No. 1 Spire Academy (OH) highlights Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ basketball rankings with weekend dates at Metro Classic in New Jersey

BENSALEM, Pa. – Another crazy weekend is in the books for the Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ basketball rankings.

Mostly, the country experienced heavy snowfall totals and a blast of Arctic air enveloping the northern states and it impacted several events with cancellations dotting the scheduled events in the Northeast and Midwest.

But there were games aplenty played and the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks advanced to Super Bowl LX (60^th) on Sunday, Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California. OK, that’s enough of the gridiron.

Let’s unpack the latest edition of the Elite 25 rankings.

So, we have two teams returning in No. 21 Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.) and No. 25 Wasatch Academy (Mount Pleasant, Utah). Benet is Illinois’ defending Class 4A champions and currently ranked No. 1 in 4A. Wasatch is on a burner in the Nike EYBL Scholastic and moves back into the Elite 25 after a lopsided win over No. 12 CIA Bella Vista Prep (Phoenix) and this weekend they have another challenge at the Western Maryland Classic.

Nine teams were static this week and 11 moved up but only a position or two. Meanwhile, three dipped with one going down by six slots. The scrutiny will only intensify as the calendar flips to the month February. Suddenly, there will be no more margin for error.

And just when you think the major events are over and state postseasons are up next, guess again. This weekend we have events from New Jersey to Maryland to Florida.

Metro Classic

We’ll give the nod of the weekend to the Metro Classic which runs Thursday through Saturday on the campus of Stockton University in Galloway, New Jersey near Atlantic City. Get your tickets here.

There are 21 boys and girls games slated for the Sports Center. In some cases, two court will be utilized.

Thursday (All times Eastern)

3 p.m.: St. Thomas More (Oakdale, Conn.) vs. Penn Charter (Philadelphia)

4:30 p.m. Scotch Plains Fanwood (N.J.) vs. Plainfield (N.J.)

5:45 p.m.: Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, N.J.) vs. Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.)

7 p.m. No. 1 Spire Academy (Geneva, Ohio) vs, Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.)

8:15 p.m.: Hudson Catholic (Jersey City) vs. Spire International (Ohio)

Friday

 3 p.m.: No. 6 Westtown School girls (West Chester, Pa.) vs. No. 7 DME Academy (Fla.)

3 p.m.: Paramus Catholic (N.J.) vs. Gill St. Bernard (Gladstone, N.J.)

4:15 p.m.: Hill School (Pa.) vs. Spire International

5:45 p.m.: Crestwood Prep (Canada) vs. St. Joseph’s (Metuchen, N.J.)

7:15 p.m.: College Achieve (Asbury Park, N.J.) vs. Spire Academy

8:30 p.m.: Hudson Catholic vs. Jackson (N.J.)

8:45 p.m.: St. Thomas More vs. Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.)

Saturday

 12 p.m.: Blair Academy girls vs. Westtown School

12 p.m.: Point Pleasant Boro (M.J.) vs. Rahway (N.J.)

1:15 p.m.: Paramus Catholic vs. College Achieve

1:15 p.m.: DME Academy (Daytona Beach) girls vs. Grace Christian (Sanford, N.C.)

2:30 p.m.: Spire International vs. Gill St. Bernard

3:45 p.m.: Middle Township (N.J.) vs. Christian Brothers Academy (Lincroft, N.J.)

5 p.m.: Atlantic City vs. Roselle (N.J.) Catholic

6:15 p.m.: Crestwood vs. Blair Academy

7:30 p.m.: Spire Academy vs. Linden (N.J.)

8:45 p.m.: Union Catholic (Scotch Plains, N.J.) vs. Plainfield

8:45 p.m.: The Patrick School (Hackettstown, N.J.) vs. Westtown School (Pa.)

It’s homecoming for Spire Academy head coach for New Jersey native Kevin Boyle, who cut his teeth coaching St. Patrick of Elizabeth, N.J. in the 1990s and 2000a before building a powerhouse at Montverde (Fla.) Academy. He left MVA for Spire last spring and already has his squad as the No. 1 team in the nation. Surely, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame awaits in the near future. He deserves it!

Elsewhere in the Sunshine State it’s an annual three-day classic near Orlando.

The EdgeCenter for Wellness and Performance is the home to the Montverde (Fla.) Academy Invitational Tournament (or the MAIT) starting Thursday through Saturday. The eight-team bracket is highlighted by No. asohf Montverde Academy host Northside Christian (St. Petersburg, Fla.) on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET in the final game of the first round.

The final is Saturday at 7 p.m. All the MAIT information you need is here.

In Baltimore, it’s A Very Melo Classic on Saturday on the campus of Morgan State University. Yes, the host is Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, who grew up in Baltimore and attended Towson (Md.) Catholic (now shuttered) before transferring to Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) for his senior year.

The lineup, composed of mostly DMV teams, features six games:

Mount St. Joseph (Baltimore) vs. Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 11 a.m.; Archbishop Spalding (Severn, Md.) vs. Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) 2 p.m.; St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) vs. St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) 3:30 p.m.; Mount Carmel (Baltimore) vs. Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) 5 p.m.; and No. aslh St. Paul VI Catholic (Chantilly, Va.) vs. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 7 p.m.

Elsewhere, it’s a three-day for teams at the Nike EYBL Scholastic Western Maryland Classic on the campus of Garrett College in McHenry, Md. Elite 25 team from the EYBL Scholastic include AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) La Lumiere School (La Porte, Ind.), Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) and Wasatch Academy (Mount Pleasant, Utah).

The event tips on Thursday through Saturday with one of the top matchups pitting Wasatch Academy and Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) on Saturday at 7 p.m. (the final game of 14 games).

Here’s the entire schedule of games, including local teams.

In Glen Allen, Va. (near Richmond), the Coaches for the Cure Classic takes place, starting at 12 p.m. on Saturday at the Henrico Sports & Events Center. Five games, all-day with great matchups on the slate, including Petersburg (Va.). Get tickets here.

Many of these events have fundraising arms, so get out and support great causes and witness school basketball history.

Club 1,000

Speaking of history, Harvey Kitani of Rolling Hills Prep (San Pedro, Calif.) notched his 1,000 coaching victory on Friday in a 60-45 decision over Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) at the Nike Extravaganza in Santa Ana, Calif.

How grand!

According to the National Federation record book, Kitani is just the third California coach to hit quadruple digits, joining Gary McKnight of Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and Mike LeDuc of Damien (La Verne)

We’ve known Kitani since the late 1990s when he was a highly successful coach at Fairfax in Los Angeles, where spent 35 years before leaving for Rolling Hills Prep in time for the 2016-17 season. He was able to coach two sons at the school.

Congratulations to a great man, great coach!

That’ll do it for the third week of January. The Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ basketball rankings return on Tuesday, Feb. 3. With the seasons winding down nationwide (Florida is rolling out district brackets), get out to a game in your town or area.

Don’t forget to travel safely and dress warm this week. The roads are still choked with ice and snow and postponements are a reality due to the weather. Call the schools or check out their social media sites for the latest updates.

Bye for now. Be the good.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Boys’ Basketball Rankings, Jan. 27, 2026

1. Spire Academy, Geneva, Ohio (18-1)

Previous rank: 1.

Lowdown: Defeated then-No. 2 Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.), 60-47, at the Panini Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. Up next is the Metro Classic in Galloway, N.J., starting on Thursday. It’s a homecoming of sorts for iconic coach Kevin Boyle.

2. Prolific Prep, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (23-2)

Previous: 3.

Lowdown: Went 3-0 at the Grind Session Crush in the Valley in Napa, Calif. The Crew is headed to Champaign, Illinois for Grind Session games this weekend.

3. Brewster Academy, Wolfeboro, N.H. (19-2)

Previous: 2.

Lowdown: Lost to No. 1 Spire Academy (Geneva, Ohio), 60-47, but crushed Reason Prep Academy (Boston), 139-44.

4. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (20-1)

Previous: 4.

Lowdown: Defeated Harvard-Westlake (Studio City), 55-47, in a Mission League showdown. Brandon McCoy scored 20 points and Brannon Martinsen had 16.Also stopped Crespi (Encino), 90-77. McCoy had 27 points and 7 rebounds.

5. AZ Compass Prep, Chandler, Ariz. (14-1)

Previous: 5.

Lowdown: Idle.

6. Link Academy, Branson, Mo. (15-2)

Previous: 7.

Lowdown: The Lions travel to the Western Maryland Classic this weekend.

7. St. Paul VI Catholic, Chantilly, Va. (19-2)

Previous: 8.

Lowdown: Defeated Archbishop Carroll (Washington, D.C.), 88-63, and Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), 70-49, in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference action. Game with DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) was postponed by the snowy weather.

8. La Lumiere School, La Porte, Ind. (14-2)

Previous: 9.

Lowdown: The Lakers are off to the Western Maryland Classic in McHenry, Maryland this weekend.

9. Dynamic Prep School, Irving, Texas (16-1)

Previous: 10.

Lowdown: Idle. The trip to the Quincy Shootout in Illinois was nixed by the heavy snow.

10. Seven Lakes, Katy, Texas (27-0)

Previous: 11.

Lowdown: Defeated district rivals Katy, 59-51, and Katy Taylor, 76-54.

11. Archbishop Stepinac, White Plains, N.Y. (13-4)

Previous: 12.

Lowdown: Defeated Mount St. Michael Academy (Bronx), 88-56, and St. Raymond (Bronx), 72-62. In the former game, Hassan Koureissi had 23 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 5 steals and in the latter, it was Jasiah Jervis with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.

12. CIA Bella Vista Prep, Phoenix (13-3)

Previous: 6.

Lowdown: Lost to Wasatch Academy (Mount Pleasant, Utah). 75-48.

13. Sunnyslope, Phoenix (19-1)

Previous: 13.

Lowdown: Defeated then-No. 19 Millenium (Goodyear), 71-67, in a battle of the top teams in Arizona. The Vikings trailed 31-27 at the intermission but rallied in the third quarter.

14. Calvary Christian Academy, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (16-1)

Previous: 14.

Lowdown: Defeated Highlands Christian (Pompano Beach), 83-70.

15. Rainier Beach, Seattle (17-1)

Previous: 15.

Lowdown: Defeated Seattle Prep, 100-75, and Garfield (Seattle), 94-50. Only three games remain in the regular season.

16. Principia School, St. Louis (15-2)

Previous: 16.

Lowdown: Defeated MICDS (St. Louis), 69-61, as Wake Forest-bound Quentin Coleman provided 19 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. The Panthers had two games at the Quincy (Ill.) Shootout cancelled by the weather.

17. Wisconsin Lutheran, Milwaukee (15-0)

Previous: 18.

Lowdown: Defeated Greendale, 73-45, and Pius XI Catholic (Milwaukee), 70-29.

18. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (11-5)

Previous: 19.

Lowdown: Went 3-0 at the Nike EYBL Scholastic Air Capital Shootout in Wichita, Kan. That’s an impressive showing by coach Steve Turner’s team.

19. Southeastern Prep Academy, Orlando, Fla. (29-8)

Previous: 20.

Lowdown: Defeated DNA Prep Academy (Chatsworth, Calif.), 62-45, and Albuquerque (N.M.) Prep, 97-91, at the Grind Session Crush in the Valley in Napa, Calif.

20. Fishers, Ind. (16-0)

Previous: 22.

Lowdown: Defeated Avon, 60-50, and Fort Wayne (Ind.) Carroll, 79-37.

21. Benet Academy, Lisle, Ill. (23-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Lowdown: Chicagoland’s top-ranked team is back in the Elite 25. The Redwings are defending Illinois Class 4A state champions and could be headed back Downstate in March.

22. Millenium, Goodyear, Ariz. (17-3)

Previous: 17.

Lowdown: Lost to No. 13 Sunnyslope (Phoenix), 71-67.

23. Webb School, Knoxville, Tenn. (22-2)

Previous: 23.

Lowdown: The Spartans stretched their win streak to 12 games with two victories.

24. Bartlett, Tenn. (19-4)

Previous: 24.

Lowdown: Defeated two local opponents last week with another game postponed by weather.

25. Wasatch Academy, Mount Pleasant, Utah (13-4)

Previous: Not ranked.

Lowdown: The Tigers return to the Elite 25 on a seven-game win streak and playing their best ball of the season in the Nike EYBL Scholastic. In Wichita, Kan., Connecticut-bound Junior County tossed in 24 points in a 75-48 blowout of No. 12 CIA Bella Vista Prep (Phoenix). Up next is Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) Saturday at the Western Maryland Classic in McHenry, Md.

Dropped: No. 21 Columbus, Miami and No. 25 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Bergen Catholic, Oradell, N.J. (15-2)
2. Ss. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (13-2)
3. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (25-5)
4. St. Francis Prep, Fresh Meadows, N.Y. (15-3)
5. Notre Dame, West Haven, Conn. (11-3)

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

Midwest

1. Sunrise Christian School, Bel Aire, Kan. (10-7)
2. DePaul Prep, Chicago (20-3)
3. East Lansing, Mich. (14-0)
4. Curie, Chicago (19-1)
5. Kankakee, Ill. (16-1)

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

Southland

1. Oak Cliff Faith Family, Dallas (21-6)
2. Columbus, Miami (17-6)
3. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (15-7)
4. Greensboro (N.C.) Day (28-2)
5. Wheeler, Marietta, Ga. (16-5)

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

Far West

1. Redondo Union, Redondo Beach, Calif. (23-3)
2. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (18-5)
3. Santa Margarita, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. (22-3)
4. St. Joseph, Santa Maria, Calif. (23-2)
5. Harvard-Westlake, Studio City, Calif. (21-4)

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

Records through Sunday

About: The Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Boys Basketball Rankings are released weekly from October 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 in April of the 2025-26 season. Follow him on X at @clawlor.