Compiled by Ronnie Flores

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

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1. (11) Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) 27-1
It was quite a remarkable season for the Lions considering they were breaking in a new coach in Bill Armstrong, a former assistant at LSU, and a new crop of players. The talent was there to begin a bit higher, but considering the coaching change and its status as a program eligible for the FAB 50 for only the second year, No. 11 seemed like the correct range. That point was highlighted when Link Academy met preseason No. 1 Montverde Academy of Florida at the Metro Classic in N.J. Link Academy had started off the season 23-0, but couldn’t overcome early 15-0 and 12-0 MVA runs in a 84-58 loss. Link’s two best victories up to that point were a 72-66 win over No. 14 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) and a 30-point shellacking of No. 32 Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas). Coach Armstrong’s team was able to make up for the awful first quarter against Montverde Academy at GIECO Nationals by capturing the tournament MVA was part of. Montverde Academy, the top seed, fell in its quarterfinal contest to the same Sunrise Christian Academy team Link Academy beat during the regular season. Despite being No. 2 in the FAB 50, the Lions were awarded the No. 4 seed and downed No. 5 seed and FAB 50 No. 18 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.), a team that spent some time at No. 1, 68-65, behind All-American Ja’Kobe Walter’s 34-point performance. Armstrong’s crew defeated Sunrise Christian Academy for the second time in the tourney semifinals, 67-61, behind 16 points and 10 assists from All-American point guard Elliot Cadeau. Tennessee-bound guard Cameron Carr also had a big game for the Lions in the win over Sunrise Christian Academy with 18 points. Link Academy was able to secure the top spot in the rankings with a dominant 73-55 title game win over No. 9 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) in a contest the Lions were in control of throughout. Walter, bound for Baylor, netted a 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. In all, the Lions defeated seven FAB 50 ranked foes during a season in which it did one game better than its first FAB 50 eligible club, as the 2021-22 Link club lost in the GEICO Nationals title game to Montverde Academy and finished No. 2. Cadeau, a junior, eventually re-classed up to attend North Carolina, but the momentum from the GEICO Nationals run should pay dividends in 2023-24.

2. (1) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 23-3 ?
It was another successful season for a program that has won more high level games than any other program in the past decade. Coach Kevin Boyle’s club started out as preseason FAB 50 No. 1 for the eighth time in the past 11 seasons and for the second consecutive season finish No. 2 after starting out on top. The Eagles lost the preseason No. 1 spot with a November 65-54 loss to No. 9 AZ Compass Prep and in December suffered a 56-55 setback to No. 27 Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) at the Iolani Classic in Hawaii. Yes, the Eagles lost in the GEICO Nationals quarterfinals to No. 14 Sunrise Christian Academy, but deserve major rankings credit for three reasons. One, they beat Sunrise Christian Academy twice during the regular season, finished 11-1 and in first place in the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) and handed No. 1 Link Academy its only loss. Boyle’s club made a big statement in that game with a 29-7 lead after one period. Link Academy tried in vain to get back in it, but could get no closer than 12 points in the second quarter of its lone 84-58 setback. The scoring in that game displayed MVA’s balance and versatility, as junior forward Derik Queen had 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 added 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while junior forward Asa Newell added 10 points and nine rebounds. On top on that, the team’s most highly-honored and talented player was sophomore forward Cooper Flagg (9.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.0 apg 2.2 bpg). This balanced team had four players average between 9-14 points, with McNeeley the leading scorer, and could field its best team in 2023-24 since the dominant 2019-20 that is considered one of the sport’s best of all-time.

?3. (8) Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) 28-1?
It was another remarkable season for a program that finished as the University Interscholastic League’s (UIL) best for the fifth consecutive season. Based on its on-court results, Duncanville captured the FAB 50 title in 2021-22, but the UIL later stripped the Panthers of their Class 6A state title after ruling forfeits of all games in which an ineligible player (recent NBA draftee Anthony Black) participated in. Last November after the preseason rankings dropped, Duncanville opted out of participating in the 2022-23 UIL playoffs, but did go on to defeat eventual Class 6A champ and No. 8 Lake Highlands (Dallas, Texas), 53-52, in November. The only loss for a Panthers club that played tough out-of-state competition was a 62-50 setback to No. 30 West Linn (West Linn, Ore.) in the championship of the Les Schwab Invitational in what was essentially a road game. That loss likely cost the Panthers back-to-back FAB 50 crowns, even if this club was a shade below the 2021-22 juggernaut. Without the luxury of the state playoffs, Duncanville recorded quality wins over 6. Columbus (Miami, Fla.), No. 21 Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) and No. 23 Centennial (Corona, Calif.). McDonald’s All-American Ronald Holland, a forward who will play for the G League Ignite next season, took over down the stretch vs. Centennial and finished with 24 points. The next night he had 25 points and eight rebounds vs. Columbus and Cameron Boozer. A two-time District 11-6A Player of the Year, Holland was a key cog in Duncanville’s rise to national prominence and the team went 123-6 in his four years on the varsity.

4. (BB) Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) 33-0?
The Giants were the first team from the Midwest Region outside the preseason FAB 50 behind No. 47 Pewaukee (Wis.) and obviously should have been given more credence among those teams. Cathedral started out as the FAB 50’s highest ranked Midwest Region and Indiana High School State Athletic Association (IHSAA) team at No. 13, but the Giants downed that club in December, 62-50, while Cathedral went on to defeat preseason Midwest No. 2 and FAB 50 No. 16 Pickerington Central of Ohio, 65-61, in January. As for Ben Davis, it rolled along and made it all the way to the Class 4A state title game unbeaten. Basketball is still king in the Hoosier State and over 15,000 people showed up at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to watch the Giants take on bubble club Kokomo, which downed then No. 22 Penn (Wishawaka, Ind.), 58-57, in the state semifinals. Behind 20 points from Ball State signee Zane Doughty and 16 points from sophomore Mark Zackery, the Giants rolled to a 53-41 victory and its fourth IHSAA state crown. The last time an unbeaten Indiana team finished as the state’s No. 1 ranked team was in 2019-20 when Bloomington South finished 26-0, but didn’t get to win an on-court state crown because of COVID-19. Ben Davis’ last won a state crown in 2016-17 when it finished No. 45 in the FAB 50. This Ben Davis team was much more dominant, winning 29 games by double-digits with a averaging winning margin of 18.3 points. Doughty was first team all-state, averaging 13.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 2.8 bpg while shooting 61.1 percent from the field.

5. (22) John Marshall (Richmond, Va.) 28-0
If there was ever a state association that needs an open division or Tournament of Champions, it's the Virginia High School League (VSHL). The Justices were expected to be good, but were even more dominant that expected, capturing their second consecutive Class 2A state crown and their fifth since 2014 under coach Ty White. The state title game was a coronation (the entire Class 2A playoffs were actually), as the Justices rolled past Radford, 91-34. The team’s average margin of victory in the post-season was a whopping 65.5 ppg in six contests. From a rankings standpoint, the VHSL competition did not help John Marshall, as it won its 20 games vs. in-state competition by an average of 46.5 ppg. The Justices, however, recorded key victories over No. 6 Columbus (50-47) and No. 20 Wheeler (68-55) at the Chick-fil-A Classic in South Carolina. North Carolina-bound Dennis Parker Jr. (20.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2,4 spg) and Vanderbilt-bound Jason Rivera (15.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.3 apg, 3.5 spg) led the way, while junior Damon Thompson Jr. (14.6 ppg, 3.4 apg) and freshman Latrell Allmond (13.4 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 3.5 bpg) stepped up all season long. This team began the season ranked two spots higher than the 2020-21 John Marshall club that Parker was supposed to play a big role on and perhaps could have been the best in program history, but wasn’t able play after Richmond Public Schools cancelled the entire season because of the pandemic.

6. (18) Columbus (Miami, Fla.) 26-4?
Last season, Columbus put itself on the FAB 50 map by capturing the FHSAA Class 7A state title to finish No. 45 in the FAB 50 with a 29-2 record. The 2022-23 team returned en masse, but the expectations were much higher and the schedule tougher. The Explorers did lose two more games than in 2021-22, but two of those were to teams ranked higher (No. 3 Duncanville and No. 5 John Marshall). Columbus also lost to No. 13 Imhotep Charter, but defeated No. 12 Camden (N.J.), No. 18 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) and No. 20 Wheeler. The Explorers’ 66-64 loss to unranked Palmetto (Fla.) in overtime of the Class 7A, District 16 title game didn’t end up costing them much from a rankings perspective because it defeated that club twice by a combined 67 points, was still the No. 1 seed in the FHSAA playoffs and ended up capturing their second consecutive state crown. Of course, sophomore forward Cameron Boozer and his twin brother Cayden grab most of the headlines, but this was a well-rounded team with many contributors as evidenced in the state title run. The Explorers defeated Winter Haven, 50-48, and sealed the state title when junior forward Malik Abdullahi came up with a steal that led to the game-winning lay-up by senior Garyn Bess with six seconds remaining. Cayden Boozer (15.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.3 apg) had 21 points in the win and his improvement was one of the top storylines for a team that could challenge for preseason No. 1 next season. Cameron’s historic tenth-grade season saw him average 21.1 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 4.2 apg and 2.0 bpg, while shooting 62.1 percent from the field, 41.6 percent from the 3-point line and 89.1 percent from the charity stripe.

7. (NR) Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.) 32-0 ?
We had the Vikings as the No. 2 team in our Southeast Region pecking order among North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) programs behind Myers Park of Charlotte. The Southeast Region, however, is that strong where the Vikings just missed the Top 20. Myers Park went on to capture the NCHSAA Class 4A title, but Central Cabarrus ended up as the state’s best team and the highest-ranked one nationwide which didn’t crack our preseason rankings. We knew the Vikings would be good, but they ended up unbeaten, closing out their season with a 65-51 Class 3A state title game victory over Northwood of Pittsboro to capture their second state title since 2020. The program will enter 2023-24 having won 62 of its last 63 games. Senior guard Adriel Miller (5.4 ppg) got the Vikings off on the right foot, scoring 11 of his 16 points in the opening period. Junior forward Desmond Kent Jr. (12.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.3 bpg) also netted 16 points vs. Northwood, whom the Vikings’ defense forced 19 turnovers against. Central Cabarrus easily downed West Charlotte, 78-51, in the 3A West Regional final to extract a measure of revenge after last year’s playoffs loss to the same club. The ringleader of a team with five double-digit scorers was six-foot, Charleston Southern-bound Jaiden Thompson, who averaged 19.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.0 apg and 4.3 spg.

?8. (34) Lake Highlands (Dallas, Texas) 34-3
The Wildcats were considered the biggest threat to Duncanville’s UIL Class 6A supremacy and when the four-time defending champs opted out of the 2022-23 playoffs, Lake Highlands did what was expected of it. Coach Joe Duffield’s club went on to capture the UIL Class 6A title while finishing as the No. 2 ranked UIL club behind Duncanville after losing to the Panthers, 53-52, in its third game of the season. Lake Highlands fell to No. 18 Paul VI (64-58) at the City of Palms Tournament in Florida and to No. 23 Centennial (70-64) at the John Wall Invitational in North Carolina, but were able to finish ranked above those clubs by defeating then No. 13 Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas), 55-44, at the Alamodome in San Antonio to capture the program’s first state crown since 1968. Beaumont United cut its deficit to 44-42 with five minutes remaining in the game, but the Timberwolves did not score a field goal in the final 4:54 of the game. All-American Tre Johnson (21.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.7 spg, 52-42-91 split), the Dallas Morning News Player of the Year and TABC Mr. Basketball as a junior, led the way with 29 points and eight rebounds for the victors. Samson Aletan, a 6-foot-10 Yale bound center, was key to Lake Highland’s defensive prowess throughout the season and finished the title game with 10 points, 10 rebounds and a Class 6A state title game record seven blocked shots. A third key cog was junior guard Jaylen Washington.

9. (4) AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) 23-7
In its first season as a FAB 50 eligible team team, the Dragons were considered a legit FAB 50 title contender. They came up a bit short of that, but did spend some time at No. 1 after defeating preseason No. 1 Montverde Academy, 65-54, in its first National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) game. Coach Ed Gipson’s club also defeated No. 14 Sunrise Christian Academy, 53-47, the next evening, but had some ups and downs in conference play. AZ Compass Prep finished tied for fourth place with No. 10 Long Island Lutheran in the NIBC standings, but finish ranked ahead of LuHi after avenging the regular season loss with a 73-71 victory in the GEICO Nationals quarterfinals. The Dragons then mauled No. 19 IMG Academy, 68-50, in the semifinals before losing in the championship game to No. 1 Link Academy, 73-55. Incredibly, no Dragon made an official all-NIBC club but Oregon-bound Mookie Cook did receive All-American acclaim and New Mexico-bound Tru Washington was arguably the nation’s best sixth man.

10. (25) Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 23-3
The Crusaders finished in second place in the NIBC standings at 10-2, one game behind conference champ Montverde Academy, but must remain behind No. 9 AZ Compass Prep after losing to that club in the quarterfinals of GEICO Nationals by two points, 73-71. They did beat AZ Compass Prep during conference play, but also lost to the IMG Academy team the Dragons beat by 18 points (68-50) with the third loss coming to No. 2 MVA (56-51). LuHi did defeat PIAA Class 6A state champ and No. 13 Imhotep Charter (65-55) and No. 14 Sunrise Christian Academy (58-53). For the first time since 2019, the New York State Federation Tournament of Champions took place and LuHi won the Class AA title by downing then No. 49 Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.), 81-57. Junior V.J Edgecomb led the NIBC in scoring (15.5 ppg) and earned first team all-NIBC honors, while senior guard Jayden Reid, who scored 43 points in two TOC games, earned second team laurels, with UConn-bound forward Jayden Ross earning third team honors.

11. (15) Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) 33-2
The Wolverines started off as the No. 2 team from California and No. 3 in the West Region right behind No. 23 Centennial, the best team from the Golden State in both 2021 and 2022. Harvard-Westlake ended up ranked in the range expected of them in the preseason, but more importantly for their supporters, won their final game of the season to win the program’s first CIF Open Division state title after previously winning three in lower CIF divisions. The Wolverines’ state title game win in the North vs. South format came over St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.), 76-65, but the two big wins from a rankings perspective came in the prior two games. Coach Dave Rebibo’s club downed season-long California No. 1 Centennial, 80-61, in the SoCal open final after avenging its CIF Southern Section pool play loss to No. 31 St. John Bosco. Centennial, if you recall, won its third consecutive CIFSS open crown on a wild steal and dunk at the buzzer at the Honda Center, while Harvard-Westlake failed to make it out of pool play. The only other loss for the Wolverines was to regionally-ranked Liberty of Las Vegas in the championship game of The Classic at Damien. Led by Mission League MVP Trent Perry, a junior, and St. John’s-bound forward Brady Dunlap, this team was one of the most balanced and well-rounded on both ends of the floor that we've been in CIF play over the past 40 years and is the program’s second highest-rated team ever. In 1996-97, the Collins twins (future NBA players Jason and Jarron) led Harvard-Westlake to the CIF D3 state title (the open division was still 15 years away) and No. 5 final ranking in the National Prep Poll (FAB 50 precursor). That team lost one game to a Tracy McGrady-led Mt. Zion club from North Carolina by four points in the Las Vegas Holiday Invitational Tournament title game.

12. (7) Camden (Camden, N.J.) 23-2**
Despite fielding a veteran team that only lost to two ranked clubs and finished in the range expected of it in the preseason, this season has to be considered a disappointment for the Panthers. On the court, Camden only lost to No. 6 Columbus in a game played in Florida and to No. 23 Centennial at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Massachusetts. Camden did defeat No. 13 Imhotep Charter in a local showdown, but it’s what didn’t occur that hurt The High the most. The favorite to win the 2023 South Jersey Group 2 and state title wasn’t allowed to defend its state title after a melee in the first-ever Camden County Tournament final versus Eastside (Camden, N.J.). With four minutes, 23 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Camden’s Cornelius Robinson, a Bryant recruit, hit Eastside’s Titus Bacon as he was trying to set a screen near the right elbow. Bacon retaliated, which led multiple Panther players, including McDonald’s All-American D.J. Wagner, to chase after Bacon and other Tigers players. Almost immediately, the melee brought players from the benches, coaches and fans onto the court. Camden was leading, 30-17, when game officials canceled the remainder of the game. Per NJSIAA bylaws, any varsity team accumulating three or more player or coach disqualifications prior to the start of the NJSIAA state tournament will not be permitted to participate in it. Before the NJSIAA could rule on the incident, the Camden City School District decided to pulled both clubs from the state tournament. It was a bittersweet ending for a great Camden era, especially since a regular season game with eventual NJSIAA Non-Public B state champ and No. 21 Roselle Catholic wasn’t scheduled. Wagner (22.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.0 apg) scored 32 points vs. Columbus and 27 points vs. Centennial and was a Gatorade State POY three times and led The High to a 94-5 record in his four seasons. Center Aaron Bradshaw (12.0 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 2.4 bpg), who will join him at Kentucky, also earned All-American acclaim.

??13. (10) Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 30-3 ?
The Panthers had another terrific campaign and were just as good as advertised in the preseason. Veteran coach Andre Noble (472-99) runs a program that has now won six of the past seven Philadelphia Public League titles (and 11 overall) after downing West Philadelphia, 72-42, in the 2023 City tile game. Along the way to its second consecutive Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class 5A state crown, the Panthers downed Archbishop Ryan of Philadelphia (a club that beat then No. 41 Radnor in the quarterfinals) in the semifinals, 72-50, and Exetor Township of Reading in the title game, 78-40. Kentucky-bound All-American forward Justin Edwards (17.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg) had 16 points and Florida Gulf coast-bound senior guard Rahmir Barno chipped in 15 points in the title game victory. The losses came against No. 10 Long Island Lutheran, No. 12 Camden and to unranked Simeon of Chicago. Edwards and company were able to offset the Simeon loss by capturing the title at the prestigious City of Palms Tournament in Florida, where it defeated No. 6 Columbus and No. 20 Wheeler.

14. (2) Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 22-8
The Buffaloes had national title aspirations, but suffered a few too many overall losses to be in contention. After GEICO Nationals, the Buffaloes got a slight bump up in the final rankings after losing by only six points (72-66) during the regular season to eventual GEICO Nationals champ Link Academy and for beating No. 2 Montverde Academy once in three games. The Buffaloes split with No. 19 IMG Academy, but are ranked higher after that club was routed by GEICO Nationals runner-up AZ Compass Prep in the semifinals. Coach Luke Barnwell’s club lost to the Dragons, 53-47. Outside of NIBC play, the best win for the Buffaloes was a 73-62 victory over No. 21 Roselle Catholic in the Bahamas. A nice core of seniors led the charge for Sunrise Christian, including All-American Matas Buzelis (15.6 ppg, 54-42-78 split), Arkansas-bound guard Layden Blocker (11.7 ppg, 1.7 spg) and Ohio St.-bound wing Scotty Middleton (10.9 ppg). Sunrise Christian is now 2-4 all-time at GEICO Nationals.

15. (37) Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) 36-2
The Timberwolves, similar to No. 8 Lake Highlands, did as expected from a preseason statewide perspective, but were even better from a national scope. After capturing back-to-back UIL Class 5A state crowns in 2021 and 2022, Beaumont United was moved up to Class 6A to challenge Duncanville and Lake Highlands for statewide supremacy. The Timberwolves were one game away from a 3-peat, falling to Lake Highlands, 55-44, in the UIL Class 6A title game. Beaumont United was down by two points with five minutes to go, but had a cold spell offensively at the most unfortunate of times, failing to convert another field goal the rest of the way. All-American and Washington-bound Wesley Yates III led the way in a losing effort with 21 points for a team that recorded wins over No. 16 Sidwell Friends (49-20), No. 42 Jonesboro (41-38) and No. 45 Corner Canyon (72-57) with its first loss vs. Washington of Houston coming in the second game of the season. Yates (20.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, 2.4 spg) had to be accounted for at all times, while senior Trealyn Porchia (14.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.1 apg, 2.4 spg) and junior Kayde Dotson (11.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.4 apg) also played key roles.

16. (21) Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) 29-4 ?
This is a perfect spot for the Quakers since it lost to No. 15 Beaumont United at the King Cotton Tournament in Pine Bluff, Ark., after Christmas. The 49-20 final score is quite deceiving, as junior forward Caleb Williams was out with injury and the team was feeling the affects of a flu bug. Coach Eric Singletary’s club eventually got Williams back and jelled down the stretch. The results of getting healthy include a win over No. 18 Paul VI (75-68), capturing a second straight DCSAA Class AA title and winning the second annual State Champions Invitational (SCI) to overcome losses to unranked Newton of Georgia and St. Andrews’ Episcopal of Maryland, the latter whom the Quakers split with. Sidwell Friends defeated cross-town Jackson-Reed, 62-47, in the DCSAA title game behind a 20-point, 7-rebound, 6-assist, 4-steal performance from Lehigh-bound Cam Gillus. In the SCI, the second-seeded Quakers downed No. 45 Corner Canyon, 60-53, in the semifinals and No. 20 Wheeler, 57-53, in the title game. Gillus had 19 points and seven steals vs. Corner Canyon while Williams, named CSI MVP, had 13 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals and came back with a 24-point performance vs. Wheeler.

17. (33) St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) 32-4
It makes sense for the Cadets to finish in this spot, as they downed then No. 7 Paul VI, 65-63, in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) championship game. St. John’s, which lost to Jackson-Reed (a team No. 16 Sidwell Friends defeated) in the DCSAA Class AA semifinals, 66-63, captured its first WCAC title since 2016 when it finished No. 19 in the FAB 50. Similar to that club, this Cadets club also started No. 2 in our WCAC pecking order, but was able to upend Paul VI when junior point guard Daquan Davis scored the game-winning basket on a driving lay-up with time winding down when the Cadets chose not to take a timeout. St. John’s did finish second in the WCAC standings behind Paul VI while splitting with both them and DeMatha Catholic of Maryland. Davis scored a team high 21 points, while Donnie Freeman, another junior, had 16 points. Harvard-bound Malik Mack added 15 points, eight assists and three rebounds for a club that won the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic in San Diego, Calif. It was also an extremely motivated group with regards to capturing the WCAC crown after head coach Pat Behan was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease in early summer of 2022 at age 34.

18. (3) Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) 31-4
The Panthers were serious FAB 50 national title contenders and their positioning here and loss amount shouldn’t detract from that fact they were easily one of the nation’s best teams. After a two point loss (57-55) to No. 6 Columbus, the Panthers were able to rebound and rose to No. 1 in the FAB 50 until falling to No. 16 Sidwell Friends by seven points, 75-68, their largest loss margin of the season. Paul VI went into that game with little on the line, in terms of conference standings, and was playing without 6-foot-7 senior wing Isaiah Abraham. At halftime, Sidwell-Friends led 32-30, but Paul VI was outscored by eight points in the third period and to make matters worse, standout freshman guard Jordan Smith broke his wrist. Still. The Panthers had a chance to become the first team to go through their WCAC slate unbeaten since the 2012 Paul VI team that finished No. 12 in the FAB 50, but came up just short when DeShawn Harris-Smith’s long 3-point attempt rimmed out at the buzzer in the 65-63 WCAC title game loss to No. 17 St. John’s. Paul VI split with St. John’s and also had a bit of bad luck with their seed at GEICO Nationals. The Panthers drew the No. 5 seed against No. 4 seed Link Academy, who entered the event No. 2 in the FAB 50. Predictably, the Panthers gave the eventual champions their toughest game of the tournament, falling 68-65. Harris-Smith had a game-high 24 points in the WCAC title game and a team-high 18 vs. Link Academy. The WCAC MVP bound for Maryland averaged 17.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 6.3 apg and 2.6 spg.

19. (6) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 17-8
The Ascenders are another NIBC club that was quite formidable throughout the season, but took a high loss count because of the competitive nature of the conference. Coach Sean McAloon’s club finished tied for third place in conference play at 8-4 with No. 9 AZ Compass Prep. The Dragons lost twice to IMG, but finished ranked higher by beating the Ascenders, 68-50, in the semifinals of GEICO Nationals. IMG did defeat No. 10 Long Island Lutheran and split with No. 14 Sunrise Christian Academy, but in the final analysis drop a few notches because of losses to unranked clubs Wasatch Academy of Utah, Huntington Prep of West Virginia and DME Academy of Florida. The team’s biggest victory was its 66-63 win over Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) to open GEICO Nationals, as first team all-NIBC performer Blue Cain (Georgia) scored 21 points. Cain’s backcourt mate Jacob Hutchinson, headed to George Wahington, was also a steady performer for a club that lost talented junior Bryson Tucker mid-way through the season.

20. (12) Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 27-7
The Wildcats showed why they were so highly-regarded in the preseason (the highest-ranked non-NIBC team in the Southeast Region) with their showing at the State Champions Invitational. After capturing the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAAAAAA title with a 78-58 win over Cherokee of Canton, Wheeler advanced to the SCI championship game without the services of USC-bound point guard Isaiah Collier. He had 22 points and seven assists in the state title game, but more than that was the nation’s best guard and arguably the best senior. Wheeler’s two-deep team showed what it could do without him, as the Wildcats downed No. 21 Roselle Catholic, 78-68, in the SCI semifinals with center Arrington Page, who will join Collier at USC, scoring 24 points, grabbing seven rebounds and blocking three shots. Iowa St.-bound Jelani Hamilton contributed 22 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. Wheeler led the title game vs. No. 16 Sidwell friends, 47-40, entering the fourth period, but just couldn’t sustain its lead and lost control of the contest in the final minute and a half before falling, 57-53. Regardless, the Wildcats moved up 11 spots in the rankings after the completion of the SCI. With Collier (19.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg. 6.8 apg, 2.3 spg) in the lineup, Wheeler did lose to unranked Sierra Canyon of California and Bishop Gorman of Nevada, with its other losses all to higher ranked clubs: No. 5 John Marshall, No. 6 John Marshall, No. 13 Imhotep Charter and No. 18 Paul VI.

21. (5) Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 23-6
The Lions weren’t quite as good as forecasted in the preseason, but they only ended up losing once game to an unranked team in Gonzaga of Washington, D.C. (76-66). Gonzaga is no slouch and from a national perspective Roselle Catholic has been consistently relevant, earning a preseason ranking each season since 2013-14 and finishing outside the FAB 50 in a full season only once in that time period. Roselle Catholic captured the final NJSIAA Tournament of Champions title in 2021-22 and that core of players went on to capture this season’s NJSIAA Non-Public B state title with a 68-59 victory over St. Rose of Belmar. Akil Watson led the way vs. St. Rose with 23 points, while Duke-recruit Mackenzie Mgbako added 13 points and nine rebounds. Roselle Catholic defeated No. 41 Curtis (University Place, Wash.), 84-82, in a play-in game at the CSI, before falling in the semifinals to No. 20 Wheeler, 78-68. Two-time first team all-stater and All-American Simeon Wilcher had 29 points, five assists and three blocks in a highly-anticipated matchup with Curtis’ Zoom Diallo, but the offense sputtered in the loss to Wheeler. Wilcher averaged 15.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 5.7 apg for a team that did not lost in-state and went 17-0 in the NJSIAA state tournament during his stellar career.

22. (BB) Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) 30-1
After all the games were complete in April, Perry fell two spots to make room for two teams that finished strong, particularly No. 16 Sidwell Friends and No. 21 Wheeler at the SCI. Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) state champs have competed in sanctioned end-of-the season national events, but Perry did not participate at the SCI even though AIA state champs are eligible. One season after capturing the program’s first Class 6A state crown, Perry won the first ever AIA open division state crown with a 74-58 win over Sunnyslope of Phoenix. We certainly knew about the Pumas in the preseason, but started them below Owyhee of Idaho and Liberty and Durango of Nevada partially because of their lack of a national schedule. Had Perry not dropped one game to Pinnacle of Pheonix, it certainly would have cracked the Top 15. Colorado bound Cody Williams (18.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 4.0 apg) was a McDonald’s All-American, but the team’s best player was sophomore Koa Peat. He finished with 35 points in the state title game and averaged 19.7 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.7 bpg and 1.3 spg as one of the best overall players in high school basketball.

23. (9) Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 30-4 ?
The Huskies were at No. 7 in the FAB 50 entering the CIF SoCal open final, where it fell to No. 11 Harvard-Westlake, 80-61, at home. The loss ended Centennial’s two-year reign as California's best team. Had it 3-peated in one of the nation’s toughest playoff brackets, the Huskies’ losses to No. 20 Wheeler and unranked Don Bosco Prep of New Jersey (lost to No. 21 Roselle Catholic) would have been overcome. Centennial’s other loss was to No. 3 Duncanville, 59-57, in Texas. The Huskies were able to capture their third consecutive CIF Southern Section open title in incredible fashion when LMU-bound senior forward Aaron McBride (13.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.3 bpg) jumped a passing lane and went straight downhill for a game-winning dunk at the buzzer in the big venue setting of the Honda Center. Coach Josh Giles called McBride the most irreplaceable player in program history. A terrific senior class also included California Mr. Basketball Jared McCain, a Duke recruit who averaged 18.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg, and 4.0 apg while shooting 36 percent from 3-point range and 83 percent from the line.

24. (BB) Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) 29-0
The Thunderbirds opened up at No. 10 in the Southwest Region preseason rankings, behind two Texas teams and Staley (Kansas City, Mo.). We knew they were going to be good, but Bellevue West exceeded expectations and capped a dominant season with a 64-41 win over playoff rival Millard North of Omaha in the Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) Class A state title game. Bellevue West won 28 of 29 games by double-digits with a average winning margin of 26 ppg. Bellevue West and Millard North met in the title game for the fourth consecutive season, as Millard North won last season and finished No. 20 in the Southwest Region rankings. As a comparison, Millard North’s 2020-21 team had one of the most talent-laden rosters in NSAA history and won the state title game in overtime, 84-78, to finish No. 15 in the FAB 50. Josiah Dotzler netted 16 points in this year’s state final and was named Gatorade State Player of the Year after averaging 16.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 5.0 apg, and 2.1 spg, while junior Jaden Jackson averaged 14.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.3 apg and 1.8 spg. The Thunderbirds became the first unbeaten Class A state champ since Omaha Central in 2011-12, a team that finished No. 31 in the FAB 50.

25. (NR) De Pere (De Pere, Wis.) 29-0
Defending Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) D2 champ Pewaukee opened up as the state’s highest FAB 50 ranked team at No. 47, but it was the Redbirds that went to be the state’s best unit by capturing the D1 state crown with a 69-49 win over Arrowhead of Hartland. De Pere defeated Pewaukee along the way, 70-63, and set a WIAA record for most win in an unbeaten season while winning its first state crown since 1934. Senior guard John Kinzinger led the way in the state final with 24 points, while his young brother, sophomore Zach Kinzinger, added 19 points. Junior big man Will Hornseth added 17 points and 11 rebounds. The elder Kinzinger is headed for Illinois St. after earning all-state laurels for the third consecutive season and sharing Mr. Basketball honors with Pewaukee’s Milan Momcilovic.

26. (NR) Cass Tech (Detroit, Mich.) 28-1 ?
The Technicians burst onto the scene and capped their historic season by capturing the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) D1 crown with a 78-63 victory over Muskegon (Mich.). Cass Tech used its “36 Minutes of Hell” full court pressure defense to take control in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Darius Acuff and senior Travon Cooper each netted 19 points for the Technicians, who lost one game in overtime, 66-65, to highly-regarded Brother Rice of Bloomfield Hills in the Operation Friendship game to close the regular season between the top team from Detroit’s Catholic and Public School Leagues. The big win was the state semifinal contest where Cass Tech outlasted Grand Blanc in overtime, 62-56, after Acuff banked in a game-tying 35-footer with two and a half seconds remaining in regulation. A 8-2 run keyed overtime for a team that made its first title game appearance since 1974. Acuff, the Public League’s Mr. Basketball as a sophomore, had 19 points and the Technicians also got a big performance off the bench from freshman Corey Salter Jr., who had 13 points and two key steals down the stretch in regulation.

27. (28) Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 38-4 ?
The Gaels fell one spot in the final rankings, but finish right in the range predicted of them in the preseason. We pegged coach Pat Clatchey’s club as the team to beat in the Baltimore Catholic League (BCL) in the preseason over St. Frances Academy and Mt. St. Joseph went on to capture their second consecutive BCL title with a 59-50 victory over St. Maria Goretti (Hagerstown, Md.) at Goucher College in Baltimore. The Gaels defeated Goretti two out of three times during the season and also beat St. Frances twice in three tries. The other losses came against Philadelphia Catholic League runner-up Neumann-Goretti (which spent time FAB 50 ranked) and to No. 18 Paul VI with the big regular season win coming against No. 2 Montverde Academy at the Iolani Classic. All-American Amani Hansberry had 17 points and 21 rebounds in the BCL title game, while power forward Tyrone Farrell (17 points) and veteran guard Ace Valentine (17 points, 6 rebounds) also played well. With that win, the Gaels tied the BCL record for most victories in a single-season.

28. (NR) Richmond Heights (Richmond Heights, Ohio) 29-0
The Spartans were not on our preseason radar, but were able to jump into the FAB 50 when they defeated then No. 40 St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio), 83-80, to cap off an unbeaten regular season. Richmond Heights took over as the state’s top ranked overall team and remained there after capturing the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) D4 state crown. The Spartans led Convoy Crestview 31-22 at halftime, but completely blew open the game with a massive third quarter run, as the program won its second consecutive state title. Sophomore Dorian Jones went bonkers from 3-point range and nearly outscored Convoy Crestview by himself, making 7-of-10 3-pointers and finishing with 25 points in the 70-26 victory. The 6-foot-5 Jones (20.1 ppg) was named D4 State Player of the Year while another sophomore, 5-foot-11 De’Erick Barber (8.9 ppg) also earned all-state laurels. Sophomore Demarris Winters Jr. and junior Jeremy Wilson will also return next year as double-digit scorers.

29. (NR) Tualatin (Tualatin, Ore.) 24-5
At first glance it might appear the Timberwolves are ranked too high, but taking a deeper look they deserve plenty of rankings credit for the timing of their wins. Tualatin defeated No. 30 West Linn in the title game of the Oregon Schools Activities Association (OSAA) Class 6A state tournament to avenge three earlier losses to that club. Keep in mind, West Linn was ranked No. 20 at that time and had a win over No. 3 Duncanville. West Linn would have been ranked much higher, too, if not for a loss to De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), a team that lost to No. 31 St. John Bosco. Tualatin pulled off the 60-47 championship upset win behind a terrific defensive performance and 20 points from senior point guard Josiah Lake. Tualatin held West Linn to one field goal in the first quarter and out-rebounded the top seed, 37-23. It’s not as it was a total fluke either, as Tualatin could have beat the Lions in regulation in the quarterfinals of the Les Schwab Invitational, but missed some free throws and lost in overtime. Tualatin's core played together since middle school and won two consecutive Class 6A state crowns.

?30. (NR) West Linn (West Linn, Ore.) 28-2
The Lions were expected to be a quality team, but no OSAA club was placed in the preseason West Region rankings. Even if West Linn and/or Tualatin were, there was no way we’d have forecasted the type of season West Linn had under first-year coach Robert Key. West Linn defeated preseason West No. 5 Modesto Christian (Calif.), FAB 50 No. 31 St. John Bosco and West preseason No. 6 Sierra Canyon (Calif.). The win over Sierra Canyon came in the semifinals of the Les Schwab Invitational, and the next night the Lions became the first OSAA team to capture the prestigious tourney title since 2012 when it handed No. 3 Duncanville its only loss of the season, 62-50. Three-time Three Rivers League Player of the Year and two-time Gatorade State POY Jackson Shelstad played a big role in the LSI crown netting 30 points vs. Duncanville and averaging 33 ppg in four tourney games. With the Oregon-bound Shelstad (28.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.6 apg, 2.0 spg) leading the way, the Lions defeated Tualatin three of four times, but in the state title game Tualatin out-rebounded West Linn and beat them to 50-50 balls. Some of the luster was taken off those LSI results when West Linn fell to host De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) in a MLK showcase game when it was No. 12 in the FAB 50. West Linn, however, never was ranked higher than Duncanville.

31. (NR) St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 26-7
Coach Matt Dunn’s program had a terrific season and could be even better in 2023-24 after exceeding 2022-23 preseason expectations. Bosco was able to crack the FAB 50 after advancing to the CIF Southern Section open division title game vs. No. 23 Centennial despite losing a pool play game to then No. 35 West Ranch (Valencia. Calif.). Bosco defeated eventual CIF open champ Harvard-Westlake in its second pool play game and advanced after Harvard-Westlake defeated West Ranch in the final pool play game. It took a memorable play for Centennial to down Bosco in the section final, 58-56. Harvard-Westlake then got its avenging win over Bosco in the SoCal open semifinal, 69-64. From a national perspective, Bosco only had one bad loss (a Trinity League split with JSerra) and was able to end the 34-year run of league titles by SoCal kingpin Mater Dei of Santa Ana. Sophomore Elzie Harrington was named Trinity League Player of the Year, junior and Loyola-Chicago-bound guard Jack Turner was often the leading scorer in big games and freshman Brandon McCoy Jr. is a star in the making.

32. (BB) Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas) 31-3**
For the second consecutive season, the Eagles were on the FAB 50 bubble but played their way into this range of the rankings. For the second consecutive season, they ventured to the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, where they fell to host Bishop Gorman by two points (82-80) and lost a heart-breaking third place game at the buzzer to Mater Dei (63-61), the club No. 31 St. John Bosco bested for the Trinity League crown. Faith Family didn’t keep up with No. 1 Link Academy, falling 70-40, but as expected won their second consecutive University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 4A state crown. Faith Family downed Houston Washington (a team that defeated No. 15 Beaumont United) in the title game, 70-56, as all-state and New Mexico-bound forward J.T. Toppin shined. He scored 14 of Faith Family’s 15 first quarter points and finished with 20, as the Eagles pulled away in the second half. Junior center Doryan Onwuchekwa also had a big game with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Faith Family’s final ranking is easy to place, as it defeated Dallas Carter (a team No. 33 Kimball lost to in overtime) in the state quarterfinals, 71-61 and owns a win over No. 34 Edmond North.

33. (BB) Kimball (Kimball, Texas) 33-2 ?
The last team in the preseason Southwest Regional rankings, the Knights got the last laugh after losing their season opener in overtime to Dallas Carter, which opened at No. 8 in the region, one spot behind Oak Cliff Faith Family. The only other team coach Nicholas Smith’s club lost to was FAB 50 No. 20 Wheeler. Kimball rolled to the UIL Class 5A state crown with a 69-48 victory over Ellison of Killeen. Kimball’s defense held Ellison to 33 percent shooting from the field and the Knights had four players in double figures, led by the 17 points of senior guard Tyler Hankamer (10.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.7 spg). Senior guard T’Johnn Brown (17.8 ppg, 5.2 apg, 3.5 spg) and senior forward DaCannon Wickware (11.4 ppg, 8.2 rpg) also were named to the Class 5A all-tournament team. Kimball won its seventh overall state title and first since 2014 when it finished No. 20 in the Southwest Regional rankings.

34. (BB) Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 26-2
The Huskies started out No. 11 in the preseason Southwest Regional rankings right behind Bellevue West of Nebraska. That club went on to win a state title and was the best team in its state and so was Edmond North. The Huskies earned that designation by downing Broken Arrow, 58-49, in the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) Class 6A title game. They lost a holiday tournament game to Crossings Christian of Oklahoma City and to No. 32 Oak Cliff Faith Family in their second game by one point, 52-51. Coach Scott Norris felt his team did a good job of handling expectations as they were expected to repeat as state champions with the core of the team still underclassmen. In the state title game junior guard T.O. Barrett led the way with 17 points and three steals, while Dylan Warlick turned in a triple-double performance with 16 points and 17 rebounds. Junior Tatum Ridge added nine points off the bench, while junior guard Dontrell Yearby did an excellent defensive job of Oklahoma St.-bound Connor Dow of Brown Arrow. Warlick was one of two juniors named to the long-running and prestigious Oklahoman Super 5 and could be an All-American in 2023-24.

35. (NR) Warren Central (Bowling Green, Ky.) 36-1
The only Bluegrass team in the preseason FAB 50 was No. 43 George Rogers Clark (Winchester, Ky.), which defeated the Dragons by one point (43-42) in last year’s Kentucky High School Athletics Association (KHSAA) Sweet 16 championship game. The Dragons had plenty of motivation all season long, especially when a missed throw likely sealed their fate in that game. As fate would have it, Warren Central got another shot at the defending champions in this year’s UK HealthCare Sweet 16 title game and wouldn’t be denied, recording a 64-60 win. Kade Unseld, the son of Warren Central coach Will Unseld, hit two clutch free throws with 8.1 seconds remaining to seal the win and give the Dragons their first Sweet 16 title since 2004, when they finished No. 35 in the FAB 50. Unseld, a 6-foot-5 junior who averaged 16.1 ppg and 17.4, joined Sweet 16 MVP and Fourth Region Player of the Year Chappelle Whitney, a 6-foot-4 senior, on the all-state team. Whitney (16.7 ppg, 7.9 rpg) is headed to Auburn-Montgomery.

36. (NR) Christ School (Arden, N.C.) 31-4
The Greenies captured the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) Class 4A state crown with a 53-48 victory over Carmel Christian (Matthews, N.C.). Carmel Christian had opened the season as the top-rated NCISAA club and were the defending champions, but the Greenies wouldn’t be denied as they hit their free throws down the stretch. Carmel Christian, which jumped out to a 16-7 first quarter lead, had three players in double figures: Emmanuel Richards (16 points), Jamari Briggs (12) and Bryson Cokley (10). Christ School, which owned a win over No. 39 Dorman, was led in the scoring department by junior Keenan Wilkins (14.1 ppg, 4.5 apg), while Briggs (12.5 ppg) is also a junior.

37. (NR) Reading (Reading, Pa.) 32-1
The Red Knights were not on our preseason radar, but perhaps they shouldn’t have been doubted, as they closed out the season on a 23-game winning streak while capturing the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class 6A crown. Reading got plenty of rankings credit for defeating then No. 23 Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.), 62-56, in overtime in the championship game, as seniors Aris Rodriguez (16 points) and Myles Grey (14 points) led the way offensively. The Red Knights’ ranking makes sense since Roman Catholic defeated No. 39 Dorman and only lost one game to Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) power Gonzaga of D.C., which was regionally ranked to begin the season and owned a win over No. 21 Roselle Catholic. In 2021, Reading won the Class 6A crown and finished No. 19 in the FAB 50.

38. (NR) Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) 27-4
Similar to No. 37 Reading, the Cahillites moved up four spots in the final rankings after results played out in other states and the State Champions Invitational. Roman Catholic lost the regular season Philadelphia Catholic League game to Neumann-Goretti, but came back to beat that club to win the city title, 57-52, in overtime. Roman was down five points with a minute to go and it seemed over, but the Cahillites stormed back and got the game to overtime on an incredible bank shot by senior guard Xzavier Brown, who iced the game with free throws in the final seconds. Brown finished with 20 points, while Anthony Finkley added 13 points. Neumann-Goretti missed five free throws in the final minute of regulation, including two by standout guard Robert Wright that led to Brown’s banker. Even though the Cahillites won the Philly Catholic League crown for the 33rd time, they fell in overtime, 62-56, to No. 37 Reading in the PIAA Class 6A state title game. Roman must stay ahead of No. 39 Dorman because of a 56-54 head-to-head victory. Another feather in Roman’s cap was an early season win over No. 16 Sidwell Friends.

39. (NR) Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) 29-2 ?
The Cavaliers continued their Palmetto State dynasty by capturing a fifth South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) state championship in seven seasons. Despite the graduation of big man Noah Clowney (a 2023 NBA first round draft choice), Dorman utilized team ball to become a dominant in-state team and captured the Class AAAAA title with a 58-56 win over Goose Creek. All five starters netted double figures for Dorman, as Clooney’s replacement, 6-foot-8 senior Jamarcus Wilkins, had 14 points, six rebounds and two blocks, while the five starters scored all 58 points in the championship game. From a national standpoint, it’s easy to know where Dorman lands, as the Cavaliers lost to No. 38 Roman Catholic (56-54) and to No. 36 Christ School (52-45).

40. (NR) Lake City (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho) 26-0
We wanted to make a splash in the preseason by ranking a team from Idaho for the first time in 36 years of weekly polls. Based on their track record and national schedule, we placed Owyhee (Meridian, Idaho) at No. 50. We had the right idea, but the wrong team, as the Timberwolves let it be known they would be a force to be reckoned with by defeating Owyhee in their third game, 80-60. Three games later they downed No. 41 Curtis, 77-65, in the title game of the Curtis Winter Classic, as Blake Buchanan and Kolton Mitchell combined for 48 points. Lake City rolled from there on out, culminating its campaign with the Idaho High School Activities Association (IDHSAA) Class 5A state title. Lake City finished undefeated via its 75-61 victory over Meridian to secure the first ever FAB 50 ranking for an Idaho team. Mitchell, a point guard headed to Idaho State, was named 5A Inland Empire League MVP while averaging 18.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 5.1 apg and 2.8 for his career. The Virginia-bound Buchanan (15.2 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.9 bpg) was named Idaho Mr. Basketball and Gatorade State Player of the Year.

?41. (NR) Curtis (University Place, Wash.) 28-4 ?
The Vikings played a tough schedule and were able to repeat as Washington Interscholastic Athletics Association (WIAA) Class 4A champions. Curtis defeated South Puget Sound League rival Olympia in the state title game, 49-43, as the Vikings got a big game from superb junior guard Zoom Diallo (21 points) despite his father Siaka being hospitalized the night before the game. Tyce Paulsen, a Carolina Baptist recruit, also did a great job defensively on Olympia star Parker Gerrits, holding the WSU recruit to seven points. The two teams know each other well, as Olympia was able to win one of four matchups with its SPSL rival. As a state champ, Curtis was invited to play in the State Champions Invitational, where it fell to No. 21 Roselle Catholic, 84-82, despite 25 points and eight assists from Diallo and 24 points from Devin Whitten. Curtis also lost to No. 40 Lake City in its own Winter Classic and to No. 11 Harvard-Westlake in the Classic at Damien semifinals.

42. (NR) Jonesboro (Jonesboro, Ark.) 30-3
Bentonville started off as our highest rated Arkansas High School Activities Association (AHSAA) club in the Southwest Region, but it was the Hurricane that took the state by storm. They went on to defeat Springdale, 48-43, to capture the Class 6A state crown after moving up from 5A, where Jonesboro won state titles in 2021 and 2022. Deion Buford-Wesson, a 6-foot senior, keyed the 3-peat by hitting a clutch 3-pointer to put Jonesboro’s lead at seven with 1:16 remaining and finished with a game-high 15 points. As for Bentonville? The Hurricane plowed right through them in the state quarterfinals, 61-28. Jonesboro lost its first two matchups with North Little Rock, but beat that club in the third meeting, with its third overall loss coming against No. 15 Beaumont United. Sandwiched in between the loss to Beaumont United at the King Cotton Tournament, Jonesboro defeated Georgia powers Newton and McEachern of Powder Springs.

43. (NR) Central Pointe Christian (Kissimmee, Fla.) 30-11
The White Tigers are FAB 50 ranked for the second time in three years after finishing No. 35 in 2020-21. The big difference? This time Central Pointe Christian captured the Sunshine Independent Athletic Association (SIAA) championship after losing to Victory Rock Prep in the 2021 semifinals. The White Tigers defeated top-seed DME Academy, 69-66, in the SIAA Final Four before defeating second seed West Oaks Academy in the title game, 63-60. Senior guard Carlos Cortijo led Central Pointe in the title game with 17 points, junior wing Eric Mejias added 13 points, and 6-foot-7 all-SIAA senior Vuk Vukcevic was named tourney MVP after scoring 10 points, including nine in the third period. SIAA play is very balanced and difficult to navigate through, so many times the conference’s top teams has many more losses than the other teams in its FAB 50 range. The teams often play in the Grind Session and at this year’s Worlds Championships, the White Tigers were seeded third and advanced to the Elite 8 before losing to Bella Vista Prep of Arizona.

?44. (BB) Durango (Las Vegas, Nev.) 21-6
The Trailblazers opened up third in the pecking order among Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) clubs behind Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas and Liberty of Henderson. Despite some tough losses during the holiday tournament season and the resignation of head coach Chad Beeten on the eve of the post-season, Durango rallied to capture the program’s first NIAA title since 1996. Two days after the resignation, Durango lost to Gorman, 68-64, but rallied to beat the Gaels in the South regional semifinals, 63-55. The Trailblazers then beat Liberty, 65-59, in the South final before beating them for the third time in four tries in the NIAA Class 5A state title game, 57-47. Long Beach St-bound point guard Tyler Riley and junior wing Taj Degourville were both first team all-Southern Nevada choices and led a gritty group that believed it could win each outing.

45. (BB) Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) 25-3**
The Chargers began right behind Durango in the preseason West Regional Rankings at No. 15, and that’s the same club they finish behind on a national scale. Corner Canyon captured the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) Class 6A title with a 66-51 victory over American Fork. The Chargers got 61 of their points from senior guards Max Toombs and Jaxson Roberts, and junior forward Brody Kozlowski. Roberts finished with 24 points while Tombs added 21 points and eight rebounds. As a result, the Chargers were invited to the SCI, where they defeated Mississippi entrant Yahoo City, 89-62, before losing to No. 16 Sidwell Friends in the semifinals, 60-53, despite 14 points and 14 rebounds from Kozlowski. Corner Canyon also lost to No. 15 Beaumont United, but must remain behind No. 44 Durango because of a loss to Liberty of Nevada.

46. (38) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 27-10
The Knights finish just a shade below preseason expectations and were able to stay FAB 50 ranked despite a high loss count. The two reasons they land in this spot is playing one of the toughest schedules in the country and by rolling to a CIF D1 state title after not getting picked for the CIF SoCal open regional playoffs. After not being chosen, it was pretty evident Notre Dame had a good chance at a D1 state title, provided it got past Mission League rival Sierra Canyon. It did for the fourth time in the SoCal D1 final before defeating Granada of Livermore, 67-58, in the state title game. Mission League champ Harvard-Westlake won the state open crown and beat Notre Dame twice, as did No. 23 Centennial and West Ranch of Valencia, which spent most of the season FAB 50 ranked. Notre Dame’s ranking is predicated by losses to American Fork (which lost to No. 45 Corner Canyon in its state title game) and to Liberty of Nevada, which lost in the same playoff division as No. 44 Durango. In four victories over Sierra Canyon, Duke-bound guard Caleb Foster averaged 20.5 ppg and for the season averaged 21.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 3.9 apg and 1.2 spg, while Gonzaga-bound Dusty Stromer averaged 17.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.2 apg and 1.2 spg.

47. (NR) Moline (Moline, Ill.) 35-3
In terms of results, Illinois and Chicago had a down year, but the Maroons deserve a spot in the FAB 50 after defeating Benet Academy of Lisle, 59-43, to win the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 4A state crown. The Maroons rode a dominant performance and season from 6-foot guard Brock Harding and 6-foot-10 center Owen Freeman, long-time travel ball teammates and both headed to Iowa. Harding finished with 28 points, including 11-of-14 from the free throw line, while Freeman had six points, one rebound and three assists in the title game. Harding (18.5 ppg, 5.6 apg) was named Illinois Mr. Basketball for a team that lost its first game to Wisconsin Lutheran of Milwaukee and Chicago clubs Mt. Carmel and Simeon, the latter whom also beat Benet Academy.

48. (NR) Kell (Marietta, Ga.) 28-2
The Longhorns put forth a terrific season, concluding it by winning the GHSA Class AAAAA state crown with a 61-53 victory over 29-2 Eagle’s Landing of McDonough. Kell trialed entering the fourth quarter, but got back in the game and took control when coach Jermaine Sellers inserted star big man Peyton Marshall back into the lineup with 3:36 to play and his team trialing by a point. Marshall scored the next five points and helped the Eagles pull away from Eagle’s Landing down the stretch. Kell gets the nod as the No. 2 GHSA team and final team from the Southeast Region, as it owns a win over Liberty of Nevada and St. Augustine of California, with its only losses to Grayson of Loganville in overtime and to West Ranch of California, which captured the Tarkanian Classic but lost to St. Augustine in the SoCal open playoffs. Kell will be formidable once again in 2023-24 as Marshall, a center, and fellow junior C.J. Brown, a guard, are returning all-staters.

49. (NR) Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio) 26-3
The Knights get the nod as the final Midwest Region team in the rankings in front of Illinois club Metamora, which defeated Simeon of Chicago for the Class 3A state crown and Indiana Class 4A semifinalist Kokomo. Archbishop Hoban won the OHSAA D1 state crown, 53-47, over Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio). Pick Central was the defending D1 state champ and looking to finish FAB 50 ranked for the second consecutive season. Senior Logan Vowles led the way offensively for Hoban in the title game with 17 points, while senior Will Scott Jr. (13 points) and freshman Sam Greer (12 points) also hit double figure scoring. The Knights’ defense, meanwhile, held Ohio Mr. Basketball Devin Royal to 5-of-15 shooting. Hoban lost three in-state games, but gets rankings credit for winning one of the toughest playoff divisions in the Midwest while beating St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio), which spent time in the FAB 50, along the way.

50. (NR) Lincoln Park (Midland, Pa.) 30-1
The Leopards get the nod as the twelfth and final team from the East Region after they knocked off then No. 24 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.), 62-58, to capture the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class 4A state crown. Sophomore Maleek Thomas, one of the best guards in the country regardless of class, hit the game-winning basket (a driving, 12-foot runner) with 11 seconds remaining. Junior Brandin "Beebah" Cummings made clutch free throws down the stretch, including two with 0.5 seconds left in the game. Thomas (24.9 ppg) finished with 22 points while Cummings (23.1 ppg) netted 25. The Leopards, which lost only to Central Catholic (Pittsburgh, Pa.) by five points, won the program’s third state crown and should be formidable once again in 2023-24.

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 inaugural State Champions Invitational, the big question going into the event in April 2022 was if any of the other three teams could compete with Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). In the end, the Eagles rolled to the tournament title to finish No. 7 in the final 2021-22 FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com.

This season, the two additional teams were added to the field and the 6-team event was much more competitive. In the end, once again the highest ranked FAB 50 club claimed the title as No. 16 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.), the District of Columbia Schools Athletic Association (DCSAA) Class AA champs, bested then No. 31 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.), 57-54, in Saturday's championship game at Georgetown University, a mere three miles from the Quakers' campus.

Coach Eric Singletary's club was led to victory by junior (2024) forward Caleb Williams, who hit five 3-pointers and scored on a variety of jumpers to finish with 24 points. Second seeded Sidwell Friends, who defeated third seeded and FAB 50 No. 45 Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah), 60-53, in the semifinals, trailed top seeded Wheeler 47-40 entering the fourth period. Wheeler outscored the Quakers, 45-25, after trialing at the beginning of the game 15-2. Sidwell Friends took control of the game in the fourth quarter with its pressure defense and eventually took a 50-49 lead with 3:26 remaining on Williams' turnaround jumper.

Sidwell Friends got a huge offensive rebound putback from senior forward Chris Russell with 1:30 remaining to give his team a 55-50 lead and senior guard Arinze Achufusi canned two free throws with nine seconds remaining to account for the final margin.

Williams, named the SCI's Most Valuable Player, had 13 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals in the semifinal win over Corner Canyon. Lehigh-bound point guard Cam Gillus led in the scoring department with 19 points and added seven steals.

Wheeler, which was playing at the event without USC-bound point guard and Mr. Basketball USA candidate Isaiah Collier, was led in the title game by Iowa St.-bound Jelani Hamilton with 20 points, including 4-of-5 3-point shooting. Wheeler, the Georgia High School Association?(GHSA) Class AAAAAAA champions, defeated FAB 50 No. 21 Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.), 78-68, in its semifinal contest. USC-bound center Arringten Page had 24 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, while Hamilton added 22 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.

It was an impressive closing to the season for the Quakers, whose girls' program also was victorious at the SCI, but as far as its final FAB 50 ranking goes, it had nowhere to move but held serve by holding off Wheeler. Sidwell Friends lost to No. 15 Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas), the University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 6A runner-up, while Williams was nursing injury. As for Wheeler, it gets rankings credit for its showing at the CSI without the services of one of the nation's very best players. It moves up 11 spots in front of the Roselle Catholic club it beat in the semifinals. Wheeler must finished in front of the Centennial (Corona, Calif.) club it beat at the City of Palms Tournament in December.

The CSI results caused some change in the bottom 25 of the FAB 50, but no team dropped out from last week. GEICO Nationals champ Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) is officially the 2022-23 FAB 50 National Champs. On April 1, the Lions defeated No. 9 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) to capture the tournament title. Link Academy, which lost one game to No. 2 Montverde Academy (Fla.) during the regular season, won the event for the first time and defeated six FAB 50 ranked teams during the season.

"It is an absolute honor to be ranked No. 1 in the FAB 50 final poll," said Link Academy first year head coach Bill Armstrong. "From day one our players and staff have been working towards being the No. 1 team in the country. To see all of that hard work pay off and obtain the ultimate goal is a surreal feeling for all of us!"

RELATED: ?Updated 2022-23 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | | ? | Final East Top 20 | Final Southeast Top 20??| Final Midwest Top 20?| Final Southwest Top 20 | Final West Top 20?

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

(17th and final poll of 2022-23 regular season; Through games played on Saturday, April 8; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

Dropped Out: None.

Editor's Note: No bubble clubs are included in the final FAB 50, as the final 2022-23 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 23 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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We now know who is going to play in end-of-the season events and just under 20 percent of the teams in this week's FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com are still going and looking to close strong.

Among the state champs who wrapped up their season this weekend include Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division 4 champ Richmond Heights (Ohio), which finished unbeaten and as the state's top ranked team with a 70-26 stomping of Convoy Crestview (Convoy, Ohio) on Sunday afternoon. The Spartans led 31-22 at the half, but completely blew open the game with a massive third quarter run, as the program won its second consecutive state crown to move up six spots in this week's rankings. Dorian Jones, one of the better sophomores (2025) in the Midwest, went bonkers from 3-point range and nearly outscored Convoy Crestview by himself, making 7-of-10 3-pointers and finishing with 25 points.

One of the two newcomers is OHSAA D1 champ Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio), which took down defending D1 champ Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio) on Sunday evening, 53-47, at the University of Dayton. Senior Logan Vowles led the way offensively for Hoban with 17 points, while senior Will Scott Jr. (13 points) and freshman Sam Greer (12 points) also hit double figures. In a game where points were at a premium, Vowles made five of the game's 10 3-pointers. Offensive rebounds were also a key to the game and Vowles and Greer came up with a combined nine, as the Knights grabbed 14 offensive rebounds to Pick Central's 11, even though the defending champions held the rebounding advantage by one (32-31).

Pick Central was looking to finish FAB 50 ranked for the second consecutive season, but had a rough go offensively, making only 3-of-16 3-point attempts and 4-of-7 free throws. Ohio Mr. Basketball Devin Royal scored a team-high 15 points, but made only 5-of-15 shot attempts.

Up three spots this week is No. 37 Warren Central (Bowling Green, Ky.), which only lost one game all season and captured the coveted UK HealthCare Sweet 16 title with a 64-60 victory over defending Kentucky High School Athletics Association (KHSAA) Sweet 16 champ George Rogers Clark (Winchester, Ky.) at Rupp Arena. In the single elimination, winner-take-all format, Warren Central looked to erase some of the painful memories of last year's final, when George Rogers Clark defeated the Dragons, 43-42, as a missed free throw late was a key factor in the outcome.

This time around, junior Kade Unseld hit two clutch free throws with 8.1 seconds remaining to seal with win for coach Will Unseld, his father. Unseld, who had a 26-point effort at the Sweet 16, was one of three Warren Central players to finish the championship game with 17 points. The others were Damarion Walkup and Omari Glover, both seniors. The Dragons' only other state crown came in 2004, when it won their last 21 games after seven regular season losses to finished No. 35 in the FAB 50 that season.

The two highest ranked teams looking to win state titles this week are unbeaten and No. 5 Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) and No. 11 Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.). Ben Davis will play bubble club Kokomo (Ind.) on March 25 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Class 4A state crown. Kokomo knocked off previous No. 22 Penn (Wishawaka, Ind.), 58-57, in the state semifinals. Imhotep Charter, meanwhile, is gunning for its second consecutive Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class 5A state crown. It will play Archbishop Ryan (Philadelphia, Pa.), the club that knocked off previous No. 41 Radnor (Radnor, Pa.) in the state quarterfinals, in the semifinal on March 20. The state championship game is set for March 24.

Teams marked with an asterisk by their won-loss record are still playing, including the six state champions that will participate in the second annual State Champions Invitational set for April 6-8 at McDonough Arena at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

No. 41 Curtis (University Place, Wash.) plays No. 20 Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.), with the winner of that game meeting No. 33 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) in one semifinal contest. No. 14 Sidwell Friends (DC) is already slated in the other semifinal and will take on the winner of No. 45 Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) and bubble club Yazoo City (Yazoo City, Miss.). The SCI championship game is set for 12 pm ET on April 8.

RELATED:  2023 GEICO Nationals Field Announced |  Updated 2022-23 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | |   

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

The post UPDATED FAB 50: Closing Strong! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Compiled by Ronnie Flores

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

RELATED: ?? | The Future Of Big-Time HS Basketball?| FAB 50 Rankings Criteria?| Ballislife Podcast Network?|?How To Create A High School March Madness?| History of High School Team Rankings |?All-Time No. 1's?| Final East Top 20 | Final Southeast Top 20 | Final Midwest Top 20?| Final Southwest Top 20?| Final West Top 20 | ?2021-22 Mr. Basketball USA | 2021-22 Underclass POYs | Final 2020-21 FAB 50 | Final 2019-20 FAB 50 |?Final 2018-19 FAB 50 | Final 2017-18 FAB 50 | Final 2016-17 FAB 50 | Final 2015-16 FAB 50 | Final 2014-15 FAB 50 | Final 2013-14 FAB 50 | Final 2012-13 FAB 50

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.

By Ronnie Flores

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Coming in the inaugural State Champions Invitational game, there was some question if any of three state champions could take down Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 4A state champion Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). The Eagles, the No. 7 team in the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com, were the prohibitive favorite in the four-team field and had no trouble in their 58-37 semifinal victory over then No. 14 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.). Because then No. 31 Auburn (Wash.) was so impressive in its 58-41 semifinal victory over No. 48 Norcross (Ga.), it created some intrigue that the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) Class 3A champs could keep up with the high-powered state champs from Florida that lost one of two games to GEICO Nationals champion and perennial FAB 50 power Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.).

As impressive as Auburn looked against the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class 7A champs, Calvary Christian Academy was even that much better versus Auburn, dominating the Trojans from the opening tip on both ends of the floor en route to a 71-44 championship game victory Saturday afternoon at Berkeley Prep in Tampa, Fla. Auburn assisted on its first 14 field goals and on 20 of its 25 field goal and had three turnovers vs. Sidwell Friends, but it was a completely different story vs. Calvary Christian Academy. The Eagles used their height and length advantage to force Auburn into difficult shots and to create easy ones of their own. CCA jumped out to leads of 18-4 and 24-5 and never looked back, as the result of the first-year event was never in doubt. In stark contrast to its semifinal victory, Auburn committed 13 turnover and had 12 assists.

All five starters hit double figures for CCA, as tournament MVP and UCF commit Taylor Hendricks finished with 13 points, five rebounds and three blocks, while junior strongman Carl Cherenfant with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Florida Atlanta commit Brenen Lorient had a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds), Michigan signee Gregg Glenn had 12 points, six rebounds and five assists, while highly-regarded junior guard Marvel Allen finished with 10 points and five rebounds.

Hendricks had 24 points and 12 rebounds in the dominant semifinal win over Sidwell Friends, the District of Columbia Schools Athletic Association (DCSAA) Class AA champion, while Allen chipped in 13 points. CCA shot 55 percent (22-of-40) from the field.

Auburn was led by 2022 uncommitted prospects Maleek Arington with 17 points and four steals and Tre Blassingame with 13 points and 11 rebounds. In Auburn’s semifinal win over Norcross, Kaden Hansen netted a team-high 17 points, while Blassingame contributed 10 points, 11 rebounds and six steals.

As impressive as Calvary Christian Academy was in its two victories, it had nowhere to rise in the final FAB 50 rankings for the 2021-22 season. The Eagles lost one game to unranked Milton (Ga.) and one other game to GEICO Nationals champ and FAB 50 No. 2 Montverde Academy at the buzzer on a 3-pointer by Illinois pledge Skyy Clark. No. 6 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) beat Montverde Academy twice during the regular season before losing to that club in the semifinals of GEICO Nationals, so CCA stays No. 7 in the final FAB 50.

While Auburn made it to the championship game, its margin of defeat to CCA wasn’t much different than Sidwell Friends'. Sidwell Friends had a collection of more impressive victories during the season and Norcross was also missing its best player in its semifinal loss. Leading scorer London Johnson opted to participate at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Ore. As a result, Sidwell Friends drops nine spots in the final ranking to No. 23, as it must remain in front of Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.) because of its head-to-head loss to the Quakers, which drop six spots to No. 26. Bishop McNamara does own a win over No. 16 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), so Sidwell Friends does deserve to stay in front of Auburn.

As for Auburn, it drops five spots to No. 36, while Norcross remains at No. 48 as the highest rated team from the Peach State and the final Southeast Region team in the rankings.

SCI organizers are hoping to expand the field to eight teams and bring in more sanctioned state champions for the 2022-23 season. While veteran observers felt the talent level and game play was much higher at GEICO Nationals than the first SCI, the top of the FAB 50 rankings does serve hope that the State Champions Invitational could develop into an event that could rival GEICO Nationals one day should the timing of the event be right and more state associations sanction the event.

FAB 50 national champion Duncanville (Texas) is a public school as part of the University Interscholastic League (UIL) and it finished its season with two victories over Top 5 clubs and seven victories in all over teams that were ranked at some point during the season. Coach David Peavy’s club defeated No. 2 Montverde Academy and No. 5 Centennial (Corona, Calif.), the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) open division champion. Centennial, which dropped its only game to Duncanville, is a public school. If the SCI can add some power states such as Texas and California to the fold, the event will become much more attractive to high school basketball fans, coaches, scouts and national media.

Led by McDonald’s All-American Anthony Black and District MVP Ronald Holland, Duncanville is the third FAB 50 champ of the past seven seasons that is a public school. Led by Mr. Basketball USA choice Michael Porter Jr., Nathan Hale (Seattle, Wash.) went 29-0 in 2016-17 and Chino Hills (Calif.) went 35-0 and finished No. 1 in 2015-16. Chino Hills was also led by its own national player of the year in point guard Lonzo Ball.

Before Duncanville, two Texas UIL clubs captured the FAB 50 title since 2000. In 2002, Chris Bosh-led Lincoln (Dallas) finished 40-0 and in 2010, Yates (Houston) set a national record with 15 straight 100-point games, had an average winning margin greater than 40 points per game and finished 32-0. In between those two Texas clubs, Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) went 29-0 in 2005-06 to finish as wire-to-wire FAB 50 No. 1.

Congrats to Calvary Christian, Duncanville and every other team that had a strong enough resume to finish 2021-22 as a FAB 50 ranked team.

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

(18th and FINAL poll of 2021-22 regular season; Through games played on Saturday, April 9; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates season not complete)

Dropped Out: None.

Editor's Note: No bubble clubs are included in the final FAB 50, as the final 2021-22 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 22 years ago.

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

The post Final 2021-22 FAB 50: SCI Closes Season! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened awareness and increased the speed of change with regards to many pressing issues and high school basketball didn't go unscathed. In recent seasons, it's obvious independent, academy-type schools have dominated the top of the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com and the pandemic has excellerated the exodus of elite talent from the country's public schools to these programs. Every season there are terrific teams that compete for traditional state championships, but in the current climate it's apparent teams belonging to traditional state associations are having a harder time competing at the same level of the nation's top independents.

The State Champions Invitational will feature state champions in a four-team tournament (both a boys and girls version). The inaugural State Champions Invitational will take place April 7-9 in Florida, most likely in greater Tampa Bay region or Orlando according to event organizers. Selected championship teams belonging to state associations part of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) will now play in a separate end-of-season tournament. All six games of the State Champions Invitational will be on ESPN family of networks.

Today's announcement of the event's creation by Skokie, Ill.-based Paragon Marketing Group magnifies the reality of high school basketball's current climate. Eligible state association championship teams from Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Utah, Washington, and Washington, D.C., were previously considered for GEICO Nationals. Four state champions from those same states will now be selected for the State Champions Invitational. Previously, those selected teams participated in GEICO Nationals, an end-of-season tournament which combined both eligible state champions and highly-ranked independent programs.

"The State Champions Invitational is a natural progression to create more post-season opportunres for boys and girls teams across the country," said Rashid Ghazi, Paragon Marketing Group President. "As we developed GEICO Nationals, it's become apparent more state champions want the opportunity to play and a number of states have requested a national tournament for state champions only."

According to event organizers with Paragon Marketing, state champions from other state associations outside the previously mentioned group will be pursued to be part of the State Champions Invitational going forward. The goal for the event is to expand to eight teams (both boys and girls) in 2022-23.

GEICO Nationals, created by Paragon Marketing at the end of the 2008-09 season, will take place March 31 - April 2 in Ft. Myers, Fla. It will consist of an eight-team bracket (and a four-team girls bracket). Since the inception of GEICO Nationals, selected state association champions have been added to the field. As more state associations granted a deserving state champion permission to participate in the event, more independent programs developed to the level necessary to compete at GEICO Nationals, and there are many more with ambitions to play in the event.

Since GEICO Nationals' inception, only independent programs or those belonging to the newly-formed National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) have captured the tournament title. The competition level at that event has steadily increased, making it tougher for state champions to advance through the bracket.

An end-of-season tournament for willing state associations now have their own event to crown a champion.

Ballislife Commentary: Creating a tournament such as the State Champions Invitational has been in the making for a couple of years. Paragon Marketing has done an admirable job growing GEICO Nationals. By creating the State Champions Invitational and removing the independent clubs from the equation, however, the event operators increase their chances of attracting new state association champions to the fold.?In recent years, more state associations have placed schedule restrictions on member programs and that makes the State Champions Invitational a more attractive option for full NFHS members going forward.

Independent programs can and do add players to their rosters well after the season begins. GEICO Nationals does have a cutoff date for event rosters, but many state association officials feel the independent programs do not operate on the same playing field as their member programs. If there is ever a sentiment from state association officials or fans that a state championship season is somehow diminished by losing at GEICO Nationals, this new event will alleviate that perception.

As far as the FAB 50 National Team Rankings are concerned, the announcement of a separate end-of-season tournament for full member state association participants doesn't change how it will be compiled. The final rankings won't be determined until after a champion at the State Champions Invitational is crowned.

The NFHS offers rules books for each sport, but ultimately each state association is responsible for applying rules and enforcing them. Each state has its own set of rules. Rules for eligibility and sanctioning are not uniform across the country and some states can play independent programs, National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) programs or even programs that don't have an educational campus, while other states have strict rules prohibiting its teams from playing any team in one of those three different groups.

We felt the day would eventually come when NIBC clubs that dominate GEICO Nationals invites would participate in a tournament separate from state association full members. We have contemplated compiling two separate weekly polls for full members and independents, but as long as those two groups of teams play each other in sanctioned games during the season, we'll continue to publish the FAB 50 in its current fashion.

Should the day come when full members and independents do not play each other at all, we'll have to reconsider how we compile the nation's longest-running weekly rankings. Going forward, there will be two separate champions at GEICO Nationals and the State Champions Invitational, but players, coaches and fans will still be interested in knowing where their team stacks up against the nation's other elite teams, regardless of their affiliation.

Regardless of how both these end-of-season events expand nationally, the FAB 50 will remain the standard for how teams are judged against each other from a national perspective based on what happens on the court.

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 22 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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