There are still teams playing and teams to break down in the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com. Nobody dropped out, but teams will be on the move as results from the West Region and New York are final. California likely to have state championships in June.
By Ronnie Flores
RELATED: "In The Paint" Podcast |"On The Rise" Show | The Future Of Big-Time HS Basketball | FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | How To Make A HS Version Of March Madness | Updated Mr. Basketball USA Tracker
The top of the weekly FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com is set for the 2020-21 season, but there is going to be more movement as California gets going full-bore. New York, West Virginia and New Mexico are still playing while Washington (April 26) and Oregon (May 17) will eventually tip-off.
Nevada and Hawaii are the two states that cancelled their respective 2020-21 season. There was no state playoffs conducted in Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Vermont.
When the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) announced it would delay its season back in July 2020, it was eventually announced there would be no CIF state championships in order to allow teams the most flexibility to schedule games. Last year's CIF championships at the Golden One Center in Sacramento were canceled on March 12, 2020 just as the country was gripped by the COVID-19 outbreak.
It looked like the Golden State would join the other eight that didn't have a state tournament, but all indications point to the CIF re-instating its state championships for this season. Obviously, the details need to be hashed out and made official, but the regional playoffs won’t have the exact format of recent seasons and they won’t be held at a large facility such as the Golden One Center.
The CIF consists of 10 sections, and already the CIF Southern Section (the largest), San Diego Section, and L.A. City Section in SoCal have announced it will conduct its respective section playoffs. It will be interesting to see if NorCal sections (namely the large Sac Joaquin Section and the North Coast Section) re-instate their post-seasons in light of the impending announcement. Already it appears the Central Coast Section will re-instate its post-season.
The first official CIF game took place on March 16, but some top teams are currently 0-0, including Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), the top ranked team in the state by CalHiSports.com and currently No. 10 in the FAB 50. There are currently four FAB 50 teams from California with three from the CIF Southern Section, along with North Coast Section member Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) at No. 43. The Dragons are the only NorCal program to win a CIF open championship (2015) since its first year in 2012-13.
As for Sierra Canyon, it is the two-time defending CIF Open champs and three-time defending SoCal open champs (remember, there was no CIF final last season), but this is considered as wide open a season as there has been in many years in terms of whom will finish No. 1 in the state. The Trailblazers suffered some heavy graduation losses and big men Harold Yu and Max Allen are not part of the program, but Sierra Canyon has also added some pieces to go around UCLA-bound junior guard Amari Bailey. Regardless, until someone beats Sierra Canyon on-court, it deserves to be the top-ranked California team in the FAB 50.
We'd be remiss not to mention the situation for teams in New York City and the great job the staff at Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) did to ensure games. Sure, New York won't have a state tournament but for parochial programs in the Big Apple there almost wasn't a season at all. They had approval to play outdoors, so city teams that belong to the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) asked teams in Westchester County to host games and Archbishop Stepinac stepped to the plate.
In all, there will be a total of 63 games over the next two months played at the all-boys Roman Catholic high school in Westchester County, beginning with two games on April 19. It's a tremendous undertaking by the school's administration and staff to give young men of New York an opportunity to play sanctioned games before the school year ends.
“We are excited to host the CHSAA Spring Tournament," Archbishop Stepinac head coach Patrick Massaroni told Ballislife. "This tournament will provide an opportunity for the 22 teams who opted in to play at least five games. It gives each of those kids, especially the seniors, a chance to play and compete.”
RELATED: "In The Paint" Podcast |"On The Rise" Show | The Future Of Big-Time HS Basketball | FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | How To Make A HS Version Of March Madness | Updated Mr. Basketball USA Tracker
Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
Powered by Ballislife.com
(18th poll of 2020-21 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, April 18; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Does not include results vs. out-of-season opponents; ****Indicates season not complete.)
No. | Prev. | High School (City) | Record |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) | 24-1 |
2 | 2 | Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) | 20-4 |
3 | 3 | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) | 22-3 |
4 | 4 | DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) | 9-0*** |
5 | 5 | Camden (Camden, N.J.) | 13-0 |
6 | 6 | Milton (Milton, Ga.) | 28-3 |
7 | 7 | Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis, Minn.) | 22-1 |
8 | 8 | Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) | 18-7 |
9 | 9 | Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) | 3-0 |
10 | 10 | Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) | 0-0 |
11 | 11 | Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) | 29-1 |
12 | 12 | Orlando Christian Prep (Orlando, Fla.) | 28-0 |
13 | 13 | O’Dea (Seattle, Wash.) | 0-0 |
14 | 14 | Houston (Germantown, Tenn.) | 21-3** |
15 | 15 | Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.) | 26-3 |
16 | 16 | Westlake (Austin, Texas) | 30-2 |
17 | 17 | Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) | 27-2 |
18 | 18 | Millbrook (Raleigh, N.C.) | 19-0 |
19 | 19 | Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) | 7-4 |
20 | 20 | St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) | 25-2 |
21 | 21 | Reading (Reading, Pa.) | 26-2 |
22 | 22 | St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.) | 0-0 |
23 | 23 | Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) | 21-9 |
24 | 24 | Carmel (Carmel, Ind.) | 26-2 |
25 | 25 | Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) | 24-3 |
26 | 26 | Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) | 14-1 |
27 | 27 | Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) | 19-1 |
28 | 28 | Waukee Senior (Waukee, Iowa) | 16-2 |
29 | 29 | Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 9-1** |
30 | 30 | Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) | 31-0 |
31 | 31 | Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) | 28-3 |
32 | 32 | Victory Rock Prep (Bradenton, Fla.) | 27-6 |
33 | 33 | Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) | 2-0 |
34 | 34 | Clinton (Clinton, Miss.) | 21-1 |
35 | 35 | Central Pointe Christian (Kissimmee, Fla.) | 31-7 |
36 | 36 | Grand Blanc (Grand Blanc, Mich.) | 15-2 |
37 | 37 | Berkmar (Lilburn, Ga.) | 26-6 |
38 | 38 | St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) | 15-1 |
39 | 39 | Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) | 6-0**** |
40 | 40 | Pace Academy (Atlanta, Ga.) | 28-2 |
41 | 41 | Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) | 22-1 |
42 | 42 | Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) | 24-3 |
43 | 43 | Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) | 0-0 |
44 | 44 | Kingfisher (Kingfisher, Okla.) | 25-1 |
45 | 45 | Ribet Academy (Los Angeles, Calif.) | 0-0 |
46 | 46 | Huron (Ann Arbor, Mich.) | 20-1** |
47 | 47 | Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.) | 21-1 |
48 | 48 | North Little Rock (North Little Rock, Ark.) | 21-2 |
49 | 49 | Wauwatosa East (Wausatosa, Wis.) | 23-3 |
50 | 50 | Centerville (Centerville, Ohio) | 26-3 |
Dropped Out: None.
Bubble Teams: Adams (South Bend, Ind.) 23-2; Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) 0-0; Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) 4-2****; Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, N.C.) 10-1; Atascocita (Humble, Texas) 24-3; Ballard (Louisville, Ky.) 21-3; Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) 7-2; Blue Ridge (St. George, Va.) 15-0; Bowling Green (Bowling Green, Ky.) 24-3; Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 17-7; Cannon School (Concord, N.C.) 27-5; Catalina Foothills (Tuscon, Ariz.) 19-1; Catholic Central (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 20-0; Central (Little Rock, Ark.) 23-5; Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) 22-2; Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Col.) 17-1; Christ The King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 0-0; Creighton Prep (Omaha, Neb.) 23-3; Damien (La Verne, Calif.) 15-0****; Davis (Kaysville, Utah) 22-4; Del City (Del City, Okla.) 22-4; DePaul College Prep (Chicago, Ill.) 14-2; Eagle’s Landing (McDonough, Ga.) 29-1; Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) 0-0; Edmond Memorial (Edmond, Okla.) 17-2; Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio) 20-4; Elizabethtown (Elizabethtown, Ky.) 22-3; Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 0-0; Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 0-2***; Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 22-4; Green Run (Virginia Beach, Va.) 9-1; Highlands (Ft. Thomas, Ky.) 30-4; Homestead (Ft. Wayne, Ind.) 26-1; Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 14-0; Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) 0-0; John Carroll (Bel Air, Md.) 11-5; Kell (Marietta, Ga.) 21-7; Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) 28-2; La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) 10-10; Las Cruces (Las Cruces, N.M.) 7-0****; Legacy Early College (Greenville, S.C.) 14-7; Manasquan (Manasquan, N.J.) 12-0; McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 24-5; Mentor (Mentor, Ohio) 25-1; Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) 17-5**; Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) 22-3; Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.) 25-4; Pine Crest (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) 21-1; Richardson (Richardson, Texas) 25-2; Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 12-3; Seattle Prep (Seattle, Wash.) 0-0; South Central (Winterville, N.C.) 13-0**; South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie, Texas) 21-1; Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) 21-3; Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Va.) 16-1; St. Catherine’s (Racine, Wis.) 28-1; St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 7-0****; St. Mark’s (Dallas, Texas) 7-1; St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 15-1; St. Mary’s (Pheonix, Ariz.) 20-1; St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) 19-3; Thunderidge (Highlands Ranch, Col.) 13-2; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 15-1**; Waxahachie (Waxahachie, Texas) 20-3; Westlake (Saratoga Springs, Utah) 21-4; Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 27-5; Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 15-1; Wilson (West Lawn, Pa.) 20-2.
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 21 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