Results in California and New York create movement in latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com. Results cause the next team up in The Big Apple to move in and the second best team in Minnesota. For the second consecutive season, the CIF will not host state championships in California.
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 | Final Midwest Region Top 20 | Final Southeast Region Top 20
What happens off the court sometimes affects the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com. Off-the-court news may not be as important as the actual results of games, but it can still affect what happens down the line and the strategy in setting up the final rankings.
That was the case last week when the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) announced the re-instatement of regional championships in Southern California only. The state is broken into 10 sections with their own individual playoffs. The teams then are selected for the regional playoffs. This year, with only two of the six Northern California sections offering playoffs, NorCal will not have regional championships.
For the second consecutive year, there won't be any CIF state championships. The section playoff around California will conclude on June 12 and the CIF regional championships will be complete by June 19.
Last season, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), currently No. 10 in the FAB 50 and now up to 5-0 on its season, won the SoCal open division title, but the very next day the sports world shut down and the CIF state championships were never played. The NorCal open title game was never played because of a COVID-19-related delay in the regional bracket.
Sierra Canyon is the last team to win the CIF state title in 2018-19 and will go into 2021-22 as the defending CIF state champs.
The announcement that the CIF will not host NorCal regionals definitely affects the FAB 50 for teams from that region. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), which made last year's NorCal open title game and is the only program from the region to win the CIF open crown (in 2015), plays in a section (CIF North Coast) that won't have a post-season. That affects its chances to play quality post-season competition and potentially play a ranked SoCal power in the CIF open title game.
It doesn't just hurt O'Dowd, it hurts any elite Northern California team and that pool of teams in smaller than its Southern California counterparts. COVID-19 is also affecting the region and potentially the ranking of its teams.
Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), from the CIF Central Coast Section, had a game scheduled with Dublin (Calif.) last week that was cancelled because of COVID-19 protocols. So Mitty and O'Dowd quickly scheduled a game last week and it just happened to be a matchup of the two highest-ranked teams in Northern California at the time. With no regional playoffs, it was a big game (even though still relatively early in the season). Then No. 42 O'Dowd lost 58-54 and dropped out of the rankings.
Mitty, which was on the FAB bubble last week, got a big performance from Zach Granberry (a UC Santa Cruz commit) with 19 points to pull out a sloppily played game. The Monarchs would have moved into the FBA 50 this week had not lost later in the week, 51-49, to talented Capital Christian (Sacramento, Calif.), which came into the season as the No. 1 team from the massive CIF Sac Joaquin Section.
The next team in line for the rankings from NorCal, Riordan (San Francisco, Calif.), Mitty's West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) rival, also lost. Without regional playoffs (and in the case of O'Dowd no sectionals), it will be much harder for those teams to rebound later and have a chance to jump in the FAB 50. The potential teams that usually await in the post-season simply won't be there this season.
Mitty's stumble created an opportunity for Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) Class 4A state champ Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.). The Trojans, which won their first state title since 1959, break into the rankings at No. 50. Wayzata split games with state power Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) with its only other loss coming against FAB 50 No. 7 Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis, Minn.) by seven points (70-63).
In the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) Spring Tournament, previous No. 26 St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.) dropped its first game and dropped out of the FAB 50. The new team checking in at No. 45 is Monsignor Scanlan (Bronx, N.Y.). The Crusaders are trying to prove they are the best team in the CHSAA and are currently tied for first place in the Kevin Pigott Division of the tournament with FAB 50 bubble club and host Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.).
Scanlan and Stepinac are scheduled to lock horns on May 6.
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 | Final Midwest Region Top 20 | Final Southeast Region Top 20
Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
Powered by Ballislife.com
(20th poll of 2020-21 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, May 2; *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.) | 5-0**** |
| 11 | 11 | Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) | 29-1 |
| 12 | 12 | Orlando Christian Prep (Orlando, Fla.) | 28-0 |
| 13 | 13 | Houston (Germantown, Tenn.) | 21-3** |
| 14 | 14 | Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.) | 26-3 |
| 15 | 15 | Westlake (Austin, Texas) | 30-2 |
| 16 | 16 | Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) | 27-2 |
| 17 | 17 | Millbrook (Raleigh, N.C.) | 19-0 |
| 18 | 18 | Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) | 7-4 |
| 19 | 19 | St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) | 25-2 |
| 20 | 20 | Reading (Reading, Pa.) | 26-2 |
| 21 | 21 | Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) | 14-1 |
| 22 | 22 | Carmel (Carmel, Ind.) | 26-2 |
| 23 | 23 | Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) | 21-9 |
| 24 | 24 | Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) | 24-3 |
| 25 | 25 | Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) | 19-1 |
| 26 | 27 | Waukee Senior (Waukee, Iowa) | 16-2 |
| 27 | 28 | Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 9-1** |
| 28 | 29 | Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) | 31-0 |
| 29 | 30 | Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) | 28-3 |
| 30 | 31 | Victory Rock Prep (Bradenton, Fla.) | 27-6 |
| 31 | 32 | Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) | 2-0 |
| 32 | 33 | Clinton (Clinton, Miss.) | 21-1 |
| 33 | 36 | Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) | 15-0**** |
| 34 | 34 | Central Pointe Christian (Kissimmee, Fla.) | 31-7 |
| 35 | 35 | Grand Blanc (Grand Blanc, Mich.) | 15-2 |
| 36 | 37 | Berkmar (Lilburn, Ga.) | 26-6 |
| 37 | 38 | St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) | 15-1*** |
| 38 | 39 | Pace Academy (Atlanta, Ga.) | 28-2 |
| 39 | 40 | Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) | 22-1 |
| 40 | 41 | Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) | 24-3 |
| 41 | 46 | Manasquan (Manasquan, N.J.) | 12-0 |
| 42 | 43 | Kingfisher (Kingfisher, Okla.) | 25-1 |
| 43 | 44 | Huron (Ann Arbor, Mich.) | 20-1** |
| 44 | 45 | Ribet Academy (Los Angeles, Calif.) | 1-0**** |
| 45 | NR | Monsignor Scanlan (Bronx, N.Y.) | 2-0**** |
| 46 | 47 | Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.) | 21-1 |
| 47 | 48 | North Little Rock (North Little Rock, Ark.) | 21-2 |
| 48 | 49 | Wauwatosa East (Wausatosa, Wis.) | 23-3 |
| 49 | 50 | Centerville (Centerville, Ohio) | 26-3 |
| 50 | NR | Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) | 19-2 |
Dropped Out: Previous No. 26 St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.), No. 42 Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, Calif.).
Bubble Teams: Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) 6-2****; Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, N.C.) 10-1; Atascocita (Humble, Texas) 24-3; Blue Ridge (St. George, Va.) 15-0; Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 17-7; 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; Creighton Prep (Omaha, Neb.) 23-3; Davis (Kaysville, Utah) 22-4; Del City (Del City, Okla.) 22-4; DePaul College Prep (Chicago, Ill.) 14-2; Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) 0-0; Edmond Memorial (Edmond, Okla.) 17-2; Elizabethtown (Elizabethtown, Ky.) 22-3; Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 0-0; Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 0-2***; Green Run (Virginia Beach, Va.) 9-1; Highlands (Ft. Thomas, Ky.) 30-4; Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 14-0; Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) 0-0; John Carroll (Bel Air, Md.) 11-5; Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) 28-2; La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) 10-10; Las Cruces (Las Cruces, N.M.) 12-0****; Mentor (Mentor, Ohio) 25-1; Richardson (Richardson, Texas) 25-2; Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 12-3; Seattle Prep (Seattle, Wash.) 0-0; 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. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 15-1; St. Mary’s (Pheonix, Ariz.) 20-1; 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