MONARCHS RULE: No. 1 Mater Dei (CA) claims Blue Star Media Go-To 25 boys’ basketball national championship

NEW YORK – It was a whirlwind final week of the high school season. And, that sums up the entire season. Last week, No. 2 Montverde (Fla.) Academy won its second consecutive Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament in a thrilling game Saturday in Madison Square Garden.

The entire eight-team field was composed of team in the Go-To 25 rankings. The games left an indelible impression.

It was a slam-dunk by all accounts and the championship game drew a boisterous crowd, who truly admired the play on the court. Dick’s Sporting Goods needs to be commended for its commitment to grassroots sports nationwide and Paragon Marketing—the event’s creator and management team for the past six years—knocked it out of the park. Kudos to all involved and we’ll see you again in the Big Apple in 2015.

This year the HSNT added state associations from Washington and Utah to the fold. Both states were highly impressed with the level of play on the court and with the operation and logistics of the event. If power states such as California, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Pennsylvania came abroad then in most years a true national champion would be crowned.

That wasn’t the case in the Blue Star Media Go-To 25 boys’ basketball final rankings. No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) won out and bagged the Blue Star Media National Championship. Congratulations to the Monarchs and their coach Gary McKnight. The Monarchs went 35-0! It was their first undefeated season in 29 years; great stuff from the Far West Region. McKnight was feted last week in Chicago as the Morgan Wootten Lifetime Achievement Award. The ceremony was a focal point of the McDonald’s All American Game, where Mater Dei’s superstar, Stanley Johnson, was a key player for the West squad.

Most other national ranking services have Montverde Academy as it No. 1 team. However, the Eagles did not do enough to leapfrog the undefeated Monarchs. Montverde did lose a game to Curie (Chicago) in the regular season but was later awarded a forfeit win. That’s an asterisk, period! Having seen that game live, it was apparent that Curie was clearly the better team.

And, so is Mater Dei.

There’s only one new addition to the Go-To 25 rankings, No. 23 St. Joseph (Metuchen, N.J.). The Cadets had a disappointing regular season—zero quality wins—but rolled in the postseason, capped by winning the New Jersey State Tournament of Champions.

Well, I’ll be headed this weekend to the Nike Hoop Summitt Game in Portland, Ore., followed by the Jordan Brand Classic on April 18 in Brooklyn, N.Y. After that it’s time to hit the summer circuit. Check back periodically to www.bluestarmedia.org for updates. Our staff will be busy between now and the end of July.

It was a great ride and we’ll have the 2014-15 Blue Media Go-To 25 preseason rankings sometime in mid-November. Don’t forget to check out the preseason football rankings in August. It was an honor to present the rankings each week and thanks to all the loyal readers for clicking in. Our numbers are growing and that means we are gaining traction.

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

Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Final Boys Basketball Rankings, April 7, 2014

1. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (35-0)*

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: Won CIF Open Division championship, beating Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland), 71-61. Arizona-bound Stanley Johnson became the first California player to win four upper-division state titles. The Monarchs bagged their 11^th state title under coach Gary McKnight and completed their first undefeated season since 1985.

2. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (28-0)** ***

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Won second straight Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament, defeating then-No. 7 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 71-62. LSU-bound junior Ben Simmons was named MVP.

3. Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va. (41-4)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Advanced to the championship game of the Dick’s Sporting High School National Tournament, falling to then-No. 3 Montverde (Fla.) Academy, 71-62.

4. Huntington (W.Va.) Prep (28-5)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Advanced to the semifinals of the Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament, losing to then-No. 3 Montverde (Fla.) Academy, 56-51.

5. Rainier Beach, Seattle (29-1)*

Previous: 2.

Low-down: Won second straight Class 3A state championship. Lost in Dick’s Sporting Good High School National Tournament quarterfinals, falling to then-No. 11 Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 67-59.

6. La Lumiere School, La Porte, Ind. (23-3)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Advanced to Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament quarterfinals before falling on a buzzer beating 3-pointer to then-No. 6 Huntington (W.Va.), 65-63. The Lakers return Division I-bound starters.

7. Our Savior New American, Centereach, N.Y. (28-3)*

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Won second straight USA National Prep Championships and the National Association of Christian Athletes Division I title. The Pioneers will return a loaded squad.

8. Arsenal Tech, Indianapolis (27-2)*

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Won Class 4A state championship, beating Lake Central, 63-59. Kentucky-bound Trey Lyles, a McDonald’s All American, concluded his prep career with 16 points and 12 rebounds. The Titans became the first Indianapolis Public Schools squad to claim a state title since 1980. Jason Delaney became the seventh coach to lead two Indiana schools to state crowns.

9. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (30-3)*

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Won Division I state championship for a fifth time in six years.

10. Findlay Prep, Henderson, Nev. (31-5)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: The Pilots advanced to Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament semifinals, losing to then-No. 7 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 64-56.

11. Northside Christian Academy, Charlotte, N.C. (28-2)*

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Won Class 2A Independent state championship. Lost in quarterfinals of Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament, dropping to then-No. 7 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 69-60.

12. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (31-6)*

Previous: 12.

Low-down: Won Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament and the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Tournament titles.

14. Corona del Sol, Tempe, Ariz. (33-1)*

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Won third consecutive Division I state championship.

15. Arlington Country Day, Jacksonville, Fla. (30-5)*

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Won the SIAA state championship.

16. North Shore, Galena Park, Texas (35-3)*

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Won Class 5A state championship.

17. Sagemont, Weston, Fla. (33-1)*

Previous: 13.

Low-down: Won Class 3A state championship and lost in Dick’s Nationals quarterfinals by 18 points to then-No. 3 Montverde (Fla.) Academy.

17. Orlando (Fla.) Christian Prep (30-1)*

Previous: 17.

Low-down: Won Class 2A state championship for the program’s fifth title in the last seven years.

18. St. Edward, Lakewood, Ohio (26-2)*

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Won Division I state championship, the Eagles’ second title and first since 1998.

19. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (27-4)*

Previous: 19.

Low-down: Won Class AAA state championship. The Saints, who have four titles in five years, carry a 17-game win streak into next season.

20. Callaway, Jackson, Miss. (32-1)*

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Won Class 5A state championship. The Chargers have won three straight state titles and seven overall.

21. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (25-6)*

Previous: 21.

Low-down: Won second-straight New York State Federation Class AA final, beating Long Island Lutheran (Brookville), 58-52. It was the program’s fourth Fed title and third under coach Joe Arbitello. Also captured the New York Catholic High School Athletic Association AA championship.

22. Whitney Young, Chicago (29-5)*

Previous: 22.

Low-down: Won Class 4A state championship. It’s the program’s third overall title and first since 2009.

23. St. Joseph, Metuchen, N.J. (30-2)*

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Won New Jersey State Tournament of Champions and Non-Public A crowns.

24. Lincoln, Brooklyn, N.Y. (26-4)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: The Brooklyn Borough champions advanced to the New York PSAL AA semifinals.

25. Jefferson, Portland, Ore. (26-1)*

Previous: 25.

Low-down: Won their second straight Class 5A state championship. The Democrats rolled to their fifth title in seven years.

Dropped: No. 23 Converse (Texas) Judson.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. New Castle, Pa. (31-0)*

2. Potomac, Dumfries, Va. (28-1)*

3. East Side, Newark, N.J. (30-2)*

4. Cardozo, Oakland Gardens, N.Y. (30-3)*

5. Mount St. Joseph, Baltimore (34-5)*

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

Midlands

1. Muskegon, Mich. (28-0)*

2. Stevenson, Lincolnshire, Ill. (32-2)

3. Germantown, Wis. (26-2)*

4. De La Salle, Minneapolis (26-3)*

5. West, Iowa City, Iowa (23-3)*

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

South

1. Prime Prep, Dallas (22-6)                                               

2. Greater Atlanta Christian, Norcross, Ga. (32-0)*

3. Covington (Ky.) Catholic (33-2)*

4. Norland, Miami (27-5)*

5. Natchitoches (La.) Central (31-3)*

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

Far West

1. Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland, Calif. (28-5)

2. Monte Vista, Danville, Calif. (32-1)*

3. Etiwanda, Calif. (27-5)

4. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (29-4)

5. Chino Hills, Calif. (29-5)

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

* Won state, national or postseason conference tournament championship

** Includes forfeit wins

*** Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament champions

About: The Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Boys High School Rankings are released weekly from September 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.