High School: Boys Basketball

Final 2013 ESPN 100 player rankings

May, 1, 2013
May 1
12:34
PM CT
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Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Julius Randle remain on top of the final ESPN 100 for the Class of 2013.

See the final rankings here.

BlueChipBattles: Hoops, April 25 edition

April, 25, 2013
Apr 25
5:30
PM CT
Allerik FreemanCourtesy of Andrew Shurtleff

With word that shooting guard Allerik Freeman has asked for his release from UCLA, the nation’s No. 65 senior prospect may soon join Andrew Wiggins as the only uncommitted ESPN 100 prospects. Also, coaches begin to put in serious face time with the nation’s top junior recruits.

Read the entire story here.

Smith passes on college to stay at Simeon

April, 22, 2013
Apr 22
8:06
PM CT
Simeon Career Academy coach Robert Smith said Monday he has decided to bypass college coaching opportunities to make a run at a fifth consecutive Illinois state title with the Wolverines next season.

Smith has accumulated a 260-40 record, won six state titles and had one runner-up finish in nine seasons with Simeon. He said after the high school season he would consider leaving Simeon for a college assistant position.

(Read full post)

ESPN 25 Power Rankings: Final

April, 9, 2013
Apr 9
11:42
AM CT
For the second straight year, Montverde Academy (Fla.) was involved in a epic NHSI title game that featured a double-digit lead and crazy late-game heroics. The Eagles were on the losing end in 2011. But Kasey Hill made sure they wouldn't walk away empty-handed this time around.

Hill spurred a furious late-game comeback, culminating with a drive-and-kick dish to Jalyn Patterson for the game-winning shot with less than a second to play.

Montverde, which was ranked No. 2 in our preseason poll, never dipped below its initial ranking and held the top spot for five weeks before being upset at the buzzer in consecutive games in mid-January.

St. Benedict's, the NHSI runner-up, takes over No. 2 in the poll thanks in large part to the play of Syracuse-bound PG Tyler Ennis and a win over then No. 1 Findlay Prep. Findlay put its perfect season on the line at NHSI, but came up short in the semifinals. The Pilots overall body of work was impressive, though, and they were one of two teams to beat Montverde, earning them the third spot. Lone Peak was in the mix for the top overall spot but winds up at No. 4 -- tops among public school squads.

Four-time Illinois state champ Simeon rounds out the top 5, while fellow Chicago club Whitney Young went 8-3 against ranked teams to grab a top-10 spot despite not winning a state title. Back in the final poll after an extended hiatus is four-time Nebraska champ Omaha Central.

Did we get the final rankings right? Tweet us using #ESPN25hoops and let us know which teams we missed on.

Note: This poll is compiled weekly by the RecruitingNation staff. Every high school team is eligible to be ranked as long as its roster does not include any fifth-year seniors.

Check out the rankings here.

ESPN 25 Power Rankings: Week 18

March, 26, 2013
Mar 26
11:54
AM CT
Two ranked teams took home championship trophies, while two others came up short in their title pursuit as the remaining state champs were crowned across the nation this past weekend.

No. 8 Mater Dei captured the program's 10th title Saturday, beating San Jose Archbishop Mitty 50-45 behind a huge individual game from junior Stanley Johnson. Over in Indiana, Carmel beat Cathedral for the second time this year to grab its second straight Class 4A crown.

Then-No. 17 Pershing wasn't so fortunate in the Michigan playoffs, falling to Romulus and having its perfect season snapped. Romulus took Pershing's place in the rankings after winning the Class A tournament. Chester was upset by Lower Merion but remains in the top 25 based on total body of work.

Now that state champs around the country have been crowned, the last remaining games will come at the National High School Invitational April 4-6. Top-ranked Findlay Prep goes in as the favorites, but the Pilots will be severely tested by a loaded field that includes five top-10 squads.

Our final rankings will be revealed on April 9.

Tweet us your top five teams using #ESPN25hoops.

Note: This poll is compiled weekly by the RecruitingNation staff. Every high school team is eligible to be ranked as long as its roster does not include any fifth-year seniors.

Check out the rankings here.

Jabari Parker repeats as Mr. Basketball

March, 25, 2013
Mar 25
9:22
PM CT
Jabari Parker AP Photo/Cal Sport MediaSimeon's Jabari Parker was named Illinois Mr. Basketball for the second straight year.


Simeon senior forward Jabari Parker was announced as the first two-time Illinois Mr. Basketball winner on Monday.

Parker, a Duke recruit, won the award, which is voted on by statewide media and schools, with 315 points and 43 first-place votes, the Chicago Tribune announced on Monday. Parker was the first non-senior to win the award last season.

“It means a lot,” Parker said on Monday. “I worked extremely hard to get back (from my foot injury) and help my team the best I could. I don’t care about the individual awards, but it’s a reflection on my team. Having somebody from Simeon win it again means a lot.”

(Read full post)

ESPN 25 Power Rankings: Week 16

March, 12, 2013
Mar 12
11:12
AM CT
St. Anthony and Lake Oswego's lengthy tenure in the rankings came to an end after playoff losses, while Iowa City West and Germantown completed back-to-back undefeated seasons on the hardwood to move into the top 15. Also, Chicago Whitney Young falls to No. 10.

Check out the rankings here.

Biancardi's Breakdown: Jabari Parker

March, 12, 2013
Mar 12
10:41
AM CT
video
Now that No. 2 senior prospect Jabari Parker is back to full health, has his college decision behind him and is chasing a fourth consecutive state title, Paul Biancardi re-examines what makes Parker such a unique and talented player as his high school career winds to a close and why he’ll be able to make an immediate impact at Duke next year.

Read the entire story here.

ESPN 25 Power Rankings: Week 13

February, 19, 2013
Feb 19
11:50
AM CT
WhiteScott Powers/ESPNChicago.com

Whitney Young is back on top of Chicago hoops after capturing the Public School tourney crown. The title moved the Dolphins past city rival Simeon and on the edge of cracking the top 5. Plus, preseason top-10 squads Chester and Oak Hill Academy are creeping back into the top 20.

See the rankings here.

Big matchups highlight Jordan Classic

February, 12, 2013
Feb 12
12:13
PM CT

There’s no arguing the quality of this year’s Jordan Brand Classic rosters, which were announced on Tuesday. The game is stocked with 22 players, and that means some of the fat has been trimmed off the event.

Read the entire story here.

ESPN 25 Power Rankings: Week: 11

February, 5, 2013
Feb 5
12:50
PM CT
For the second straight week, an in-state battle between top-15 squads served as the marquee matchup in high school hoops.

Following last week's battle of the Chi, St. Benedict's Prep and St. Anthony squared off in a clash of New Jersey Titans Friday night. Prep was able to wrestle away a 47-38 victory, which gave the Gray Bees state bragging rights and snapped the nation's longest active winning streak.

The win, combined with Whitney Young's upset loss to Orr, propels St. Benedict's into the top five for the first time this winter. With back-to-back losses, WY falls to No. 8 behind a pair of red-hot teams in Huntington Prep (six straight wins) and Simeon (10 in a row). La Lumiere gains a spot to move to No. 9 and Long Beach Poly returns to the top 10 on the strength of a five-game winning streak.

WCAC leader Gonzaga reaches its highest point of the season at No. 14 while preseason top-10 team Oak Hill Academy falls to its lowest spot at No. 15. As we get closer to the end of the season, our voters are placing more of an emphasis on strength of schedule rather than overall record, leading to teams like Iowa City and Midwest City experiencing slight drops despite their unblemished records.

Tweet us your top five teams using #ESPN25hoops.

Note: This poll is compiled weekly by the RecruitingNation staff. Every high school team is eligible to be ranked as long as its roster does not include any fifth-year seniors.

Click here for the rankings.

Telep: Cleaning out the notebook (Insider)

February, 1, 2013
Feb 1
11:41
AM CT
Dave Telep’s Friday recruiting notebook includes an introduction to one of the nation’s most impressive freshmen, a look at Indiana’s big recruiting weekend, why John Calipari’s words resonated with the nation’s No. 2 junior, Illinois putting in work on the recruiting trail and more.

Read the entire story here.
No. 2 senior Jabari Parker and No. 2 junior Jahlil Okafor, whose teams met in a highly anticipated Chicago showdown over the weekend, have different games but share many of the same intangibles that make them successful.

Read the entire story here.

Dave Telep updates his impressions of top players and teams in the aftermath of the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass.

HS hoops on TV: Players to watch

January, 4, 2013
Jan 4
3:21
PM CT
Dakari Johnson/Jabari Parker/Kasey HillUS Presswire/Getty Images

The Cancer Research Classic, held this weekend in Wheeling, W.Va., is an up-and-coming event with a tremendous amount of talent from a variety of high school teams across the country. And two of the premier games from the event will be televised live on ESPN networks Saturday night.

No. 1 Montverde Academy (Fla.) will take on No. 12 Chicago Simeon at 6 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN2 and WatchESPN. That matchup will be followed by Gonzaga (D.C.) against Salesian (Calif.) at 8 p.m. ET on ESPNU and WatchESPN.

The two televised games feature a ton of elite talent in the 2013 class, led by No. 2 overall prospect Jabari Parker (Duke), No. 2 point guard Kasey Hill (Florida), No. 1 center Dakari Johnson (uncommitted) and No. 23 overall recruit Jabari Bird (Cal). But there will also be elite underclassmen on display, as well as recruits for Villanova, Illinois and Dayton.

In fact, all four teams feature multiple Division I prospects. So with that in mind, here are 10 players to watch on Saturday night when you tune into ESPN2, ESPNU or WatchESPN.

Read about individual players to watch here.
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