAB 50 and were sitting at No. 43 entering the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division I Final Four at the University of Dayton Arena. After knocking off St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) in the semis, 74-42, Pick Central took on 29-0 and No. 11 Centerville for the title, a club which took apart St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio), 64-33, in its semifinal contest. The Tigers figured to give Centerville a good game and it led by two points entering the fourth period before Pick Central outscored them 19-14 to secure the D1 state crown with a 55-48 victory. Junior Devin Royal led Pick Central with 20 points, four rebounds and two assists, while senior Josh Harlan added 11 points. Royal (19.6 ppg) was named first team All-Ohio D1 for a team that lost to Newark in its second game and split with Reynoldsburg. It was the first state crown for the Tigers since 2011-12, when the program finished No. 11 in the Midwest Region and also finished with a 26-2 mark.

23. (NR) Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) 29-2?
The Quakers put together a terrific season, capturing the District of Columbia Schools Athletic Association (DCSAA) Class AA title with a thrilling 46-45 victory over Wilson (Washington, D.C.). Wilson had the lead with under 10 seconds remaining, but an unforced turnover gave the ball back to Sidwell Friends. The Quakers’ Caleb Williams alertly noticed his teammates last-second 17-foot jumper would be short, so he grabbed it out of the air in front of the basket and banked it home as the buzzer went off to set off a dramatic celebration. The shot gave the Quakers a shot at No. 7 Calvary Christian in the first ever State Champions Invitational, but CCA overwhelmed them 58-37. Williams (12.2 ppg) was Sidwell Friends’ only double digit scorer as his team shot 14-of-53 from the field while CCA shot 55 percent (22-of-40) from the field. Sidwell Friends, which only carried three seniors on its roster, recorded a 49-41 playoff semifinal victory over St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) and also defeated WCAC regular season champ and No. 26 Bishop McNamara (Forrestville, Md.), a team that beat No. 16 Paul VI.

24. (34) Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) 26-4?
The Crusaders were able to defeat No. 19 Cardinal Hayes 51-40 to win the CHSAA Archdiocesan title, but the Cardinals returned the favor to capture the CHSAA Class AA title with a 79-59 victory. The reasons Hayes finishes five spots ahead of Stepinac is winning the last of four meetings between the programs, the margin of victory in the final game and Stepinac losing one more overall game. Hayes was able to avenge its third loss, while coach Patrick Massaroni’s club fell to Mt. St. Michael’s Academy (a team Hayes easily beat twice) and to Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.), a team that lost to No. 21 Orlando Christian Prep. Johnuel “Boogie” Fland (14.4 ppg) was one of the nations’s best sophomores and also earning all-state laurels for the Crusaders was senior guard Sam Gibbs (12.5 ppg). Although the New York Federation Tournament hasn’t returned and Hayes wasn’t able to represent New York’s Catholic schools in it, Stepinac and the rest of the CHSAA was happy to get a complete season in after COVID-19 basically wiped out the 2020-21 season. Many are grateful Massaroni’s coaching staff and school administration hosted a spring tournament and senior combine to salvage the 2020-21 season.

??25. (24) Centerville (Centerville, Ohio) 29-1?
The OHSAA D1 Final Four at the University of Dayton Arena saw three No. 1 seeds advance to the semifinals. Centerville took on No. 3 seed St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) and dispatched that club, 64-33, as Gabe Cupps had 15 points, Tom House finished with 13 points and Rich Rolf added 12. Centerville entered the D1 state title game with then No. 43 Pickerington Central riding a 45-game winning streak. With a win the Elks would have finished with a Top 10 final FAB 50 ranking, but it all came crashing down with a 55-48 setback, as Centerville was denied its second consecutive state title. Centerville trialed 42-41 after a jump shot by Cupps, but got no closer in a game played without a shot clock. Although the loss with a gut-wrencher, the Elks played to a level expected of them in the preseason and Cupps (14.2 ppg) was named D1 State Player of the Year. Drexel-bound Rolf (17.4 ppg) and Florida St.-bound House (15.3 ppg) were also first team All-Ohio D1 selections.

?26. (NR) Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.) 22-6?
The Mustangs weren’t on our radar as a team from the WCAC despite ranking three or four from the powerful conference nine out of the last 10 preseason rankings. McNamara didn’t quite close the season as it would have liked, absorbing a three-game losing streak, but that doesn’t diminish what it accomplished during the regular season against some of the finest nightly competition in the country. The Mustangs captured the WCAC regular season title, sweeping St. John’s (Washington, D.C.), defeating Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) and Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), while splitting games with No. 16 Paul VI. Coach Martin Keithline’s club avenged a regular season loss to DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) in the WCAC playoff semifinals, before falling to Paul VI in the title game on a last second shot. The next two losses (to No. 37 St. Frances Academy and Bishop Walsh of Maryland) came at the Alhambra Tournament where often times the intensity level is not nearly the same as WCAC games. Although mainstays such as senior Favour Aire and junior Jeremiah Quigly led the Mustangs to some big wins, they must remain behind No. 23 Sidwell Friends because of a 52-46 loss.

27. (NR) Hayfield (Alexandria, Va.) 32-0
Public schools enjoyed plenty of success on a national scale in 2021-22 and the Hawks deserve acclaim for their unblemished season. Coach Carlos Poindexter’s club capped its season with a Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 6 title courtesy of its 67-47 victory over Battlefield (Haymarket, Va.). Battlefield downed previously unbeaten Patriot (Nokesville, Va.) in its semifinal contest and got off to a good start vs. the Hawks, but a big third quarter (holding Battlefield to 10 points, making three 3-pointers, shooting 6-of-6 from the free throw line) propelled the Hawks to soar down the stretch. Greg Jones, one of the nation’s most underrated juniors, finished with 23 points, while junior David King added 12 points and seven rebounds and D.J. Holloway, another junior, added 11 points. This team is considered one of the VHSL’s best from Northern Virginia in recent memory, but can’t be ranked any higher in the FAB 50 because of its lack of wins outside the region. Jones and King will return next season having earned all-state laurels.

?28. (BB) McKinney (McKinney, Texas) 35-6?
The Lions and Guyer (Denton, Texas) tied for first in District 5 play, but it was Guyer than won the district championship with a 65-55 victory. McKinney bounced back from that in a big way, making their first Class 6A state championship game appearance, where they fell to No. 1 Duncanville, 69-49. On their way to the title game is where McKinney earned this rankings despite losing to Mansfield Timberview and splitting with Allen during the regular season. McKinney downed then No. 7 Richardson in the regional quarterfinals, 54-52, and then No. 30 Westlake in the state semifinals in double overtime, 68-66. Junior Ja'Kobe Walter averaged 23.3 ppg and 7.6 rpg while Texas-bound Alex Anamekwe provided the memorable post-season heroics. Walter had a shot blocked by Richardson’s Cason Wallace, but he instinctually tapped the ball upward towards his own basket afterwards and Anamekwe saw the flight of the ball, caught it in mid-air and banked it in to score the game-winning points with 1.3 seconds remaining. Against Westlake, Anamekwe came up with the steal and dunk to send his team to the state title game.

29. (19) Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) 36-3?
It took some digging to figure out what do with No. 28 and the Timberwolves, the latter the two-time UIL Class 5A state champions. McKinney did lose to the Mansfield Timberview club Beaumont United defeated, but McKinney gets huge rankings credit for its Class 6A semifinal win over No. 46 Westlake and for downing Richardson when it was in FAB 50 title contention. Houston-bound Terrance Arceneaux, who nailed both the game-tying and game-winning shot in the 2021 Class 5A title game, came up big again in the state title game for the Timberwolves, scoring 10 of his 14 points in the final two minutes of a 62-57 victory over regionally-ranked Mansfield Timberview. In the state semis, Beaumont United downed another regionally-ranked club, Kimball (Dallas, Texas), 66-64, by closing the game on a 14-4 run over the final three minutes. Arceneaux averaged 15.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.2 apg and 2.2 spg, while Wesley Yates III, a strong bodied junior guard, averaged 19.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 2.8 spg.

30. (BB) Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas) 34-4**?
While the McKinney-Beaumont United rankings debate was a close call, it was a simpler call to place Beaumont United in front of the UIL Class 4A state champions. Beaumont United down the Kimball club that defeated the Eagles, 81-77. Beaumont United lost to No. 17 North Little Rock (North Little Rock, Ark.), 82-72, while Oak Cliff Faith Family fell to the same club, 79-63. The other two losses for coach Brandon Thomas’ club came against No. 14 Liberty in the semifinals of the Tarkanian Classic (79-62) and in the finals of the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic, in overtime, to No. 15 Bishop Gorman (80-73) in a game it led by as much as 13 points. The Eagles, as expected, steamrolled to the state crown, closing it out with a 76-50 win over Hirschi (Wichita Falls, Texas). Ole Miss-bound point guard T.J. Caldwell and UT-Arlington-bond forward Brandon Walker earned all-state acclaim, while junior forward J.T. Toppin showed flashes of brilliance for a club that defeated teams from seven different states.

31. (NR) Christian Brothers (Memphis, Tenn.) 28-0?
The Purple Wave defeated a talented Knoxville Catholic club in the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Division II Class AA final, 79-72 to cap an unbeaten season. Florida State-bound Chandler Jackson had 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while junior guard Michael Pepper added 20 points while only missing one shot from the field. It was a hotly contested game as only three subs played for both teams, including one that played one minute for Christian Brothers. From a rankings perspective it was a big win for the Purple Wave after Knoxville Catholic knocked off then No. 20 Brentwood Academy (Brentwood, Tenn.) in the state semifinals, 63-55. Coach William Luckett’s club was No. 48 in the FAB 50 and rose from there as an unbeaten club. Similar to No. 27 Hayfield, it couldn’t crack the Top 25 because of a lack of national foes. Jackson joined fellow seniors Hunter Pratt and Zion Owens on the Division II-AA all-state squad.

?32. (9) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 26-5?
The Trailblazers finished FAB 50 ranked for the eighth consecutive season, but close out a bit lower than forecasted in the preseason. The big win was a 67-64 victory over eventual Illinois Class 4A champ and No. 13 Glenbard West on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by junior Dylan Metoyer. Coach Andre Chevalier’s club can’t move any higher because of the nature of its SoCal open championship loss to No. 5 Centennial (83-59). Sierra Canyon was able to put together its best performance of the season by avenging its loss to No. 43 Harvard-Westlake in the CIF Southern Section Open playoffs with a resounding 72-55 victory in the SoCal open semifinals. Led by McDonald’s All-American Amari Bailey (29.2 ppg, 9.1 rpg and 6.5 apg), the Trailblazers split with No. 16 Paul VI, while both Sierra Canyon and Centennial both fell to No. 1 Duncanville in Texas. Considering the shuffled lineups and players missing time with bothersome injuries, including junior Bronny James, it was another successful season despite the lack of cohesion.

33. (NR) Park Center (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) 32-1?
The Pirates wrapped up the Minnesota High School League (MHSL) Class 4A state championship with a 58-53 victory over Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.), which was gunning for its second consecutive state crown. It was the first state crown for Park Center, which beat Wayzata for the second time in 2021-22 behind five 3-pointers and 23 points from senior Cody Pennebaker and three 3-pointers and 13 points from Ayouba Berthe. The only loss for Park Center came against Class 3A Totino-Grace (Fridley, Minn.), which also won its first state crown. Park Center gets the nod as the MHSL's top ranked team as it actually split games with six-loss Totino-Grace and won the return game, 87-57, after losing the first matchup by three points.

34. (25) Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 32-7?
In the preseason, the Gaels were rated as the team to beat in the Baltimore Catholic League (BCL) over St. Frances Academy. SFA took the regular season title by two games over Mt. St. Joseph (12-2 to 10-4), but the Gaels captured the 51st BCL tournament with a 66-56 victory to avenge the two regular season losses and claim their first BCL tourney title since 2016-17. Junior Amani Hansberry had 12 points and 22 rebounds while sophomore Bryson Tucker had 20 second half points (22 overall) to lead the Gaels to their eighth BCL tourney title. Mt. St. Joseph lost to No. 18 Imhotep Charter (82-66) and to No. 16 Paul VI (56-52) and Bishop Walsh (Cumberland, Md.) by one point in two overtimes at the season ending Alhambra Catholic Tournament, but at the same time receives rankings credit for avenging losses to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and St. Maria Goretti. The win over Mt. Carmel came in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) A Conference title game for veteran coach Pat Clatchey (754-129) who will return his two all-BCL performers plus junior guards Ace Valentine and Austin Abrams in 2022-23.

35. (NR) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) 23-4?
The Saints’ overall resume is terrific, as they got some help from other teams to rank as the No. 2 PIAA team. Previously unbeaten Quaker Valley (Leetsdale, Pa.) was looking to make FAB 50 noise, but Neumann-Goretti put a muzzle on that with a 93-68 whitewashing in the PIAA Class 4A title game. In Class 6A, Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) was also looking to break in, but Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) won the championship game, 78-65. Neumann-Goretti split with Roman Catholic while losing to No. 18 Imhotep Charter (64-58), a club that defeated No. 34 Mt. St. Joseph and No. 37 St. Frances Academy. Sophomore guard Robert Wright III was the team’s top talent (19.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.3 apg) and even though Masud Stewart (11.4 ppg) is a tough graduation loss, the Saints will be preseason FAB 50 ranked with talents such as junior forward Sultan Adewale (11.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and sophomore guard Khaafiq Meyers (9.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.3 apg) returning.

36. (NR) Auburn (Auburn, Wash.) 28-3
The Trojans captured the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) Hardwood Classic Class 3A title with a 58-48 win over Rainier Beach (Seattle). In the state semifinals, the Trojans downed Seattle Prep, 45-34, while from a rankings standpoint the big playoff win came in the state quarterfinals. Auburn avenged one of its losses with a 64-60 overtime victory over then No. 24 Garfield (Seattle). Those three wins qualified Auburn for the inaugural State Champions Invitational and another notch in its rankings resume came courtesy of its 58-41 semifinal victory over Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class 7A champ and No. 48 Norcross (Ga.). Auburn assisted on its first 14 field goals and on 20 of its 25 field goals and had three turnovers, while Kaden Hansen netted a team-high 17 points. As impressive as Auburn was in the SCI semis, No. 7 Calvary Christian Academy proved in the title game it was just a much better team. CCA dominated the game from the opening tip, jumping out to leads of 18-4 and 24-5 and never looking back en route to a 71-44 victory at Berkeley Prep in Tampa, Fla. Senior Maleek Arington was a bright spot in the game with 17 points and four steals for a club that must be ranked with a sizable gap between it and No. 23 Sidwell Friends (the club CCA beat in its semifinal contest 58-37). Sidwell Friends had more impressive victories than Auburn during the season and Norcross was missing its best player at the event.

37. (BB) St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) 35-7?
We forecasted No. 34 Mt. St. Joseph and the team to beat in the preseason, but should have given more credence to the Panthers’ track record even though they lost 2020-21 National Freshman of the Year Derik Queen to transfer. Coach Nick Myles’ program came into the season having won or shared the last four Baltimore Catholic League regular season titles and the Panthers set a record by capturing their fifth consecutive championship while only dropping two league games. SFA split with Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and John Carroll and defeated Mt. St. Joseph twice. Mt. St. Joseph won the rubber match in the BCL title game, 66-56. Junior Jahnathan Lamothe led SFA in a losing effort with 18 points, while senior Cortez Johnson added 14 points. The Panthers did well in the Alhambra Catholic Tourney despite not having sophomore guard Daquan Davis available because of injury in the post-season. They defeated No. 26 Bishop McNamara and Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.).

?38. (NR) Neenah (Neenah, Wis.) 29-1
The Rockets were able to hold off Brookfield Central, 64-52, to capture the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) Division I title. Brookfield Central’s Andrew Rohde scored 34 points, but the top seeded Rockets led for over 30 minutes in the title game and took the lead for good with 14:08 remaining in the first half on a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Brady Corso. Senior forward J.J. Paider was the difference-maker with 14 points and 18 rebounds, Wisconsin-Oshkosh recruit Carter Thomas had 15 points and senior guard Chevalier Emery Jr. netted 19 points and five assists. Neenah lost its third game of the season to Appleton East, 68-64, and were able to avenge it with a 59-55 victory en route to a 27-game winning streak. Neenah captured its fourth WIAA state crown and first since 1977-78. The proud program leads all WIAA schools with 28 state tournament appearances.

39. (NR) Varina (Richmond, Va.) 25-1?
Similar to No. 38 Neenah, the Blue Devils were able to defeat the only team they lost to in 2021-22. After defeating Highland Springs 77-54 during the regular season, the Blue Devils lost on the road to the Springers, 68-66, in the final game of the regular season. That result seemed to focus Varina, which went on to dominate the competition in the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 4 playoffs, culminating its run with a 61-35 title game victory over Loudoun County (Leesburg, Va.). Coach Kenneth Randolph’s club put fourth an incredible defensive effort in the third quarter after leading at halftime 24-19, holding Loudoun County to seven shot attempts, forcing turnovers galore and outscoring it 19-2. VCU-bound Alphonzo Billups led Varina with 18 points and five rebounds, while VMI recruit Amari Baylor added 10 points and nine rebounds. Varina’s 84-68 semifinal victory over highly-regarded King’s Fork (Suffolk, Va.) also helped the Blue Devils’ rankings cause, as did four-loss Highland Springs winning the VHSL Class 5 state title with a 63-62 victory over Maury (Norfolk, Va.).

40. (NR) George Rogers Clark (Winchester, Ky.) 37-1?
There is something so special about the Kentucky High School Athletics Association (KHSAA) Sweet 16. The only state with a single elimination, winner-take-all format, it’s not easy to come out on top of the 16 regions. The Cardinals, however, were able to gut it out to capture the program’s first state title since 1951. The Cardinals won their final three playoff contests by a total of nine points, including a 43-42 victory over Warren Central (Bowling Green, Ky.) in the final. Warren Central had an opportunity to tie in the final minute, but a missed throw sealed its fate as Cardinals junior Jerone Morton was named Sweet 16 MVP after a 14-point performance. What made George Rodgers Clark's run special was it led the state in scoring but had to hunker down on defense especially against Warren Central and in its 54-51 double overtime victory over Lincoln County (Stanford, Ky.). GRC is the first Sweet 16 champ to go unbeaten in-state since Scott County went 30-0 (34-2 overall) in 2006-07 when it finished No. 17 in the FAB 50.

41. (NR) Memorial (Tulsa, Okla.) 27-1
In 2018-19, the Chargers won their third consecutive Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) Class 5A state crown and finished just outside the FAB 50 at No. 9 in the final Southwest Region Top 20. On that team was a ninth-grader a bit apprehensive about entering the championship game. Four years later, that wide-eye freshman was a 5-11 senior point guard and the difference-maker in the state final. Ty Frierson was dynamic throughout the game and relaxed during the fourth quarter when he took over the propel Memorial to a 59-47 victory over Del City (Okla.). He finished with 22 points (including 10 in the fourth quarter), made 4-of-7 3-pointers and finished with four steals. From a rankings perspective, it was a huge result because it avenged Memorial’s only loss during the title game of the Tournament of Champions. For coach Bobby Allison’s program, its now won four state titles in seven seasons (no championships took place in 2019-20) and ten overall.

42. (BB) Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.) 26-6
We began the Fightin’ Irish as the final team in our preseason Midwest Region Top 20 and as the No. 3 Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) club. The way it closed out the season, however, it was clear they were the state’s No. 1 team and could play with any team in this range of the FAB 50. In the Class 4A state title game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Chesterton (Ind.) came in unbeaten and No. 18 in the FAB 50. Immediately it was apparent Cathedral was too athletic and big for the Trojans to handle, as Chesterton quickly trialed 10-0 before it could breathe. Cathedral opened up a 22-7 lead after one period and led 36-21 at halftime en route to a 65-31 victory. The victory was the program’s second state crown (1998) and the first in Class 4A. Jaron Tibbs and Jaxon Edwards scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, and Xavier Booker finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots for a team that set a state finals record with 14 blocks. Jason Delaney in the first coach in IHSAA history to capture state titles at three different schools (Waldron, Class A, 2004, Tech, Class 4A, 2014) and the dominance of the title game caused Chesterton to drop out of the rankings and the Fightin’ Irish to land at this spot.

43. (BB) Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) 25-4?
From a statewide perspective, the Wolverines performed exactly to the level expected of them, but from a national one this relatively young club exceeded expectations as it rose all the way to No. 19 in the FAB 50. They advanced to the CIF Southern Section open title game for the first time with a huge 63-60 victory over No. 32 Sierra Canyon on the road. Coach Dave Rebibo’s club wished it had closed stronger, as it fell to No. 5 Centennial in the section open title game, 68-48, and saw its season come to an end two games later in a 72-55 loss to Sierra Canyon, but the future is bright. Two-time all-state guard Cam Thrower is a big graduation loss, but all-CIF-SS choice Brady Dunlap, a junior, forward Jacob Huggins, plus gritty and clutch sophomore guard Trent Perry, will be the mainstays in 2022-23. Harvard-Westlake also split with talented Mission League foe Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) a team that will be even better next season when Sierra Canyon also joins the rugged league.

?44. (NR) Carmel Christian (Matthews, N.C.) 26-3?
The Cougars extracted a measure of revenge in capturing the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) Class 4A state title; they also beat a quality team that is always knocking on the FAB 50 door. In fact, when Carmel Christian took on traditional FAB 50 power Greensboro Day, that club sat at No. 38 in the FAB 50. Behind a 25-points performance from senior guard Logan Threatt (11.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.3 apg), Carmel Christian jumped into the FAB 50 with a 71-66 victory. Senior forward Cade Tyson (23.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.6 spg) also was big all season long for coach Byron Dinkins. Carmel Christian defeated teams from four states and only lost in-state to Chambers, with its other two losses coming against Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) and John Marshall (Richmond, Va.). With the win, the program erased some of the pain of last year’s Class 4A state title game loss to Cannon.

45. (NR) Columbus (Miami, Fla.) 29-2?
It was a breakthrough season for the Explorers and bigger things could be on the way in the future for this club. Columbus broke into the rankings by capturing the FHSAA Class 7A state crown with a big 45-44 win over Dr. Phillips. That was a team that started out No. 13 in the FAB 50 and beat three FAB 50 ranked clubs, including No. 47 Greensboro Day. Freshman Cayden Boozer (16.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 5.1 apg) hit the game-winning free throw with five seconds remaining and his brother Cameron (18.0 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 4.0 apg, 2.2 bpg), also a freshman, went for 17 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. One of Columbus’ losses came against a team not eligible for the FAB 50 (Moravian Prep of North Carolina) and this team is a sure bet to be ranked much higher than this spot in the preseason. Cameron is a special talent and has a chance to be a three-time high school All-American.

46. (NR) Westlake (Austin, Texas) 38-2?
The Chaparrals lost their second game of the season to San Antonio Clark by two points (55-53), then rattled off 37 consecutive victories before meeting No. 28 McKinney in the UIL Class 6A state semifinals. Westlake, which came into the game ranked No. 30, took a 54-53 lead with 19 seconds left in regulation on a field goal by Donovan Santoro and rebounded a missed with eight seconds remaining. McKinney forced a turnover and an erroneous Westlake player jersey miscue and defensive substitution led to a technical foul and a made free throw that sent the game into overtime. In the second overtime, Chaps killed 90 seconds on the game clock and took a timeout with 11.4 seconds remaining, only to have McKinney’s Alex Anamekwe come up with the steal and dunk to end Westlake’s season with a 68-66 loss. It was a gut-wrenching loss, but doesn’t take away from that fact this proud program had another fantastic season. Grid-Hooper Jaden Greathouse, who earned all-state acclaim for coach Robert Lucero, scored a team-high 19 points but fouled out with just under two minutes left in regulation.

47. (BB) Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.) 33-4
The Bengals were gunning for their 12th NCISAA when they faced No. 44 Carmel Christian in the Class 4A title game. Greensboro Day battled valiantly, but had trouble slowing down Carmel Christian’s duo of Logan Threatt and Cade Tyson and eventually fell, 71-66, despite 21 points from Charlotte-bound Nik Graves. Greensboro Day lost by two points to Trinity Academy (Raleigh, N.C.) with the other two losses to talented Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.), which lost to No. 45 Columbus in its state title game, and to No. 7 Calvary Christian Academy. The Bengals were gunning for their first state title since 2018-19 when they won the final of three consecutive championships under veteran coach Freddie Johnson. The 2017 Ballislife National Coach of the Year enters 2022-23 with a 1,137-310 won-loss mark.

?48. (NR) Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 26-7?
The Blue Devils are FAB 50 ranked for the first time since the 2017-18, when they finished No. 29 after finishing as Georgia High School (GHSA) Class AAAAAAA runner-up. Coach Jessie McMillian’s club finishes ranked lower this time around, but it actually went all the way, capturing the AAAAAAA title with a 58-45 victory over Berkmar (Lilburn, Ga.). In 2018, Norcross was eyeing a GEICO Nationals berth, but this time around as an eligible state champion it was awarded a berth in the inaugural State Champions Invitational. Playing without top player London Johnson (Nike Hoop Summit participant), the Blue Devils fell in the tourney semifinals to No. 36 Auburn, 58-41. The top GHSA teams were not quite as strong compared to recent seasons and we would have gave more considering to inviting NIAA Class 4A champ and No. 14 Liberty. Regardless, Norcross has a memorable playoff run, avenging one of its losses with the state semifinal 75-72 win over Newton (Covington, Ga.) and avenging three previous losses to Berkmar in the final.

?49. (NR) Williamston (Williamston, Mich.) 27-0
It was a historic season for the Hornets, which captured their first state title since 1940 with an overtime win over one-loss Catholic Central (Grand Rapids, Mich.), 68-65. Central Catholic entered the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Division 2 title game No. 48 in the FAB 50, but its hopes of a state crown were dashed when the Hornets’ Mason Docks hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime to propel the Lansing area program to an unblemished season in which it won 25 of its 27 games by double-digits. Docks netted a team-high 27 points for the Hornets, who also received 23 points and seven rebounds from all-stater Max Burton. Docks, an all-state guard as a sophomore before spending his junior season in Texas, was named A.P. Division 2 State Player of the Year with averages of 16.2 ppg, 4.8 apg and 3.8 spg.

50. (NR) Volcano Vista (Albuquerque, N.M.) 29-0
It was a dream matchup in the New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) Class 5A state title game at The Pit in Albuquerque. Las Cruces came into the contest 30-0 and the Hawks stood at 28-0. In was the first matchup of unbeatens in a Class 5A title game since 1998-99 and the winner was likely to end the season FAB 50 ranked. Volcano Vista led 40-30 after three quarters, but Las Cruces gutted it out to send the game into overtime. It was there where Las Cruces’ turnovers and the fouling out of Isaiah Carr finally caught up with them, as the Hawks recorded a 66-55 victory. These two teams also met in the 2017 title game, with Volcano Vista also coming out on top. Led by Ja’Kwon Hill (18.1 ppg, 6 rpg, 5 apg), who had 17 points and seven rebounds in the title game, the Hawks are the first NMAA team to finished FAB 50 ranked since 2002 when Hobbs won the fourth of four consecutive state titles and also finished No. 50.

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

The post Final, Expanded 2021-22 FAB 50 Rankings! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

2021-22 High School All-American Elite Team

Ronnie Flores — Sat, 14 May 2022 21:32:49 +0000

Mr. Basketball USA Dariq Whitehead, national junior of the year D.J. Wagner and two players each from NIBC powers Montverde Academy, Sunrise Christian Academy and IMG Academy highlight 28th annual All-American Elite Team produced by www.ebooksnet.com Grassroots Editor Ronnie Flores. Elite honor squad includes 20-man first team and 30-man second team.

The 2021-22 All-American Elite Team, now published for the 28th consecutive season and on the www.ebooksnet.com platform for the eighth time, includes twenty-seven of the nation’s best seniors, led by Mr. Basketball USA Dariq Whitehead of FAB 50 No. 2 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.).

Eighteen seniors and two juniors, including class player of the year DJ Wagner of FAB 50 No. 12 Camden (N.J.) and Ron Holland, the top honors candidate off the No. 1 ranked team in the FAB 50, Duncanville (Texas), headline the 20-player overall first team. The lone repeater off last year’s team is senior Amari Bailey, a third five selection as a junior. Bailey battled injuries put played well enough down the stretch to earn fourth five honors for FAB 50 No. 32 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.). ??Jalen Duren, last season’s national junior of the year and a first five selection, re-classified up to the 2021 class and enrolled at Memphis. This comes on the heels of Patrick Baldwin Jr., the national junior of the year in 2019-20, sitting out the majority of his senior year with injury. In addition to Duren, Emoni Bates also re-classed up and played at Memphis in 2021-22. Bates was the first sophomore since LeBron James in 2000-01 to earn five five All-American honors. In 2020-21, Bates joined Bailey as a third five honoree.

With Scoot Henderson of Kell (Marietta, Ga.), a fourth five selection last season, graduated early from high school to sign with the NBA G League Ignite and with Duren and Bates moving on, this year’s All-American Elite team was sure to have some few faces rewarded for their season-long production. The early departures does change the high school game and alter NBA Draft boards for 2022 and 2023, but there are always hungry and talented players ready to step up and take the place of those that likely would have been returning All-Americans. ??This year’s All-American Elite team is dominated by players from the eight-team National Interscholastic Basketball Conference?(NIBC), which enjoyed its first full conference slate in 2021-22. In addition to Whitehead, six other talented NIBC players made the 20-man first team.

A 30-player second team includes 29 additional seniors. All underclassmen are eligible for All-American Elite team selection and this year’s second team includes Simeon Wilcher of Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.), the lone junior. No sophomore was selected for first or second team and in 28 seasons of publishing annual All-American teams (and on the retroactive teams dating back to the 1954-55 season), no freshman has ever made the first team.

Our national coach of the year is Joe Auer of Wichita Heights (Wichita, Kan.). He guided the Falcons to their sixth KSHAA state title since 2008-09. The Falcons finished 23-2 and ranked No. 19 in the final Southwest Region Top 20 Rankings.

This honors squad has been chosen in its current format since the 1994-95 season and is powered by www.ebooksnet.com for the eighth consecutive season. This team is chosen regardless of class and is not exclusive or preferential for seniors named to the Ballislife All-American Game. To view archived All-American teams published under this format, please visit GrassrootsHoops.net.

2021-22 All-American First Team

First Five

G — Cason Wallace, Richardson (Texas) 6-3 Sr.
Although the Eagles were stunned in the UIL Class 6A regional quarterfinals when they were No. 7 in the FAB 50, Wallace was able to lead Richardson to a win over No. 1 Duncanville and to a 32-2 mark. Wallace went for 23 points vs. Duncanville and was named Whataburger Tournament MVP. The two-time District 7-6A Co-MVP averaged 19.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg and 6.1 apg after recording junior season averages of 19.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg and 4.3 apg when Richardson reached the UIL Class 6A semifinals. The Dallas Morning News Player of the Year, Wallace is a two-time all-state honoree and was noted as the team’s best scorer, rebounder and defender by coach Kevin Lawson. He had 7 points and 6 assists in the McDonald’s All-American Game and 15 points in the Jordan Brand Classic.

G — Keyonte George, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 6-3 Sr.
Arguably the best scoring guard in the country, George had a terrific senior season in leading IMG Academy to a GEICO Nationals semifinal spot and 21-5 record against tough competition. With point guard Jaden Bradley out, George averaged 21.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg in IMG’s two games at GEICO Nationals. For the season, the Baylor recruit averaged 17 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 3.1 apg, including a 40-point outing in a double-overtime loss to fellow NIBC club La Lumiere (Ind.). He was named to the McDonald’s and Jordan Brand games and also appeared in the Nike Hoop Summit. George was also the third leading vote-getter in the final Mr. Basketball USA Tracker (64 points) and joined Dariq Whitehead as the only two players to appear on all 10 ballots.

G — Dariq Whitehead, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 6-5 Sr.
This Newark, New Jersey native spent five seasons at the famous Florida program and developed into the nation’s top player as a senior when he led the Eagles to a 22-4 mark and No. 2 final FAB 50 ranking. He contributed heavily to four teams that finished 93-8 against the finest competition in the nation. As a sophomore, he came off the bench and averaged 8.3 ppg and 2.7 rpg for one of the best teams in high school history. As a junior, he helped MVA win its second consecutive FAB 50 title by netting 10.4 ppg on another balanced team. This season Whitehead stepped up his game after 2021 junior player of the year Jalen Duren (Memphis) re-classed up. Whitehead hit the big jumpshot in the GEICO Nationals title game win over Link Academy and averaged 15.7 ppg, 5.7 apg, and 3.0 rpg in three games at the event. For the season, the 2022 Mr. Basketball USA averaged 17.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 3.8 apg. He was named MVP at the McDonald’s All-American Game (13 pts, 7 rbs, 7 asts) and also shined for Team USA at the Nike Hoop Summit with a team high 17 points, including 5-of-7 3-pointers.

F — Gradey Dick, Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 6-6 Sr.
This Kansas-bound wing had a terrific senior campaign for a team that spent plenty of the regular season at No. 1 in the FAB 50. Although the Buffaloes were upset in the first round of GEICO Nationals and Dick didn’t finish his season as he would have liked, it doesn’t take away from his overall production and the step up in his game after a junior season in which he averaged 10.3 ppg and 3.9 rpg. In the first full season for the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC), which is comprised of many of the top independent academies in the country, Dick was its Player of the Year after averaging 18 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2 apg and 2 spg. The Gatorade National POY was selected for the Nike Hoop Summit and McDonald’s Game.

C — Dereck Lively II, Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.) 7-1 Sr.
No player in the 2022 national class kept improving as Lively did over the course of his career. He produced enough to finish as the No. 2 vote-getter in the final Mr. Basketball USA Tracker after not receiving any votes as a junior. He started high school backing up Jalen Duren (Memphis) on Team Final’s 15U team, but developed enough to led the 2021 EYBL in blocked shots (3.7 bpg) and added 8.4 ppg and 6.7 rpg in 15 outings. Lively then led Peach Jam in blocked shots, as Team Final captured the prestigious event title for the first time in program history. Lively followed up that terrific summer run with an outstanding senior campaign. He averaged 14 ppg, 15 rpg, and 4.5 bpg for a 31-7 team that won the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PISAA) state title.

Second Five

G — Nick Smith Jr., North Little Rock (Ark.) 6-4 Sr.
Teaming up with fellow McDonald’s All-American and second team selection Kel’el Ware (Oregon), this dynamic guard had a monster senior season for a 27-3 team that played a national schedule and finished No. 17 in the FAB 50. Smith averaged 26.5 ppg, 8 rpg, and 7.3 apg after pumping in 25 ppg during his junior season at Sylvan Hills (Sherwood, Ark.). A two-time State Player of the Year by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Smith finished his season strong at the national all-star games. He was named MVP at the Jordan Brand Classic (27 points, 5-7 3-point FG) and had 10 points and three assists for Team USA at the Nike Hoop summit. At least one national recruiting service feels he’s the No. 1 prospect in the class and he’s the state’s highest rated recruit since 1992 first five selection Corliss Williamson (Russellville, Ark.). That season, Williamson finished ranked No. 2 by both All-Star Sports (behind Othella Harrington) and the Hoop Scoop (behind Mr. Basketball USA Jason Kidd). Similar to Williamson, Smith will play his college ball at Arkansas.

G — DJ Wagner, Camden (Camden, N.J.) 6-3 Jr.
This year’s national junior of the year has been much publicized since entering a school where his father (Dajuan Wagner) and grandfather (Milt Wagner) had All-American careers. D.J. has been named all-state twice and also earned national freshman of the year honors in 2019-20 and the national sophomore of the year in 2020-21, the latter when he averaged 22 ppg and led his team to a 13-0 mark. This season Wagner finally got a full campaign against a national schedule after COVID-19 protocols slowed Jersey teams in his first two years, and he was equally spectacular. Wagner led The High to a 31-3 mark and its first appearance in the NJ TOC title game since 1999-2000. Along the way, he averaged 19.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.5 spg, and 3.3 apg and was named NJ.com Player of the Year. A two-time Gatorade State POY with his senior season left to go, Wagner has led Camden to a 73-4 mark in his three varsity seasons.

G — Chris Livingston, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va) 6-6 Sr.
This talented wing has been one of the best players in his class since he averaged 23.7 ppg as a freshman at Butchel (Akron, Ohio). He would be in similar position, honors-wise, if he stayed in Ohio, but Livingston wanted to challenge himself against better players more similar in size to the defenders he’ll see in college. This competitive big guard was the Warriors’ top offensive threat and also played hard on the defensive end. For the season, Livingston averaged 18.1 ppg, 9.11 rbg and 3.2 apg in leading Oak Hill to a 33-8 mark and No. 8 FAB 50 ranking in Steve Smith’s final season as coach. Smith’s 34th and final McDonald’s All-American, Livingston had 13 points and five assists in the East’s victory over the West and also had a 21-point, 3-steal outing at the Jordan Brand Classic.

F — Ron Holland, Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) 6-8 Jr.
Was edged by D.J. Wagner for national junior player of the year, but he would have been a fine selection nonetheless as one of the two big guns on the No. 1 team in the FAB 50. Despite playing on a talented and balanced team that had four players average over 9 ppg, Holland’s individual talent shined on both ends of the floor. As a freshman, Holland came off the bench (4.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg) for a club that was denied a chance at the UIL Class 6A state title because of COVID-19 and last year averaged 13.8 ppg and 10.1 rpg for a 29-1 club that finished No. 10 in the FAB 50. One of the better rebounders in the country, Holland developed into the leading scorer for the Panthers playing alongside McDonald’s All-American and second team All-American selection Anthony Black. Black was named District 11-6A Offensive Player of the Year, but it was Holland who was its overall POY after averaging 15 ppg while shooting 60 percent from the field while adding 8 rpg and 2 spg.

C — Braden Huff, Glenbard West (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) 6-11 Sr.
?One of the best and most versatile pivots in the country, Huff beat opponents with an array of offensive moves, defensive smarts and team play. After averaging 17.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 2.8 apg for a 13-1 team whose 2020-21 season was cut short by COVID-19, big things were expected of Huff and the Hilltoppers in 2021-22. They more than delivered, finishing No. 13 in the FAB 50 with a 37-1 record after starting out at No. 29. Huff was the catalyst, as he averaged 16.8 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg, 1.5 spg and 1.5 bpg for a team that lost its only game to a nationally-ranked foe at the buzzer. The Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year, Huff was also the top vote-getter on the A.P Class 4A All-State Team. He was focused to have a big season, delivered and is now headed to Gonzaga.

Third Five

G — Donovan Dent, Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 6-2 Sr.
Perhaps no player in the country elevated his All-American candidacy based on his senior year as much as this New Mexico-bound point guard. He was the catalyst for the No. 5 team in the FAB 50 that finished with a 33-1 record and won the program’s first ever CIF Open Division title. Even quality defensive players can’t stay in front of Dent because of his first-step quickness and instincts. Dent averaged 16.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 6.7 apg and 1.9 spg after leading the team in scoring (15.4 ppg) and assists (4.3 apg) as a junior when the Huskies went 21-2 and won their first of two consecutive CIFSS open division titles. The Player of the Year by the Riverside Press Enterprise and L.A. Times, he’s also been named State Player of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports.

G — Cameron Whitmore, Archbishop Spalding (Severn, Md.) 6-7 Sr.
Had an honors-filled career for the Cavaliers and closed his high school career strong on the national all-star circuit. He had 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists at the Jordan Brand Classic and a team-high 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals at the McDonald’s All-American Game. A model of consistency at Archbishop Spalding, Whitmore averaged 21.4 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.3 apg and 1.6 spg as a senior after putting up 22.0 ppg and 11.7 rpg game as a junior. The two-time Baltimore Catholic League Player of the Year is headed to Villanova.

F — Dillon Mitchell, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 6-7 Sr.
Similar to Dent, Mitchell was another who elevated his game as a senior after playing at two different Florida programs as an underclassman. The Mr. Basketball panel took notice of his improved play after helping the Eagles finish No. 2 in the FAB 50, as he appeared on five final ballots, including two fourth-place votes. After averaging 12.4 ppg, 9.5 rpg and 4.4 apg at Sickles (Fla.) as a sophomore, Mitchell helped Bishop McLaughlin (Spring Hill, Fla.) to the Class 3 state final last season by averaging 17.6 ppg and 10.6 rpg. His numbers at MVA were modest, but it was an honors-filled season for one of the most athletic and versatile players in the nation. Mitchell was named MVP of the City of Palms Classic and played well at GEICO Nationals (11.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.4 bpg). He also had nine points, four rebounds and two steals at the McDonald’s All-American game, and led his team to the win and copped MVP honors at the Jordan Brand Classic with 18 points.

F — Jarace Walker, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 6-6 Sr. ?
This physical forward has been on the national scene since middle school and we recall him providing a spark off the bench (7.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.3 apg) on the Ascenders’ FAB 50 title team as a freshman. He was a terrific defender who did a bit of everything as a sophomore (8.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 5.3 apg, 1.5 spg, 1.5 bpg), but battled injuries as a junior when he averaged 10.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 3.5 apg. Walker improved his all-around offensive repertoire as a senior while still being physically dominant on both ends of the floor. It resulted in 16.7 ppg (68 percent from the field), 8.2 rpg, 4.0 apg, and 2.2 bpg for a GEICO Nationals semifinalist. He’s headed to Houston.

F — Brandon Miller, Cane Ridge (Nashville, Tenn.) 6-8 Sr.
Draws positive raves for his long-term potential, but backs it up with terrific production for the Ravens. As a junior, Miller led Cane Ridge to the Division I Class AAA state finals by averaging 23.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg and 2.6 bpg. Individually he was even better in 2021-22, even though the Ravens fell in the state quarterfinals and finished 25-7. Miller averaged 26.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.4 apg and 2.1 spg and was named TSAA Class AAAA Mr. Basketball. He finished with over 2,100 career points.

Fourth Five

G — Collin Chandler, Farmington (Utah) 6-5 Sr.
Arguably the biggest snub in the national all-star game selections, Chandler is a high-level athlete, a terrific scorer and fearless competitor. He led Farmington to the second round of the Class 6A state tourney after averaging 21.7 ppg. 4.3 rpg, 2.8 apg and 1.7 spg. For his efforts, the three-time all-state honoree was chosen Gatorade State Player of the Year. He’s headed to BYU and will take a two-year Mormon Mission before enrolling in college in 2024.

G — Amari Bailey, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 6-5 Sr.
One of the most explosive players in the country, Bailey is the only repeat first team selection after earning California Mr. Basketball honors as a junior when he averaged 29.2 ppg, 9.1 rpg and 6.5 apg. He is a talented scorer, but also a capable defender and spark plug on that end of the floor. He drops to fourth five in 2021-22 because he played a fragmented season, averaging 18.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 2.9 apg in 15 games as Sierra Canyon juggled multiple lineups throughout the season. Bailey closed strong, however, netting 15 points in the Jordan Brand Classic and 10 points apiece in the McDonald’s Game and Nike Hoop Summit.

G — Fletcher Loyer, Homestead (Ft. Wayne, Ind.) 6-4 Sr.
Capped an honors-filled career by earning Gatorade State Player of the Year honors and winning a national 3-point contest during Final Four weekend in Louisiana. The younger brother of Foster Loyer, he joins his older brother as a first team selection, as the Michigan State guard was a first five selection at Clarkston (Mich.) in 2018. Fletcher also started his career at Clarkston, where he started as a freshman and averaged 21.8 ppg as a sophomore. As a junior in his first season at Homestead, Loyer shot at a 50-40-90 clip and finished the season averaging 24.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 4.5 apg. His big senior season saw him average 26.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.6 apg and 2.2 spg for a team that reached the regional semifinals. The Purdue recruit finished with 2,163 career points.

F — Mark Mitchell, Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 6-8 Sr.
After earning underclass All-American honors in each of his three seasons at Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.), this talented left-handed slashing scorer joined a Buffaloes program that competed for the NIBC title. He helped the program spend a majority of the regular season at No. 1 in the FAB 50 by averaging 16.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 2.7 apg. He joins teammate Gradey Dick on first team, as two other NIBC clubs (Montverde Academy, IMG Academy) also had two players honored on first team. Mitchell netted a team-high 19 points in the McDonald’s All-American Game.

C — Donovan Clingan, Bristol Central (Bristol, Conn.) 6-10 Sr.
One of the best players in state history, Clingan capped a stellar four-year career by averaging 30.1 ppg, 18.4 rpg and 6.2 bpg for the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Division II champs. Clingan’s in-state dominance included shooting 73 percent on two-point field goals and 33 percent from outside the arc for a 28-0 team. In 2020-21, he led his team to a 15-0 mark and its first Central Connecticut Conference title since 2002-03 by averaging 27.3 ppg, 17.2 rpg and 5.8 bpg. A four-time All-CCC selection, Clingan was a three-time all-state choice and two-time GameTimeCT State Player of the Year. The Connecticut recruit finished with 2,268 career points (No. 7 all-time in CIAC) and set school career marks with 1,518 rebounds and 540 career blocks.

2021-22 All-American Second Team

G — Dylan Andrews, AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) 6-4 Sr.
F — Terrance Arceneaux, Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) 6-7 Sr.
G — Mark Armstrong, St. Peter’s Prep (South Orange, N.J.) 6-2 Sr.
F — Tobe Awaka, Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.) 6-8 Sr.
G — Anthony Black, Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) 6-7 Sr.
C — Adem Bona, Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) 6-9 Sr.
F — Darren Buchanan, Wilson (Washington, D.C.) 6-7 Sr.
F — Barry Dunning, McGill-Toolen (Mobile, Ala.) 6-7 Sr.
F — Derrian Ford, Magnolia (Ark.) 6-4 Sr.
F — Taylor Hendricks, Calvary Christian (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) 6-9 Sr.
C — Joe Hurlburt, Enderlin Area (Enderlin, N.D.) 6-11 Sr.
F — Jasen Green, Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) 6-8 Sr.
G — Rylan Griffen, Richardson (Texas) 6-4 Sr.
G — Ja’Kwon Hill, Volcano Vista (Albuquerque, N.M.) 6-2 Sr.
G — Trejuan Holloman, Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.) 6-2 Sr.
G — Joseph “JoJo” Hunter, San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno, Calif.) 6-4 Sr.
G — Ricky “Pop Pop” Isaacs Jr., Coronado (Henderson, Nev.) 6-2 Sr.
G — Aidan Mahaney, Campolindo (Moraga, Calif.) 6-2 Sr.
G — Arterio Morris, Kimball (Dallas, Texas) 6-3 Sr.
F — Tarris Reed, Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) 6-9 Sr.
G — Brice Sensebaugh, Lake Highland Prep (Orlando, Fla.) 6-6 Sr.
G — Braden Smith, Westfield (Ind.) 6-1 Sr.
G — J.J. Starling, La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) 6-4 Sr.
G — Bruce Thornton, Milton (Ga.) 6-2 Sr.
G — Seth Trimble, Menomonee Falls (Wis.) 6-3 Sr.
F — Jordan Walsh, Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) 6-7 Sr.
C — Kel’el Ware, North Little Rock (Ark.) 7-0 Sr.
G —Tre White, Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) 6-5 Sr.
G — Simeon Wilcher, Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 6-4 Jr.
F — Darrion Williams, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 6-6 Sr.

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 2021-22 High School All-American Elite Team appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Dariq Whitehead Named Mr. Basketball USA!

Ronnie Flores — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 06:39:51 +0000

Wing guard from FAB 50 No. 2 Montverde Academy Academy (Montverde, Fla.) named 2022 Mr. Basketball USA by www.ebooksnet.com. The Duke-bound Whitehead is the fourth player from Montverde Academy to earn the nation's highest individual high school basketball honor in eight years, joining Ben Simmons (2015), R.J. Barrett (2018) and Cade Cunningham (2020).

With the ever-changing landscape of high school basketball, we forecasted some unexpected results in the first full high school season since 2018-19. That, of course, was the last season unaffected by the COVID-19 Pandemic that changed the world in March of 2020. This season saw the return of state playoffs in every state and the return of the national all-star games.

In the race for national player of the year honors, the post-season and national all-star games are traditionally a big factor in deciding who earns the title Mr. Basketball USA, the production-based national player of the year honor selected by Ballislife's 10-man panel of national scouts. This year's national player of the year race was wide-open from the start and the results of the final Mr. Basketball USA Tracker reveal some surprising results.

Dariq Whitehead, the Duke-bound wingman who contributed to four excellent Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) teams over his career, capped off his four-year run by topping the voting tally in this season's final tracker. Today, Whitehead is honored with the title of 2021-22 Mr. Basketball USA.

In his career, Whitehead helped the Eagles win back-to-back FAB 50 national titles in 2020 and 2021. In 2020, Whitehead was a reserve on one of the greatest teams of all-time and one of seven players to average between 8.3 ppg and 13.9 ppg. The team's ringleaders were leading scorer and 2020 Mr. Basketball USA Cade Cunningham and third leading scorer Scottie Barnes (11.6 ppg), who was also second in rebounding (6.5), second in assists (4.6 apg) first in deflections (1.7 dpg), and first in steals (1.9 spg). Just this week, Barnes was named NBA Rookie of the Year for the Toronto Raptors, while Cunningham came in third in the voting behind 2020 Mr. Basketball USA runner-up Evan Mobley (Barnes was No. 5 in the final voting).

Last season, Whitehead averaged 10.4 ppg on a balanced team that won its second consecutive mythical national title. That team was led by national junior of the year Jalen Duren, who finished third in the final 2021 Mr. Basketball USA voting with 66 total points behind unanimous honoree Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga (100 points out of a possible 100) and runner-up Jabari Smith of Auburn (79 points). Duren, along with highly-regarded prospect Emoni Bates (the 2020 National Sophomore of the Year) both re-classed up and played for Memphis in 2021-22. The void they left helped create the wide-open race heading into 2021-22.

Whitehead came in No. 5 in the preseason balloting (40 points while appearing on six of 10 ballots). The leader in the clubhouse was 7-foot-1 center Dereck Lively of Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.), who appeared on all ten ballots, received seven first place votes and finished with 84 points.

Whitehead stepped up big-time after Duren left for Memphis and the Mr. Basketball USA panel took notice. Whitehead led Montverde Academy to a 22-4 season, including a GEICO Nationals title and final No. 2 FAB 50 ranking. Whitehead hit the big jump shot in the GEICO Nationals title game win over Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) and averaged 15.7 ppg, 5.7 apg, and 3.0 rpg in three games at the end-of-season event. For the season, Whitehead averaged 17.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 3.8 apg for the nation's No. 2 team in the FAB 50.

Whitehead cemented his status as 2021-22's top performer at the national all-star games, which allowed him to over take preseason front-runner Lively, his future Duke teammate as part of new coach John Scheyer's top-rated recruiting class. Whitehead was named MVP at the McDonald’s All-American Game (13 pts, 7 rbs, 7 asts) and also shined for Team USA at the Nike Hoop Summit with a team-high 17 points, including 5-of-7 3-pointers.

Whitehead and Lively received all 10 first place votes, with Whitehead receiving seven, one second place vote (9 points), one fifth place vote (six points) and one sixth place vote (five points) for 90 total points. Lively didn't appear at all on one ballot and, in addition to his three first place votes, received two second places votes, one third place vote, one fourth, one sixth and one 10th place vote for a total of 69 points.

"I'm so happy and proud of Dariq," said Montverde Academy coach Kevin Boyle. "He started at Montverde Academy in the eighth grade and has matured to incredible heights as a person, player and student."

Only one other player appeared on all ten ballots alongside Whitehead among 24 candidates: shooting guard Keyonte George of IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.). He garnered one second place vote and three third place votes and finished five points behind Lively with 64 points. Two of Whitehead's teammates at Montverde Academy (Texas bound Dillon Mitchell and junior Kwame Evans) and two of George's teammates at IMG Academy (Houston bound Jarace Walker and Alabama bound Jaden Bradley) also received player of the year votes. It speaks to the wide open nature of the balloting and the consensus opinion of the panel that there are no sure-fire top NBA Draft pick types at the level Holmgren and Smith were graded at the top of the 2021 class, which made the voting this season as difficult as any in the 15-year history of the Mr. Basketball USA Tracker.

"I believe there is very little separation between No. 1 and No. 10 and no clear cut best combination of player talent and season production," said panel member Van Coleman of Nothing But Net Magazine. This was the toughest voting in years, likely due to class hopping and pro opportunities."

"This was perhaps the toughest selections ever; not just one (or even two or three) clear cut candidates for No. 1," said panel member Frank Burlison of BurlisonOnBasketball.com. "I gave Whitehead the nod because Montverde 'won it all' on the prep school level, plus he was very good in all of his team’s key games, as well as during the all-star game circuit."

The 10-man Mr. Basketball USA panel feels there is still time and room for this class to grow, which is exactly what Whitehead did during his five years at Montverde Academy. It will be interesting to see how the majority of these fine high school players develop and perform at the college level next season.

For now, Whitehead exhibited all the qualities and met the criteria to be named the nation's best high school player. If history is any indication, Whitehead is one the path to a successful career at the next levels of the game.

Rank	Prev.	Name	High School	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
1	5	Dariq Whitehead (10)	Montverde Academy (FL)	7	1	0	0	90
2	1	Dereck Lively (9)	Westtown School (PA)	3	2	1	1	69
3	4	Keyontae George (10)	IMG Academy (FL)	0	1	3	1	64
4	8	Nick Smith (7)	North Little Rock (AR)	0	2	1	1	45
5	3	D.J. Wagner (8)	Camden (NJ)	0	0	3	0	36
6	7	Cason Wallace (6)	Richardson (TX)	0	0	2	0	31
7	2	Amari Bailey (5)	Sierra Canyon (CA)	0	1	0	0	26
8T	NR	Gradey Dick (5)	Sunrise Christian Academy (KS)	0	0	0	1	24
8T	NR	Dillon Mitchell (5)	Montverde Academy (FL)	0	0	0	2	24
10	NR	Jarace Walker (4)	IMG Academy (FL)	0	2	0	0	23
11	7	Jaden Bradley (4)	IMG Academy (FL)	0	0	0	1	21
12	NR	Cam Whitmore (3)	Archbishop Spalding (MD)	0	0	0	1	18
13	9	Chris Livingston (6)	Oak Hill Academy (VA)	0	0	0	0	16
14	20T	Mark Mitchell (3)	Sunrise Christian Academy (KS)	0	0	0	1	12
15	20T	Kwame Evans (2)	Montverde Academy (FL)	0	1	0	0	11
16T	10	Collin Chandler (3)	Farmington (UT)	0	0	0	0	7
16T	NR	Kel’el Ware (1)	North Little Rock (AR)	0	0	0	1	7
18	11	Baye Fall (1)	Denver Prep (CO)	0	0	0	0	6
19	NR	Donovan Dent (2)	Centennial (CA)	0	0	0	0	5
20T	15T	Adem Bona (1)	Prolific Prep (CA)	0	0	0	0	4
20T	NR	Ronald Holland (2)	Duncanville (TX)	0	0	0	0	4
22	NR	Josh Phillips (1)	Link Academy (MO)	0	0	0	0	3
23T	NR	Anthony Black (1)	Duncanville (TX)	0	0	0	0	2
23T	NR	Brandon Miller (1)	Cane Ridge (TN)	0	0	0	0	2

2021-22 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker Panel

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

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

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

The post Dariq Whitehead Named Mr. Basketball USA! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Salute to All-Time FAB 50 No. 1s

Ronnie Flores — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 01:41:56 +0000

A detailed listing of the all-time No. 1 nationally-ranked high school basketball teams

FAB 50 ERA

Cade Cunningham

6'7" - PG - 2020

2020 -- Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) (25-0); HC-Kevin Boyle; BIL-- In the preseason, defending FAB 50 champ IMG Academy edged the Eagles for the No. 1 spot by the slimmest of margins. As stated in the preseason, had Montverde Academy not blown a 16-point lead (63-47) to IMG Academy entering the fourth quarter of their GEICO Nationals semifinal contest, Montverde Academy would have started as preseason No. 1. IMG Academy went on to win the game and earn the 2019 FAB 50 No. 1 ranking with a GEICO Nationals championship. With Jaden Springer back and a host of other talented players, on paper the Ascenders had the talent to play with Montverde Academy, which returned Cade Cunningham and Moses Moody and also had a plethora of available talent on deck. When Scottie Barnes joined the Eagles' roster, it turned a potential juggernaut into a virtual machine, as Montverde Academy ran roughshod through a national schedule with an average winning margin of 39 ppg. 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 despite no true facilitator and highly-regarded Jalen Johnson not part of the equation. The Eagles opened the season with a 84-51 win over No. 20 Duncanville (Texas), defeated No. 4 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 76-56 and beat IMG Academy two more times. In addition, Kevin Boyle's club defeated No. 29 Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) 81-48 and No. 13 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 83-47. In all, the Eagles defeated 12 FAB 50 ranked clubs (at the time of the matchup) and could have potentially faced three more had GIECO Nationals not been cancelled because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Despite not being able to participate at that event, Montverde Academy captured its fifth FAB 50 title in the past eight seasons, and fielded its best overall team in that time frame. Video-centric younger fans will want to compare this team to the 2016 Chino Hills (Calif.) that dominated its playoff competition and produced an average margin of victory of 28.4 ppg, but the all-time great team that is a better comparison is the undefeated 1993 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) team. The Warriors had a huge front line, had a Mr. Basketball USA talent (Jerry Stackhouse), beat one high school team 96-8 and beat six college teams. Oak Hill's average margin of victory was 37.3 ppg. From the standpoint of producing an all-time great team that also had success at the next levels, this Montverde Academy team may one day be favorably compared to the undefeated 1983 Dunbar (Baltimore, Md.) team. The Poets also had a large winning margin (36.5 ppg) and produced three of the top 22 picks in the 1987 NBA Draft. Similar to Dunbar, this year's Eagles team was incredibly balanced with seven players averaging 8.3 ppg or more led by Cunningham’s 13.9. He also averaged 4.2 rpg and 6.4 apg, while Barnes was third on the team in scoring (11.6 ppg), second in rebounding (6.5), second in assists (4.6 apg) first in deflections (1.7 dpg), and first in steals (1.9 spg). While the average margin of victory stands out, the individual numbers doesn't do this team justice and it will interesting to follow how the players develop on the next levels of the game.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

6'8" - PF - 2019

2019 -- IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) (31-1); HC-Sean McAloon; BIL-USA.-- In the preseason, defending FAB 50 champ Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) was No. 1, but during the regular season preseason No. 6 La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) beat the Eagles twice to rise to No. 1. The Lakers remained No. 1 until the final game of the season, when they were defeated, 66-55, by then No. 4 IMG Academy in the GIECO Nationals title game. By virtue of their win over a previously unbeaten No. 1 team, two additional quality victories at GEICO Nationals and six victories over teams that finished in the Top 12, the Ascenders moved up three spots in the final rankings to claim their first ever FAB 50 title. They join Montverde Academy as the only two Florida programs to win a mythical national dating back to 1952, which marks the beginning of the end-of-season National Sports News Service Rankings. IMG Academy defeated Montverde Academy in the GEICO Nationals semifinals, 74-73, after storming back from a 16-point deficit to begin the fourth quarter behind the play of junior guard Jaden Springer, who averaged 21.3 ppg in the three victories at the event. IMG Academy edges McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) for the FAB 50 crown, as the Indians were No. 2 when they received an invite to GEICO Nationals, then chose not to participate in the event. McEachern, the GHSA Class AAAAAAA champions, had an incredible season, defeating eight teams in the final FAB 50. Only one, however (No. 5 Mountain Brook of Alabama), finished in the Top 10. That was a significant win because Mountain Brook handed IMG Academy its only loss, a 72-67 setback that prevented a McEachern-IMG Academy game during a holiday tournament. The Ascenders were able to overcome that loss by defeating six FAB 50 ranked teams. The main difference between their resume and McEachern's being that all six of those wins came against teams ranked in the Top 12: No. 3 La Lumiere, No. 4 Montverde Academy, No. 8 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.), No. 10 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), No. 11 Sunrise Christian Academy and No. 12 University School (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.). IMG Academy defeated Sunrise Christian Academy, 65-50, in the quarterfinals of GEICO Nationals behind Springer's 26 points, the same total he had in the comeback win over Montverde Academy. Had McEachern (which beat Sunrise Christian Academy in overtime) accepted the GEICO Nationals bid, not only could it have potentially met IMG Academy, it could have bolstered its resume to include wins over 11 FAB 50 clubs. As it stands, the quality of IMG Academy's victories, including two over Top 5 teams that went into the game ranked higher, was enough to edge an unbeaten team with the common opponent factor in its favor. In addition to Springer, McAloon's club was led by three McDonald's All-Americans, GEICO Nationals MVP forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Villanova), wing Josh Green (Arizona) and post player Armando Bacot (North Carolina).

RJ Barrett

6'7" - SG - 2018

2017 -- Nathan Hale (Seattle, Wash.) (29-0); HC-Brandon Roy; BIL-NPP.-- The Raiders played above pre-season expectations and captured the WIAA Class 3A state title with an unbeaten mark. The mythical national crown came into focus after the Raiders defeated preseason No. 9 Sierra Canyon 67-65 to win the Les Schwab Invitational when that team was battling for a legitimate shot at No. 1. By that point in the season, Hale had already defeated Metro League rivals Rainier Beach and Garfield (both of whom started out the season FAB 50-ranked) and went on to defeat Garfield four times, including 68-51 in the state title game. Michael Porter Jr. grabbed 27 points and 17 rebounds and the Mcdonald's All-American Game MVP finished his senior season with averages of 37.6 ppg, 14.5 rpg, and 5.2 apg. The Raiders edged out La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) for top rankings billing in a decision that was heightened when Hale was invited but decided not to participate in Dick's Nationals, an end-of-season tournament the Lakers won over a field that included six other FAB 50-ranked teams. Similar to Oak Hill Academy in 2012 when it finished No. 1 but did not play at the event but owned a win over a La Lumiere team that No. 2 Findlay Prep lost to, the common opponent factor became paramount in Hale's championship season. Hale (which also beat Oak Hill Academy of Virginia at the Hoophall Classic) defeated the Sierra Canyon team that La Lumiere suffered its only loss to. Oak Hill Academy was the preseason No. 1 and La Lumiere was No. 2. This was only the second time in the FAB 50 era that the FAB 50, the National Prep Poll and USA Today Super 25 didn't name a consensus national champion, as Hale dropped in the USA Today poll after declining the Dick's Nationals invite to No. 4, one spot behind a Findlay Prep team Sierra Canyon defeated 76-47.

Lonzo Ball

6'6" - PG - 2016

2015 -- Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) (31-1); HC-Kevin Boyle; GR-USA-NPP.-- For the second consecutive season, the Eagles defeated No. 2 Oak Hill Academy in the finals of the Dick's Sporting Goods National High School Tournament. Senior Ben Simmons, led the way with 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the 70-61 win over Oak Hill Academy, which fell to 0-4 in Dicks Nationals championship games. Montverde Academy became the first team in the weekly poll era (1976-current) to win three consecutive mythical national titles and only the second program following the legendary McClymonds (Oakland, Calif.) teams of 1958-60 led by future NBA standout and head coach Paul Silas. Simmons was a fixture on all three of Montverde's championship teams and played a different role on each. He was a key reserve as a sophomore, the team's best frontcourt and overall player as a junior and a facilitator and all-around threat as a senior. Montverde was the preseason No. 1 for the third consecutive season and fell from the top spot for one week this season after losing to Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) in the City of Palms Tournament championship game. Wheeler later lost to a West Linn (West Linn, Ore.) team the Eagles defeated 70-58. Oak Hill Academy then took over the top spot for a week before losing to Hamilton (Memphis, Tenn.) in a game that was later overturned in the Warriors' favor via forfeit. Oak Hill and Montverde then met in the last game of the season to decide the mythical national title in the court. In all, Kevin Boyle's club defeated 17 teams that were at some point ranked or included in the final FAB 50.

Kyle Anderson

6'7" - PG - 2012

Greg Oden

7'0" - C - 2006

Rajon Rondo

6'2" - PG - 2004

2004 -- Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) (38-0); HC--Steve Smith; SS-USA-NPP.--The Warriors claimed their fifth mythical national ranking title by going wire-to-wire as No. 1 and posted the winningest season in team history. Two All-Americans led the way -- Josh Smith (6-8), an Indiana recruit, and Rajon Rondo (6-1), a Kentucky signee. Smith, who might declare for the NBA Draft, averaged 23 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots a game and is probably the most athletic player in school history. Rondo set a school record by averaging 12 assists per game, including single-game efforts of 31, 27 and 27 while chipping in 20 points per night. The Warriors defeated teams from 13 states, including FAB 50 No. 7 Mount Vernon, No. 8 Westchester and No. 11 Fairfax. While the legendary 1993 Oak Hill team had more depth than this club, the starting five on this club matches up with any previous team, according to head coach Steve Smith. The closest winning margins were by five points over Dougherty and 10 points versus Moeller (Ohio) and the Warriors claimed titles at Iolani Prep Classic in Honolulu, the GlaxoSmithKline Invitational in Raleigh, N.C., the Mountain State Coal Classic in Beckley, W.Va., and won marquee games at the NIKE Extravaganza in Los Angeles and the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton, N.J. Smith now has an 19-year record of 570-36.

LeBron James

6'8" - SF - 2003

2003 -- St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) (26-0x); HC--Dru Joyce, Sr.; SS-USA-NPP; x-forfeit losses not included. --Irish capped unbeaten, on-court season with third state title in four years -- the Division II title this time -- and defeated teams from seven states: California, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Included in those wins were victories over three Top 10 ranked teams -- No. 3 Mater Dei, No. 8 Oak Hill Academy and a dominating 78-52 win over California Division I state champ and No. 4 Westchester of Los Angeles. LeBron James made a statement by scoring 52 points in the win over the Comets in his first game back with the team after being suspended for two games for accepting two "throwback" jerseys from a local sporting goods store. The Fightin' Irish also made a statement by beating Oak Hill by 20 points on national television, one of the worst losses in the Steve Smith-era for the Warriors. It was a season that wound up even better than expected, if that's possible, with James in the lineup. King James’ team played one of the most ambitious schedules ever and did not lose on the court. The MVP in the McDonald's and EA SPORTS Roundball Classic All-Star games and the probable No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, James averaged 30.6 points for the season and ended with 2,646 career points, third best in Ohio history, while the Irish went 102-5 on the court with four FAB 50 rankings. This team wasn’t just James, either, as the nucleus of the team played together since middle school. Forward Romeo Travis, point guard Dru Joyce Jr., the son of the head coach, and the role players meshed well with James and this team has to be considered among the all-time best considering the teams they beat during an unbeaten season. St. Vincent-St. Mary’s started No. 7 in the FAB 50 (as a comparison the Irish began No. 23 by USA Today) and had it not been upset in the Division II state final in 2002 (James’ only in-state loss in four years) and finished No. 40, this year’s team would have began at No. 3 instead of four spots lower. In our rankings system it goes to show that what a program accomplished prior can affect pre-season positioning and play in role in how fast or high a team can rise in the FAB 50. Obviously with the schedule and results this team played, those four spots became a moot point as that loss fueled the fire more than anything else.

Tyson Chandler

7'0" - PF - 2001

National Prep Poll Era

1996 -- St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (31-0); HC--Bob Hurley, Sr.; NPP-USA-NSNS.--St. Anthony wore a bulls eye on its back every night, but the preseason No. 1 boys basketball team lived up to its billing. The Friars captured the New Jersey Group and overall championships, extending their winning streak to 53 in a row. St. Anthony's 61-57 overtime win over No. 23 Shawnee in the New Jersey TOC was a fitting end to a dominant season in which Garden state teams were the most talk-about nationally. Head coach Bob Hurley Sr. won his 600th game early in the season when the Friars downed Crenshaw of Los Angeles, 90-74, in the finals of the Above the Rim Tournament in San Diego as tourney MVP Ajmal Basit netted 36 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. No. 15 Crenshaw went to win the California Div. I state title and St. Anthony also downed St. Raymond's of the Bronx at Madison Square Garden, No. 6 St. John’s of Prospect Hall, No. 24 St. Patrick of Elizabeth and also recorded a win over a Kobe Bryant-led Ardmore (Pa.) Lower Merion team. Hurley’s team snuck up on opponents when it won the TOC in 1995 with wins over Paterson Catholic, St. Patrick of Elizabeth, and unbeaten and nationally-ranked Shawnee of Medford, but this team played up to lofty expectations every game. National Junior of the Year Anthony Perry paced the team with averages of 20.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists and has led the Friars team in scoring all three of his seasons on the varsity. Six-foot-5 leaper Ike Williams and 6-foot-3 sharpshooter Mike Frey and Basit also played key roles in St. Anthony’s championship season.