ONWARD! Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ basketball rankings enter February with stakes raised; state tournaments tipping off

BENSALEM, Pa. – For much of the nation, the basketball season is headed to the finish line and that means the competition for positions in the Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ rankings is heating up.

For the last three months, the games have been entertaining and the bulk of the major weekend events have been played. As the Elite 25 heads into February, each week another state will enter the postseason with Hawaii already have drawn up its brackets for the girls and boys over the next two weekends.

That also includes the Nike EYBL Scholastic wrapping up the regular season with the postseason tournament played in March and then the sprint to the CHIPOTLE Nationals on the first weekend in April.

For some teams in the Elite 25, it’s a grind but the payout is priceless with national championships on the line.

As for the latest Elite 25 rankings, there were no newcomers. Actually, it was a quiet week with 18 teams remaining in the same rank they were the previous week. One team dropped six slots after a loss and six moved up with the biggest risers at two.

This weekend there a few events you might want to attend.

The Bob McKillop LuHi Invitational runs for three days, starting on Thursday on the campus of Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, New York. Get your tickets here.

The schedule:

Thursday
7 p.m.: Long Island Lutheran vs. No. 25 Wasatch Academy (Mount Pleasant, Utah)

Friday
4 p.m.: No. 3 Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.J.) vs No. 25 Wasatch Academy
6 p.m.: No. 8 Long Island Lutheran girls vs. Audenried (Philadelphia)
8 p.m.: Long Island Lutheran vs Christ School (Arden, N.C.)

Saturday
4 p.m.: Christ School vs No. 25 Wasatch Academy
6 p.m.: Long Island Lutheran vs No. 3 Brewster Academy
8 p.m.: No. 8 Long Island Lutheran vs No. 25 Bullis School (Potomac, Md.)

In Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Dr. Pepper Classic takes place on Friday and Saturday at the McCallie School. Click here for tickets.

Friday

5 p.m.: Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) vs St. James Academy (Springfield, Va.)

7 p.m.: McCallie vs No. 14 La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), 7:00 pm

9 p.m.: No. 18 Montverde (Fla.) Academy vs No. 1 Spire Academy (Geneva, Ohio)

Saturday

12 p.m.: GPS girls vs Boyd Buchanan School (Tenn.)

2 p.m.: No. 14 La Lumiere vs Oak Hill Academy

4 p.m.: Montverde Academy vs Boyd Buchanan (Tenn.)

6 p.m.: Three-point contest, 6:00 pm

6:30 p.m. No. 1 Spire Academy vs St. James Academy

8:30 p.m. McCallie vs Tyner (Tenn.)

Finally, the 2026 Grind Session DC is slated to run for four days, tipping off Thursday at Mount Zion Prep Academy in Lanham, Md. It’s usually wall to wall hoops at these events.

 That’ll do it for the month of January. The Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ basketball rankings return on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

Bye for now. Be the good. Stay warm, especially on the East Coast.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Boys’ Basketball Rankings, Feb. 3, 2026

1. Spire Academy, Geneva, Ohio (21-1)

Previous rank: 1.

Lowdown: Went 2-0 at the Metro Classic in Galloway Township, N.J.

2. Prolific Prep, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (27-2)

Previous: 2.

Lowdown: The Crew went 2-0 at the Grind Session in Champaign, Ill.

3. Brewster Academy, Wolfeboro, N.H. (22-2)

Previous: 3.

Lowdown: The Bobcats play twice this weekend at the Bob McKillop Invitational in Brookville, N.Y.

4. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (21-1)

Previous: 4.

Lowdown: Defeated Chaminade (West Hills), 79-28, in the regular season finale while winning the league title. Brandon McCoy scored 18 points and Maxi Adams had 17. The Trailblazers play Loyola (Los Angeles) Monday in the Mission League tournament semifinals. The final is Wednesday.

5. AZ Compass Prep, Chandler, Ariz. (15-1)

Previous: 5.

Lowdown: Defeated CATS Academy (Braintree, Mass.), 74-54.

6. Link Academy, Branson, Mo. (17-2)

Previous: 6.

Lowdown: The Lions won twice at the Western Maryland Classic in McHenry, Md.

7. St. Paul VI Catholic, Chantilly, Va. (20-2)

Previous: 7.

Lowdown: Defeated Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 77-56, at the Very Melo Classic in Baltimore, Md.

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

Previous: 9.

Lowdown: Idle.

9. Seven Lakes, Katy, Texas (29-0)

Previous: 11.

Lowdown: Defeated Jordan (Fulshear), 60-52, and Paetow (Kay), 81-51.

10. Archbishop Stepinac, White Plains, N.Y. (16-4)

Previous: 11.

Lowdown: The Crusaders clinched at least a share of the New York Catholic High School Athletic Association AA Diocesan title for the fifth straight year with wins over St. Peter’s (Staten Island), 96-38, Monsignor Scanlan (Bronx), 85-58, and Cardinal Hayes (Bronx), 79-62. The Crusaders face rival Cardinal Hayes on Tuesday.

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

Previous: 12.

Lowdown: Idle.

12. Sunnyslope, Phoenix (20-1)

Previous: 13.

Lowdown: Defeated Desert Vista (Phoenix), 62-58.

13. Calvary Christian Academy, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (17-1)

Previous: 14.

Lowdown: Defeated Somerset Academy Key (Deerfield Beach), 86-52.

14. La Lumiere School, La Porte, Ind. (15-3)

Previous: 8.

Lowdown: Lost to No. 6 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.), 63-59, but rallied to beat Tennessee Collegiate Academy (Millington, Tenn.), 66-58, in  overtime at the Western Maryland Classic.

15. Rainier Beach, Seattle (17-1)

Previous: 15.

Lowdown: Game with Roosevelt (Seattle) was cancelled.

16. Principia School, St. Louis (17-2)

Previous: 16.

Lowdown: Quentin Coleman netted 21 points and Kingston Money added 14 in a 73-47 victory over Mount Vernon (Ill.).

17. Wisconsin Lutheran, Milwaukee (17-0)

Previous: 17.

Lowdown: Defeated Waukesha North, 77-30, and New Berlin Eisenhower, 76-52.

18. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (14-5)

Previous: 18.

Lowdown: Won Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament title, Faith Family Academy (Dallas), 59-53, in the final. Dhani Miller was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

19. Southeastern Prep Academy, Orlando, Fla. (31-8)

Previous: 19.

Lowdown: The Eagles won two games at the Grind Session in Champaign, Ill.

20. Fishers, Ind. (18-0)

Previous: 20.

Lowdown: Defeated Franklin Central (Indianapolis), 76-28, and Carmel, 53-50. Five games remain in the regular season.

21. Benet Academy, Lisle, Ill. (25-1)

Previous: 21.

Lowdown: Defeated DeSmet Jesuit (St. Louis, Mo.), 74-50.

22. Millennium, Goodyear, Ariz. (19-3)

Previous: 22.

Lowdown: Defeated Brophy College Prep (Phoenix), 69-51, and Desert Vista (Phoenix), 76-54.

23. Webb School, Knoxville, Tenn. (24-2)

Previous: 23.

Lowdown: The Spartans stretched their win streak to 14 games with two victories.

24. Bartlett, Tenn. (19-4)

Previous: 24.

Lowdown: Less than two weeks remain in the regular season.

25. Wasatch Academy, Mount Pleasant, Utah (16-4)

Previous: 25.

Lowdown: Defeated Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.), 59-44, at the Western Maryland Classic.

Dropped: None.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Bergen Catholic, Oradell, N.J. (17-3)
2. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (27-5)
3. St. Francis Prep, Fresh Meadows, N.Y. (17-3)
4. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (7-8)
5. Notre Dame, West Haven, Conn. (12-3)

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. (11-7)
2. DePaul Prep, Chicago (21-3)
3. East Lansing, Mich. (16-0)
4. Curie, Chicago (20-1)
5. Kankakee, Ill. (19-1)

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

Southland

1. Columbus, Miami (19-6)
2. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (17-7)
3. Greensboro (N.C.) Day (28-2)
4. Wheeler, Marietta, Ga. (18-5)
5. Oak Cliff Faith Family, Dallas (23-7)

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

Far West

1. Redondo Union, Redondo Beach, Calif. (24-3)
2. Santa Margarita, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. (24-3)
3. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (19-6)
4. St. Joseph, Santa Maria, Calif. (25-2)
5. Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks, Calif. (18-6)

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.