No. 12 St. John Bosco (CA) re-enters Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys rankings and face No. 9 Centennial (CA) in section final; No. 15 Camden (NJ) done following melee

BENSALEM, Pa. – For the middle of February there was news aplenty with three bits standing out.

First, Camden (N.J.), No. 15 in the Blue Star Media boys’ basketball rankings, is done for the season. Last Thursday, the Panthers were leading by 13 points in the Camden County Tournament final against their crosstown rival Eastside when a melee broke out between the teams.

The game was suspended with Camden leading 30-17. When opposing players exchanged blows, more players, coaches and fans stormed the court. Both teams were suspended from the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournaments that tipped this week.

The decision to end season for both schools was swift and handed down by Katrina McCombs, State District Superintendent of the Camden City School District, less than 24 hours after the incident at nearby Cherry Hill East High School.

It was the correct decision and only one.

Camden ends the season with a 22-3 record and a league title. The Panthers played an aggressive national schedule but no state title to cap it.

If you missed it, USA men’s and women’s rosters for the 24th edition of the Nike Hoop Summit was announced today by USA Basketball.

For the first time in Nike Hoop Summit history, the 2023 event features both a men’s and the inaugural women’s game with the top American high school athletes facing off against World Teams of top international players 19-and-younger.

The games are slated for April 8, at Moda Center in Portland. Tickets can be purchased here.

Overall, the men’s and women’s athletes named to the USA rosters have a combined 26 gold medals from various junior national team competitions.

The USA Men’s Nike Hoop team: Omaha Biliew, Blake Buchanan, Isaiah Collier, Eric Dailey Jr., Justin Edwards, Ron Holland, Bronny James, Jared McCain, Jackson Shelstad, Sean Stewart, Dajuan Wagner Jr., Ja’Kobe Walter and Cody Williams.

The USA men’s team head coach is Steve Turner or Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) and he will be assisted by Frank Bennett of Chaminade College Prep (St. Louis) and Nick LoGalbo of Lane Tech (Chicago).

The World roster will be released at a later date.

As for the GEICO High School Nationals, expect several teams from the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference to be in the eight-team field next month in Fort Myers, Fla.

Defending champion Montverde Academy, Long Island Lutheran, Prolific Prep, Link Academy, Sunrise Christian Academy, IMG Academy, AZ Compass Prep and a school from the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference could comprise the three-day tournament.

The six-team GEICO State Champions event will be played in April and we’ll look at it closely next week. Champions from District of Columbia, Arizona, Utah, Washington, Nevada, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, New Jersey and Hawaii.

Finally, No. 12 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) re-enters the Elite 25 after winning its pool in the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section Open Division playoffs. The Braves take on No. 9 Corona Centennial Saturday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim. All eight teams from the Open Division will advance to the Southern California Region Open Division that starts next week.

This week there are 14 teams from the Elite 25 involved in the playoffs. This weekend Nevada will crown state champions. Twelve teams were static this week, including the Top 8. Two teams moved up and seven dropped at least one spot. No. 8 Duncanville (Texas) concluded its season without a chance to defend the University Interscholastic League Class 6A championship. The Panthers are banned from the postseason and had last year’s title vacated.

Catholic League tournaments from Washington, New York, Baltimore and Philadelphia are underway and should shake the Elite 25 rankings.

That’s it for the crazy second week in February. The National Interscholastic Basketball Conference is down to one weekend (March 2-4) but No. 1 Montverde (Fla.) Academy has clinched the overall title.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ rankings will return on Feb. 28.

Stay safe.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Boys’ Basketball Rankings, Feb. 21, 2023

1. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (22-2)

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: Idle. Up next is the GEICO High School Nationals.

2. St. Paul VI Catholic, Chantilly, Va. (26-2)

Previous: 2.

Low-down: Defeated Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) 101-73, and DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 83-40, but were upset by Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.), 75-68. The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference quarterfinals are Saturday and the semifinals are Sunday. The Panthers will open with Bishop Ireton (Alexandria, Va.) or St. Mary’s Ryken (Leonardtown, Md.) in the quarters.

3. AZ Compass Prep, Chandler, Ariz. (20-3)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: The Dragons still have two games remaining in the NIBC Series March 3-4 in South Carolina.

4. Link Academy, Branson, Mo. (24-1)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Defeated OKC Metro Prep (Oklahoma City), 79-41.

5. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (18-2)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Godswill Eheriene had 20 points and 8 rebounds and Jayden Ross scored 19 as the Crusaders won for the 17th straight time in defeating Albany (N.Y.) Academy, 93-56.

6. Sunrise Christian School, Bel Aire, Kan. (17-6)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: The Buffaloes have won four straight and looking to gain momentum to close out the NIBC Series in South Carolina.

7. Ben Davis, Indianapolis (24-0)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Idle.

8. Duncanville, Texas (28-1)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Defeated Mansfield Legacy, 75-68, to complete a perfect season in winning the District 11-6A title. The Panthers are ineligible for the UIL Class 6A playoffs. Season complete.

9. Centennial, Corona, Calif. (28-3)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: The Huskies will play for the CIF-Southern Division Open Division championship after going 3-0 in Pool A with wins last week over Bishop Montgomery (Torrance), 73-55, and Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), 83-63. In the latter win, Aaron McBride scored 17 points and Duke-bound Jared McCain added 14. Up next is St. John Bosco (Bellflower) Saturday in the Open Division final in Anaheim.

10. Prolific Prep, Napa, Calif. (27-1)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Won three games in the Crush in the Valley 2 to close out the regular season.

11. Simeon, Chicago (26-3)*

Previous: 12.

Low-down: Idle. Up next is Solorio (Chicago) in the Illinois Class 3A regional semifinals Wednesday. The final is Friday.

12. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (26-5)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: The Braves return to the Elite 25 rankings after winning the CIF-Southern Section Open Division Pool B playoffs after beating St. Bernard (Playa del Rey), 60-47, and then-No. 12 Harvard-Westlake (Studio City), 62-55. In the latter win, Jack Turner scored 20 points. Up next is No. 9 Corona Centennial Saturday in the Open Division final at the Honda Center in Anaheim. The Braves went 2-1 in the pool but advanced because of the tiebreaker, having beaten the high seed in Harvard-Westlake.

13. Harvard-Westlake, Studio City, Calif. (30-2)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: In CIF-Southern Division Open Pool B, the Wolverines split their final two games, beating then-No. 16 West Ranch (Valencia), 59-50, but lost to St. John Bosco (Bellflower), 62-55. Up next is the Southern California Open Division Region playoffs.

14. John Marshall, Richmond, Va. (22-0)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Defeated St. Christopher’s (Richmond), 100-58. Up next the Justices open the playoffs in the Class 2, Region A semifinals Tuesday.

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

Previous: 13.

Low-down: The Camden County Tournament final against Eastside (Camden) was suspended in the second quarter by a melee. District officials banned the Panthers from postseason and a chance at repeating as state champions. Season complete.

16. Imhotep Institute Charter, Philadelphia (22-3)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: In the Philadelphia Public League playoffs, the Panthers crushed Samuel Fels (Philadelphia), 79-17, in the quarterfinals and Central (Philadelphia), 74-32, in the second round. Up next, they play Dobbins Tech (Philadelphia) Tuesday at Temple University’s Liacouras Center. The final is Saturday back at the Liacouras Center.

17. West Ranch, Valencia, Calif. (29-2)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Lost to then-No. 12 Harvard-Westlake (Studio City), 59-50, but beat St. Bernard (Playa del Rey), 79-58, to finish up Pool B play in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division.

18. Ss. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (20-2)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: In the Philadelphia Catholic League quarterfinals, the Saints defeated Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.), 86-51. Up next is West Catholic (Philadelphia) Wednesday in the semifinals at The Palestra in Philadelphia. The final is Feb. 27.

19. Columbus, Miami (22-4)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Defeated Western (Davie), 66-27, in the Class 7A, Region 4 quarterfinals. The Explorers play Doral Academy Tuesday in the Region 4 semifinals.

20. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (16-7)

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Idle.

21. West Linn, Ore. (22-1)

Previous: 21.

Low-down: The Lions stopped Lakeridge (Lake Oswego), 77-53, and Tigard, 82-60. The regular-season finale is Friday at Oregon City.

22. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (20-4)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: Defeated Monsignor Scanlan (Bronx), 77-66, in the regular-season finale and clinched the league title. The Royals are the top seed in the NYCHSAA Class AA Brooklyn-Queens Diocesan playoffs and will host in the semifinals on Wednesday and final on Friday. Coach Joe Arbitello was named New York CHSAA AA coach of the year.

23. Roselle (N.J.) Catholic (17-5)

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Won second straight Union County Tournament, defeating Linden, 64-55, in the final. North Carolina-bound guard Simeon Wilcher tossed in a game-high 17 points. Akil Watson scored a game-high 24 points and the Lions dusted Union Catholic (Scotch Plains), 72-56, in the semifinals. The NJSIAA Non-Public B South playoffs begin Wednesday with Koinonia (Plainfield) in the first round.

24. Don Bosco Prep, Ramsey, N.J. (25-2)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Won first Bergen County Jamboree title in five years, defeating archival Bergen Catholic (Oradell), 71-49, in the final. The triumvirate of junior Dylan Harper, Brady Loughlin and Noah Barnett all scored 15 points. The Ironmen also defeated Ridgewood, 61-45. Up next is Hudson Catholic (Jersey City) or Paramus Catholic Friday in the NJSIAA Non-Public A North quarterfinal at home. The semifinals are Feb. 27 and the North final is March 1.

25. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (26-2)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: The Cadets are headed into the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Tournament on a nine-game win streak after taking down Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.), 75-67, Gonzaga (Washington), 51-46, and St. Mary’s Ryken (Leonardtown, Md.), 77-45. The WCAC quarterfinals are Saturday afternoon at Gallaudet University in Washington.

Dropped: No. 19 Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Mount St. Joseph, Baltimore (33-3)
2. Roman Catholic, Philadelphia (20-3)
3. Reading, Pa. (24-1)
4. Cardinal Hayes, Bronx, N.Y. (15-9)
5. Bullis School, Potomac, Md. (25-2)

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

Midwest

1. Benet Academy, Lisle, Ill. (29-1)
2. Cass Tech, Detroit (20-0)
3. Park Center, Brooklyn Park, Minn. (21-0)
4. De Pere, Wis. (23-0)
5. Moline, Ill. (28-3)

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

Southland

1. Lake Highlands, Dallas (27-3)
2. Beaumont (Texas) United (30-1)
3. Carmel Christian, Matthews, N.C. (27-3)
4. Warren Central, Bowling Green, Ky. (27-1)
5. Seven Lakes, Katy, Texas (31-4)

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

Far West

1. Perry, Gilbert, Ariz. (28-1)
2. Bishop Montgomery, Torrance, Calif. (26-4)
3. Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks, Calif. (22-10)
4. Durango, Las Vegas (19-6)
5. Saint Louis School, Honolulu (27-7)*

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

Records through Sunday’s games

 * Won state, national or conference postseason tournament championship

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.