No. 9 Harvard-Westlake (CA) wins CIF Open Division crown; GEICO Nationals reveal eight-team power bracket with Blue Star Media Elite 25 flavor

BENSALEM, Pa. – The biggest news from the Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ basketball rankings came from the Far West.

In Sacramento, Calif., No. 9 Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) won the California Interscholastic Federation Open Division state championship but just to reach the final, the Wolverines needed to beat then-No. 4 and heavy favorite Corona Centennial. Well, they did and now the hardware resides in Los Angeles County.

There are also two national tournaments, one new and the gold standard, that revealed plans for the first weekend in April.

First, the established event with eight Elite 25 teams and five from the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference.

GEICO Nationals

Eight teams from the Blue Star Media Elite 25 rankings comprise the field of the 14th annual GEICO High School Basketball Nationals. The elite tournament returns to Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla., March 30-April 1.

The three-day event, which features six McDonald’s All-Americans, tips on March 30 with four quarterfinal boys’ games on ESPNU. The semifinals are March 31 at 2:30 and 4:30 p.m., while the championship is April 1 at 12 p.m. on ESPN.

 The quarterfinal pairings on March 30:

12 p.m.: St. Paul VI Catholic (Chantilly, Va.) vs. Link Academy (Branson, Mo.)

2 p.m.: IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) vs. Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.)

4 p.m.: AZ Compass Prep (Chandler Ariz.) vs. Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.)

6 p.m.: Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) vs. Montverde (Fla.) Academy.

 The field is bolstered by newcomers Long Island Lutheran and St. Paul VI while Monteverde makes its 11th appearance with six titles, including the last two. It should have three but the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the event in 2020.

The Throne

There’s a new postseason tournament that will go head to head with GEICO Nationals. Only this 16-team, four-day event slate for March 29-April in Atlanta. Last month, it was announced a new high school national championship called The Throne would be added to the hoop landscape. Problem is that The Throne is nothing more than a club event masquerading as a high school tournament. Earlier this week, it was tweeted that high school teams would adopt new names with the roster or most of it in place.

According to the press release:

“The event is being rolled out by Gold Level Sports & Entertainment and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). As a four-day single-elimination basketball tournament, The Throne says it will bring together 16 of the top high school boys’ basketball teams in the country to compete for an unofficial national championship,” it read in part.

Invitations were handed out to Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.), a.k.a. Queens Royals; Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) or Wildcats; Columbus (Miami) or Explorers; Marshall (Richmond, Va.) or Justices; Simeon (Chicago) or Second II None; Camden N.J.) or Camden Avalanche; Corona (Calif.) Centennial or Hoop Nation and Kell (Marietta, Ga.) or Longhorns.

The rest of the field will be named shortly. The games will be shown on Fox Sports 1 but obviously won’t county towards the overall record, whereas the GEICO Nationals do.

Elsewhere, this week’s Elite 25 has newbies No. 21 Metamora (Ill.) and No. 22 Lake Highlands (Dallas), who of whom won state championships last weekend in Illinois and Texas, respectively.

Only five teams were static, including the top 3. Fifteen rose in the rankings with No. 20 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) going up four slots. Three took heavy hits following losses, No. 23 Simeon (Chicago) cratered 12 spots and No. 24 St. John’s College (Washington, D.C.). Nearly half the Elite 25 is populated state or major postseason titlists. State tournaments in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Missouri, Kentucky, Michigan and Indiana will be played out over the next two weeks. All of them will impact the Elite 25.

That’s a wrap.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ rankings will return on March 21.

Stay safe and get out to a state playoff or championship game. Enjoy a plate of corned beef and cabbage on Friday. It’s Saint Patrick’s Day. But it’s also the second day of the NCAA Men’s Tournament first round. Those first round games are special with memories that last a lifetime.

Good luck with your March Madness brackets, too.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Boys’ Basketball Rankings, March 14, 2023

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

Previous rank: 1.

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

2. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (21-2)

Previous: 2.

Low-down: Idle. The Crusaders still have business with the New York State Federation Class AA Tournament on March 24 and a week later at the GEICO Nationals.

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

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Idle.

4. Ben Davis, Indianapolis (30-0)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Defeated Cathedral (Indianapolis), 63-53, in the Class 4A Southport Regional final.  Zane Doughty, a 6-9 senior, doubled up with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Up next is Bloomington North in the Class 4A Semistate South semifinals in New Castle. The Semistate South final is later that day with the winner headed to the Class 4A final.

5. St. Paul VI Catholic, Chantilly, Va. (31-3)*

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Idle. The Panthers will play in the GEICO High School Nationals on March 30 in Fort Myers, Fla.

6. AZ Compass Prep, Chandler, Ariz. (23-4)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Idle.

7. Duncanville, Texas (28-1)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Season complete.

8. Prolific Prep, Napa, Calif. (33-1)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: The Crew advanced to the Grind Session World Championships semifinals on Friday in Phoenix with two victories last weekend in Albuquerque, N.M.

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

Previous: 12.

Low-down: Won CIF Open Division championship, defeating St. Joseph (Santa Maria), 76-65, in the final. Sophomore Nikolas Khamenia scored 16 points, converting a trio of 3-pointers; Trent Perry had 16 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds; Brady Dunlap threw in 16 points and Jacob Huggins had 15 points and 11 rebounds. In the Southern Region final, the Wolverine thumped then-No. 4 Corona Centennial, 80-61. Khamenia scored 20 points. Season complete.

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

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Idle.

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

Previous: 13.

Low-down: Won the Class 2 state championship, beating Radford, 91-34, in the final. The Justices also beat Brunswick (Lawrenceville), 112-49, in the semifinals. Season complete.

12. Roselle (N.J.) Catholic (22-5)*

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Won the Non-Public B state championship. Regular season complete.

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

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Lost to then-No. 12 Harvard-Westlake (Studio City), 80-61, in the CIF-Southern Region Open Division final. Duke-bound Jared McCain concluded his prep career scoring 20 points. Season complete.

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

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Season complete.

15. Imhotep Institute Charter, Philadelphia (26-3)*

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Defeated Holy Ghost Prep (Bensalem, Pa.), 85-33, in the PIAA Class 5A first round. Up next is Muhlenberg (Reading) Tuesday in the second round. The quarterfinals are Friday.

16. Columbus, Miami (26-4)*

Previous: 17.

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

17. Roman Catholic, Philadelphia (24-3)*

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Defeated Perkiomen Valley (Collegeville), 70-31, in the PIAA Class 6A first round. The Cahillites face Lower Merion (Ardmore, Pa.) Wednesday in the second round. The quarterfinals are Saturday.

18. Ss. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (23-3)

Previous: 21.

Low-down: Defeated Middletown, 87-42, in the PIAA Class 4A first round. The Saints play Bethlehem Catholic Tuesday in the second round. The quarterfinals are Friday.

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

Previous: 22.

Low-down: Idle.

20. Wheeler, Marietta, Ga. (26-6)*

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Won Class 7A state championship, defeating Cherokee (Canton), 78-58, in the final. Isaiah Collier scored a game-high 22 points and Arrinten Page added 15. The Wildcats were up 22-12 after one quarter and never looked back en route to the ninth overall state title. Season complete.

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

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Won Class 3A state championship, defeating No. 23 Simeon (Chicago), 46-42, in overtime for the crown. Tyson Swanson (20 points) and Tyler Mason combined to score 36 points. The Redbirds trailed 23-14 at halftime but rallied in the third quarter to close the term on a 30-game winning streak. Season complete.

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

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Won UIL Class 6A state championship, defeating Beaumont United, 55-44, in the final. Junior Tre Johnson, the Most Valuable Player, poured in a game-high 29 points, sinking 10 of 10 free throws, and snared 8 rebounds. Trailing 31-27 at halftime, the Wildcats clamped down on defense in the second half to win it. In the semifinals, they beat DeSoto, 52-44. Season complete.

23. Simeon, Chicago (32-4)*

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Advanced to Class 3A state final, where it lost to Metamora, 46-42, in overtime. Jalen Griffith scored 15 and Miles Rubin added 12 points and 6 rebounds. The game marked the final one for coach Robert Smith, who concluded with a 512-89 record in in 15 years with six state championships. Season complete.

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

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Took third at the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament, beating Gonzaga (Washington), 76-62. Season complete.

25. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (26-7)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: Lost to then-No. 13 Harvard-Westlake (Studio City), 69-64 in the CIF-Southern Region Open Division semifinals. Season complete.

Dropped: No. 19 Christ the King ( Middle Village, N.Y.) and No. 23 West Linn (Ore.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Archbishop Stepinac, White Plains, N.Y. (21-9)*
2. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (23-5)
3. Mount St. Joseph, Baltimore (38-4)*
4. St. Benedict’s, Newark, N.J. (23-3)*
5. Reading, Pa. (28-1)

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

Midwest

1. Moline, Ill. (35-3)*
2. De Pere, Wis. (28-0)
3. Cass Tech, Detroit (23-1)
4. Park Center, Brooklyn Park, Minn. (24-2)
5. Centerville, Ohio (25-3)

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

Southland

1. Myers Park, Charlotte, N.C. (28-4)*
2. Warren Central, Bowling Green, Ky. (32-1)
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. Garfield, Seattle (25-2)*
3. Perry, Gilbert, Ariz. (30-1)*
4. Durango, Las Vegas (21-6)*
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.