Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Boys Basketball rankings; shakeup brings six new teams

BENSALEM, Pa. – Here’s the latest Blue Star Media Go-To 25 boys’ basketball rankings. Six new teams enter the rankings, with most making waves during the holiday tournament schedule.

The next rankings will appear on January 13.

In the meantime, we hope to see you at a game soon. A Happy New Year to our loyal readership base. The numbers are jumping! – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Boys Basketball Rankings

1. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (14-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: The Eagles won the Wild Wings Cafe Hoop Classic and City of Palms Classic over the holidays. Coach Kevin Boyles’ team is firing on all cylinders, playing the nation’s most challenging schedule. Australian Ben Simmons was MVP of the Wild Wings event.

2. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (14-0)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Won the Tarkanian Classic and Orange Holiday Classic over the holidays. Next up is Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) on Jan. 8 as Trinity League action heats up.

3. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (8-1)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: The Panthers finished to top-ranked Montverde Academy at City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla.

4. White Station, Memphis, Tenn. (9-0)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Won Iolani Classic in Honolulu, defeating Westchester (Los Angeles), 65-41, in final. The Spartans are off until Jan. 7 when they play Overton (Memphis) in district play.

5. Our Savior New American, Centereach, N.Y. (11-0)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: The Pioneers have quality wins over Prime Prep (Fort Worth, Texas), St. Maria Goretti (Hagerstown, Md.) and Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.). At 6-9, junior Cheick Diallo’s stock continues to go through the roof.

6. Rainier Beach, Seattle (8-0)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Won Les Schwab Invitational in Hillsboro, Ore., crushing Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 95-67, in final.

7. Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va. (19-1)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Won the Chick-fil-A Classic in Columbia, S.C., beating Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.), 70-61 in overtime in final. The Warriors are back in action on Jan. 10 against Mount Zion Academy (Durham, N.C.).

8. Sunrise Christian Academy, Bel Aire, Kan. (6-1)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: The Buffaloes won twice at the City of Palms in the Sunshine State Challenge series.

9. Curie, Chicago (10-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Won Pontiac (Ill.) Holiday Tournament, beating Simeon (Chicago), 62-59, in final. All-American C Cliff Alexander was named MVP after recording 16 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks in the title game.

10. Northside Christian Academy, Charlotte, N.C. (11-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: The Knights gave top-ranked Montverde Academy all it could handle in the Wild Wings Classic final but saw their win streak halted at 22 games. Coach Byron Dinkins’ squad boasts four Division I recruits and have won two straight North Carolina independent schools’ 2A state titles.

11. Providence Christian, Jacksonville, Fla. (10-3)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Duke-recruit and MVP Grayson Allen wowed ‘em at the City of Palms Classic in Florida and Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina. Allen scored 26 points in a 69-43 win over Northland (Columbus, Ohio) in BBC final.

12. Converse (Texas) Judson (19-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: The Rockets captured two tournament titles in December. Now the 12-game game district schedule tips off on Jan. 3.

13. St. Benedict’s Prep, Newark, N.J. (8-2)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Finished second at a tournament in Puerto Rico. On Jan. 5, the Gray Bees play Trenton Catholic (Hamilton Township).

14. St. John’s, Washington, D.C. (9-1)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: The Cadets only loss was by 20 points to No. 3 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) in league play. The rematch is Jan. 22.

15. La Lumiere School, La Porte, Ind. (13-1)

Previous: 19.

Low-down: The Lakers lone loss is to No. 8 Sunrise Christian (Bel Aire, Kan.) by 23 points in November. Coach Alan Huss’ team plays Arsenal Tech (Indianapolis) on New Year’s Day.

16. Lincoln, Brooklyn, N.Y. (8-3)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: The Railsplitters gave No. 1 Montverde Academy a good game, 74-70, at the City of Palms Classic, taking third place, and now shift their focus to a New York PSAL AA title. Went 1-2 at the Wild Wings Café Classic in Charlotte, N.C.

17. Wheeler, Marietta, Ga. (9-2)

Previous: 21.

Low-down: Finished fourth at the City of Palms Classic, losing to No. 3 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 62-46, in semifinals.

18. Prime Prep, Fort Worth, Texas (10-2)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Emanuel Mudiay, an SMU recruit, is the nation’s top point guard, but even he can’t get it done alone in big games. A key win over No. 23 Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) keeps Prime Prep in the national rankings.

19. Roselle (N.J.) Catholic (3-0)

Previous: 23.

Low-down: The schedule picks up in January and that’s just in time for transfer G Isaiah Briscoe to become eligible.

20. Archbishop Carroll, Radnor, Pa. (7-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Finished second at the Chick-fil-A Classic in Columbia, S.C.

21. Loyola, Los Angeles (12-0)

Previous: Not ranked

Low-down: Went 4-0 to capture Under Armour Holiday Classic title in San Diego, Calif. Previously won the Beverly Hills Tournament in mid December.

22. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (6-2)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: The South Philadelphia school went 2-2 at the City of Palms Classic and play No. 20 Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.) in a Philadelphia Catholic League showdown on Jan. 2.

23. Findlay Prep, Henderson, Nev. (16-3)

Previous: 2.

Low-down: The Pilots have too much talent to have lost back-to-back games at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas before Christmas.

24. Arlington Country Day, Jacksonville, Fla. (12-3)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: The Apaches placed third at the Chick-fil-A Classic in South Carolina and lost a local game to Providence Christian (Jacksonville) by 19 points last month.

25. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (9-4)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: The Gaels took second at the Les Schwab Invitational in Oregon.

Dropped: No. 7 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.); No. 8 Whitney Young (Chicago); No. 10 St. Rita (Chicago); No. 13 Huntington (W.Va.) Prep; No. 20 Plano (Texas) West; No. 25 Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Cardinal Hayes, Bronx, N.Y. (7-0)

2. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (6-1)

3. Bishop Loughlin, Brooklyn, N.Y. (6-2)

4. St. Joseph, Metuchen, N.J. (4-0)

5. Benedictine, Richmond, Va. (12-1)

Geography: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.

Midlands

1. Stevenson, Lincolnshire, Ill. (13-0)

2. Arsenal Tech, Indianapolis (8-1)

3. Germantown, Wis. (11-0)

4. Marian Catholic, Chicago Heights, Ill. (10-1)

5. Whitney Young, Chicago (7-4)

Geography: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

South

1. Sagemont, Weston, Fla. (17-0)

2. Orlando (Fla.) Christian Prep (14-0)

3. Scotlandville, Baton Rouge, La. (18-1)

4. Norcross, Ga. (10-4)

5. DeSoto, Texas (14-3)

Geography: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Far West

1. Corona del Sol, Tempe, Ariz. (11-0)

2. Bishop Montgomery, Torrance, Calif. (13-1)

3. Redondo Union, Redondo Beach, Calif. (11-3)

4. Etiwanda, Calif. (12-2)

5. Lone Peak, Highland, Utah (6-2)

Geography: Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Records through Dec. 31, 2013

About: The Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Boys High School Rankings are released weekly from November until the conclusion of the high school season. Criteria considered are the quality of the team and its players, strength of schedule, tradition, and quality of the team’s league, conference, region or district. The rankings are compiled by Blue Star Media’s Christopher Lawlor, who consults with a national network of coaches, talent evaluators and prep sports writers. The final rankings will be released April 7, 2014. Follow him on Twitter at #clawlor.