High School: HS Boys Basketball
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
By
Scott Powers | ESPNChicago.com
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.”
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.
Check out the rankings here.
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.

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.
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.
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
By
Paul Biancardi | ESPNChicago.com
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.

Battle of the nation's best centers 
December, 21, 2012
12/21/12
5:57
PM CT
By
Dave Telep | ESPNChicago.com
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Take the nation’s highest-rated center from the Class of 2013 and match him against the best from the Class of 2014 class and I’m in. No matter the place, and apparently with no concern for the time.
The matchup between Jahlil Okafor (Chicago/Whitney Young) and Dakari Johnson (New York, N.Y./Montverde Academy) at the City of Palms Classic didn't tip until 11:02 p.m. ET Thursday night. I walked out of the gym at 12:49 a.m. Friday.
In retrospect, it was all worth it.
Read the entire story.
The matchup between Jahlil Okafor (Chicago/Whitney Young) and Dakari Johnson (New York, N.Y./Montverde Academy) at the City of Palms Classic didn't tip until 11:02 p.m. ET Thursday night. I walked out of the gym at 12:49 a.m. Friday.
In retrospect, it was all worth it.
Read the entire story.
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Simeon players to pay tribute to Wilson
December, 13, 2012
12/13/12
6:41
PM CT
By
Scott Powers | ESPNChicago.com
Chicago Simeon Career Academy's players are paying tribute to former Simeon star Ben Wilson this season by wearing custom-made Nike shoes with his name and number printed on them.
Okafor making push for nation's top player
December, 6, 2012
12/06/12
6:49
PM CT
By
Scott Powers | ESPNChicago.com
CHICAGO -- UIC's home basketball court was occupied by some of the nation's best prep players from morning to night for the Chicago Elite Classic last week.
St. Vincent-St. Mary freshman Vincent King drew rave reviews. Illinois' future backcourt of Jaylon Tate and Kendrick Nunn played before their future coach John Groce. Recruits from BYU, Dayton, Minnesota, N.C. State, Ohio State, among other schools all showed off their skills.
Jabari Parker, the nation's No. 2 senior, even surprised everyone and played in his first game since fracturing his foot in July.
But when the day ended and the participants, high school and college coaches, media and fans departed the arena, there was only one player who nearly everyone was talking about -- Whitney Young junior 7-foot, 265-pound center Jahlil Okafor.
Even though Parker was nowhere near 100 percent and Andrew Wiggins (the nation's No. 1 senior) and Tyus Jones (the nation's No. 1 junior) weren't present, Okafor's performance against DeMatha (Md.) led many to believe he should be the No. 1 player not only in the state regardless of class, but also the country.
One high-major college coach who was in attendance left thinking there was no doubt Okafor is the best player in the nation after witnessing his 34-point, nine-rebound performance against N.C. State recruit BeeJay Anya, who had 11 points and five rebounds.
"I think he's the No. 1 player in the country no matter the grade," the coach said. "Just his offensive package, you don't see that from a center, especially a kid his age. Left hand, right hand, putting it on the floor, jab step, you name it, he's got it all, makes free throws. It's ridiculous."
St. Vincent-St. Mary freshman Vincent King drew rave reviews. Illinois' future backcourt of Jaylon Tate and Kendrick Nunn played before their future coach John Groce. Recruits from BYU, Dayton, Minnesota, N.C. State, Ohio State, among other schools all showed off their skills.
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Scott Powers for ESPNChicago.comJahlil Okafor is the best player in Chicago while Jabari Parker recovers from injury, but some don't expect that pecking order to change.
Scott Powers for ESPNChicago.comJahlil Okafor is the best player in Chicago while Jabari Parker recovers from injury, but some don't expect that pecking order to change.But when the day ended and the participants, high school and college coaches, media and fans departed the arena, there was only one player who nearly everyone was talking about -- Whitney Young junior 7-foot, 265-pound center Jahlil Okafor.
Even though Parker was nowhere near 100 percent and Andrew Wiggins (the nation's No. 1 senior) and Tyus Jones (the nation's No. 1 junior) weren't present, Okafor's performance against DeMatha (Md.) led many to believe he should be the No. 1 player not only in the state regardless of class, but also the country.
One high-major college coach who was in attendance left thinking there was no doubt Okafor is the best player in the nation after witnessing his 34-point, nine-rebound performance against N.C. State recruit BeeJay Anya, who had 11 points and five rebounds.
"I think he's the No. 1 player in the country no matter the grade," the coach said. "Just his offensive package, you don't see that from a center, especially a kid his age. Left hand, right hand, putting it on the floor, jab step, you name it, he's got it all, makes free throws. It's ridiculous."
Young's Okafor open to Illinois schools
November, 29, 2012
11/29/12
1:33
AM CT
By
Scott Powers | ESPNChicago.com
Whitney Young (Chicago) center Jahlil Okafor, the nation’s No. 2-ranked junior, said
Wednesday his recruitment was open and would still consider in-state schools DePaul and Illinois.
Okafor, a 7-foot, 270-pound center, had made a number of unofficial visits, including to Duke, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State and UCLA, but he doesn’t plan on cutting his list or committing anytime soon.
“I haven’t done a list,” Okafor said. “Illinois and DePaul have as much of a chance as anybody.”
Okafor’s father, Chukwudi, also confirmed that.
“Illinois has a shot,” Chukwudi said. “DePaul has a shot. (DePaul coach Oliver Purnell) is a good guy. Everybody has a shot. I wouldn’t cut any of them out. Illinois is going to have to work. We’re going to pay attention to them. It’s the home team. They’re doing good things.”
Two factors in Okafor’s recruitment will probably be playing with his friend and point guard Tyus Jones, the nation’s top-ranked junior, and being able to immediately compete for a national title.
Jones and Okafor have been talking about playing with each other in college for the past few years, and they keep in touch several times a week.
“First of all, it’s just our friendship, our brotherhood, we’re just close,” Okafor said of Jones. “It’s fun to go to battle with someone you’re so close with. He’s a floor general.”
Winning is also vital to Okafor.
“The ultimate goal for him is to put himself in the position to win a national championship,” Chukwudi said.
Okafor and his team begin their season against DeMatha (Maryland) and North Carolina State recruit BeeJay Anya, a 6-foot-9, 275-pound center, in the Chicago Elite Classic at UIC on Saturday.
Wednesday his recruitment was open and would still consider in-state schools DePaul and Illinois.
Okafor, a 7-foot, 270-pound center, had made a number of unofficial visits, including to Duke, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State and UCLA, but he doesn’t plan on cutting his list or committing anytime soon.
“I haven’t done a list,” Okafor said. “Illinois and DePaul have as much of a chance as anybody.”
Okafor’s father, Chukwudi, also confirmed that.
“Illinois has a shot,” Chukwudi said. “DePaul has a shot. (DePaul coach Oliver Purnell) is a good guy. Everybody has a shot. I wouldn’t cut any of them out. Illinois is going to have to work. We’re going to pay attention to them. It’s the home team. They’re doing good things.”
Two factors in Okafor’s recruitment will probably be playing with his friend and point guard Tyus Jones, the nation’s top-ranked junior, and being able to immediately compete for a national title.
Jones and Okafor have been talking about playing with each other in college for the past few years, and they keep in touch several times a week.
“First of all, it’s just our friendship, our brotherhood, we’re just close,” Okafor said of Jones. “It’s fun to go to battle with someone you’re so close with. He’s a floor general.”
Winning is also vital to Okafor.
“The ultimate goal for him is to put himself in the position to win a national championship,” Chukwudi said.
Okafor and his team begin their season against DeMatha (Maryland) and North Carolina State recruit BeeJay Anya, a 6-foot-9, 275-pound center, in the Chicago Elite Classic at UIC on Saturday.

- IHSAScoreZone IL High School Assn
CORRECTION: ScoreZone opens on Friday, May 3, with a handful of girls soccer matches. No more rain is needed until June (Sundays excepted).
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- IHSAScoreZone IL High School Assn

- ESPNChiPreps ESPNChicago
Final 2013 ESPN 100 player rankings http://t.co/GCyIGJUMxK
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