The Hoop Scoop

Covering Grassroots Basketball Since 1983

A national recruiting web site and scouting service providing analysis, rankings, and coverage of grassroots basketball since 1983

Updated FAB 50 National Rankings

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For the second consecutive season, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday hoops bonanza has seen the nation’s No. 1 ranked team lose in a showdown of top-ranked teams at the Hoophall Classic in Massachusetts. On both occasions, the team on the losing end was Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), but this year the scenario was a bit different because the Eagles were unbeaten coming in and the No. 2 ranked team also lost at the same event. Check out the new national pecking order with results through games on MLK Monday and our explanation for placing Curie (Chicago) as the newly crowned No. 1.    

By Ronnie Flores & Mark Tennis
Contributing: Doug Huff

It usually takes a superb performance to knock off the nation’s top-ranked boys basketball team in the Student Sports FAB 50 rankings.

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No. 1& No. 2 Go Down

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The Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. shakes up the Student Sports FAB 50 national rankings as No. 1 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) and No. 2 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) both go down on MLK Monday. Both the Eagles and Oak Hill lose to top 10 ranked teams from Chicago with dominant big men.

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No 1 vs No 3: Montverde Academy Impressive

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The nation’s top-ranked team in the Student Sports FAB 50, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), exercised some demons with a victory over No. 3 White Station (Memphis) in the title game of the Pass Pro Shops TOC. For Montverde Academy, the win was gratifying but there is still some unfinished business on this road trip.

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Quick Shots: Germantown Goes Down

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Nation’s longest winning streak comes to an end Tuesday night as Student Sports FAB 50 No. 9 Germantown (Germantown, Wis.) loses to Brookfield Central (Brookfield, Wis.). Coach from prominent Northern California program suspended for a month by his school district and Javaris Crittenton’s sad spiral from high school star to murder suspect.

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New FAB 50 National Rankings

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Over the past decade, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday has turned into a huge ratings bonanza as many of the nation’s top teams play in showcase games over the three-day weekend. Most of the attention is focused on the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. For some teams, such as No. 1 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) and No. 10 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), there is business to attend to beforehand at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo. Next week’s rankings won’t be published until Tuesday after all the results from MLK Monday are accounted for.

By Ronnie Flores & Mark Tennis
Contributing: Doug Huff

The Pangos Dream Classic began in 1995 as a vehicle to showcase Southern California’s top basketball teams and as a tribute to the late Dr.

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MLB Scholarship Plan In Hoops?

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Back in the 1960s, Major League Baseball developed the Professional Baseball Scholarship Plan. The goal of “The Plan” was to help players entering professional baseball to further their education, since many players had yet to start college or complete it. That’s still the way it is today.

According to an article in the New York Times in 2009, from 1962 to 1999, a total of 69.2 percent of baseball players returned to the classroom under the Plan, said Pat Courtney, a spokesman for Major League Baseball.

Perhaps the important factor in the Plan is that the player must negotiate this into his first professional minor league contract.

That contract is typically divided up into three parts: The signing bonus, the Professional Baseball Scholarship Plan (PBSP) and the Incentive Bonus (optional).

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POY Tracker: Seniors Stand Strong

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The top players in the class of 2014 take center stage in the national player of the year race as the underclass players lose traction. Emmanuel Mudiay and Cliff Alexander remain the front-runners, but Jahlil Okafor and Stanley Johnson garner the most first-place votes.

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Tournament Headed To The Garden

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The National High School Invitational (NHSI), a end-of-season tournament that has featured some of the nation’s best teams over the past five years, will be moving from Maryland to New York City with a new title sponsor. The event’s championship game will take place at Iconic Madison Square Garden on April 5.

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