InsidetheGators.com - Updated Rivals.com FAB 50 Rankings

February 19, 2008

Doug Huff & Mark Tennis
Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting

UPDATED RIVALS.COM
FAB 50 NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
BOYS BASKETBALL RANKINGS

Compiled by Doug Huff & Mark Tennis of Student Sports

Contributing: Ronnie Flores, Brad Eye and members of the
Student Sports/Rivals.com National High School Network.

(Listed with won-loss record and previous rank in parentheses; After games of Saturday, Feb. 16)

Only a handful of state playoffs have begun around the country, but regional and sectional-style playoffs are in full swing and there's always a chance that a highly-ranked team can have its season end in one of those games.

Such was the case last week for FAB 50-ranked South Atlanta of Georgia and star center Derrick Favors, rated as one of the top juniors in the nation.

South Atlanta, which was No. 20 in the FAB 50 last week and had lost its only game of the season to No. 3 St. Benedict's of New Jersey, was stunned by Blessed Trinity Catholic of Roswell, 67-66, in the Class 3A state regional semifinals.

Favors, who has been a triple-double machine with points, rebounds and blocked shots, faced double and triple teams against Blessed Trinity and just could not get untracked. He finished with just 12 points and his teammates did not pick up the slack.

Another highly-ranked team to get upset last week was previous No. 13 Simeon of Chicago, which lost, 51-40, to Farragut Academy. That loss, though, was not terminal to its season as it was to South Atlanta. Simeon will still be able to play in the Illinois Class 2A state playoffs and also still has three previous wins vs. Farragut. Its FAB 50 rankings drop therefore was from No. 13 down to No. 31.

One team that moved up due to South Atlanta dropping out was Eisenhower of Decatur, Illinois, which hasn't played the same type of schedule that the Chicago teams have but does own a head-to-head win over Simeon. The Panthers might have even moved up higher than No. 19 in this week's FAB 50, but they had to go into two overtimes last week to remain unbeaten in a 98-93 win over crosstown rival MacArthur.

Leading a group of four newcomers in this week's FAB 50 is Franklin of Seattle. The Quakers have a loss to California school Gahr of Cerritos, but they also have a win over an even higher-ranked California team, Fairfax of Los Angeles. They also own a win over Rainier Beach of Seattle, which has not lost to anyone else this season.

Here are this week's Rivals.com FAB 50 national rankings:

1. St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 23-0 (1)
The Friars picked up four easy wins last week to remain No. 1 in the nation. First, five players scored in double figures, led by junior standout Dominic Cheek and his 17 points, in a 86-33 rout of Hudson Catholic. Four players then scored in double figures, led by Pittsburgh recruit Travon Woodall with 22 points in a 82-35 pounding of Pleasantville. Rutgers recruit and recently named McDonald's All-American Mike Rosario then scored 16 points in a 84-37 win against Our Savior New American. The week ended with Jiovanny Fontana handing out a career high 11 assists to go along with nine points in a 65-48 win against Long Island Lutheran. This week, St. Anthony plays prep power American Christian and EA SPORTS All-American candidate Tyreke Evans on Thursday.

2. Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) 32-1 (2)
Make it 60 straight in-state wins and 71 of their last 72 overall for the defending Class 5A state champions following their 73-62 regular season ending victory over Cedar Hill. Once again, Duncanville was led by the junior duo of Roger Franklin and Shawn Williams, with Franklin scoring 26 points and Williams netting 20. On Tuesday, the Panthers will open defense of their state title in the University Interscholastic League's (UIL) Region I-5A playoffs with 15-14 Hurst Bell.

3. St. Benedict's (Newark, N.J.) 22-1 (3)
Louisville recruit Samardo Samuels played in front of his future fans and had 26 points and 15 rebounds as the Grey Bees defeated Cincinnati Princeton, 56-48, in Louisville, Ky. They also defeated Life Center, 72-48, last week as Samuels netted 35 points.

4. Yates (Houston, Texas) 24-2 (4)
The Lions are unbeaten so far this calendar year and have alumni giddy about their chances of capturing their first state title since 1949. Yates didn't have much competition in its District 20-4A games, but to its credit they didn't play down or toy around with opponents. They closed out the regular season with a 99-point blowout win of Sugar Land Austin (126-27), jumping out to a 37-8 lead and never letting up thereafter. Emmanuel Kirby led the way with 24 points with Javon Watkins chipping in 19. Coach Greg Wise's team has a bye in the first round of the Region III-4A playoffs and will play the winner of the Austin McCallum-Montgomery bidistrict game.

5. Chester (Chester, Pa.) 26-1 (5)
Karon Burton had 20 points as the Clippers easily defeated Perkiomen Valley, 87-41, in their first game of last week. They also defeated Council Rock-South 76-50 in the quarterfinals of the District One Class AAAA playoffs as Russell Johnson had 19 points.

6. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 28-0 (6)
A good sign for the Monarchs in the national rankings is Farragut Academy's win last week in Illinois over previous FAB 50 No. 13 Simeon since Farragut is the team they beat recently at the Nike Extravaganza. Mater Dei won last week, 83-46, over Downey in the opening round of the CIF Southern Section Div. I-AA playoffs. Junior Travis Wear had 21 points and 13 rebounds in pacing the win.

7. LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.) 28-2 (7)
The Rattlers' one-two punch of senior Nick Williams and junior DeMarcus Cousins continues to shine as the defending state Class 6A champions won two sub-regional games last week. In a 92-65 win over Baldwin County, Marquette recruit Williams scored 25 points and Cousins had 20 points and 13 rebounds. In a 83-65 win over Foley, Williams scored 34 points. Next up is Dothan in a South Regional game.

8. Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) 19-1 (8)
They used to call them the Moeller Steamroller in the glory days of football, and that's what the Crusaders are doing right now on the hardwood. The defending state Division 1 champions were idle last week as post-season tournament play started throughout Ohio. The first sectional tournament foe this week is Walnut Hills of Cincinnati.

9. Saginaw (Saginaw, Mich.) 17-1 (9)
The Trojans are still dominating in-state opponents with two routs last week. They downed Pontiac Central by 84-37 as 6-foot-7 Michigan State recruit Draymond Green scored 24 points and Daniel West had 14 steals, 11 assists and 10 points. Green had 26 points and 20 rebounds in a 111-75 romp of Flint Northern. The Trojans exploded for a 46-point fourth quarter.

10. Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 30-4 (10)
The Warriors, who are led by Arizona recruit and EA SPORTS National Player of the Year candidate Brandon Jennings (averaging 36 points per game), were idle last week. It's definitely not going to be another national title this season for head coach Steve Smith's squad.

11. Rice (New York, N.Y.) 19-3 (11)
Keeping pace with the other top teams from the East, the Raiders picked up two easy wins last week. They didn't even have to take the court for one of them as it was a forfeit against All Hallows. The other game was just about close to being a forfeit as Rice clobbered Xaverian of Brooklyn, 80-37.

12. Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 24-2 (12)
The two-time defending state Class AAAAA champion Blue Devils won two regional tournament games last week. They romped past Peachtree Ridge by 82-32 and South Forsyth by 61-54. Al-Farouq Aminu, a 6-foot-9 Wake Forest recruit and McDonald's All-American, led the way with 24 and 19 points in the two wins. Denzail Jones scored 22 vs. Peachtree Ridge. Norcross takes on Harrison this weekend in state tourney play.

13. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) 26-1 (15)
For the second straight week, the Monarchs played a game against the only team they've lost to, Riordan of San Francisco, and last Saturday they beat them a second time, this time by 49-44. The win came in the West Catholic Athletic League playoff final and advanced Mitty to the CIF Central Coast Section Div. II playoffs as the top seed. WCAL MVP Colin Chiverton was the Monarchs' top scorer with 14 points.

14. Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 27-2 (14)
The Wildcats wrapped up a Class AAAAA regional title with a 76-67 victory over Centennial. Phil Taylor and Richard Howell divided 40 points to lead the win while Ari Stewart netted 16 and Tahj Tate had 12. The Wildcats open state tournament play this weekend vs. Parkview.

15. Taft (Woodland Hills, Calif.) 22-3 (16)
Bryce Smith connected for seven three-pointers and ended with 25 points as the Toreadors crushed Manual Arts of Los Angeles, 85-43, in their first CIF L.A. City Section playoff game. EA SPORTS All-American candidate guard Larry Drew added 19. Up next for Taft is 17-7 Dorsey in the second-round. The likely scenario is for the Toreadors to play either FAB 50-ranked Westchester or Fairfax in the section championship game.

16. St. Patrick's (Elizabeth, N.J.) 21-4 (17)
Junior Dexter Strickland led five players in double figures as the Celtics defeated Hillside, 79-39, in the first round of the Union County Tournament. Jermel Jenkins then scored 15 points to lead four players in double figures as the Celtics defeated Roselle, 68-57, in the quarterfinals. St. Patrick's also defeated St. Augustine last week, 79-63, as Strickland scored 23 points and Kansas recruit Quintrell Thomas added 20 points.

17. Ferris (Spokane, Wash.) 22-0 (18)
Jared Karstetter fired in 22 points, mostly from the perimeter, while DeAngelo Casto handled the middle with 19 points and 15 rebounds in a 69-49 win over Shadle Park that won a district championship. Ferris, the defending Class 4A state champs, will now take a 51-game win streak into this week's state regional playoffs. The next game is against 14-8 Walla Walla.

18. Dominguez (Compton, Calif.) 24-2 (19)
Coach Russell Otis' team actually is seeded ahead of FAB 50 No. 6 Mater Dei in the CIF Southern Section Div. I-AA playoffs and started its march to a possible showdown against the Monarchs in the final with a 97-60 win over Chaminade of West Hills. Jordan Hamilton knocked 29 points for the Dons, who play La Mirada (20-8) in the second-round.

19. Eisenhower (Decatur, Ill.) 23-0 (24)
The unbeaten, top-ranked in Illinois Panthers had to go into overtime to beat city rival MacArthur last Friday, 98-93. Jeremy Robinson (35 points) and Lewis Jackson (22 points) had to score a lot and they did. Eisenhower then won the next night, 54-51, over Mount Vernon. The team's final regular season game will be this week against Urbana.

20. Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) 26-3 (22)
By the end of this week, the Comets should be playing Fairfax a third time in the L.A. City Section semifinals. They blew out Birmingham of Lake Balboa in last week's playoff opener as Jarred Dubois had 15 points and Dominique O'Conner chipped in with 13. Westchester has to get by Crenshaw of Los Angeles (17-6) in the quarterfinals, though, before even thinking about Fairfax.

21. Homewood-Flossmoor (Flossmoor, Ill.) 23-1 (30)
The Vikings cruised to three wins last week, defeating Bradley-Bourbonnais, 68-51, Lincoln-Way Central, 79-48, and Boylan, 70-54. Southern Illinois-bound Kevin Dillard scored 22 of the Vikings' 44 first-half points on his way to a game-high 36 in the week-ending road win at Boylan.

22. North Crowley (Fort Worth, Texas) 31-1 (25)
The Panthers closed out their regular season on a high note with a 65-55 victory over Weatherford as Lamar Brown led a balanced attack with 11 points as six players scored at least eight points in the 10-point win. The No. 2 team in the TABC (Texas Association of Basketball Coaches) Class 5A ratings behind top-ranked and defending state champ Duncanville, North Crowley plays in the same Region I-5A playoffs as Duncanville so Willie Warren and company have to prove they have what it takes to get by that club if they expect to advance to Austin. They open the post-season with 9-22 Odessa Permian in a bidistrict contest.

23. Oregon City (Oregon City, Ore.) 21-1 (23)
With University of Oregon basketball coach Ernie Kent in attendance to see Pioneers' EA SPORTS All-American candidate Brad Tinsley, he impressed by scoring 26 points to lead Oregon City to a 70-48 win over West Linn. Tinsley also had 22 last week in a 74-47 triumph vs. North Salem.

24. Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) 19-2 (26)
Utah's top team had little problem in winning its 11th straight game and staying undefeated in 5A Region 4 league play with a 81-58 win over Lehi. Lone Peak finishes league play this week with a home game against Timpanogos of Orem.

25. Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 27-1 (31)
Ian Hummer had 23 points and 12 rebounds as the Purple Eagles avenged their only loss with a 61-44 win against DeMatha. Avenging losses benefit teams in the FAB 50 ranking system, so Gonzaga hopped some teams and go into the top 25 this week. They also defeated Bishop Ireton last week, 71-39, as Hummer and Wesley Dunning each had 17 points.

26. Santa Margarita (Rancho SM, Calif.) 24-4 (27)
Jamie Serna had 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Eagles began the CIF Southern Section Div. I-AA playoffs by downing Cerritos, 67-39. They play Georgetown-bound Hollis Thompson and his team at Loyola of Los Angeles in the next game and in Friday's quarterfinals may be facing Compton and its EA SPORTS National Player of the Year candidate, Demar DeRozan.

27. Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 23-4 (28)
The inside-outside combo of Renardo Sidney (25 points) and Chris Solomon (22 points) carried the defending CIF Division I state champs past Van Nuys, 85-62, in the last week's L.A. City Section playoffs. Fairfax meets Washington Prep of L.A. in the quarterfinals and could play Westchester in the semis later this week.

28. McClymonds (Oakland, Calif.) 26-0 (29)
Damon Powell scored 18 points in both of the Warriors' wins last week, but his final eight points that came down the stretch in their 73-71 win over Fremont of Oakland were something special. Powell actually got the game-winner on a tip-in at the buzzer vs. Fremont in the second close call for Mack against that team this season. Up next for the Warriors is this week's Oakland Section playoffs where they may have to play Fremont again. McClymonds has to lose twice in order to be denied the Oakland Section's No. 1 position in the CIF Northern California playoffs.

29. Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 26-2 (32)
The Gaels, who are led by Georgetown recruit Henry Sims, won twice last week as they defeated Calvert Hall, 67-56, and John Carroll, 66-54.

30. Peabody (Alexandria, La.) 36-0 (35)
The Warhorses wrapped up their third unbeaten regular season in school history with a 78-36 rout of Grant. Peabody, which has won five state titles, was led by Mychal Horn with a game-high 20 points. The state's top-ranked Class 4A team last recorded an unbeaten perfect season in 2004.

31. Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) 23-3 (13)
Before the Wolverines were upset by Farragut in the Chicago Public League playoffs, they defeated Crane, 72-58, in a game they trailed at halftime. Stan Simpson was a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor in the third quarter and scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the win.

32. New Albany (New Albany, Ind.) 22-0 (36)
The Bulldogs captured their second consecutive outright conference title and their sixth in eight years after defeating North Lawrence, 75-50, in their first game last week. William Barber scored 13 points in a three-minute span as he matched his career high with 26 points. New Albany finishes league play on the road against North Lawrence before starting the state playoffs as the likely top seed.

33. Ridgeway (Memphis, Tenn.) 25-2 (37)
Tennessee's No. 1 ranked Class AAA team defeated Collierville, 73-53, last week with Jason Jones hitting 18 points to pace 11 scorers. Earlier, Ridgeway was upset in the city title game by Central, 50-46. Sampson Carter led the Roadrunners with 13 points. That result had been unreported prior to the release of this week's rankings on Monday. It will result in Ridgeway dropping in next week's FAB 50, although the team is still ranked No. 1 in the state.

34. Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 21-0 (38)
Five players for the Royals scored in double digits in a 84-54 win last week over Wayzata as Trent Lockett and Raymond Cowles each scored a team high 16 points. Six-foot-eight junior Mike Broghammer then brought the hammer to Minnetonka's hopes of getting an upset as he scored 22 points and came up huge down the stretch along with Cowles, who scored 18, as Hopkins posted a 55-53 narrow win on the road.

35. Putnam City (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 20-1 (39)
The Pirates finished the regular season with no losses to in-state opponents. Wins last week were by 61-48 vs. Yukon and 65-61 vs. Putnam City North. Xavier Henry was huge coming off the bench for the Pirates against Putnam City North after not starting due to being ill and missing the game against Yukon. He converted 19 of 21 free throws and tallied 32 points, including 8-for-8 from the line in the final two minutes.

36. Boyd Anderson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 27-1 (40)
The Cobras routed Cypress Bay by 72-32 last week in a Class 6A regional tournament game. The win hiked their winning streak to 23 games. Next up is a tournament game vs. rival Pompano Beach Ely.

37. St. Raymond's (Bronx, N.Y.) 18-5 (34)
Darryl "Truck" Bryant scored 19 points as the Ravens upset FAB 50 ranked Lincoln 75-73 in overtime. They also defeated Bloomfield Tech last week, 67-61, as Bryant and Omari Lawrence split 30 points. The week wasn't a complete success, however, as St. Ray's lost to Bishop Loughlin of Brooklyn, 76-63.

38. Christ The King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 20-4 (46)
The Royals ended their regular season as they doubled up on St. Francis with a 62-31 victory. Christ the King will now turn its attention to the New York parochial schools' playoffs.

39. Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 22-4 (21)
Junior sensation Lance Stephenson scored 19 points, but the Railsplitters were upset by FAB 50 ranked St. Raymond's 75-73 in OT. The Railsplitters did win the PSAL Brooklyn Borough championship as game MVP Darwin "Buddah" Ellis scored 17 points in a 87-66 win against Jefferson. They also rolled past Westinghouse last week, 93-56, as Stephenson had 31 points and 12 rebounds.

40. Mason County (Maysville, Ky.) 23-3 (42)
Mason County rolled to two easy victories last week, first over Harrison County, 96-68, and then Elliott County, 90-61. That set up a key season rematch this week vs. previous FAB 50 ranked Bryan Station of Lexington. Mason County won an early season clash vs. Bryan Station.

41. Simi Valley (Simi Valley, Calif.) 25-1 (43)
Lorne Jackson poured in 28 points and had nine assists plus five steals in a 95-58 romp past Servite of Anaheim in the CIF Southern Section Div. I-AA playoffs. Simi Valley, which has lost only to FAB 50-ranked Dominguez in a close game, next plays Wilson of Long Beach in the second-round.

42. Klein Collins (Spring, Texas) 29-4 (44)
The Tigers closed out the regular season with two victories in District 16-5A and have won 11 straight games. Their last loss was a 71-57 setback to District Rival and FAB 50 ranked Klein Forest and those two could meet down the line in the Region II-5A final on March 1 after splitting during the regular season. Demetri Goodson and Michael Flores each netted 14 points in a 56-39 victory over Klein Oak last week and the Tiger tuned up for the post season with a 89-85 regular season-ending victory over Tomball. Goodson, a Gonzaga signee, netted 35 points and Flores was one of four others in double figures in the crucial three-point win.

43. Klein Forest (Houston, Texas) 29-3 (45)
After a 77-59 comeback win two weeks ago over a Tomball club that just lost to No. 42 Klein Collins by three points, the Eagles closed out the regular season with a 76-49 win over Klein. Gabe Rogers led the way with 23 points while Toure Murry added 17 points. Murry is the team's leading scorer at a 17.8 ppg clip and hopes to lead Klein Forest deep in the Region II-5A playoffs. Before the Eagles can think about a rubber match with Klein Collins in the regional final, they have to get past The Woodlands in a bidistrict game this week.

44. Raytown (Raytown, Mo.) 24-0 (47)
The Bluejays opened the week at home with a 81-67 senior-night win over Grandview before heading to Fort Osage and returning home with the 64-44 victory. Dominque Morris scored a team-high 30 points before finding a spot on the sideline for the remainder of the game against Fort Osage.

45. Franklin (Seattle, Wash.) 21-2 (nr)
After a pair of playoff wins over Woodinville and Bothell, the Quakers are heading into the Class 4A state playoffs on a roll. They had little trouble with Woodinville, posting a 76-40 win as Chris Holmes had 23 points and eight rebounds. Franklin's only losses are to out-of-state teams and the team also has a win over defending California Div. I state champ Fairfax of Los Angeles.

46. Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) 25-2 (nr)
The Yellowjackets won two games in state Class 5A playoffs last week, including a 62-43 revenge victory over Tupelo, one of the two teams which defeated Starkville while star player Latavious Williams sat out with an injury. Williams led this win with 17 points plus 34 in a 64-44 rout of South Panola.

47. Dillard (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 21-2 (47)
The Panthers advanced in state Class 5A regional play last week with a 70-39 rout of Gulf Coast in the quarterfinals. Up next is a semifinal matchup vs. Fort Myers.

48. Reading (Reading, Pa.) 28-0 (50)
The Knights only played once last week, but since they are unbeaten every win makes the record look better. The team's latest win was by 64-49 against Carlisle.

49. Highland Springs (Highland Springs, Va.) 21-1 (nr)
Virginia's top-ranked Group AAA team routed Lee-Davis, 88-53, last week after avenging its only season loss to Richmond Benedictine for the second time by 70-67.

50. Creighton Prep (Omaha, Neb.) 20-1 (nr)
In a No. 1 vs. No. 2 battle of top teams in Nebraska, the Junior Jays overcame a 12-point first-half deficit and beat Bellevue West, 72-65, last Friday night. Matt Harmon scored 18 points and Jelani Johnson added 15. Creighton Prep has avenged its lone loss, which is another reason the team was elevated into this week's FAB 50.

Dropped Out: Previous No. 20 South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.); No. 33 Word of God (Raleigh, N.C.); No. 41 Benedictine (Richmond, Va.); No. 49 Oxford (Oxford, Miss.).

About Doug Huff & Mark Tennis
Huff is one of only three journalists who've been inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame. He's known as the founder of the national record book, originated the prestigious Street&Smith's preseason All-American teams and still updates football and boys basketball national records regularly for Student Sports. Huff is beginning his 21st consecutive season of compiling national high school football rankings. No one has done this type of work for more years. Tennis has been executive editor of Student Sports for 13 years and has been compiling California state rankings for 27 years. Huff and Tennis have worked together on the FAB 50 rankings since 1999.

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