UPDATED FAB 50 Rankings: Gearing Up For MLK Weekend!

This is the time of the year that we reward teams in the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com for remaining unbeaten and for playing tough schedules. Although there isn't an abundance of new ranked teams, MLK Weekend should bring plenty of movement to next week's special FAB 50 MLK edition!   AJ Griffin

By Ronnie Flores

After the incredible rankings update last week that resulted in a host of changes and 11 new teams, this week's updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com is, predictably, a bit more tame. Many of teams entered league or conference play and a vast majority of the ranked and bubble teams did not lose.

Ironically, one of the two teams that dropped out this week, previous No. 30 Briarcrest Christian (Eads, Tenn.), owns a 32-22 victory over IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), the team that recorded one of the nation's big victories last week, a 89-77 win over Huntington Prep (Huntington, W. Va.) at its own Ascender Classic. IMG Academy came back the next day to defeat previous No. 10 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.), 85-67.

With those two victories, IMG Academy moves up three spots to No. 5, as the defending FAB 50 national champions are trying to peak at the right time after a rough stretch where it lost two of three games, including a 63-55 loss to No. 1 Montverde Academy in the title game of the City of Palms Classic. The Ascenders move ahead of No. 7 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), which lost to Huntington Prep, and previous No. 5 Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) as coach Sean McAloon's club has proven to be the only team so far that can even remotely give Montverde Academy a game.

IMG will get another crack at Montverde Academy at the Spaulding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. on January 19. That's just one of the many top-flight games at that MLK weekend event that will surely have a big affect on next week's special edition FAB 50, which will be published on Tuesday, January 21 after all the results from the various MLK weekend showcases are compiled.

Briarcrest Christian fell to unranked Hall (Little Rock, Ark.) and Olive Branch (Olive Branch, Miss.) to drop from this week's rankings after its low-scoring win over IMG two weekend ago. The other highly-regarded team to drop two in a row, was previous No. 19 Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.). During a week when North Carolina-bound R.J. Davis became Westchester County's all-time leading scorer (surpassing the 2,119 points of former Boston College standout Danya Abrams), Stepinac lost to FAB 50 ranked St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.) and to unranked, but still unbeaten, Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.) at the Empire Invitational in New York. Despite the setbacks, the Crusaders remain ranked as they get credit for playing a murderous schedule and for some of their previous wins. Stepinac other losses are to No. 5 IMG Academy and No. 18 Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.). It has a split with St. Raymond and also owns victories over No. 19 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) and No. 22 O’Dea (Seattle, Wash.).

The two newcomers this week are from the Midwest Region, as Curie (Chicago, Ill.), the top-ranked team in that basketball-crazed city, and unbeaten Hamilton (Sussex, Wis.) join the fold. Hamilton is led by forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., one of the nation's top 2021 prospects, who led his team to a win over previously unbeaten Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) at the Highland Shootout.

MLK Dream Matchups On The Horizon

The IMG Academy-Montverde Academy rematch (1/19, 7:30 pm ET, ESPN) is not the only big game on tap at the Spaulding Hoophall Classic. There are 16 games over the five-day event that includes FAB 50 ranked teams. Those matchups are:

No. 42 Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) vs. Each Catholic, 1/18, 10:30 am ET
No. 8 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) vs. Simeon (Chicago, Ill.), 1/18, 12 pm ET
No. 36 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) vs. No. 46 Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.), 1/18, 1:30 pm ET
No. 20 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) vs. No. 12 La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), 1/18, 3 pm ET
No. 25 Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) vs. Camden (Camden, N.J.), 1/18, 4:30 pm ET
No. 41 Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) vs. No. 5 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 1/18, 6 pm ET
No. 16 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) vs. Whitefish Bay (Wis.), 1/18, 8 pm ET
No. 41 Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) vs. Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.), 1/19, 2:15 pm ET
No. 7 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) vs. Hillcrest Prep (Pheonix, Ariz.), 1/19, 4 pm ET
No. 12 La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) vs. Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), 1/19, 5:45 pm ET
No. 34 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) vs. Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.), 1/20, 9 am ET
No. 8 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) vs. No. 25 Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.), 1/20, 11 am ET
No. 19 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) vs. No. 16 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 1/20, 1 pm ET
No. 3 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) vs. No. 36 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), 1/20, 3 pm ET
No. 1 Montverde Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) vs. McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), 1/20, 5 pm ET

Another big event will be the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo., with its championship game set for Saturday evening, January 18 at 9 pm CT. Oak Hill Academy and Paul VI will "double dip" from Springfield to Springfield for a Monday game on the eastern seaboard.

Another monster game involves No. 2 Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.) taking on No. 4 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) January 18 at the Kevin Durant MLK Classic in Springfield, Virginia. Wasatch Academy, which has only lost to No. 3 Oak Hill Academy, has been bolstered by the return of Michigan St.-bound power forward Mady Sissoko.

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
Powered by Ballislife.com

(Fourth poll of 2019-20 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, January 12; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

No.Prev.High School (City)Record
11Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)17-0
22Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.)18-0
33Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)22-1
44Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah)19-1
58IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)11-3
65Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.)15-1
76Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.)12-2
89DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.)12-2
97St. John's (Washington, D.C.)14-2
1011Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)16-1
1110St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.)19-2
1212La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.)11-2
1313Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)12-2
1414Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis, Minn.)8-2
1516Poly (Baltimore, Md.)10-1
1620Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)16-2
1722Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas)16-2
1818Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.)21-2
1921Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.)9-3
2015Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)11-4
2125Westlake (Austin, Texas)22-1
2223O'Dea (Seattle, Wash.)9-2
2326West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.)12-4
2424Centennial (Corona, Calif.)16-2
2517Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.)16-3
2627St. Stephen's & St. Agnes (Alexandria, Va.)13-2
2728Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.)10-0
2829Shiloh (Snellville, Ga.)17-1
2934Mountain Brook (Birmingham, Ala.)21-1
3031Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.)11-2
3132Lancaster (Lancaster, Texas)19-2
3238Collinsville (Collinsville, Ill.)17-0
3344St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.)10-3
3435Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)15-3
3536Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.)11-1
3637Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)13-2
3740North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.)14-1
3841La Crosse Central (La Corsse, Wis.)7-0
3939Lawrence Central (Indianapolis, Ind.)11-1
4042Lee (Montgomery, Ala.)19-0
4133Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.)8-3
4219Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.)8-4
4343Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.)10-2
4448Eden Prairie (Eden Prairie, Minn.)12-0
4545Cardozo (Bayside, N.Y.)14-0
4649Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.)6-2
4747Woodward Academy (College Park, Ga.)17-1
4850St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)6-0
49NRHamilton (Sussex, Wis.)10-0
50NRCurie (Chicago, Ill.)14-1

Dropped Out: Previous No. 30 Briarcrest Christian (Eads, Tenn.), No. 46 Jemison (Huntsville, Ala.).

Bubble Teams:  Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) 9-3; Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) 8-2; Bloomington South (Bloomington, Ind.) 13-0; Bogan (Chicago, Ill.) 16-2; Brooklyn Collegiate (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 13-1; Callaway (Jackson, Miss.) 13-4; Camden (Camden, N.J.) 8-1; Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) 9-1; Clarkston (Clarkston, Mich.) 6-1; Cleveland (Rio Rancho, N.M.) 16-0; Concord First Assembly (Concord, N.C.) 21-3; Davidson Day (Davidson, N.C.) 17-1; Davis (Kaysville, Utah) 11-0; Del City (Del City, Okla.) 9-0; Dickinson (Dickinson, Texas) 18-5; East (Denver, Col.) 10-0; East Lake (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 15-0; Edmond Memorial (Edmond, Okla.) 10-1; Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, Md.) 6-1; Elizabeth (Elizabeth, N.J.) 9-0; Episcopal (Alexandria, Va.) 7-2; Etiwanda (Etiwanda, Calif.) 16-2; Evanston (Evanston, Ill.) 16-0; Farmville Central (Farmville, N.C.) 11-2; Harrison Central (Gulfport, Miss.) 17-3; Hilliard Bradley (Hilliard, Ohio) 11-1; Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.) 21-2; Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) 17-2; Homewood Flossmoor (Flossmoor, Ill.) 13-1; Jackson South Side (Jackson, Tenn.) 15-0; Jemison (Huntsville, Ala.) 18-2; John Hardin (Elizabethtown, Ky.) 16-0; John Paul II (Plano, Texas) 27-1; Lincoln (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 3-1; Lithonia (Lithonia, Ga.) 18-1; McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 12-4; Millbrook (Raleigh, N.C.) 14-1; Milton (Milton, Ga.) 14-3; Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) 9-1; Muskegon (Muskegon, Mich.) 3-1; Niles Notre Dame (Niles, Ill.) 17-2; Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 17-2; Oak Grove (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 13-1; Rangeview (Aurora, Col.) 11-0; River Rouge (River Rouge, Mich.) 6-1; Rogers (Rogers, Ark.) 13-0; Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.) 11-0; Salpointe Catholic (Tucson, Ariz.) 16-0; Shadow Creek (Pearland, Texas) 17-2; South Cobb (Austell, Ga.) 18-1; Southmoore (Moore, Okla.) 8-1; St. Anthony (Long Beach, Calif.) 21-1; St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) 5-1; St. Mark’s (Dallas, Texas) 17-4; St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) 7-2; Thornton (Harvey, Ill.) 16-0; Volcano Vista (Albuquerque, N.M.) 13-1; Waxahachie (Waxahachie, Texas) 20-3; Xaverian (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 13-2; Yates (Houston, Texas) 10-4.

Note: The FAB 50 powered by Ballislife.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 20 years ago.

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

							

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