INSTANT CLASSIC: No. 1 Columbus Explorers (FL) claim City of Palms Classic title, ascending atop Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ basketball rankings

BENSALEM, Pa. – It figures the City of Palms Classic, the nation’s premier boys’ basketball tournament, impacted the pre-Christmas Blue Star Media Elite 25 rankings.

Whenever the tournament unveils the star-studded field, it’s tacitly understood at least eight teams will find their way into the Elite 25 preseason lineup.

Normally, the Elite 25 boys’ rankings are released early Monday but we held out until the COPC title game was played. There’s a statistic floating that 20% of NBA players have participated in the City of Palms in Fort Myers, Fla.

It was no different this year as the tournament final had a memorable finish between the nation’s top-2 teams (they could meet again at the CHIPOTLE Nationals in Fishers, Indiana in April).

In the final, two Florida powerhouses settled the score with No. 1Columbus (Miami) edging No. 2 Montverde Academy, 59-57, in the final at Florida SouthWestern State’s Suncoast Credit Union Arena on Monday, Dec. 23.

The Eagles nearly pulled it out in the waning seconds but a missed free throw that would have tied it at 54 was short. The Explorers made 3 of 4 free throws in the last 11.3 seconds for a 59-54 lead before Montverde’s Dante Allen drilled a three-point field goal at the horn for the final points.

Kudos to COPC tournament director Donnie Wilkie for assembling another powerful field and attracting huge crowds. We’re looking forward to learning about the 2025 field.

With the City of Palms the gold standard, Iolani Classic in Honolulu and the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas also helped shape the latest Elite 25 rankings with meaningful games.

This week, three remained the same; 10 teams ascended the rankings, including a plus-16 for No. 8 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.); and nine dropped, with No. 21 Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) slipping 15 spots. At this juncture of the season, crazy movement is the norm and there are three newcomers, with two from the Midwest.

No. 16 Kenwood (Chicago), No. 19 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) and No. 23 Fishers (Ind.) are the additions. Wheeler went 3-1 at the Iolani Classic and took fifth place, a highly respectable finish for one of Georgia’s all-time great programs. Undefeated Kenwood is the Windy City’s top-ranked team and has four tournament games this week in Rich Township at the Big Dipper. Fishers (7-0), Indiana’s top-ranked Class 4A squad, will play two games on Saturday at the prestigious Henry Community Health Hall of Fame Classic in New Castle.

The post-Christmas bonanza of tournaments or events stretch coast to coast with Oregon, Tennessee, New York City, New Jersey, Illinois, California, South Carolina, Maryland, Texas and Florida hosting top-shelf talent and busting brackets.

Change is inevitable and presents opportunities and national recognition when the next set of the Elite 25 rankings drop next week.

Okay, that’s it for the third week of December. The Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ basketball rankings return on Tuesday, Dec. 31.

If you celebrate Christmas, a very Merry Christmas to you! If you celebrate Hanukkah, have a wonderful and Happy Hanukkah! If you recognize Kwanzaa, then have a Happy Kwanzaa filled with family and community!

Bye for now.

Hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Boys’ Basketball Rankings, Dec. 23, 2024

1. Columbus, Miami (12-1)

Previous rank: 3.

The Lowdown: Won the City of Palms Classic championship in Fort Myers, Fla., defeating No. 2 Montverde (Fla.) Academy, 59-57, in the final. Duke-bound Cameron Boozer scored 14 points and two clutch free throws with 3.8 seconds left to ice it; Jaxon Richardson had a game-high 18 points and junior forward Caleb Gaskins added 13. In the semifinals, the Explorers defeated No. 9 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 77-71. They beat three Elite 25 teams at the event.

2. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (8-2)

Previous: 2.

The Lowdown: Lost in the City of Palms Classic final to No. 1 Columbus (Miami), 59-57. Creighton-bound Hudson Greer bucketed 18 points. The Eagles stopped Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.), 83-74, in the semifinals.

3. Gonzaga, Washington, D.C. (6-1)

Previous: 5.

The Lowdown: Defeated Good Counsel (Wheaton, Md.), 95-52, in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference play. The Purple Eagles are off to the Les Schwab Invitational this week in Oregon, seeking a second in-season title after annexing the Gonzaga D.C. Classic earlier this month.

4. Link Academy, Branson, Mo. (9-2)

Previous: 1.

The Lowdown: The Lions defeated ABC Prep (Albuquerque, N.M.), 78-60 at Tarkanian Classic Prep Division. Chris Cenac Jr. scored 20 points on 9 of 11 shooting and cleared six rebounds. The Lions suffered losses to Elite 25 teams Utah Prep and Dynamic Prep. Up next is a showdown with No. 1 Columbus (Miami) on Sunday at the Jumpman Classic in New York City.

5. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (11-0)

Previous: 18.

The Lowdown: The Braves defeated Orange Lutheran, 72-48, in the Trinity League opener. Up next is the prestigious Classic at Damien later this week to cap off a stellar month.

6. Roosevelt, Eastvale, Calif. (11-1)

Previous: 10.

The Lowdown: Won the Tarkanian Classic Platinum Division championship, defeating No. 8 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), 76-58, in the final. Brayden Burries was named the Most Valuable Player and teammates Myles Walker and Isaac Williamson were added to the all-tournament team.

7. Utah Prep Academy, Hurricane, Utah (13-4)

Previous: 11.

The Lowdown: Won the Iolani Classic in Honolulu, defeating No. 11 Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.), 45-43, in the final. UP rallied from nine points in the second half. BYU-bound A.J. Dybantsa scored 23 points on 7 of 16 shooting in the final and was tabbed Most Valuable Player. He tallied 81 points in four games.

8. Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks, Calif. (12-1)

Previous: 24.

The Lowdown: Lost in the Platinum Division championship game of the Tarkanian Classic, losing to No. 6 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.), 76-58.

9. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (9-3)

Previous: 4.

The Lowdown: At the City of Palms Classic, the Ascenders defeated Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.), 84-54, the third-place consolation game. Arkansas-bound PG Darius Acuff Jr. put up 28 points and 7 assists. For the tournament, he averaged 31.0 points and shot 52% from the floor. The Ascenders were up 50-22 at halftime. Lost to then-No. 3 Columbus (Miami), 77-71, in the semifinals.

10. Dynamic Prep School, Irving, Texas (16-3)

Previous: 8.

The Lowdown: Won the City of Palms Classic Signature Series championship, defeating Bullis School (Potomac, Md.), 87-65, in the final. Leroy Kelly IV scored 19 points and Jermaine O’Neal Jr. and Jaden Toombs each had 18.

11. Brewster Academy, Wolfeboro, N.H. (11-2)

Previous: 17.

The Lowdown: Placed second at the Iolani Classic, dropping to No. 7 Utah Prep (Hurricane, Utah), 45-43, in the final in Honolulu. Ebuka Okorie (Stanford recruit) and Killyan Toure (Iowa State) scored 10 points apiece and were named all-tournament. Okorie was the Most Outstanding Player. The Bobcats could have won it but a last-second 3-pointer caromed off the iron.

12. The Patrick School, Hackettstown, N.J. (8-2)

Previous: 9.

The Lowdown: Swept two games by lopsided scores at the Brick City Showdown in Newark. The Celtics have a busy week ahead with New Jersey powers Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey), Life Center Academy (Burlington) and Hudson Catholic (Jersey City).

13. Prolific Prep, Napa, Calif. (14-3)

Previous: 12.

The Lowdown: The Crew gets going after Christmas at the Grind Session in Hilo, Hawaii beginning on Friday.

14. Harvard-Westlake, Studio City, Calif. (12-1)

Previous: 14.

Lowdown: Defeated JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano), 65-50, in the Cathedral Winter Showcase. Also beat Fairfax (Los Angeles), 74-33, as Joe Sterling dropped in 21 points and Cole Holden added 14 for the Wolverines. Up next are three games at the Desert Holiday Classic in Rancho Mirage, tipping on Thursday.

15. Perry, Gilbert, Ariz. (11-0)

Previous: 23.

The Lowdown: Arizona’s top-ranked team is unbeaten heading into Christmas. The Pumas won’t play again until Jan. 2 in the Nike Tournament of Champions.

16. Kenwood, Chicago (10-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Lowdown: Chicagoland’s top-ranked team enters the Elite 25 and will participate in the Big Dipper in Rich Township (Ill.) for four days, tipping with Thornton (Harvey) on Thursday afternoon. The final is Sunday.

17. San Antonio (Texas) Brennan (13-2)

Previous: 15.

The Lowdown: Texas’ top-ranked Class 6A team dropped two games against Washington Catholic Athletic Conference teams but rallied to win twice before playing Chisholm Trail (Fort Worth) in the first round of the Chisholm Trail Tournament.

18. Grayson, Loganville, Ga. (11-1)

Previous: 19.

The Lowdown: In the City of Palms Classic in Florida fifth-place final, the Rams defeated  No. 20 Owasso (Okla.), 61-50. Caleb Holt and Jacob Wilkins flipped in 16 points apiece. Also stopped Millenium (Goodyear, Ariz.), 85-68, in the fifth-place semifinal. The Rams saw their win streak stopped at 25 games, spanning two seasons in an 85-48 loss to No. skgh Columbus (Miami) in the quarterfinals.

19. Wheeler, Marietta, Ga. (10-3)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Lowdown: The Wildcats crash the Elite 25 party after going 3-1 at the Iolani Classic in Honolulu. In the fifth-place game, they stopped Imhotep Institute Charter (Philadelphia), 65-58.

20. Owasso, Okla. (4-3)

Previous:

The Lowdown: Advanced to the City of Palms fifth-place final, losing to No. 18 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), 61-50. The Rams stay in the Elite 25 after a solid showing in Fort Myers, Fla., but the margin for error the rest of the way is zero.

21. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (5-4)

Previous: 6.

The Lowdown: In the City of Palms Classic consolation championship, the Crusaders defeated Faith Family Academy (Dallas), 54-40. The defense squeezed the Texans, limiting them to 17 of 57 shooting (29.8%). Dylan Mingo netted 16 points and dished off 4 assists. Coach John Buck’s team will have their hands full Saturday with top-ranked Columbus (Miami) but at least the game is in New York City.

22. Sunrise Christian Academy, Bel Aire, Kan. (8-2)

Previous: 22.

The Lowdown: The Buffaloes are off until two games next month at the EYBL Scholastic La Porte Invitational in Indiana.

23. Fishers, Ind. (7-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Lowdown: Indiana’s top-ranked team slides into the Elite 25. Up next is the Henry Community Health Hall of Fame Classic in New Castle on Saturday with a semifinal matchup vs. Warsaw in the morning and a third-place consolation or final later that day.

24. St. Paul VI Catholic, Chantilly, Va. (6-3)

Previous: 16.

The Lowdown: The Panthers split two games at the Iolani Classic in Honolulu.

25. Archbishop Stepinac, White Plains, N.Y. (4-2)

Previous: 20.

The Lowdown: After winning the Hoopfest in Paradise in the Bahamas earlier last week, the Crusaders defeated Scarsdale, 91-58, at the William F. Plunkett Jr. Christmas Classic in White Plains. Hassan Koureissi contributed 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Darius Ratliff posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

 Dropped out: No. 7 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.); No. 13 La Lumiere School (La Porte, Ind.); and No. 25 Roman Catholic (Philadelphia).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Sidwell Friends, Washington, D.C. (5-2)
2. Bergen Catholic, Oradell, N. J. (3-0)
3. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (9-1)
4. Imhotep Institute Charter, Philadelphia (6-3)
5. Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va. (13-3)

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

Midwest

1. La Lumiere School, La Porte, Ind. (8-4)
2. DePaul Prep, Chicago (10-1)
3. Lawrence North, Indianapolis (5-1)
4. Milwaukee (Wis.) Academy of Science (7-0)
5. Cretin-Derham Hall, St. Paul, Minn. (6-0)

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

Southland

1. Hoover, Ala. (15-0)
2. Reidsville, N.C. (5-0)
3. Allen, Texas (14-1)
4. Shadow Creek, Pearland, Texas (15-1)
5. Huntsville, Ala. (15-0)

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

Far West

1. St. Joseph, Santa Maria, Calif. (9-0)
2. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (9-2)
3. Redondo Union, Redondo Beach, Calif. (10-1)
4. Veritas Academy, Santa Fe Springs, Calif. (7-5)
5. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (9-2)

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

Records through Monday

About: The Blue Star Media Elite 25 Boys’ High School Basketball Rankings are released weekly from December until the conclusion of the high school season in April. 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 at the conclusion of the season. Follow him on X at @clawlor.