POWERADE FAB 50 Rankings: Final
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After games of Saturday, March 31.
Compiled by Doug Huff, Mark Tennis and Ronnie Flores
It was a remarkable comeback for Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) in the championship game of the ESPNHS National High School Invitational, but going to overtime to beat Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) was not enough for the Pilots to create a change at the top of the final POWERADE FAB 50.
Replacing a No. 1 team at the end of a rankings cycle requires an enormous set of circumstances. With No. 1 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) at 44-0 and with an 18-point win over La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), the only team that beat Findlay Prep during the season, it was too much for Findlay to overcome.
For coach Steve Smith and the program at Oak Hill, this year's FAB 50 national crown is the seventh since 1993. The Warriors claimed their last one in 2007 with a 40-1 record. Their other No. 1 finishes have been in 2004 (38-0), 2001 (33-0), 1999 (31-0), 1994 (30-1) and 1993 (30-0).
Oak Hill was invited to play in the NHSI, but declined this year, citing the team's recent tour of exhibition games in China.
While Oak Hill's 44-0 record for this year is the best in school history, it is second-best all-time for a national champion. The best is 46-0 for Kashmere (Houston) in 1975.
See the list of FAB 50 champions from each year.
| 2011-2012 POWERADE FAB 50 Boys' Basketball Rankings: Final | |||
| RK (LW) | SCHOOL (CITY, STATE) | REC | COMMENT |
| 1 (1) | Oak Hill Academy Mouth of Wilson, VA | 44-0 | On their way to perfection, the Warriors defeated teams from 13 states and the District of Columbia and Canada, including five FAB 50 ranked teams. Leading the way for coach Steve Smith, now with a 27-year 860-53 record, were 5-foot-11 point guard and McDonald's All-American Tyler Lewis, a North Carolina State commit, plus 6-foot-5 Jordan Adams (UCLA), 6-foot-3 D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Georgetown) and 7-foot A.J. Hammons (Purdue). |
| 2 (2) | Findlay Prep Henderson, NV | 32-1 | Coach Michael Peck's team finished higher in the final rankings than last year, but couldn't pass Oak Hill Academy with all things considered. The Pilots captured their third ESPNHS NHSI title in four years with a thrilling 86-83 overtime victory over No. 9 Montverde Academy. On a big stage, it was one of the best comeback wins in recent high school basketball lore, but wasn't enough for Findlay to hop unbeaten Oak Hill Academy. The common opponent factor (with Oak Hill easily beating La Lumiere), Findlay Prep's inability to avenge the loss to La Lumiere, and the manner in which they defeated Montverde Academy all played a factor in the decision. |
| 3 (3) | St. Anthony Jersey City, NJ | 32-0 | The Friars will take the nation's longest active win streak of 65 games into next season. They won their 12th Tournament of Champions state title in 24 seasons after capturing their 27th Non-Public B state crown, Coach Bob Hurley also upped his record to 1,049-110 record. Kyle Anderson, a 6-foot-7 UCLA recruit, was a McDonald's All-American and described by Hurley as the "best all-round player I've coached." The other senior starter was 6-foot-4 Jerome Frink. |
| 4 (4) | Chester Chester, PA | 32-0 | The Clippers repeated as Class AAAA state champion with a record eighth overall crown and will take a win streak of 58 games into next season. With three junior starters, including 6-foot-7 all-stater Rondae Jefferson, things look bright next season for the Eastern Pennsylvania power. |
| 5 (5) | Marcus Flower Mound, TX | 39-2 | One of this team's losses was to No. 2 Findlay Prep and one of the best wins came against No. 15 Montrose Christian. The Marauders, behind the brilliance of Oklahoma State-bound guards Marcus Smart and Phil Forte, won their second straight Class 5A state title. |
| 6 (6) | Neal F. Simeon Chicago, IL | 32-1 | The preseason No. 1 ranked FAB 50 team regrouped from a a January loss to FAB 50 No. 2 Findlay Prep to win its final 18 games and capture a third straight Class 4A state crown and a record sixth overall. Simeon was led by 6-foot-7 junior Jabari Parker, the Gatorade Player of the Year and No. 1 in the ESPNU 60. Senior Steve Taylor, a 6-foot-7 Marquette recruit, also shined. |
| 7 (7) | Milton Alpharetta, GA | 31-1 | The Eagles were officially 28-4 counting three forfeit losses. They were unbeaten on the court with their regular starters on the floor and won the Class AAAAA state crown. Milton's best win came against No. 11 Bishop Gorman. |
| 8 (8) | Mater Dei Santa Ana, CA | 34-2 | Seniors Katin Reinhardt and Xavier Johnson, who are going to UNLV and Colorado, respectively, led the Monarchs to their second straight CIF Division I state title. It also was their ninth state crown overall, which is a new record. Next year, sophomore Stanley Johnson will be back to lead a group that hopes to keep the streak going. |
| 9 (12) | Montverde Academy Montverde, FL | 23-4 | With wins over previous No. 9 Montrose Christian and No. 23 La Lumiere plus the overtime loss to No. 2 Findlay, the Eagles get lifted into the top 10 for the final rankings. They also beat four Florida state champions and one from California during the season. With junior Kasey Hill returning plus others and with the addition of center Dakari Johnson (the ESPNHS National Freshman of the Year in 2011), coach Kevin Boyle's team could be the early choice ro start out the 2012-13 season in the FAB 50's No. 1 position. |
| 10 (10) | Prestonwood Christian Plano, TX | 27-4 | The most impressive victory for the Lions was a 20-point bounce-back win over No. 22 Grace Prep in the championship of the City of Palms tournament after Grace Prep defeated them by 15 in a game televised on ESPNU. With junior Julius Randle and freshman Mickey Mitchell returning, this is a team to watch for the very top of the FAB 50 next season. |
| 11 (11) | Bishop Gorman Las Vegas, NV | 28-4 | With McDonald's All-American Game MVP Shabazz Muhammad leading the way, the Gaels played their toughest schedule ever and almost won enough of them to finish in the top 10. Other than rolling to the Class 4A state title, the best win came against No. 13 DeMatha at the HoopHall Classic in Springfield, Mass. |
| 12 (13) | Paul VI Fairfax, VA | 35-3 | The Panthers compiled a rare unbeaten regular season in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, added the city title with a win over Coolidge (Washington, D.C.) and also won the Virginia Independent Schools crown. Paul VI also won three of four games against FAB 50 No. 13 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.). Stanford Robinson, a 6-foot-3 junior, was the leading scorer on a balanced team. |
| 13 (14) | DeMatha Catholic Hyattsville, MD | 30-5 | The Stags played one of the nation's best schedules and split 10 games against FAB 50 teams. They capped their season by winning a 21st title in the Alhambra Catholic Invitational by besting conference rival Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) after losing three regular season games to the Panthers. Two junior standouts -- Syracuse recruit Jairus Lyles (6-foot-2) and 6-foot-9 BeeJay Anya should lead the team next season. |
| 14 (9) | Montrose Christian Rockville, MD | 21-3 | Losing to Montverde Academy in the semifinals of the NHSI ends up dropping the Mustangs five spots for the final rankings. While the Mustangs did come very close in that loss and also in a two-point loss to No. 5 Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas), it's the loss to Coolidge of Washington D.C. that ends up dropping them behind the other two D.C. area teams. This final FAB 50 ranking also matches the final rankings of the Washington Post. |
| 15 (17) | Proviso East Maywood, IL | 32-1 | The Pirates won their first 32 games before two-time defending Class 4A state champion and FAB 50 No. 6 Simeon (Chicago) ended the run 50-48 in the title game. The team's top player was junior all-stater Sterling Brown, who will anchor next year's bid to end the title stranglehold by the Wolverines. |
| 16 (15) | St. Benedict's Prep Newark, NJ | 35-3 | The Gray Bees made an impression under first-year coach Mark Taylor by winning the Prep School A state championship and bowing only to three FAB 50 ranked teams -- unbeaten No. 3 St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) by one point; No. 13 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.); and to No. 2 Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) in the semifinals of the National High School Invitational. Leading the way was Miami recruit Melvin Johnson, junior point guard Tyler Ennis, the Gatorade State Player of the Year, and touted freshman Isaiah Briscoe. |
| 17 (18) | Sexton Lansing, MI | 27-1 | The Big Reds capped a dominating season by appearing in their third straight state title game and repeating as Class B champion. Sexton won the finals with a record-tying 35-point margin. The team's only season loss was by one point to Class A contender Pershing (Detroit). Sexton was led by Mr. Basketball state runner-up Denzel Valentine, a Michigan State commit. |
| 18 (19) | Scotlandville Magnet Baton Rouge, LA | 35-2 | With Class 5A state player of the year Cleveland Thomas leading the way, the Hornets won the Class 5A state title. They had reached the finals in 2010 and 2011. |
| 19 (20) | Columbia Decatur, GA | 31-1 | Coach Phil McCrary continued to add the wins on his record - he won his 500th game in 2011 - and his program made it three Class AAA state titles in a row. Junior point guard Tahj Shamsid-Deen, the Class AAA player of the year, and a pair of 6-foot-7 bookend forwards - seniors Jarmal Reid and Jhaustin Thomas - were the team's standouts. |
| 20 (16) | Ely Pompano Beach, FL | 30-3 | This is a natural spot for Ely to fall after it lost in its NHSI opener to No. 16 St. Benedict's because of a head-to-head win over California Division IV state champion Salesian of Richmond. Led by senior Clide Geffrard, the Tigers also won the Class 7A Florida state crown. |
| 21 (21) | Salesian Richmond, CA | 33-2 | If Salesian can find an inside presence to replace Grid-Hoop standout Freddie Tagaloa, they'll be one of the nation's best teams next season. The CIF Division IV state champions should be loaded on the perimeter for next year, led by 6-foot-5 Jabari Bird. |
| 22 (22) | Grace Preparatory Academy Arlington, TX | 27-4 | The best win for the Lions was when they topped No. 10 Prestonwood Christian in the first of two meetings between the two Texas private school powerhouses. They won their second straight Class 4A state title behind McDonald's All-American Isaiah Austin, who will play next at Baylor. |
| 23 (24) | Tulsa Union Tulsa, OK | 29-0 | After a heart-pounding 37-36 triumph against defending champion Edmond Memorial (Edmond, Okla.), the Redskins became the first Class 6A champ in state history to finish 29-0. Guard J.C. Hartzler was more often the Redskins' leading scorer. |
| 24 (25) | Germantown Germantown, WI | 28-0 | The Warkhawks capped an unbeaten season with their first Division 1 state title. They won all but two games by double-digit margins and handed Rufus King (Milwaukee) its only in-state loss in the title game. Leading the way were two major college recruits in senior guard Zak Showalter (Wisconsin) and 6-foot-10 junior Luke Fischer (Indiana). |
| 25 (26) | Dunbar Dayton, OH | 28-0 | The Wolverines ended the first unbeaten season in school history with their fifth Division II state title. Three college recruits led the way, including 6-foot-5 Gary Akbar, a first team all-state selection who's headed to Cleveland State. The state tournament star, Andre Yates, is Creighton-bound. |
| 26 (27) | Wichita Heights Wichita, KS | 23-2 | If the Falcons hadn't had one back week in which they lost twice, they probably would have finished 25-0 with a fourth straight Class 6A state title and probably would have cracked the top 10 for the final rankings. McDonald's All-American Perry Ellis was part of all four state titles and will be missed next season, although he won't be far away at Kansas University in Lawrence. |
| 27 (28) | Orlando Christian Prep Orlando, FL | 28-4 | Coach Reggie Kohn's team won its third state title in four years with a 48-29 triumph against Champagnat Catholic (Hialeah, Fla.) in the Class 2A state final. Senior Isaac Cohen was part of all four state finalist teams and will play next at Columbia. |
| 28 (30) | Corona Del Sol Tempe, AZ | 32-1 | The Aztecs won the Division I state crown behind the abilities of Arizona State recruit Calaen Robinson and the rebounding ability of Avery Moss. Corona del Sol lost its third game of the season to Mesquite and then closed the season with 30 consecutive victories. |
| 29 (31) | Peabody Magnet Alexandria, LA | 35-2 | Senior point guard Dee Wagner paced the Warhorses to the Class 4A state championship and has been named Mr. Basketball for Louisiana. They beat favored St. Augustine of New Orleans in the final. It also was the sixth state title for veteran Peabody coach Charles Smith. |
| 30 (29) | Lake Wales Lake Wales, FL | 29-4 | Coach Billy Washington's team cruised to the Class 5A state title with a 66-30 victory over Terry Parker (Jacksonville, Fla.). One of the losses was to No. 9 Montverde Academy by just three points. One of the wins was against Tampa Prep (Tampa, Fla.), a team that lost just one game all season and won the Class 3A state crown. |
| 31 (32) | Omaha Central Omaha, NE | 30-0 | Akoy Agau's intimidating presence in the middle helped the Eagles win their third consecutive Class A state title. Agau, along with almost everyone else in the starting lineup, will be back next season and with a strong schedule the team should start out close to or inside the top 20. |
| 32 (33) | McCluer North Florissant, MO | 28-1 | Auburn University recruit Jordon Granger had a stellar year for the Stars in leading them to the Class 5 state title. It was the second straight year they won the crown. |
| 33 (34) | Lone Peak Highland, UT | 22-3 | With junior Nick Emery and sophomore T.J. Haws returning to try for a third consecutive Class 5A state title, Lone Peak should begin the 2012-13 season in the top 25 of the preseason FAB 50. Next season, if they don't lose any in-state games, they could potentially grab the highest-ever rating for a Utah team. |
| 34 (35) | Archbishop Mitty San Jose, CA | 31-3 | It will be interesting to see how younger players in Mitty's program develop around All-American Aaron Gordon next year. Gordon alone makes the CIF Division II state champions formidable, but he'll need some help if Mitty is going to crack the top 25 next year. Besides a stretch in January where it endured back-to-back losses, Mitty knew how to close out teams in close games this season. |
| 35 (23) | La Lumiere La Porte, IN | 25-3 | The Lakers got on the national rankings' radar after they handed FAB 50 No. 2 and National High School Invitational champion Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) its only loss in late December. Earlier, they lost to No. 1 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and Elgin (Ill.). The NHSI invitee bowed to No. 9 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) in the first round. They were led by 6-foot-5 Purdue recruit Raphael Davis and 6-foot-8 Indiana commit Hanner Perea. |
| 36 (36) | Jesuit Portland, OR | 26-2 | The Crusaders made state history by winning their fourth consecutive state title. The team they beat in the state title game -- Lake Oswego (Lake Oswego, Ore.) - also had wins against Riverside Academy (Reserve, La.) and Yates (Houston) at the Les Schwab tourney. Jesuit lost in the title game of that event by just 52-46 to No. 1 Oak Hill. |
| 37 (37) | Trinity For Boys Louisville, KY | 35-3 | A 71-53 win over Scott County (Georgetown, Ky.) gave the Shamrocks their first Kentucky Sweet 16 state title in school history. Senior forward Nathan Dieudonne averaged 14 points per game and has been named the Gatorade State Player of the Year. |
| 38 (38) | Edmond Memorial Edmond, OK | 26-2 | Junior Jordan Woodard just missed on a jumper at the buzzer that would have won the game in the Class 6A state title game loss to No. 23 Tulsa Union. Still, despite the 37-36 defeat, it was another very good year for the Bulldogs. They almost won a second straight state title and will have Woodard back to lead the charge next season. |
| 39 (39) | Saint Augustine New Orleans, LA | 36-4 | The Purple Knights lost to No. 29 Peabody in the Class 4A state title game after defeating the Warhorses in November. Led by Texas-bound guard Javan Felix and highly touted sophomore Craig Victor, St. Augustine also posted its share of quality wins against elite national opponents. |
| 40 (40) | L. B. Polytechnic Long Beach, CA | 29-3 | Junior forwards Roschon Prince and Jordan Bell led this defensive-oriented club which was one of the best in California and beat No. 41 Rainier Beach (Seattle). Next year, the CIF Southern Section Division I-AA runner-up will need stronger backcourt play to win its first CIF state title since 1984. |
| 41 (41) | Rainier Beach Seattle, WA | 27-3 | The Vikings won their first state title since 2008 and their sixth overall. The team they defeated in the state title game -- Seattle Prep -- only beat them once in four tries this season. |
| 42 (42) | Fort Bend Travis Richmond, TX | 36-4 | Watch out for the Tigers for the 2012-13 season. They lost by just four points in this year's Class 5A final to No. 5 Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) and are expected to be bolstered by the return of juniors Andrew and Aaron Harrison, the No. 4 and No. 5 players in the ESPNU Super 60. |
| 43 (43) | South Grand Prairie Grand Prairie, TX | 35-3 | The Warriors need to be right behind Fort Bend Travis in the final FAB 50 because they played No. 5 Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) even closer in the regional finals with just a one-point loss. Seniors Jovan Austin and Chris Washburn Jr. were the team's top individuals. Chris is joining older brother Julian at UTEP next season. |
| 44 (44) | West Iowa City, IA | 26-0 | The Trojans capped their unbeaten season with their fourth Class 4-A state championship and should be in the title hunt next season with two juniors on the all-state team. The leaders were 6-foot-6 forward and top scorer Jeremy Morgan and guard Dondre Alexander. |
| 45 (NR) | Carver Montgomery, AL | 29-3 | |
| 46 (46) | Gonzaga College Washington, DC | 27-7 | Six of the seven losses were to FAB 50 teams, but what also put the Eagles into the national rankings were wins over No. 47 Neumann-Goretti and No. 13 DeMatha. The Eagles should be good again next year with the return of three junior starters, including North Carolina recruit Nate Britt, a 6-foot-1 guard, and 6-foot-6 Kris Jenkins. |
| 47 (47) | Saint John Neumann Philadelphia, PA | 28-3 | The Saints won their third straight Class AAA state title and should be in the title hunt next season with the return of three starters, including 6-foot-3 sophomore JaQuan Newton and 6-4 junior John Davis. One of their wins came over New York Federation Class AA runner-up Mount Vernon (Mount Vernon, N.Y.). |
| 48 (48) | John Curtis Christian River Ridge, LA | 30-3 | This school more known for football created waves on the court this season. A victory over Riverside Academy (Reserve, La.) for the Class 2A state title was the second one over that team during the season. The Patriots also notched a huge win early on against New York Federation titlist Boys a Girls (Brooklyn, N.Y.). |
| 49 (49) | Miller Grove Lithonia, GA | 24-9 | McDonald's All-American Tony Parker led the Wolverines to their fourth consecutive Class 4A state crown. Parker played a key role on all four title teams. Almost all of the losses came in December against top-notch national competition, including one by just four points to No. 1 Oak Hill. |
| 50 (50) | Boys & Girls Brooklyn, NY | 26-6 | The Kangaroos won their first New York Federation Class AA title by dethroning Mount Vernon (N.Y.) in the finals. The New York City Public School Athletic League champion was led by guard Leroy "Truck" Fludd and coached by Ruth Lovelace, the only female coach of a FAB 50 ranked boys team. |
| Dropped out: None. | |||