Jalen Green Just Might Be The Most Productive Player In The Country

The 6-foot-5 shooting guard put fourth the most spectacular individual performance of the event, as he netted 33 points, including 10-of-10 free throws, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in Prolific Prep’s 88-71 dismantling of Hillcrest Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.). And the game wasn’t as close as the score indicated, as the Bruins trailed 71-45 before adding some garbage time points. It wasn’t so much Green’s scoring output, it was the fashion in which he scored and the timing of the shots, as they demoralized the opponent and showed to a national television audience who was the best player on the court. Green hit a 3-pointer at the first period buzzer and another field goal right before halftime. Green has always displayed the traits of a NBA guard, but it’s his body control and coordination that separates him from other elite high school players with similar athleticism. Green is now sprinting into his pull-up jump shot and getting tremendous lift on his jumper that gives him plenty of separation from even elite high school defenders. The added lift and on-the-move pull up has helped take his game up a notch as a senior. So is Green the best player in the country? One can make a compelling argument although the three major candidates for that title are quite different. He’s more explosive than OSU-bound Cade Cunningham of Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), who came in No. 2 in the preseason Mr. Basketball USA Tracker behind USC-bound Evan Mobley of Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) by five points (95-90). Green was a distant third (44 points), but he impacts high-level games just as much as the other two. We had a chance to evaluate Mobley twice more in Phoenix and in many instances, he's reliant on teammates to get him the ball. For instance, Mobley had six points on three field goal attempts in the first half of the Eagles’ eventual 95-75 win over Rainier Beach (Seattle). Now, he did pick it up in the second half, finishing the game with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks, and he was the difference-maker in the Eagles' 77-74 win over Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) with 22 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks but the point remains: as a post player he’s often reliant on others to get the ball. That’s not the case with Green and so far the results have been spectacular, as Green is averaging over 25 ppg for 12-0 Prolific Prep.

Jalen Green went for 33 points, 4reb, 2ast vs Hillcrest Prep! Prolific Prep winning 88 - 71 at the @HoophallClassic west. @JalenRomande @ProlificPrep ? @WhosNextHS pic.twitter.com/Hr3aqu6lxx

— www.ebooksnet.com (@Ballislife) December 6, 2019

Prolific Prep Would Be Highly Ranked In The FAB 50

Based on how easily Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) dismantled a talented Hillcrest (Phoenix, Ariz.) team, the Crew (the program’s nickname) would firmly be a Top 15 team in our FAB 50 rankings with the ability to move up. It wasn’t just the performance of Green, as Prolific Prep rebounds well, plays terrific interior defense and has plenty of scoring options. Fallou Cisse, a 6-foot-7 2021, can score in a variety of ways, can defend both forward positions and can start the break off the glass. Frank Anselem, a 6-foot-10 2021, is a terrific interior rebounder who can clear space or go rebound outside of his area. While Hillcrest Prep came into the game as the No. 3 ranked team in one national poll where its eligible, the Bruins didn’t play anywhere near that level on Thursday night before a national television audience. Considering Hillcrest Prep lost by a sizeable margin in fall league ball to the Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) team that started No. 21 in the FAB 50 (and is currently unranked), the Bruins might have been in the 35-50 range of the FAB 50. Keep in mind, Prolific Prep played without two rotation players in Phoenix: starter and Rutgers-bound Mawot Mag (6-foot-7, 2020) and 6-foot-11 2022 Mouhamed Gueye, who was out with the flu. In case you’re wondering why Prolific Prep and Hillcrest Prep are not FAB 50 eligible, it’s because eligible programs must be recognized by a high school athletics governing body or be an associate member of a state association. Generally, that means independents must be allowed to play state association member programs in the state the independent program resides.

The Bronny James Experience Doesn’t Leave Fans Disappointed

Bronny James and his team at Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) had another overflow, sold-out crowd on hand as it continues to entertain curious fans around the country. Young fans filing in to Chaparral High School four hours before tip-off of the Sierra Canyon game told us “I can’t wait to see Bronny play.” Despite not being the team’s featured player or even a starter, the 6-foot-1 freshman guard gives fans their money’s worth because they just want to see him play and follow his growth as he looks to get from underneath the considerable shadow created by his famous father. James scored five points and added three rebounds in the Trailblazers’ 76-66 victory over FAB 50 No. 47 Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.). Kentucky-bound B.J. Boston led the way to victory for the No. 6 team in the FAB 50 with 22 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals, which upped its record to 7-0. It will be fun for fans to see James’ growth over the course of his high school career, as he’s not some already peaked man-child or a kid without legitimate D1 skill. It would be interesting to see the hoopla surrounding Bronny if he was a JayVee player, or on the flip side, the consensus best player nationally in his class. Through the team’s first six games, Bronny was averaging 4.5 ppg. For some perspective on the situation, in four varsity seasons at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s (Akron, Ohio), his father scored under 10 points once: an eight-point effort versus Maple Heights (Ohio) as a freshman in 1999-2000. In his first season for the Irish, LeBron James averaged 17 points and six rebounds for a team that finished 27-0 and No. 43 in the FAB 50. He scored 25 points in the state title game. In James’ four seasons, The Irish went 102-5 on the court with three state titles and four FAB 50 rankings, including the mythical FAB 50 crown as a senior in 2002-03. James didn’t quite have the national notoriety of his son as a freshman, but by the middle of his sophomore season, after a superlative performance against No. 1 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), it was apparent James was the most talented player in the country. And no, the interest and hype surrounding this Sierra Canyon team hasn’t quite reached the level of that ’03 SV-SM national title team. Bronny, of course, has three more seasons of high school basketball to go.

Final: #FAB50 No. 6 Sierra Canyon 76, No. 47 Millenium 66

BJ Boston with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 asts, 2 steals; Amari Bailey 18 pts, 5 assists of the spectacular type

Daron Holmes with 20 pts, 9 rbs, 4 blks #HSBB #HoophallWest pic.twitter.com/z45HLjrxTK

— Ronnie Flores (@RonMFlores) December 8, 2019

More HoopHall West Tidbits

The three-day event was a nice platform for some breakout performances and sleepers to shine. The country’s most popular team and arguably the nation’s two best players were on display, but there definitely was other players who put their stamp on HoopHall West….Besides Jalen Green, the player that turned the most heads in the Prolific Prep-Hillcrest Prep game was Sadraque Nganga. The 6-foot-10 forward rates as one of the very best 2022 prospects in the West Region. Nganga has tons of natural talent, is a fluid athlete and can run the floor and finish well in stride. Nganga, who led the Bruins with 19 points in the loss, can handle the ball well for his size and has a solid stroke from the outside…Rainer Beach (Seattle) doesn’t have one of its vintage, FAB 50-level teams, but coach Mike Bethea has a bonafide sleeper on his roster in John Hart. The 6-foot-1 combo guard has a terrific body and could be a key national level JUCO recruit. He netted 26 points, including six 3-pointers, in the Vikings’ loss to Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.)….Even though he’s not a sleeper by any means, we have to give a shout out to Gonzaga-bound Julian Strawther of Liberty (Henderson, Nev.). The 6-foot-7 small forward set a HoopHall West single-game scoring record in a 88-74 victory over Apollo (Glendale, Ariz.), scoring 51 points on a variety of shots. He finished 19-of-29 from the field, including four 3-pointers, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals…Another breakout performance from an elite player came courtesy of Jaden Hardy of FAB 50 No. 40 Coronado (Henderson, Nev.) in a 95-60 win over Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.). The 2021 scoring point guard had 40 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists. Less than 24 hours earlier, Hardy had 27 points in a 85-62 victory over Paradise Honors (Surprise, Ariz.).

FAB 50 Update: No. 1 IMG Academy Goes Down 

The big news from other events around the country occurred at the DC Hoopfest in Maryland, as FAB 50 No. 1 IMG Academy (Brandenton, Fla.) fell to No. 4 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 67-56. Paul VI was led to victory by Trevor Keels with 25 points and Duke-bound Jeremy Roach with 16 points. Keels nailed 5-of-12 3-pointers in the game, as Paul VI nailed 10 for the game, while IMG Academy shot 1-for-9 as a team from behind the line.

The next FAB 50 update will be on Monday, December 16.

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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By Ronnie Flores

After it lost 76-69 in a Metro League showdown to city rival Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) on February 2, not only did we keep the team at Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) ranked ahead of the Vikings, we didn't drop them from last week's FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com. Garfield had the stronger overall resume, with its only other loss to FAB 50 No. 10 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.).

We knew there was a good chance the two clubs could meet for the Metro League championship and on February 12, the two locked horns again with Garfield coming away with a 65-63 win to capture its first Metro League championship since 1991 and avenge the loss ten days earlier. In a close game that came down to foul shooting, Garfield junior Jaylen Nowell nailed two with 7.7 seconds remaining to put his team up four points. Nowell paced the Bulldogs with a game-high 25 points, while fellow elite junior Daejon Davis added 19 for the winning club.

After falling from No. 11 to No. 38 in last week's FAB 50, Garfield is back up 14 spots this week to No. 22. Avenging wins are a big factor in our rankings criteria, especially when a team otherwise has an exceptionally strong resume. Similar to Garfield last week, Penny Hardaway's team at Memphis East doesn't drop out of the rankings after a tough defeat, in its case a 71-70 loss to Germantown (Germantown, Tenn.) in the SCIAA Class AAA County Championship game. The Mustangs drop 25 spots to No. 35, one spot behind unbeaten Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.). A couple of key national results in its favor had Memphis East steadily climbing in the FAB 50, but the Blaze now deserve major rankings credit as an unbeaten team. Blackman was also ranked ahead of Memphis East in the Associated Press Class AAA State Poll even before the Mustangs' second loss.

Other high risers this week besides Garfield and Blackman are unbeaten Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.), which is up four spots to No. 27, and Advanced International Prep (Dallas, Texas). API, which is up six spots to No. 37, has a high loss count, but the talented club is meshing better now than it did during the holiday tournaments and has won 15 consecutive games. The Bulldogs have also split games with Hillcrest Academy of Pheonix, Ariz. and Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), the latter which handed Memphis East its first loss of the season.

We looked hard at the resume of Germantown for a possible spot in the FAB 50, but the Red Devils' lost 75-63 to Jonesboro (Jonesboro, Ga.) at the Memphis vs. Atlanta Roundball Classic held in Memphis. That allows Jonesboro to break in at No. 47 as one of the seven newcomers this week. The only in-state loss for Jonesboro, led by elite junior M.J. Walker, is to Norcross (Norcross, Ga.), which fell out of this week's FAB 50. Jonesboro's other losses to FAB 50 ranked teams were against No. 3 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and top-ranked Chino Hills.

This week's top newcomer is No. 36 Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.), which gave Chino Hills all it could handle before falling to the Huskies in overtime in the title game of the City of Palms Tournament in Ft. Myers, Fla. A review of the Celtics' schedule includes wins over No. 18 Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.), a split with talented Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.), with its other three losses to No. 5 St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), No. 16 La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) and post-grad program St. Thomas More of Connecticut.

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(Ninth poll of the 2015-16 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, February 14; Previous ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 20 Hammond (Columbia, S.C.), No. 29 High Point Christian (High Point, N.C.), No. 33 Norcross (Norcross, Ga.), No. 41 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.), No. 46 Oldsmar Christian (Oldsmar, Fla.), No. 48 West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.), No. 50 Omaha South (Omaha, Neb.).

Bubble Teams: Aliquippa (Aliquippa, Pa.) 21-0; Allderdice (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 21-1; Archbishop Malloy (Queens, N.Y.) 19-4; Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) 18-2; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 20-7; Brandeis (San Antonio, Texas) 29-1; Burlington School (Burlington, N.C.) 33-0; Coatesville (Coatesville, Pa.) 24-1; Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 20-2**; DeSoto (DeSoto, Texas) 28-2; Dublin Jerome (Dublin, Ohio) 20-2; Fayetteville (Fayetteville, Ark.) 20-1; Foothills Christian (El Cajon, Calif.) 19-4; Fort Bend Bush (Richmond, Texas) 25-7; Fort Bend Elkins (Missouri City, Texas) 29-2; Germantown (Germantown, Tenn.) 24-2; Gwynn Park (Brandywine, Md.) 17-1; Hammond (Columbia, S.C.) 21-2; High Point Christian (High Point, N.C.) 22-5; Houston Math Science & Tech (Houston, Texas) 28-4; Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) 21-2; Lancaster (Lancaster, Texas) 28-2; Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) 17-4; Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 19-3; McComb (McComb, Miss.) 23-0; Merrillville (Merrillville, Ind.) 19-1; Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.) 25-1; National Christian Academy (Ft. Washington, Md.) 20-1; New Albany (New Albany, Ind.) 18-1; Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 25-3; Norland (Miami, Fla.) 24-4; Oldsmar Christian (Oldsmar, Fla.) 26-8*; Omaha South (Omaha, Neb.) 21-1; Overland (Aurora, Colo.) 18-3; Peabody (Alexandria, La.) 28-1; Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 18-5; Rangeview (Aurora, Col.) 20-0; Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) 22-4; Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 16-6; Sacred Heart (Waterbury, Conn.) 16-2; Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.) 23-5; Shenendehowa (Clifton Park, N.Y.) 20-0; Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 14-5; Tascosa (Amarillo, Texas) 28-0; Victory Rock Prep (Sarasota, Fla.) 22-6; Westerville South (Westerville, Ohio) 18-4; Westfield (Chantilly, Va.) 18-2; Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.) 22-4; West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.) 22-4; Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.) 24-6; Wing’s Academy (Bronx, N.Y.) 20-2; Wilmington (Wilmington, Ohio) 20-1.

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 16 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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By Ronnie Flores

Longtime Cardozo (Bayside, N.Y.) coach Ron Naclerio made no bones about his team's 96-60 loss to Long Island Lutheran (Glen head, N.Y.) this past Saturday at the second annual Apparel Challenge at Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.). "It was one of those days," Naclerio told www.ebooksnet.com.

Since LuHi was already a bubble club in last week's FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com, we considered keeping Naclerio's Judges in this week's FAB 50. At this point in the season, a bad loss can really hurt a team's ranking and we ultimately decided Cardozo had to drop out at 22-2. Had Cardozo lost on a fluke play or wild ending, such as was the case with its other loss to Queens Teaching on a half court buzzer beater while 'Dozo was missing two starters, it likely would have remained in. LuHi's margin of victory, however, means other teams from around the country deserve a crack in the nation's deepest set of national weekly rankings.

Long Island Lutheran is the highest ranked of five newcomers this week at No. 41, seven spots behind the Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) team it previously lost to. LuHi's other loss is to Bishop Loughlin (Brooklyn, N.Y.). The highest ranked team in New York's Five Boros ahead of Cardozo is bubble club Archbishop Malloy (Queens, N.Y.).

The highest ranked team to taste defeat last week was previous No. 10 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), which was upset in Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) play by unranked Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.), 69-65. The Eagles' resume is too strong, however, for them to drop out, as they have lost to No. 7 St. John's (Washington, D.C.) twice, including once in overtime, and have a split with No. 6 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.). The natural spot for coach Steve Turner's club to fall is to No. 36, one spot behind the Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) club it lost to in overtime.

The week's other big loss was a 76-69 victory by bubble club Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) over previous No. 11 Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) in a Metro League showdown played between Washington's top top Class 3A clubs at Rainier Beach before an overflow crowd. Seattle loves its hoops and the crowd was treated to a dandy, as Rainier Beach's Sam Cunliffe netted 25 points to hand Garfield its first in-state loss of the season against a team it could potentially meet three more times. Rainier Beach and Garfield could meet in the Metro League tournament, in SeaKing District 2 play and potentially at the Tacoma Dome in the 3A state tourney March 3-5.

Rainier Beach had a letdown after its big win, falling to Seattle Prep 70-63. Had it not lost last week, the Vikings may have cracked the FAB 50, but the more deserving team regardless is new No. 44 Simeon (Chicago, Ill.). Coach Robert Smith's club defeated Rainier Beach, 70-56, at the Hoophall West in December. Two of Simeon's three losses are two clubs ranked ahead of them in local polls: No. 37 Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.) and No. 40 Fenwick (Oak Park, Ill.). The fourth Illinois team that is playing terrific ball as of late is No. 32 Althoff Catholic (Belleville, Ill.), which recorded a convincing 80-64 win over Kenwood (Chicago, Ill.) on Saturday and could be the one team that keeps a Chicago Public League program from winning the Class 3A state title.

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(Eighth poll of the 2015-16 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, February 7; Previous ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 19 Cardozo (Bayside, N.Y.), No. 22 DeSoto (DeSoto, Texas), No. 32 Foothills Christian (El Cajon, Calif.), No. 43 Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio), No. 47 Lone Peak (Highland, Utah).

Bubble Teams: Allderdice (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 19-1; Archbishop Malloy (Queens, N.Y.) 17-3; Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) 16-2; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 18-7; Brandeis (San Antonio, Texas) 27-1; Burlington School (Burlington, N.C.) 30-0; Cardozo (Bayside, N.Y.) 22-2; Clarkston (Clarkston, Mich.) 12-1; Coatesville (Coatesville, Pa.) 21-1; Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 18-2**; DeSoto (DeSoto, Texas) 26-2; Dublin Jerome (Dublin, Ohio) 19-2; Eaglecrest (Centennial, Col.) 18-1; Father Tolton (Columbia, Mo.) 15-2; Fayetteville (Fayetteville, Ark.) 18-1; Federal Way (Federal Way, Wash.) 21-0; Foothills Christian (El Cajon, Calif.) 17-4; Fort Bend Bush (Richmond, Texas) 23-6; Fort Bend Elkins (Missouri City, Texas) 27-2; Gwynn Park (Brandywine, Md.) 16-0; H.D. Woodson (Washington, D.C.) 24-0*; Jonesboro (Jonesboro, Ga.) 21-4; Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) 19-2; Lancaster (Lancaster, Texas) 26-2; Lee's Summit (Lee's Summit, Mo.) 19-0; Lincoln (Gahanna, Ohio.) 20-1; Linden (Linden, N.J.) 13-3; Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) 16-4; Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 23-3; McComb (McComb, Miss.) 22-0; Merrillville (Merrillville, Ind.) 17-1; Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.) 23-1; National Christian Academy (Ft. Washington, Md.) 17-1; New Albany (New Albany, Ind.) 16-1; Norland (Miami, Fla.) 23-4; Norman North (Norman, Okla.) 17-2; Overland (Aurora, Colo.) 15-3; Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) 16-4; Peabody (Alexandria, La.) 26-1; Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 16-4; Rangeview (Aurora, Col.) 18-0; Sacred Heart (Waterbury, Conn.) 14-2; Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.) 21-5; Shenendehowa (Clifton Park, N.Y.) 19-0; Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 12-5; Tascosa (Amarillo, Texas) 27-0; Thornton (Harvey, Ill.) 18-1; Victory Rock Prep (Sarasota, Fla.) 19-5; Westerville South (Westerville, Ohio) 17-4; Westfield (Chantilly, Va.) 15-2; Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.) 19-4; Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.) 22-6; Wilmington (Wilmington, Ohio) 18-1.

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 16 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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