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After all the holiday tournaments and showcases are in the book, this is the most spellbinding weekly FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com that we can remember in the past 20 years. The first update of 2024 shows 15 newcomers, led by No. 6 Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.). Next week should include more movement following the MLK weekend showcases.
By Ronnie Flores
After all the dust has settled from the holiday events, there is a plethora of newcomers to the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com, the first weekly update of the New Year. In the previous update on Dec. 11, there was a whopping 13 newcomers, which was the most we could recall in recent memory up to that point. This time around, there is even more, as 15 teams crack the nation’s longest-running weekly national rankings. Since the current FAB 50 format was adopted for the 1999-2000 season, it’s the most we can recall joining the fray in a single update.
Does the change mean the rankings are less accurate than previous seasons or that we didn’t do our homework in the preseason? No, not necessarily. In fact not at all. It’s more a case of rewarding teams that play strong schedules and more of the nation’s top talent congregating at fewer schools. The schools in the middle of the FAB 50 pack tend to beat up on each other and expect teams to continue to shuffle in the rear 25 as the season wears on. As far as the Top five, it’s a completely different story.
Preseason No. 1 Montverde Academy continues to lead the pack, as the Eagles captured the 50th annual City of Palms Tournament in Ft. Myers, Fla., and lead the EYBLS league standings. Montverde Academy has defeated 10 teams ranked in this week’s FAB 50, including the other four teams in the top five and six teams in the top 11.
It will take a monumental effort to take down the Eagles, as coach Kevin Boyle’s club took down No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.), 69-62, in the COP semifinals and No. 2 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.), 73-59, in the title game. The Paul VI score was the closest margin of victory so far for a team that is already being compared to the best for a program that has won six FAB 50 national titles, but is Paul VI better than LuHi? Veteran observers at the COP were split on that question, but the debate is likely to be settled on the court. Paul VI still has many landmines remaining in Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) play and LuHi will get another shot at MVA on Feb. 16 at the Bob McKillop Invitational.
Speaking of landmines, there will be plenty for teams this week, as the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo. (Jan. 11-13) and the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. (Jan. 11-15), headline the slate of MLK weekend events. Paul VI will make the vaunted “Springfield Double” trek as it will look to take the Bass Pro TOC crown over the likes of No. 25 Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.), No. 27 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) and No. 46 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.). After a travel day on Sunday, Paul VI will battle No. 8 Columbus (Miami, Fla.) on MLK Monday at 1 pm ET.
McEachern will also double dip, taking on No. 10 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) on Monday at 11 am ET. Columbus will play another game in Massachusetts, taking on Long Island Lutheran on Saturday at 4 pm ET. LuHi’s second game will take place on Monday at 3 pm ET vs. No. 11 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.). Top-ranked MVA will also play two games, including one on Sunday vs. No. 9 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) at 7:30 pm ET.
Our next rankings update will be on Tuesday, January 16 and will include all the MLK Monday results.
RELATED: Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | “In The Paint” Podcast (Spotify) | “In The Paint” Podcast (YouTube)
Updated FAB 50 National Team RankingsPowered by Ballislife.com
(3rd poll of 2023-24 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, January 7; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)
No. Prev. High School (City)Record
11Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)15-0
22Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)11-1
33Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.)11-1
45Link Academy (Branson, Mo.)14-4
56Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah)8-2
6NRPatrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.)13-1
717Don Boso Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)8-2
87Columbus (Miami, Fla.)13-2
94Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.)18-2
109Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.)17-1
1115AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.)15-4
1216De Pere (De Pere, Wis.)11-0
1323Plano East (Plano, Texas)22-0
1412Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.)12-2
1525Fishers (Fishers, Ind.)12-0
1621Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas)21-1
17NRRidge View (Columbia, S.C.)15-0
18NRSt. Rose (Belmar, N.J.)9-1
19NRRoosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.)18-1
2011Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)14-1
2128Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)17-1
2227Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.)10-0
2331Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)14-1
2419Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.)12-2
2532Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.)9-0
268Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)11-2
2745McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.)10-3
2838Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.)17-0
2920North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.)11-2
30NRGreat Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.)14-1
31NRHuntsville (Huntsville, Ala.)21-1
3243Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.)17-2
33NRSierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)17-1
3435Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.)12-3
3548Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.)10-0
36NRKell (Marietta, Ga.)13-3
3742Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.)15-2
3829Bullis (Potomac, Md.)10-2
39NRMt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.)18-0
4030IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)6-6
4110Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.)7-3
42NRCentral Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.)13-0
43NRWestminster Academy (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)9-4
44NROak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.)12-2
45NRChrist the King (Middle, Village, N.Y.)8-1
4618St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)15-3
47NRNeumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.)10-0
4814Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.)8-4
4950Curie (Chicago, Ill.)15-1
50NRRoman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.)11-0
Dropped Out: Previous No. 13 John Marshall (Richmond, Va.), No. 22 Lincoln Park (Midland, Pa.), No. 24 Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas), No. 26 Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), No. 33 La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), No. 34 St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.), No. 36 Hudson Catholic (Hudson, N.J.), No. 37 St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio), No. 39 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.), No. 40 Salesian (Richmond, Calif.), No. 41 Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), No. 44 Alta (Sandy, Utah), No. 46 Archbishop Ryan (Philadelphia, Pa.), No. 47 Thornton (Harvey, Ill.), No. 49 (49) Owyhee (Meridian, Idaho).
Bubble Teams: Alexander (Douglasville, Ga.) 13-2; Allen (Allen, Texas) 20-4; Alta (Sandy, Utah) 13-1; Atascocita (Humble, Texas) 23-2**; Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.) 16-2; Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) 20-1; Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) 11-1; Berkmar (Lilburn, Ga.) 13-2; Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) 7-0; Brennan (San Antonio, Texas) 18-4; Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) 12-2; Camden (Camden, N.J.) 8-1; Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.) 10-0; Cordova (Cordova, Tenn.) 16-1; Dakota Valley (North Sioux City, S.D.) 7-0; DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 12-3; East Lansing (East Lansing, Mich.) 8-0; Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) 10-0; Fort Bend Clements (Sugar Land, Texas) 20-0; Garfield Heights (Garfield Heights, Ohio) 9-0; Homewood Flossmor (Flossmor, Ill.) 14-1; John Marshall (Richmond, Va.) 9-3; Lake Ridge (Mansfield, Texas) 19-3; Lake Taylor (Norfolk, Va.) 11-0; Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) 21-3; La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) 9-3; Lexington Catholic (Lexington, Ky.) 14-1; Liberty Magnet (Baton Rouge, La.) 17-2; Lyon County (Eddyville, Ky.) 15-1; Madison Prep (Baton Rouge, La.) 13-2; Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) 9-1; Moravian Prep (Hudson, N.C.) 16-1; Mt. Carmel (Chicago, Ill.) 17-2; North Crowley (Ft. Worth, Texas) 19-3; North Farmington (Farmington Hills, Mich.) 8-0; Northwest (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) 6-0; Oak Park (Kansas City, Mo.) 10-1; Park Center (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) 11-1; Pascagoula (Pascagoula, Miss.) 15-1; Raymond (Raymond, Miss.) 16-3; Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) 15-1; Southern Guilford (Greensboro, N.C.) 12-1; St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.) 13-2; St. Mary’s (St. Louis, Mo.) 17-1; St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 7-1; Thornton (Harvey, Ill.) 13-2; Totino-Grace (Fridley, Minn.) 7-3; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 8-3; Volcano Vista (Albuquerque, N.M.) 11-1; Westfield (Westfield, Ind.) 9-0; Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.) 13-1; Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.) 12-0.
Note: The FAB 50 powered by Ballislife.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 24 years ago.
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of Ballislife.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
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