UPDATED FAB 50: Competition Heats Up!

The new FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com shows three newcomers plus plenty of teams moving up and down based on their body of work and how well the teams they lost to are playing. The playoff competition heats up beginning this week, so change will be coming, unless all the favorites and higher seeds handle the pressure. The highest rated newcomer is No. 39 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), which was previously ranked and is trying to navigate through the ultra tough CIF Southern Section open division playoffs. 

By Ronnie Flores

The theme of this week’s FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com is competition. The teams that beat tough competition move up in the weekly rankings, teams that don’t see so many tough teams are slow-played and the teams that lose to other ranked teams get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to placement after a loss.

The best example of this in this week’s rankings shuffle is defending FAB 50 champion Montverde Academy (Fla.), which fell to then No. 20 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.), 40-39, at the ASW25 Future Game held at Henry J. Kaiser Center in Oakland, Calif., as part of NBA All-Star weekend festivities. Alabama-bound Davion Hannah was the lone double-digit scorer for the victors with 15 points in the low-scoring affair.

The Eagles drop one spot to No. 6 and surely can’t drop any further because they must remain ahead of CIA Bella Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.) for handing that club two of its three losses, with the other coming against top-ranked Columbus (Miami, Fla.). CIA Bella Vista doesn’t deserve to drop much, if at all, as it leads the EYBL Scholastic League with a 8-1 mark after picking up two wins at the Bob McKillop Classic hosted by Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.). CIA Bella Vista defeated No. 16 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 91-82, and Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 71-57.

Link Academy moves up three spots after its win, but must remain behind IMG Academy because of the head-to-head result and the Lions’ overall amount of losses.

Another team that recorded a key win was No. 30 Kenwood (Chicago, Ill.), which moves up six spots this week after capturing its first Chicago Public League championship with a 67-65 come-from-behind win over Curie (Chicago, Ill.). First year coach Joe Mason’s club was lef by T.J. Seals with 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while sophomore Devin Cleveland also had a big hand in the historic victory.

For Kenwood, it’s on to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 4A state playoffs, where the two CPL programs could meet again.

For most of the other rising teams in the FAB 50, the tough games lie ahead. In the powerful Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC), a Monday contest between No. 4 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) and No. 22 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) will have big implications on this week’s WCAC Tournament. If the Purple Eagles win, they clinch the No. 1 seed in the tourney and if DeMatha wins at home, FAB 50 No. 20 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) gets the top seed, Gonzaga drops to No. 2 and The Stags get the No. 3 seed.

The WCAC tourney semifinals and championship game the next day will be held at American University (Bender Arena) on Feb. 23-24.

The EYBL Scholastic League has stops this week at IMG Academy at in La Jolla, Calif., before the field is announced for the inaugural EYBL Scholastic Tournament taking place at the Riverview Park Activities Center in North Augusta, S.C., March 5-8. The winner that emerges from the 10-team field will automatically qualify for a spot at Chipotle High School Nationals in Indiana, April 3-5.

The top newcomer this week is No. 39 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), which is part of the tough 10-team field in the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs, which employs a pool play format. After one week, the Blue Knights are one of two teams to begin 2-0, along with bubble club Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), with not all teams yet playing two games.

Notre Dame defeated bubble club JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), which has handed fellow bubble club Riordan (San Francisco, Calif.) its only loss, and also beat La Mirada (Calif.), a team that lost to newcomer No. 44 Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.). Sierra Canyon defeated bubble club Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) in overtime, 69-66, but the Sea Hawks bounced back to defeat previous No. 18 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), 77-75, in its second pool play game.

It may seem like a steep drop in the rankings for Bosco, but the Braves now must be behind Redondo Union in the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings, a team that must be ranked behind Sierra Canyon. JSerra bounced back in its second pool play game to defeat a Santa Margarita (Calif.) club it lost to twice in the regular season and we’re not ready yet to put Riordan or Sierra Canyon in the FAB 50. Notre Dame has a split with Sierra Canyon and lost to top seed and FAB 50 No. 2 Harvard-Westlake in a close contest in the Mission League Tournament final.

This will be a key week for CIFSS teams, and a few more could land in the FAB 50 depending on the results of two pool play games this week. The final round of pool play games will be Feb. 25 with the Southern Section open championship game taking place on March 1 at Toyota Arena in Ontario, Calif.

With teams from power states and conferences playing key games this week, teams could drop from the FAB 50 in future weeks without losing a game. That’s the result of playing tough competition when it matters most.

RELATED:   Preseason 2024-25 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | “In The Paint” Podcast (Spotify) |  “In The Paint” Podcast (YouTube) 

Updated FAB 50 National Team RankingsPowered by Ballislife.com

(9th poll of 2024-25 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, February 16; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

No. Prev. High School (City)Record

11Columbus (Miami, Fla.)23-3

22Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.)28-1

33Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.)23-3

44Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)24-3

58Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.)22-2

65Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)17-5

76CIA Bella Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.)19-3

87Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.)24-5

99Brennan (San Antonio, Texas)29-2

1010Allen (Allen, Texas)30-1

1111Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.)28-2

1212Calvary Christian Academy (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)18-1

1322Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)18-5

1413AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.)14-6

1516Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah)21-4**

1615IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)19-6

1720Link Academy (Branson, Mo.)16-8

1816Fishers (Fishers, Ind.)21-0

1917St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.)28-1

2023Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) 23-5

2119Hoover (Hoover, Ala.)30-0

2224DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.)21-5

2326Dream City Christian (Glendale, Ariz.)21-6

2425Huntsville (Huntsville, Ala.)31-1

2528John Marshall (Richmond, Va.)17-2

2631Lake Ridge (Mansfield, Texas)32-2

2721Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.)13-6

2827Utah Prep (Hurricane, Utah)18-10

2934Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)25-2

3036Kenwood (Chicago, Ill.)27-1

3139Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 24-3

3235Owasso (Owasso, Okla.)20-4

3329Highland (Warrenton, Va.)32-5

3432Oak Park (Kansas City, Mo.)21-1

3533Christ School (Arden, N.C.)24-2

3642Webb (Knoxville, Md.)29-2

3744St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)26-2

3846North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.)22-2

39NRNotre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.)24-6

4038Reidsville (Reidsville, N.C.)23-0

4137Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.)21-7

4240Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.)20-8

4341St. John’s (Washington, D.C.)19-9

44NRVashon (St. Louis, Mo.)18-2

45NRQuincy (Quincy, Ill.)27-2

4643Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.)20-4

4745DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.)19-11

4848Winston-Salem Christian (Winston-Salem, N.C.)31-6

4930Patrick School (Hackettstown, N.J.)24-5

5049Lake Norman (Mooresville, N.C.)23-1

Dropped Out: Previous No. 18 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), No. 47 U of D Jesuit (Detroit, Mich.), No. 50 Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.).

Bubble Teams:  Aiken (Cincinnati, Ohio) 21-1; Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco, Calif.) 22-1; Avon (Avon, Ind.) 18-2; Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) 20-4; Bolingbrook (Bolingbrook, Ill.) 26-4; Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) 18-2; Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.) 16-4; Catholic (Baton Rouge, La.) 28-3; Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) 14-9; Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.) 21-1; DePaul College Prep (Chicago, Ill.) 26-3; De Pere (De Pere, Wis.) 20-1; DeSmet (St. Louis, Mo.) 22-2; Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) 22-4; East Lansing (East Lansing, Mich.) 18-1**; Ft. Bend Marshall (Missouri City, Texas) 32-2; Glens Falls (Glens Falls, N.Y.) 20-0; Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.) 24-4; Gibbs (St. Petersburg, Fla.) 24-4; Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 22-1; JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) 22-5; Liberty Magnet (Baton Rouge, La.) 24-3; Lincoln (Warren, Mich.) 16-4; Milwaukee Academy of Science (Milwaukee, Wis.) 14-1; Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 24-6; Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 16-9; Olentangy Orange (Lewis Center, Ohio) 19-2; Orem (Provo, Utah) 20-3; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Baltimore, Md.) 28-4; Pace Academy (Atlanta, Ga.) 23-4; Rangeview (Aurora, Col.) 20-0; Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 21-2; Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) 24-4; Reynoldsburg (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) 20-1; Richland (Richland, Wash.) 22-0; Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) 18-4; Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) 25-2; Santa Margarita (Rancho SM, Calif.) 22-6; Shadow Creek (Pearland, Texas) 29-2; Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 22-5; St. Francis Prep (Fresh Meadows, N.Y.) 19-3; St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 24-5; St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.) 17-5; St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 13-6; St. Michael’s (Austin, Texas) 28-4; St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.) 25-2; Tartan (Oakdale, Minn.) 22-0; Thomas Jefferson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 26-1; Timpview (Provo, Utah) 18-5; Tri-Cities (East Point, Ga.) 21-6; Trotwood-Madison (Trotwood, Ohio) 20-2; U of D Jesuit (Detroit, Mich.) 18-2**; Upper Dublin (Ft. Washington, Pa.) 24-1; Veterans Memorial (Corpus Christi, Texas) 35-0; Weatherford (Weatherford, Okla.) 23-1; Webster Groves (Webster Groves, Mo.) 17-4; Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.) 19-2; Woodside (Newport News, Va.) 19-1; Woodward Academy (College Park, Ga.) 23-4.

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 25 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