In Episode No. 55 of our “In The Paint Show,” Ron and Dev, along with three special guests, celebrate the life of Morgan Wootten, arguably the most well-known and respected high school coach ever. Wootten’s influence still resonates today and ties into Episode 54, as elite high school players form a bond through national events such as the ones Kobe Bryant played in back in 1996.
View More “In The Paint” Podcast: Salute To Morgan Wootten!
Teams are gearing up for the post-season, and plenty of the top-ranked teams in the FAB 50 rankings lost last week. So does that mean they automatically drop? Does that always mean the team that defeated them now deserves to be ranked ahead?
View More NEW FAB 50 Rankings: Teams Lose, Do They Drop?
It’s a somber week in basketball, as the nation’s top teams in the FAB 50 mourn the loss of iconic high school coach Morgan Wootten and global icon Kobe Bryant, the latter whom passed in a shocking aviation accident over the weekend. There are four newcomers in this week’s rankings.
View More Updated FAB 50 Rankings: Top Teams Mourn Iconic Coach, Player
This is the week we traditionally release our FAB 50 24 hours later than normal to accommodate all the MLK showcases. When the dust settled, we have a new No. 2 team, plenty of movement and six newcomers led by No. 39 Evanston (Evanston, Ill.).
View More NEW FAB 50 Rankings: 6 Newcomers After MLK Weekend!
MLK weekend is a huge barometer for the top teams in the country, so we dig a bit deeper on what might transpire as team prepare for a post-season run. We also take a quick look at the rankings over the years and what could potentially happen to the longest-running weekly national rankings in the future.
View More FAB 50 Breakdown: Past, Present, Future
This is the time of the year that we reward teams in the FAB 50 for remaining unbeaten and playing tough schedules. Although there isn’t an abundance of new ranked teams, MLK Weekend, particularly the Spaulding Hoophall Classic, should bring plenty of movement to next week’s special FAB 50 MLK edition!
View More UPDATED FAB 50 Rankings: Gearing Up For MLK Weekend!
In Episode 51 of our “In The Paint” Show, Ron and Dev go hard on the latest FAB 50 rankings with Centennial (Corona, Calif.) coach Josh Giles and Oak Hill Academy (Va.) coach Steve Smith. The coaches talk exceeding preseason expectations and the keys to team success so far. Smith also breaks down the early days of national rankings and his program’s breakthrough in 1987.
View More “In The Paint” Podcast GOES IN on NEW FAB 50 w/Coaches!
Newspaper distribution and the Internet created greater interest in national rankings, but in actuality, United States high school basketball rankings began in 1959. Multiple national polls have been compiled for decades including the FAB 50, which is now the longest running weekly national rankings in the country.
View More History of HS Rankings: The FAB 50 Story
It’s pretty obvious who the nation’s No. 1 team is, but the latest edition of the FAB 50 National Team Rankings was still the toughest set of results to compile, and make sense of, in many years. When the dust settled, we came up with a pecking order we’re comfortable with, including 11 newcomers!
View More NEW FAB 50 Rankings: MAJOR Shakeup For 2020!
We attended three post-Christmas tournaments around Southern California and followed the other major ones across the country and came away with three major take aways. Is FAB 50 No. 1 Montverde Academy (Fla.) unbeatable? Is Rancho Christian (Calif.) the team to beat for the CIF Open Division title?
View More Holiday Tournaments: 3 Things We Learned!
Centennial (Corona, Calif.) uses it four-guard attack to capture the Tarkanian Classic Platinum Division title with a convincing victory over FAB 50 No. 5 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas). The Huskies defeated two other FAB 50 ranked teams en route to the title behind MOP Paris Dawson.
View More Giant-Killer Corona Centennial Takes Tarkanian!
Many of the nation’s top teams will compete in various pre-Christmas holiday tournaments beginning Wednesday. Between the City of Palms Classic in Florida, the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas and the Iolani Classic in Hawaii, there will be 24 FAB 50 ranked teams doing battle!
View More Holiday Tournament Handicap!
There’s a new No. 1 in the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings, as Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) takes over the top spot after IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) falls to Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.). Knocking off the No. 1 team was not even the most incredible performance by the Panthers recently, as they needed SEVEN overtimes to remain unbeaten heading into the holiday tournament season!
View More NEW FAB 50 Rankings: NEW No. 1 & 11 Newcomers!
Preseason No. 1 IMG Academy went down at the National High School Hoops Festival in Hyattsville, Md. No. 10 Sunrise Christian Academy records big wins at the event. In other big news, there was a 50-game winning streak snapped, a big coaching change in the academy school ranks and some big off-the-court news.
View More Cleaning Out The FAB 50 Notebook
We took in all four sessions at Chaparral High School we came up with three main take aways and more event tidbits. Is any player more productive than Jalen Green? Just how good is Prolific? Also, FAB 50 No. 1 IMG Academy goes down in DC!
View More Three Things We Learned At HoopHall West!
With Thanksgiving now a must-see weekend throughout the country, it’s necessary to update our preseason national rankings following the holiday. The first regular season edition of the 2019-20 FAB 50 shows six new teams and plenty of movement!
View More 1st UPDATED Regular Season FAB 50 Rankings!
Following up on the drop of the much-anticipated preseason FAB 50 National Rankings, Ballislife Grassroots Editor Ronnie Flores…
View More FAB 50 Regional Breakdown: West Teams on the Bubble
In episode No. 45 of our “In The Paint Show,” Ron and Dev go hard on the recently-released 2019-20 preseason FAB 50 rankings with special guest coaches Sean McAloon (of No. 1 IMG Academy of Florida) and Carl Arrigale (of No. 16 Neumann-Goretti of Pennsylvania).
View More “In The Paint” Podcast GOES IN with FAB 50 Coaches!
As a follow up to the preseason FAB 50, we go 20 teams deep from five separate regions of the nation. Preseason No. 1 ranked teams by region are DeMatha Catholic (East), IMG Academy (Southeast), La Lumiere (Midwest), Sunrise Christian Academy (Southwest) and Sierra Canyon (West).
View More Preseason 2019-20 Top 20 Regional Rankings!
An in-depth look at our preseason FAB 50 rankings on which teams have the most to prove and most to lose on a national scale this season.
View More FAB 50 Breakdown: Teams With the Most to Prove and Most to Lose
A closer examination into our preseason FAB 50 National Rankings, breaking down teams that could make big moves up the list during the season.
View More FAB 50: Five Teams With the Most to Gain Nationally
We conclude our 2019-20 preseason FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com with an in-depth look at the nation’s top 15 teams. These are the teams with the best chance to win the 2020 mythical FAB 50 national title!
View More Preseason 2019-20 FAB 50: Top 15 Teams!
We continue our 2019-20 preseason FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com countdown with an in-depth look at teams No. 16-30. These are the teams that can challenge for the mythical FAB 50 title with some big wins and the right bounces!
View More Preseason 2019-20 FAB 50: Teams No. 16-30!
Today Ballislife.com tips off its 2019-20 high school basketball coverage with our first installment of the preseason 2019-20 FAB 50 National Team Rankings. We begin with teams No. 31-50, the squads looking to move into the Top 25 that can’t afford to get off to a slow start to the season.
View More Preseason 2019-20 FAB 50: Teams No. 31-50!
In episode No. 39 of our “In The Paint Show,” Ron and Dev go hard on the recent Ron Massey Fall Hoops Classic, which was captured by perennial FAB 50 title contender Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.). The fellas also go in on the Ball family drama. Was Lavar out of line using his “Damaged Goods” example? What should Zo do next?
View More “In The Paint” Podcast on Ron Massey, Ball Family!
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) and Windward (Los Angeles) captured championships in two of the top divisions of the Section 7 Team Camp held during the first of two weekends of the June scholastic live period. We break down some of the event’s top individual performers and examine how and why Section 7 benefitted players and college coaches.
View More Section 7 a SUCCESS for Gorman, College Coaches
We go 20 deep in five separate regions in our final Top 20 Regional Rankings. We rank 100 teams and nobody ranks as many teams as Ballislife.com. Final No. 1 teams are Ranney School (East), IMG Academy (Southeast), La Lumiere (Midwest), Sunrise Christian Academy (Southwest) and Sierra Canyon (West).
View More FINAL 2018-19 Top 20 Regional Rankings!
By virtue of defeating three teams ranked in the top ten at GEICO Nationals, including previous No. 1 La Lumiere (Ind.), IMG Academy (Fla.) moves up three spots to finish as the top-ranked team in the final 2018-19 FAB 50 Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com!
View More FINAL 2018-19 FAB 50: IMG Academy Is No. 1!
FAB 50 No. 4 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) put pressure on top-ranked La Lumiere to play from behind and never let its foot off the gas, winning 66-55 to hand the Lakers their first loss of the season. With the win, IMG Academy captured its first GEICO Nationals championship. Will IMG finish No. 1 in the FAB 50?
View More IMG Academy Wins First-Ever GEICO Nationals Crown!
The 2019 GEICO Nationals championship game is set and it will be FAB 50 No. 4 IMG Academy taking on No. 1 La Lumiere on Saturday at 12:30 pm ET (ESPN).
View More GEICO Nationals: IMG w/CRAZY Comeback & La Lumiere SURVIVES!
The semifinals are set for GEICO Nationals in New York, as the favorites in all four games won…
View More GEICO Nationals Semifinals are FIRE!
Only eight teams are still playing and all will be in New York City for GEICO Nationals, April 4-6 on the ESPN family of networks. Top seeded and FAB 50 No. 1 La Lumiere (Ind.) has a tough first game and there is no easy matchup for the higher seeds. We take a look at the keys to victory in each game and some likely scenarios.
View More NEW FAB 50: GEICO Nationals Closes Race!
Cole Anthony of Oak Hill Academy (Va.) is the top vote-getter in the latest Mr. Basketball USA Tracker. Anthony heads to GEICO Nationals this week, as does Isaiah Stewart of FAB 50 No. 1 la Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), who comes in a close second behind Anthony. How will GEICO Nationals affect this year’s close national POY race?
View More Cole Anthony, Isaiah Stewart 1-2 In POY Race!
In episode No. 17 of our In The Paint Show, we break down the MADNESS that happened off the court, as teams advanced to the Sweet 16 of the Big Dance. Ron and Dev go in on the Big Baller Brand breakup and the explosive Twitter allegations made against Nike by Michael Avanetti after he was arrested on extortion charges.
View More March is MADNESS! Podcast Goes In On Craziness!
All state playoff games are in the books with GEICO Nationals the only games remaining for the 2018-19 season. State champs moving up in this week’s FAB 50 are Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio), Carmel (Carmel, Ind.) and Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.)!
View More NEW FAB 50: 3 State Champs Enter Rankings!
More state champions crowned over the weekend and there are still seven FAB 50 ranked teams looking to capture state tiles this week! No. 2 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) will no longer play at GEICO Nationals and has been replaced by No. 25 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.). We’ll break it down this week!
View More NEW FAB 50: Big GEICO Shakeup!
In episode No. 15 of our “In The Paint Show,” hosts Ronnie Flores and Devin Ugland update the FAB 50 and give a quick breakdown of GEICO Nationals, the McEachern (Ga.) situation and go in on the just completed CIF State Championships!
View More 2018-19 CIF Season Recap: Podcast Goes IN!
No. 2 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) secured its invite to GEICO Nationals in New York by winning the GHSA Class AAAAAAA title. The GEICO Nationals field has been announced and the event has its best overall field in its 11-year history, but will the Indians be at full strength?
View More NEW FAB 50: GIECO Nationals Field ANNOUNCED!
With states in the thick of their playoffs, two stunning upsets out West shake up the FAB 50. Just like there’s a fine line between winning and losing in the post-season, there is also a fine line between rewarding teams for excellent seasons and rewarding those still alive!
View More SHOCKING Upsets Shake Up NEW FAB 50!
Sectional and regional playoffs are wrapping up, and as state tournaments tip-off all around the country, some highly-regarded teams will see their season come to an end in the next week or two. The highest-rated team to win a state title so is No. 14 Shadow Mountain of Arizona.
View More NEW FAB 50: Win or GO HOME Season!