Video: Top 25 boys basketball rankings
Garfield loss shakes up the Top 10 heading down the stretch.
Here's a look at developments that shaped this week's Top 25:
The state of Washington hasn't always been known for its basketball prowess. However, following an undefeated 29-0 year from last season's No. 1
Nathan Hale (Seattle), nobody is sleeping on the Evergreen state this year. After four unbeatens fell in postseason play last week, three Washington schools remain undefeated heading into the state tournament.
After a 51-0 start to begin his head coaching career, former NBA All-Star Brandon Roy suffered the first loss of his coaching career last week to
Seattle Prep (Seattle) 58-55. It was Garfield's first loss of the year, and will make things very difficult for the Bulldogs to receive an
invitation to GEICO Nationals. Despite the first loss of his coaching career, Roy and
Garfield (Seattle) remain the favorite to capture the Washington 3A state championship.
Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Wash.) is one of two newcomers in the rankings this week after picking up a huge 56-53 win over previously unbeaten
Richland (Wash.) last week in their district title game. The Bullpups jump into the rankings for the first time this season, with hopes of a 4A Washington state title and possibly a GEICO Nationals invite on the horizon.
Bishop Montgomery goes for 42nd straight win, repeatBishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) is a team that somehow was overlooked by many on the national scene coming into the season, losing star seniors Ethan Thompson and Jordan Schakel. The Knights may have flown under the radar a bit, but they were still a team that ended the 2016-17 season on a 15-game winning streak, winning both the CIF Southern Section title and the CIF Open Division state championship.
Although many didn't expect the 26-0 Knights to climb back in the top 5 nationally, this group has proven themselves to be the real deal once again. The Knights are now 175-15 under Doug Mitchell in their last six seasons, and are looking to add their third state championship in five years.
Bishop Montgomery heads into their CIF Southern Section semifinal match-up with
Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) this weekend as the only undefeated team left in California, and a team on a mission to repeat as Sectional champions and state champions.
Josh Vazquez, Bishop Montgomery
Photo by Nicholas Koza
has played one of the toughest schedules in the nation and has yet to lose in-state. The Wolverines won their third consecutive Chicago City title this past weekend for the first time in program history, bringing the overall total to nine. The Wolverines have consistently proven themselves capable of taking down tough out-of-state foes, with signature wins over
Memphis East (Tenn.),
Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.),
Waxahachie (Texas), and
Highland Park (Dallas) this year.
The Wolverines took down
Orr (Chicago) 69-59 to complete the Chicago City three-peat. Simeon becomes the second team to win three consecutive Chicago City titles, with the first being Marshall (Chicago, IL) from 1959-1961.
Talen Horton-Tucker, the 2018 Iowa State-commit, led the way once again for the Wolverines, finishing with 23 points and 10 rebounds and made a number of key plays down the stretch. The next step for Simeon is winning their eighth state championship and their first since their fourth-straight state title in 2012-13.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Boys Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
1. (last week 1)
Montverde Academy (Fla.), (32-0)
Jordan Divens has covered high school basketball and compiled national rankings at HSHoopsElite.com since 2013. Follow him on Twitter @HSHoopsElite.
