IT’S ACADEMIC: No. 1 Link Academy Lions (MO) boys are Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions; GEICO Nationals title fuels high honor

BENSALEM, Pa. – The wait is over and there is no question the Link Academy Lions of Branson, Missouri are the Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions for the 2022-23 boys’ high school season.

The Lions went 27-1 but saw their star rise after winning the GEICO High School Nationals earlier this month in Fort Myers, Fla. Winning GEICO Nationals is the most prestigious event on the schoolboy calendar. There are several in-season holiday tournaments and a handful of state or conference postseason titles that approach GEICO—the California Interscholastic Federation Open Division is one—but none can surpass it.

Link is coached by first-year mentor Bill Armstrong and he had the touch to pull together a group of highly talented players from several states and foreign countries. The Lions played a national schedule mostly on the road and survived. The Lions lost once to No. 3 Montverde (Fla.) Academy in February but took that blowout loss to heart and displayed a group effort for three days at GEICO Nationals and won it all.

No. 2 Ben Davis (Indianapolis) came close to bumping up to No. 1. The Giants were only the 14th Indiana school to go unbeaten and win a state championship (Class 4A) but the strength of schedule on the national scene lacked. It’s too bad Indiana schools cannot play at major events in December and January. Hopefully that will change in the near future.

The lone newcomer to the Elite 25 rankings is No. 13 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.). The Quakers bagged their third postseason championship over the weekend in their backyard by capturing the State Champions Invitational. They also won league and state crowns. Sidwell had the hometown advantage (the school is located 3 miles from the Georgetown University campus) and No. 20 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) was shorthanded without their five-star and USC-commit Isaiah Collier, who played in the USA Basketball’s Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon. Would Collier have been the difference? Perhaps but that’s the hand dealt to the Georgia Class 7A champions and they knew it.

For the final set of Elite 25 rankings, Sidwell is the last addition. The top-11 teams remained in order from the previous week. One team went up a slot while 12 slide down. Overall, 17 Elite 25 teams won state, conference or national postseason titles. They accounted for 20 trophies as Sidwell won three and No. 16 Imhotep Institute Charter (Philadelphia) captured two.

Congratulations to all the state champions nationwide. Bravo!

Finally, 17 teams that appeared in the Elite 25 preseason rankings made it to the final one. That’s a remarkable statistic.

What a season!

That’s a wrap. The Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ preseason rankings will drop in early November.

We’d like to thank the loyal readers and those on Twitter for sharing the Elite 25 rankings. In the last 12 years, we’ve compiled rankings for Blue Star Media. Before that we did the same for USA TODAY and ESPN.com. Blue Star Media remains special.

So, the club circuit has already taken flight with shoe companies adidas, Nike and Under Armour sponsoring high powered teams, tournaments and leagues. Check back regularly at www.bluestarmedia.org for the latest doings.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 preseason football rankings will drop in early August and a few weeks later the Net 25 girls’ volleyball rankings.

We hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Boys’ Basketball Final Rankings, April 10, 2023

1. Link Academy, Branson, Mo. (27-1) % !

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: Won the GEICO High School Nationals championship and Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Championship. Great job by first-year coach Bill Armstrong.

2. Ben Davis, Indianapolis (33-0)*

Previous: 2.

Low-down: Won Class 4A state championship.

3. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (23-3)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Advanced to GEICO High School Nationals.

4. AZ Compass Prep, Chandler, Ariz. (25-5)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Advanced to the GEICO High School Nationals championship game.

5. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (23-3)*

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Won New York State Federation Class AA Tournament and advanced GEICO Nationals.

6. St. Paul VI Catholic, Chantilly, Va. (31-4)*

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Won Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I and qualified for the GEIC Nationals.

7. Duncanville, Texas (28-1)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Won the District 11-6A title but were ineligible for the UIL Class 6A state tournament.

8. Prolific Prep, Napa, Calif. (35-2)*

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Advanced to the GEICO Nationals quarterfinals and won the Grind Session World Championship.

9. Harvard-Westlake, Studio City, Calif. (33-2)*

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Won CIF Open Division state championship. The Wolverines won the nation’s top state title.

10. Sunrise Christian School, Bel Aire, Kan. (19-8)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Advanced to the GEICO Nationals semifinals.

11. John Marshall, Richmond, Va. (27-0)*

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Won the Virginia Class 2 state championship.

12. Centennial, Corona, Calif. (30-4)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: Won third straight CIF-Southern Division Open Division championship and advanced to the regional final.

13. Sidwell Friends, Washington, D.C. (29-4)** #

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Won State Champions Invitational and second straight DCSAA Class AA and league championships. Three titles in one season are boss.

14. Roselle (N.J.) Catholic (23-6)*

Previous: 12.

Low-down: Won the NJSIAA Non-Public B state championship and advanced the State Champions Invitational semifinals.

15. Camden, N.J. (23-2)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Won the Olympic National title and withdrew from the Group 2 state tournament.

16. Imhotep Institute Charter, Philadelphia (30-3)**

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Won the PIAA Class 5A state and straight Philadelphia Public League championships.

17. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (18-8)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Advanced to the GEICO Nationals semifinals.

18. Columbus, Miami (26-4)*

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Won second straight FHSAA Class 7A state championship.

19. Lake Highlands, Dallas (34-3)*

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Won UIL Class 6A state championship.

20. Wheeler, Marietta, Ga. (27-7)*

Previous: 19.

Low-down: Won Georgia Class 7A state championship and advanced to the State Champions Invitational final.

21. Metamora, Ill. (34-2)*

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Won Illinois Class 3A state championship.

22. Vashon, St. Louis (24-7)*

Previous: 21.

Low-down: Won a fourth consecutive Class 4 state championship and 14th overall.

23. Simeon, Chicago (32-4)*

Previous: 22.

Low-down: Advanced to Class 3A state final and won the Chicago Public School City Championship.

24. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (32-4)*

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Won the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Tournament. The WCAC Tournament title is one of the nation’s most coveted and respected.

25. Reading, Pa. (32-1)*

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Won PIAA Class 6A state championship.

Dropped: No. 25 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Archbishop Stepinac, White Plains, N.Y. (22-10)*
2. Lincoln Park, Midland, Pa. (30-1)*
3. Roman Catholic, Philadelphia (27-4)*
4. Mount St. Joseph, Baltimore (38-4)*
5. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (23-5)

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

Midwest

1. Cass Tech, Detroit (27-1)*
2. Moline, Ill. (35-3)*
3. De Pere, Wis. (30-0)*
4. Wayzata, Plymouth, Minn. (27-4)*
5. Archbishop Hoban, Akron, Ohio (26-3)*

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

Southland

1. Warren Central, Bowling Green, Ky. (36-1)*
2. Myers Park, Charlotte, N.C. (28-4)*
3. Kimball, Dallas (33-2)*
4. Greensboro (N.C.) Day School (30-5)*
5. Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy (29-3)*

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

Far West

1. Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks, Calif. (27-10)*
2. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (26-7)
3. Corner Canyon, Draper, Utah. (26-3)*
4. Garfield, Seattle (25-2)*
5. Perry, Gilbert, Ariz. (30-1)*

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

 ! Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions

 % GEICO High School Nationals Champions

 # State Champions Invitational Champions

 * Won state, national or conference postseason tournament championship

[Editor’s note: Each asterisk represents a separate postseason title]

About: The Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Boys Basketball Rankings are released weekly from November 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. Follow him on Twitter at @clawlor.