All 50 ranked teams written up with explanations for why they were placed in these positions with comparisons to preseason positioning. These are the official National Sports News Service National Team Rankings on GrassrootsHoops.net, which date back to the 1952 season. Montverde Academy of Florida is the 2013-14 mythical national champion.
Compiled by Ronnie Flores & Mark Tennis
Contributing: Doug Huff, Paul Muyskens
Note: Preseason ranking in parenthesis; the editors of GrassrootsHoops.net were the only national ranking compilers to have Montverde Academy as its preseason No. 1 ranked team the last two seasons.
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1. (1) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 27-1*
When it’s all said and done it’s hard to say whether the Eagles were a better team this year or in 2013, but there is no doubt this year’s group played a daunting schedule and had one less loss on the court. In fact, Montverde played 24 regular season games and 15 of those games involved teams that were at some point ranked in the FAB 50. Even with the on-court loss to No. 26 Curie, that’s quite impressive considering most of those were road games. Coach Kevin Boyle’s club closed its season by defeating No. 3 Oak Hill Academy 71-62 in the finals of the Dick’s Sporting Goods National High School Tournament to capture its second consecutive mythical national title. Montverde Academy becomes the first repeat national champion in the FAB 50/National Prep Poll era since Oak Hill Academy in 1993-94. The Eagles were led by junior Ben Simmons, who averaged 20.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game at the Dick’s Nationals, and senior D’Angelo Russell, who averaged 15.3 points per outing during the year.
2. (6) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 35-0
It was a close call, but Montverde Academy’s strength of schedule and primarily playing road games, was the major factor in the Monarchs finishing one spot behind the Eagles. One credible rankings service did rank Mater Dei No. 1 and it is deserving, but the Monarchs just missed out on being California’s first FAB 50 champ since the Tyson Chandler-led Dominguez club of 1999-00. Mater Dei’s final ranking is even more impressive considering its preseason positioning was based on two potential starters who transferred out. That put more pressure on Stanley Johnson, and the point forward delivered a Mr. Basketball USA-worthy season (25 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists per game) and the program’s first ever unbeaten state championship club. Coach Gary McKnight (995-85) now owns 31 league titles, 22 CIF Southern Section titles and 11 CIF state crowns, the most of any coach in state history.
3. (4) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 41-4
The Warriors moved up three spots in the final ratings after advancing to the Dick’s Nationals title game, where they fell to No. 1 Montverde Academy 71-62. Its Dick’s Nationals performance also helped Oak Hill finish one spot higher than their preseason positioning after finishing outside the top 20 of the FAB 50/National Prep Poll last year for the first time since 1987-88 when veteran coach Steve Smith (934-63) was in his third season. The Warriors bounced back this year behind the play of N.C. State-bound twins Cody and Caleb Martin, defeating No. 10 Northside Christian Academy (69-60) and No. 5 Findlay Prep (64-56) at Dick’s Nationals in addition to defeating No. 13 Bishop Gorman (60-54) at Hoophall West.
4. (BB) Arsenal Tech (Indianapolis, Ind.) 27-2
Perhaps the toughest decision for the final FAB 50 was which team to place in the fourth position. We didn’t want to move up previous No. 5 Whitney Young since that team still needed to be behind dropping previous No. 2 Rainier Beach. Previous No. 14 Findlay Prep also had too many losses but had to be in front of Rainier Beach. Tech was the eventual choice. There were two in-state losses to Bowman Academy and Hamilton Southeastern, but those were overcome by winning the Class 4A state title. Tech also had three wins against teams that were in the Dick’s National tourney – two over Huntington Prep and one over La Lumiere. Huntington Prep is ineligible for the FAB 50. For Tech, Kentucky-bound McDonald’s All-American Trey Lyles led the way and already has been named Mr. Basketball for Indiana.
5. (2) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 31-5
The Pilots had the talent to contend for the program’s second FAB 50 national title, but a slow start because of a coaching change and untimely injuries put a dent in those plans. Under Jerome Williams, a former Georgetown and NBA player, the Pilots somewhat salvaged their season by knocking off No. 2 seed and unbeaten Rainier Beach 67-59 at Dick’s Nationals behind Arizona-bound Craig Victor (23 points, 11 rebounds) and Kansas-bound Kelly Oubre Jr. (17 points, 14 rebounds) before losing to No. 3 Oak Hill Academy in the semifinals. In addition to Oubre Jr. (22.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg), shooting guard Rashad Vaughn (20.6 ppg) participated in the McDonald’s All-American Game in Chicago.
6. (12) Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 29-1
Had the WIAA not allowed the Vikings to play in Dick’s Nationals, this team would have finished No. 3 in the FAB 50. They went into the event ranked No. 2 in the FAB 50 but didn’t play their best game against No. 7 seed Findlay Prep, shooting 31 percent (24-of-78) and scoring only seven first-quarter points in a 67-59 loss. Some detractors felt this team didn’t play a particularly tough schedule, but Rainier Beach looked like world beaters in December when it knocked off No. 7 Whitney Young (89-80), No. 13 Bishop Gorman (95-67) and No. 23 Portland Jefferson (90-72) at the Les Schwab Invitational in Oregon. Regardless of its performance in New York, Rainier Beach gets its proper rankings credit for those victories.
7. (3) Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 27-6*
To say it was a strange season in Chicago and in Illinois would be an understatement. The Dolphins didn’t win the city title but they did win the Class 4A state crown by knocking off Benet Academy 46-44. In the semis, they also beat FAB 50 No. 14 Stevenson. Of the losses, one was to Mater Dei, one was to Rainier Beach and another was to Curie of Chicago (later reversed to a forfeit win). The Dolphins also had a win over No. 3 Oak Hill and generally played one of the toughest schedules in the nation. They were led all season, of course, by Jahlil Okafor, the Co-MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Game.
8. (NR) Muskegon (Muskegon, Mich.) 28-0
Sure, the Big Reds didn’t have to deal with Mr. Basketball USA front-runner Cliff Alexander when they beat Curie of Chicago early in the season, but it’s historically been very difficult for teams to win state titles and go unbeaten in Michigan. Muskegon accomplished that feat after crushing Bloomfield Hills in the state final 91-67. Deshaun Thrower, one of the nation’s top football-basketball athletes, averaged 18 points per game and scored 21 in the championship.
9. (NR) Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Ga.) 32-0
It was hard to get a great read on the Spartans, but they did knock off some big schools in their unbeaten season as well as Oak Ridge of Tennessee (which lost by just two points in that state’s Class AAA state final). Veteran coach Eddie Martin’s squad was led by Gatorade State Player of the Year Isaiah Wilkins, who averaged 18.2 points,10.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
10. (NR) Northside Christian Academy (Charlotte, N.C.) 28-2
Led by Charlotte commit Keyshawn Woods (17.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.6 spg), NCA routed Concord First Assembly Academy (87-68) to capture its third consecutive NCISAA Class 2A state title. Along the way, coach Byron Dinkin’s club also defeated No. 29 Arlington Country Day and No. 48 Denver East. NCA drew a tough No. 3 vs. No. 6 seed at Dick’s Nationals and fell to No. 3 Oak Hill Academy 69-60, as the Knights had trouble with the Warriors’ size and transition game. NCA’s only other loss came against No. 1 Montverde Academy (83-60) in the title game of the Wild Wings Café National Classic.
11. (20) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) 31-6
There were some toe-stubbings along the way, but at the end head coach Glenn Farello’s team won the VISAA state final with a triumph over previously unbeaten Cape Henry Collegiate and then won the prestigious Alhambra Catholic Invitational crown with a victory over DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.). Other than No. 1 Montverde Academy and No. 40 White Station (Tenn.), every other team that the Panthers lost to also was defeated (and a couple of those teams twice). There also were additional wins over No. 7 Whitney Young, New York Federation champ Christ The King and Georgia Class 6A runner-up Wheeler.
12. (NR) Sagemont (Weston, Fla.) 33-1
Similar to No. 10 Northside Christian Academy, Sagemont lost big to No. 1 Montverde Academy (81-63 in the opening round of Dick’s Nationals), but that shouldn’t take away from its otherwise successful season. Montverde is just that good. A few Florida coaches we network with Tweeted that Sagemont was a better team than the performance against the No. 1 team might indicate. Coach Adam Ross’ club, led by UConn verbal Prince Ali, a junior, won the FHSAA Class 3A state title with a 70-48 victory over Tampa Prep after defeating FAB 50 No. 16 Providence 78-59 in the semifinals.
13. (9) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 29-4*
The Gaels won their fifth state title in six years and seventh under Grant Rice by defeating Canyon Springs of North Las Vegas, 71-58, in the NIAA Division I title game. Junior forward Chase Jeter had 21 points and 20 rebounds while junior center Stephen Zimmerman had 11 points and 12 boards. The only time Bishop Gorman, which owns a 57-game winning streak against NIAA schools, didn’t win a state title in that time frame was 2011. The Gaels lost to No. 6 Oak Hill Academy, but also beat No. 5 Findlay Prep for the first time in program history. Despite the graduation of Gatorade State Player of the Year Noah Robotham, Gorman is an early candidate for a top 10 spot in next year’s preseason rankings.
14. (NR) Stevenson (Lincolnshire, Ill.) 32-2
Other than their loss to No. 7 Whitney Young in the Class 4A state semifinals, the Patriots’ only other loss was to a Zion-Benton team by one point that they later beat by 18. Along the way to the deep playoff run, Stevenson had wins over Class 3A state champ Morgan Park, plus Class 4A finalist Benet Academy and defending state champ Simeon. Point guard Jalen Brunson was the team’s top player.
15. (45) St. Joseph (Metuchen, N.J.) 30-2
Despite a nightmarish outing at the Hoophall Classic against DeMatha, it otherwise was a spectacular season for the Falcons. Their only other loss was to No. 1 Montverde Academy in a competitive game and of course they went on a roll to win the New Jersey Tournament of Champions. With Kentucky-bound McDonald’s All-American Karl Towns leading the way, St. Joseph beat Linden in the semifinals and held off FAB 50 No. 24 East Side of Newark 49-47 in the final.
16. (25) Providence (Jacksonville, Fla.) 28-5*
The Stallions lost to No. 12 Sagemont in the Florida Class 3A state final and suffered two other losses to Montverde Academy in addition to another one to Whitney Young. On the plus side, coach Jim Martin’s team beat No. 25 Neuman-Goretti and No. 29 Arlington Country Day and beat two other state champions — Lake Highland Prep of Florida and St. John Bosco of California.
17. (47) Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.) 33-1
The Aztecs won their third consecutive Division I state title by virtue of a nail-biting 71-70 overtime victory over Pinnacle of Phoenix. Corona del Sol overcame a show stopping 41-performance by Pinnacle’s Dorian Pickens behind the efforts of senior Casey Benson, who finished with 24 points. Corona del Sol’s only loss was to No. 5 Findlay Prep. Benson was a first team Division I Arizona Republic all-state choice, while forward Dane Kuiper (6-7) and center Connor MacDougall (6-9) were second team selections.
18. (NR) City College (Baltimore, Md.) 27-0
There wasn’t much of a challenge to the Black Knights all season as the beat team in traditionally strong Baltimore. They won the Class 3A state title by beating Westlake of Waldorf (Md.) 59-48. Seniors Timmy Bond, Omari George and Kamau Stokes all played huge roles. It also marked the first state title for head coach Daryl Wade, son of former Baltimore Dunbar coaching legend Bob Wade.
19. (NR) North Shore (Galena, Texas) 35-3
Jarrey Foster scored 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds when the Mustangs defeated taller and favored Converse Judson 57-45 in the Class 5A state final. It also gave North Shore its first state title after losing in two previous attempts. Kerwin Roach and Brandon Green also played starring roles during the season.
20. (18) La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) 23-3
The Lakers were unable to get off the schnied at Dick’s Nationals, losing 65-63 on a last-second 3-pointer by Huntington Prep’s Jaquan Lyle. That team went on to give No. 1 Montverde Academy all it could handle in the semifinals and as a result, coach Alan Huss’ team finishes ranked near its preseason projection. La Lumiere has yet to win a game at Dick’s Nationals, but will have a loaded club next season with Auburn-bound Sam Logwood the only major graduation loss. The Lakers lost early to No. 33 Sunrise Christian Academy then bounced back with a big win over No. 34 Prime Prep at the Tarkanian Classic. The third loss came against No. 4 Arsenal Tech.
21. (34) Callaway (Jackson, Miss.) 31-1
As expected, with All-American Malik Newman and his 29.2 per game scoring average leading the way, the Chargers captured their third straight Class 5A state title. They topped Vicksburg 49-33 in the final and the only loss (to Meridian) was later avenged.
22. (NR) Orlando Christian Prep (Orlando, Fla.) 30-1
Coach Reggie Kohn’s program made it five state titles in seven years with a 53-49 triumph over Grandview Prep of Boca Raton in the Class 2A state final. The Warriors also went 25-0 against in-state competition. The only loss was to Greensboro Day when the squad wasn’t at full strength.
23. (NR) Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) 26-1
Findlay Prep only had seven players at the Dick’s Nationals, but the Democrats only had six for their Class 5A final versus Churchill of Eugene after six others were suspended the morning of the game. It didn’t matter, as Jefferson nailed 10 shots on 3-pointers en route to a 69-64 victory. Gonzaga-bound guard Silas Melson had 24 points while junior Kadeem Strickland, the son of coach Pat Strickland, added 16 points. With its victory, Jefferson won its second consecutive state title and fifth in the last seven years. Jeff defeated No. 32 West Linn, with its only loss to No. 6 Rainier Beach.
24. (NR) East Side (Newark, N.J.) 30-2
Abdul Lewis had a chance to win the New Jersey TOC title on a last-second shot against No. 15 St. Joseph of Metuchen but it missed. Had the shot gone down, East Side would have become the first public school to win the TOC since Camden in 2000. The Red Raiders’ only other loss was to Paterson Eastside and that was by just one point.
25. (8) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) 27-4
Behind an unbelievable performance from guard Ja’Quan Newton, the Saints won their fourth state title in five years with a 64-57 win in overtime over Susquehanna Township. Newton connected on his first six shots from 3-point land and finished with 33 points. He played the game just one day after his mother passed away from breast cancer.
26. (BB) Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 24-2*
We didn’t want to put Curie in the top 25 due to the controversial nature of its season – all the forfeit losses, followed by a team lacking two starters going out in the first round of the state playoffs. Still, it was a team with McDonald’s All-American Cliff Alexander going all out that beat No. 1 Montverde Academy on the court and won the Chicago Public Schools title with a triumph over Whitney Young.
27. (BB) Judson (Converse, Texas) 37-2
The Rockets were No. 1 in Texas for most of the season, but couldn’t seal the deal in a 57-45 loss to FAB 50 No. 19 North Shore in the Class 5A state final. Senior Tanner Leissner was the team’s top scorer with 15.3 points per game. Senior David Wacker (11.4) and senior Julian Erickson (11.2) also routinely reached double figures.
28. (7) Etiwanda (Etiwanda, Calif.) 27-5
The Eagles opened up one spot behind Mater Dei in the FAB 50 for the preseason and when it was all said and done, coach Dave Kleckner’s club was the Monarchs’ biggest threat to a fourth consecutive CIF state title. Etiwanda slid a bit from a national rankings perspective when USC-bound guard Jordan McLaughlin hurt his shoulder and it was a big reason the Eagles were on the same side of the SoCal Open Division regional bracket as Mater Dei. In the regional semifinals, Etiwanda took Mater Dei to overtime before falling 67-64 as McLaughlin finished with 21 points.
29. (16) Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) 30-5*
Coach Rex Morgan’s squad overcame a couple of upset losses late in the regular season to win the SJAA state title in Florida over Potter’s House Christian. The reason for being in the FAB 50, however, was the posting of back-to-back wins in late January over FAB 50 No. 33 Sunrise Christian Academy as well as No. 3 Oak Hill Academy.
30. (14) Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) 24-2
Clayton Custer capped a stellar career with 25 points as the Huskies crushed Blue Valley North 73-46 and repeated as the Class 6A state champions. Custer will play next at Iowa State. Starters Ben Richardson and Vince Fritz also were part of a senior class that went 94-6. Blue Valley Northwest also has reached the state final five straight seasons.
31. (NR) New Castle (New Castle, Pa.) 31-0
There was a lot of history that the Red Hurricanes set after they beat La Salle College High of Philadelphia 52-39 in the Class 4A state final. They are only the 12th team from the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League to finish unbeaten in more than 90 years. They also became the first WPIAL squad to win the state’s highest class title and go unbeaten in 47 years.
32. (BB) West Linn (West Linn, Ore.) 24-4
The Lions began their season just outside the FAB 50, but broke through by playing a tough schedule and capturing the Class 6A title with a 67-56 victory over Sheldon of Eugene. Anthony Mathis had 21 points and Payton Pritchard was big with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. It was the second consecutive state title for the Lions, whose big win during the regular season was a 68-67 triumph over No. 7 Whitney Young. The only unranked team West Linn lost to was Roman Catholic of Philadelphia. West Linn’s other three losses came against No. 13 Bishop Gorman, No. 23 Jefferson and No. 38 White Station.
33. (24) Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 14-5
This team qualifies for the FAB 50 because it doesn’t accept fifth-year players and can play state association members from Kansas on its schedule. Although the squad wasn’t able to get into the Dick’s National tourney, it did avenge an earlier loss by topping Prime Prep Academy in its last game. Senior guard Tum Tum Naim, who will play next at Michigan State, led the way with 14 points. Center Dusan Ristic will head to Arizona.
34. (13) Prime Prep Academy (Dallas, Texas) 21-6
This is the team that was led by SMU-bound McDonald’s All-American Emmanuel Mudiay. Prime Prep notched a win over Sunrise Christian Academy early in the season, then lost in a rematch. The team also posted a win over No. 5 Finley Prep and beat Dallas Kimball, the Texas Class 4A state champ.
35. (41) Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) 28-5
After taking No. 2 Mater Dei to overtime in the title game of the Tarkanian Classic, the Dragons had a chance to avenge that loss in the CIF Open Division state title game and finish in the top 10 of the FAB 50. It wasn’t to be, as the Dragons missed 5-of-7 free throws in the first half, some crucial front ends of one-and-one situations in the second half, and had 20 turnovers in a 71-61 loss. O’Dowd twice beat regionally ranked Capital Christian of Sacramento and No. 13 Bishop Gorman during the regular season, but also gets dinged for a 1-3 showing at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic. With center Ivan Rabb and guard Paris Austin returning, O’Dowd will begin next year ranked a lot higher than it finished this season.
36. (NR) Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 27-1
Rainier Beach’s dominant team overshadowed Garfield’s run to a Class 4A state title in which it twice avenged its only regular season loss to Issaquah, a team it also beat in the second game of the season. After defeating Issaquah in the state semifinals, Garfield downed Richland 68-59 behind 34 points from Tramaine Isabell to claim its first state crown since 1998. The lack of a signature out-of-state win prevents a higher final ranking.
37. (NR) Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 28-6
The Blaze boys, unlike the school’s girls team, were a surprise Class AAA state champ given how strong White Station looked until very late in the season. Point guard Jauan Jennings led the way and has already been named to the Class AAA all-state team. Blackman’s girls, by the way, were state champs and mythical national champs according to at least one poll we saw.
38. (5) White Station (Memphis, Tenn.) 30-3
Given what the Spartans did during the entire season, it makes sense to rank them above the Arlington team they were upset by in the Class AAA state playoffs but not champion Blackman. Among the teams that White Station defeated were Arlington (twice), Mt. Vernon (New York), West Linn (Ore.), Westchester (Calif.), Weslayan Christian Academy (N.C.), Paul VI (Va.) and Sunrise Christian Academy (Kan.).
39. (NR) Union (Tulsa, Okla.) 27-2
It’s not the same as going unbeaten, but we love it when teams avenge losses and then win state titles. That’s the case with the Redskins, who lost during the regular season by five points to Putnam City West and then by one to Owasso but then later on beat Owasso by 11 and in the Class 6A state final beat Putnam City West 72-64.
40. (NR) De Soto (De Soto, Texas) 31-4
The Eagles fell in the Class 5A state semifinals to eventual champion and higher-ranked North Shore. Earlier in the season, their best wins came against Fort Bend Bush and Ballard (Louisville, Ky.). In the team’s 59-51 win over Arlington Bowie in the regional final, senior guard Takedrick Brown rifled in five 3-pointer and scored 22 points.
41. (31) Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) 23-3
The Knights weren’t on the same level as last year when a once-in-a-generation small state team finished No. 4 in the FAB 50, but they continued their in-state dominance by becoming the first program to win four consecutive state titles. Lone Peak graduated All-Americans Nick Emery and Eric Mika and T.J. Haws flirted with graduating early, but the sharp-shooter decided to come back and it made Lone Peak a dangerous club. Haws went for a school record 42 points in a state quarterfinal win and the 84-66 5A state title game victory over Pleasant Grove was a coronation. Haws finished with a career-high eight 3 pointers en route to 29 points for a team that easily avenged its only in-state loss.
42. (NR) Monte Vista (Danville, Calif.) 32-1
The Mustangs opened their season by easily dispatching eventual NorCal Division IV champion Moreau Catholic of Hayward and never let up, defeating No. 50 Centennial 66-55 in the CIF Division I state title game. Monte Vista’s only loss was a 59-56 overtime setback against rival San Ramon Valley that it avenged with a 56-45 victory. Cal Poly recruit Trevor John, who made six 3-pointers and scored 23 points in the state title game, teamed up with Grant Jackson to form one of the West’s most underrated backcourts.
43. (NR) Lakeville North (Lakeville, Minn.) 27-5
Apple Valley’s Tyus Jones generated most of the national headlines from Minnesota in the last three years, but what J.P. Macura did for Lakeville North in this year’s state playoffs was simply amazing. He nailed 30-foot buzzer-beater to cap a 31-point outing in the Class 4A semis against Cretin-Derham Hall and in the state final he poured in 43 points in a 84-82 win against Hopkins of Minnetonka.
44. (27) Apple Valley (Apple Valley, Minn.) 27-2
All year long, the Eagles were in the top 20 of the FAB 50 since they were a defending state champ, since their only loss had been to Whitney Young and they had a big win over FAB 50 ranked Blue Valley Northwest of Kansas. It all blew up in an upset loss to Cretin-Derham Hall. Since Cretin-Derham Hall didn’t win the state title and since Apple Valley had two earlier wins over that team, it was possible to rank the Eagles higher in the final rankings but not as high as state champion Lakeville North.
45. (BB) Tift County (Tifton, Ga.) 29-3
Coach Eric Holland’s squad knocked off defending champion Walton (Marietta, Ga.) 63-49 to win this year’s Class AAAAAA state title. D.J. Bryant, who averaged 11 ppg on the season, had a season-high 22 points in that game. Tadric Jackson was the team’s leading scorer at 19.0 ppg.
46. (36) Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 25-6
It wasn’t a wire-to-wire run to the top, but at the end the Royals won their second straight New York Federation Class AA state title with a 58-52 triumph over Long Island Lutheran. The program also has won three state titles in five years. Senior point guard Andre Walker was the tourney MVP.
47. (NR) McComb (McComb, Miss.) 32-1
The Tigers’ only loss was by one point to Class 5A state champ Callaway (also No. 21 in the FAB 50). They claimed the Class 4A state crown by rolling past Raymond 68-48.
48. (BB) Denver East (Denver, Colo.) 24-4
The Angels played a national schedule but in-state had no peer, as they dispatched a Fossil Ridge of Fort Collins team that came into the Class 5A state title game unbeaten, 70-49. A year earlier, a junior-dominated club was upset in the state final. Dominique Collier, who will play college ball for the University of Colorado on the same Coors Events Center court as the state title game, finished with 18 points while Creighton-bound Ronnie Harrell added 20 points.
49. (BB) Germantown (Germantown, Wis.) 26-2
When the Warhawks were stretching the nation’s longest current win streak at the time to 69 games, they were pushing toward the top 10 in the FAB 50. The streak ended, then there was another loss. In the playoffs, though, Germantown returned to form and won its third straight Division I state title with a 48-42 triumph over Neenah. Coach Steve Showalter’s senior class also went 106-4 in its four seasons.
50. (49) Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 29-4
The perimeter-oriented Huskies finish right around where it was projected of them in the preseason. They ran into a hot Monte Vista team in the CIF Division I state final and themselves only shot 28 percent from the field in the 66-55 loss at Sleep Train Arena. Led by Long Beach State-bound Deontae North and SMU-commit Sedrick Barefield, Centennial recorded two victories over CIFSS Open Division finalist Chino Hills, including one in the SoCal Division I regional final.
Note: The STUDENT SPORTS FAB 50 is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and they were compiled by the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 14 years ago.
Ronnie Flores is the Publisher and Editor of GrassrootsHoops.net. He can be reached at ronlocc1977@yahoo.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
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