Many of the nation's power states concluded their state championships over the weekend, and it caused plenty of change to the latest edition of the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com. There are three newcomers this week, including state champions from Illinois and Kansas. We break down why on-court results are paramount.
By Ronnie Flores
The weekend of March 8-10 was an epic one for high school basketball across the country. That's because many power states conclude their state championship events, and it caused plenty of change to the new FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com. Let's run down the key results:
* Plano East (Plano, Texas) made history by capturing a University Interscholastic League (UIL) state title in the highest classification (Class 6A) by going undefeated. In the final, the Panthers downed then FAB No. 6 Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas), 53-41, before 8,812 at The Alamodome in San Antonio. Leading the way was junior forward D.J. Hall with 18 points in a game Plano East was in control of throughout. Joining Hall on the all-tournament team was Plano East's Jordan Mizell, a 6-foot-2 senior guard.
With the victory, No. 5 Plano East (40-0) guaranteed itself a top five finish in the final 2023-24 FAB 50, which will be published on April 8. Stony Point, which downed No. 49 Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) in the semifinals, 54-46, dropped seven spots this week to No. 13, although its final ranking will not be determined until all the results across the country play out. Stony Point's only two losses in 40 games were to the Panthers.
* In the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAAAAAA title game, No. 35 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) captured its first-ever state crown with a 51-41 victory over then No. 20. McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.). Junior forward Jacob Wilkins, already committed to Georgia, led the way for the Rams with some big plays down the stretch after McEachern was threatening with one final push. Wilkins finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Purdue signee Gicarri Harris, a 6-foot-4 senior, added nine points and five rebounds for the victorious Rams. Grayson (which beat McEachern twice this season), held Indians star forward and Mr. Basketball USA candidate Ace Bailey to four points in the second half, as he netted 18 points on 8-of-20 shots from the field.
McEachern came into the game ranked higher in the FAB 50 because some of its previous national results, including a victory over new No. 25 North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) and an overtime loss to No. 7 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.). Benefitting from Grayson's title game victory the most is new No. 23 Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.), which moves up 11 spots this week because it handed the Rams one of its only two losses with the other coming to No. 22 Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.). Perry was able to avenge two of its in-state losses with the out-of-state losses coming against Harvard-Westlake (twice) and No. 16 Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.).
"It’s something these kids will take with them forever," Grayson coach Geoffrey Pierce told Ballislife.com. "They will forever be know as state champions in the largest classification in Georgia. I can guarantee there are a lot of former players and coaches from Grayson that are celebrating with us."
*At the Golden One Center in Sacramento, Calif., Harvard-Westlake downed No. 37 Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Open Division title game, 50-45, in a hard-fought game before approximately 5,000 fans. The game was close for the final three quarters after the Wolves took a 21-11 lead after one period. Salesian took its final lead (45-44) with 1:31 to go on a lay-up by sophomore Elias Obenyah, but Harvard-Westlake's McDonalds' All-American, USC-bound Trent Perry, scored the game's final six points and came up with a steal with just under a minute remaining to put his team in position to win its second consecutive CIF open state crown, the third program to do that since the advent of the open division in 2013. Perry, who finished with 17 points, hit an elbow jump shot with 26 seconds remaining and two free throws with under 10 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
Harvard-bound Robert Hinton scored a team-high 19 points for Harvard-Westlake, which defeated No. 21 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) in Tuesday's SoCal open final, 63-59, behind 28 points from Perry. It was the same team the Wolverines defeated for the CIF Southern Section open title. Harvard-Westlake not only beat Roosevelt and Perry twice, it also defeated McEachern and No. 36 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), which captured the CIF D1 crown on Friday night and handed Salesian its only regular season loss in overtime. The out-of-state loss for Harvard-Westlake came in a one possession game to No. 2 Columbus (Miami, Fla.).
* Columbus became eligible for the Chipotle High School Basketball Nationals (April 4-6) by capturing the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 7A title, the Explorers' third consecutive state crown. The Explorers needed overtime to turn back then No. 31 Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.), 72-67, after giving up a 13-point lead in the third period. Battle-tested Oak Ridge, which downed No. 46 Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.) in the semifinals, 85-74, used a 13-0 run late in the third quarter to get back in the game.
Cameron Boozer, last season's Mr. Basketball USA as a sophomore, came up with a thunderous slam dunk with five seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. Boozer finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals in the big victory. His brother Cayden Boozer added 16 points, while Michigan St.-bound Jase Richardson added 14 points.
In addition to defeating Harvard-Westlake, which moves up three spots to No. 7 this week, the Explorers own victories over No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.), No. 4 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) and No. 6 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.).
Expect the FAB 50's No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6 teams to join top-ranked Montverde Academy at Chipotle High School Basketball Nationals. The eight-team field for the event is expected to be announced this week and all its games will be broadcast live on ESPN platforms.
There will be more movement in the coming weeks based on the results in the states where the playoffs are still going such as Indiana and Pennsylvania, plus Chipotle Nationals. For many of the nation's best teams, however, this past weekend was big and capturing state titles on-the-court is something that can never be taken away, regardless of their final position in the FAB 50.
We'll give our take on the big off-court happenings in New Jersey later this week.
RELATED: Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | "In The Paint" Podcast (Spotify) | "In The Paint" Podcast (YouTube)
Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
Powered by Ballislife.com
(12th poll of 2023-24 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, March 10; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates season complete.)
| No. | Prev. | High School (City) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) | 29-0 |
| 2 | 2 | Columbus (Miami, Fla.) | 27–4 |
| 3 | 3 | Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) | 33-2 |
| 4 | 4 | Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) | 21-4 |
| 5 | 5 | Plano East (Plano, Texas) | 40-0*** |
| 6 | 8 | Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) | 31-5 |
| 7 | 10 | Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) | 33-3*** |
| 8 | 9 | Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) | 22-6 |
| 9 | 11 | Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.) | 31-0 |
| 10 | 14 | Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.) | 28-0 |
| 11 | 12 | AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) | 27-5 |
| 12 | 15 | Fishers (Fishers, Ind.) | 26-1 |
| 13 | 6 | Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas) | 38-2*** |
| 14 | 13 | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) | 17-8 |
| 15 | 17 | St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.) | 29-2*** |
| 16 | 18 | Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) | 25-4 |
| 17 | 19 | Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) | 29-3*** |
| 18 | 21 | Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 25-2 |
| 19 | 22 | St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) | 24-1 |
| 20 | 23 | Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.) | 21-2 |
| 21 | 24 | Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) | 31-4*** |
| 22 | 25 | Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.) | 27-2*** |
| 23 | 34 | Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) | 24-6*** |
| 24 | 35 | Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) | 30-2*** |
| 25 | 41 | North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) | 28-3 |
| 26 | 20 | McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) | 26-6*** |
| 27 | 7 | Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.) | 27-4*** |
| 28 | 27 | John Marshall (Richmond, Va.) | 25-3*** |
| 29 | 26 | Bullis (Potomac, Md.) | 27-3*** |
| 30 | 28 | Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) | 27-4*** |
| 31 | 29 | Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) | 28-6*** |
| 32 | 30 | Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.) | 33-1 |
| 33 | 31 | Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) | 27-4*** |
| 34 | 32 | La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) | 23-5 |
| 35 | 33 | Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) | 27-7 |
| 36 | 36 | St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) | 28-7*** |
| 37 | 37 | Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) | 31-2*** |
| 38 | 39 | Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.) | 31-4 |
| 39 | 39 | Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) | 28-4 |
| 40 | 40 | Camden (Camden, N.J.) | 30-2*** |
| 41 | 44 | Kell (Marietta, Ga.) | 28-3*** |
| 42 | 48 | Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) | 26-1 |
| 43 | 50 | Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) | 25-1 |
| 44 | 43 | Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) | 25-5*** |
| 45 | NR | Homewood Flossmor (Flossmor, Ill.) | 33-4*** |
| 46 | 46 | Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.) | 27-2*** |
| 47 | 47 | Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) | 29-6*** |
| 48 | NR | Reidsville (Reidsville, N.C.) | 27-0 |
| 49 | 49 | Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) | 34-4*** |
| 50 | NR | Northwest (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) | 25-0*** |
Dropped Out: Previous No. 16 De Pere (De Pere, Wis.), No. 42 Curie (Chicago, Ill.), No. 45 Cordova (Cordova, Tenn.).
Bubble Teams: Arrowhead (Heartland, Wis.) 26-2; Bay Shore (Bay Shore, N.Y.) 23-0; Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) 27-1***; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 24-5***; Brennan (San Antonio, Texas) 31-5***; Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.) 28-3***; Christian (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 23-2; Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 31-3***; Dale (Dale, Okla.) 30-2***; De Paul Prep (Chicago, Ill.) 35-2***; De Pere (De Pere, Wis.) 26-2***; East Lansing (East Lansing, Mich.) 24-2; Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 24-4***; Fort Bend Clements (Sugar Land, Texas) 32-1***; Garfield Heights (Garfield Heights, Ohio) 24-1; Hickory (Hickory, N.C.) 31-0; Hoover (Hoover, Ala.) 30-3***; Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 25-3; Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.) 33-3; Kennedy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) 25-1***; Kokomo (Kokomo, Ind.) 25-4***; Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) 25-3; Lehi (Lehi, Utah) 24-4***; Lexington (Lexington, S.C.) 28-2***; Lexington Catholic (Lexington, Ky.) 32-2; Liberty Magnet (Baton Rouge, La.) 33-4***; Lincoln Park (Midland, Pa.) 23-3; Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) 23-3***; Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 36-5***; Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) 23-3; Newport (Newport, Ky.) 31-3; Noblesville (Noblesville, Ind.) 22-3***; Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 31-4***; Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 21-6; Pewaukee (Pewaukee, Wis.) 24-4; Raymond (Raymond, Miss.) 31-4***; Seven Lakes (Katy, Texas) 35-4**; Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 26-4***; St. Anne’s-Bellfield (Charlottesville, Va.) 26-4***; St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) 22-3; St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, N.J.) 26-3***; Valley (West Des Moines, Iowa) 21-5***; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 24-6; Volcano Vista (Albuquerque, N.M.) 27-1; Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 15-7; Westfield (Westfield, Ind.) 19-3***; Woodside (Newport News, Va.) 27-1***.
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 24 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