Yes, we know it’s only May, but it’s never too early to talk about who might have the best high school boys basketball teams in the country next season.
RANKINGS: Final Super 25 Basketball Rankings
RECRUITING: 2020 Chosen 25 Basketball Player Rankings
Bearing in mind that transfers and injuries will change some of the likely favorites when teams begin practicing, here are the top 25 teams to watch for:
1. IMG Academy
Location: Bradenton, Fla.
18-19 Record: 31-1
Final Super 25 Rank: 1
Why them: GEICO Nationals champions IMG Academy looks to be in good position to repeat entering the 2019 offseason.
Despite losing three McDonald’s All Americans in GEICO Nationals MVP Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Armando Bacot and Josh Green, the Ascenders still have a big three that could devastate the opposition next season. The backcourt of Jaden Springer and Noah Farrakhan is stellar and 2022 forward Jarace Walker, widely regarded as a top five prospect in the 2022 class, showed glimpses of stardom all season.
IMG won its first championship last season. Moving forward with this core, it there’s a chance the team won’t have to wait long for its second.
2. Montverde Academy
Location: Montverde, Fla.
18-19 Record: 22-3
Final Super 25 Rank: 4
Why them: The Eagles return arguably the best backcourt in the country in playmaker extraordinaire Cade Cunningham and sharpshooter Moses Moody. That pair, which is ranked in USA Today’s Chosen 25 for 2020, led the Eagles to the semifinals of GEICO Nationals this past season.
With that said, Montverde does lose Chosen 25 player Precious Achiuwa and Florida signee Omar Payne. These stars played key roles in the team’s success last season.
But with Moody and Cunningham as the foundation and stud 2022 play Dariq Whitehead, the Eagles should have what it takes to be back in New York next season.
3. McEachern
Location: Powder Springs, Ga.
18-19 Record: 32-0
Final Super 25 Rank: 2
Why them: Yes, the Indians lost four starters from a team that went 32-0 and won a state title, but they return the reigning ALL-USA Player of the Year in Sharife Cooper.
His gift is his playmaking ability which can create stars. Cooper can transform role players into stars and is proving that already on the Nike EYBL with AOT (Ga.), where he currently leads the league in scoring (34 ppg.).
Cooper, who is the new No. 1 in the Chosen 25, and ALL-USA Coach of the Year Mike Thompson have the skills to keep the team at the top.
4. Long Island Lutheran
Location: Brookville, N.Y.
18-19 Record: 25-2
Final Super 25 Rank: 9
Why them: The Crusaders return a strong core, which is led by do-it-all point guard Andre Curbelo, who averaged 20 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and five steals a game last season. Curbelo is the well-oiled engine that makes the Crusaders go and makes everyone better.
Long Island Lutheran does lose players including Tyler Stephenson-Moore, a Newsweek All-Long Island First Team player, but the team that finished the season by rattling off a dozen straight victories and winning the championship under coach of the year finalist John Buck looks to be a top team heading into the offseason.
5. Nicolet
Location: Milwaukee, Wisc.
18-19 Record: 27-1
Final Super 25 Rank: 8
Why them: The Knights return one of the strongest 1-2 combinations in the country in Jalen Johnson, who is ranked No. 9 overall in the Chosen 25 for 2020, and Jamari Sibley, who causes matchup problems with his versatility. The pair combined to average 40 points and 20 rebounds a game this past season for the Knights.
Nicolet does lost two captains from last season, point guard Sonny Phinisee and shooting guard David Rosengarten. But bringing back the star duo with role players including Johnson’s younger brother Kobe and James Graham, the team looks set.
6. Wasatch Academy
Location: Mount Pleasant, Utah
18-19 Record: 28-4
Final Super 25 Rank: 10
Why them: The Tigers earned a berth to GEICO Nationals this past season because of the players’ chemistry and ability; that bodes well for their chances next season with stacked cast of returners including the Rickie Saunders, Mike Saunders, Leonardo Colimerio, Caleb Lohner and Mady Sissoko.
Wasatch was hard to stop with multiple players capable of having big games on any given night. Despite losing three Div. 1-bound athletes, opposing defenses will have the same headache with so many key Tigers coming back next season.
7. Paul VI
Location: Fairfax, Va.
18-19 Record: 27-9
Final Super 25 Rank: NR
Why them: The Panthers return a talented group including freshman point guard Doug McDaniel, who starred for Paul VI after five-star point guard Jeremy Roach went down with a season-ending ACL injury.
Roach isn’t ranked in USA Today Sports’ Chosen 25 only because we don’t rank players who haven’t played in the last four months; if he was eligible to be ranked he’d be in the 10-15 range at worst.
With Roach back in the lineup the Panthers instantly become contenders.
8. Bishop Gorman
Location: Las Vegas
18-19 Record: 28-5
Final Super 25 Rank: 22
Why them: The Gaels return their stars – Isaiah Cottrell, Will McClendon, Zaon Collins, Noah Taitz – from a team that won its eighth-straight state title and pushed then No. 1 La Lumiere School (La Porte, Ind.) to double overtime at GEICO Nationals last month.
Bishop Gorman didn’t lose to a single in-state team last season and finished the season on an 18-1 run with a championship before falling to La Lumiere in GEICOs. Expect to see them back in the hunt next season.
9. Oak Hill Academy
Location: Mouth of Wilson, Va.
18-19 Record: 37-5
Final Super 25 Rank: 7
Why them: The Warriors lost a lot, including ALL-USA first teamer Cole Anthony, the top ranked player in the Chosen 25, but, as always, they’ll add elite talent.
But they won’t have to rely solely on transfers and incoming players: Oak Hill is also returning one of the top scorers in the country in shooting guard Cam Thomas, who average 26 points a game last season. Thomas is ranked No. 15 overall in the Chosen 25 for 2020.
With head coach Steve Smith lead Thomas among the other returners and incomers, Oak Hill should remain in contention.
10. Rancho Christian
Location: Temecula, Calif.
18-19 Record: 26-6
Final Super 25 Rank: NR
Why them: With Evan Mobley in the lineup the Eagles will likely be favored in the majority of their games, Mobley, who is ranked No. 2 overall in the Chosen 25 for 2020, is the ultimate matchup problem with the size (6-10) and versatility to will his team to multiple wins.
The Eagles also return a handful of role players who will complement Mobley nicely, particularly Dominick Harris, a four-star Gonzaga commit. Rancho Christian lost Evan’s older brother Isaiah, who will attend USC, but the team should return as one of the top in California.
11. DeMatha Catholic
Location: Hyattsville, Md.
17-18 Record: 33-5
Final Super 25 Rank: 19
Why them: The bad news: DeMatha is losing the state’s player of the year in Justin Moore, a 6-foot-4 guard who averaged 18.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists a game and showed he’s well past his torn ACL he suffered as a sophomore.
The good news: They’re returning most everyone else, including 6-foot-6, 215-pound ALL-Maryland Second Team guard Earl Timberlake, 7-foot-1 five-star center Hunter Dickinson and Brown commit Carsten Kogelnik.
DeMatha will need a new point guard to replace three-star Jahmir Young, who has signed to play at Charlotte. But with a deep group of returners, DeMatha should be able to challenge as a top team in Maryland.
12. Huntington Prep
Location: Huntington, W.Va.
17-18 Record: 20-5
Final Super 25 Rank: N/A
Why them: Jaemyn Brakefield is one of the top players in the class, coming in at No. 15 in the Chosen 25, but he’s still looking for a college and trying to convince the nation that he’s in the 2020 upper echelon. With a particularly strong senior season, he could pull offers from all the major schools – though he does already have 27, including Kansas, Xavier and Georgia Tech.
He’s not the only high-level player on the team. JT Thor is currently the No. 12 sophomore in the country, according to 247Sports. How he plays his junior year will be telling for recruitment.
It’s a deep, deep team, complete with four-star point guard A.J. Hoggard (entering his senior season) and a pair of current freshman in Kok Yat and Dontae Stringer who appear to be on the team and ready to make a difference. If they can handle the pressure as sophomores and the rest of the depth plays up to par, Huntington Prep could be dangerous.
13. Carmel
Location: Carmel, Ind.
17-18 Record: 26-1
Final Super 25 Rank: 16
Why them: Carmel won the championship last season, making up for its defeat in the title game the year prior. Next year, they’ll look to make it back to the game for the third year in a row.
It’s going to be an uphill battle with six seniors graduating, including Karsten Windlan and three-star Butler commit John Michael Mulloy. But the team was about much more than simple star power. Mulloy averaged 14.3 points and eight rebounds, according to YouAreCurrent, which are solid numbers but by no means dominant. The team played the court well, was unselfish, and didn’t lose a single game after Jan. 19.
Next year, can current-juniors Jackson Jannsen and Bobby Fry II step into leadership roles to take the place of Mulloy and Windlan? If so, Carmel could find themselves in the thick of another playoff battle.
14. Minnehaha Academy
Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
17-18 Record: 28-3
Final Super 25 Rank: N/A
Why them: Coming off a 28-win season, Minnehaha is only losing three seniors to graduation. If you’re looking for even better news, none of those three players are Jalen Suggs, the USA Basketball five-star athlete ranked No. 13 in the Chosen 25 and holds offers from the likes of Gonzaga, Florida and Kansas.
In fact, the team has won the championship every year since Suggs stepped onto campus. Can they get the rare four-peat and have Suggs go out without knowing a losing season?
He has help. Sophomore Chet Holmgren is seven feet tall and posted a triple-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks in this year’s championship game, according to KSTP, while freshman Prince Aligbe added 20 points and seven boards.
If those two can show the natural growth of young players and Suggs does what Suggs does, it’s tough to see a team taking Minnehaha down.
15. University School
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
17-18 Record: 27-5
Final Super 25 Rank: 18
Why them: Maybe expecting another GEICO Nationals appearance from University School is unrealistic with the team losing two-time ALL-USA big man Vernon Carey Jr. to Duke.
But it’s not a leap to expect them to be one of the best teams in the country. Scottie Barnes should become the man on offense. Ranked No. 5 in the Chosen 25, there were 10 games last season he only attempted single-digit shots. Expect that number to rise for the forward who shot an efficient 54 percent clip and averaged 5.8 assists this season.
And outside Carey, University didn’t lose any other major contributors. Roger McFarlane is a three-star point guard and Jett Howard is a freshman who already has an offer from Florida. His brother, Jace, is going into his senior year and has offers from Dayton and San Diego State.
University is losing its No. 1 guy, but it has athletes ready to jump into that spot.
16. Findlay Prep
Location: Henderson, Nev.
17-18 Record: 18-6
Final Super 25 Rank: N/A
Why them: Findlay Prep is losing four of its top five scorers including four-star P.J. Fuller, but it has incoming talent that will make up for that in Dior Johnson, who transferred in February. The 2022 prospect already has at least a dozen offers and has averaged more than 30 points both of the last two seasons.
They also have talent already at the school. Class of 2021 five-star player Keon Edwards is ranked No. 17 in the country and has offers from seven schools already despite averaging just 5.3 points 4.3 rebounds in limited minutes as a sophomore. Zach Clemence, a four-star 2021 power forward, is in the same boat with two offers after averaging six points and five boards per game.
Junior Blaise Beauchamp was the second-leading scorer last year, but he only has one offer thus far. Fellow junior Saba Gigiberia has an offer from the same TCU program that Fuller is signed to join, but he hasn’t had the attention his four-star 247Sports ranking would suggest.
That all equals a young team looking vying for recruitment recognition. The best way to get that is to win. Findlay Prep could be good.
17. Sunrise Christian Academy
Location: Bel Aire, Kan.
17-18 Record: 22-6
Final Super 25 Rank: 13
Why them: Sunrise Christian is graduating five players ranked by 247Sports, including four-star Ole Miss signee Austin Crowley and three-star Baylor signee Jordan Turner. Was this 22-6 season capped by a GEICO Nationals appearance the peak for the team?
Don’t say that around N’Faly Dante. The five-star center, rated No. 12 in the 2020 Chosen 25, ended his junior season still as an uncommitted player but has offers from the likes of Kansas, Kentucky, LSU and Oregon.
With current roster construction, Sunrise Christian has an obvious path to continued relevance: Beat the opponent with size. Dante is listed at 6-foot-11, 230 pounds; three-star Kenny Pohto is just a sophomore but already listed at 6-foot-10; and Gethro Muscadin, who has offers from Louisiana Tech, Southern Methodist and Wichita State, is also 6-foot-10.
Fill in a team around those three bigs and Sunrise Christian would be tough to stop.
18. Gonzaga Prep
Location: Spokane, Wash.
17-18 Record: 25-2
Final Super 25 Rank: 21
Why them: Gonzaga Prep beat two of the top teams in Washington, Federal Way and Mount Si, to win the 4A state championship. It was the Bulldogs’ title in a row. They’d obvious like to make it a three-peat.
That path will be difficult for Gonzaga Prep. The team is graduating almost every player, including USA Basketball participant Anton Watson, who shined for the team down low, as a playmaker and on defense. The Bulldogs are hoping Liam Lloyd can step in to fill the leadership role as he works to get more college offers – as of April 29, the only one he has is from Eastern Washington.
But the team only has one season with fewer than 20 wins in the last six years. In four seasons under Matty McIntyre, the Bulldogs are an astounding 101-6. Maybe they won’t be able to fill up their depleted group. But maybe McIntyre will work his magic once again.
19. Morgan Park
Location: Chicago
17-18 Record: 28-5
Final Super 25 Rank: N/A
Why them: As a junior, Adam Miller established himself as not just one of the top point guards in the 2020 class, but one of the best recruits as a whole. He won Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year and averaged 26.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.9 steals per game.
He’ll try to help Morgan Park win one more game this year – they lost in the championship game in the 2018-19 season. The experienced team, returning five total juniors with Miller, could be in position to reach that game again. If the group gets some depth around them, they could end their high school careers on a high note.
20. Rainier Beach
Location: Seattle
17-18 Record: 21-6
Final Super 25 Rank: N/R
Why them: Entering his second year after transferring from Garfield (Seattle), five-star Chosen 25 player MarJon Beauchamp has a chance to get to the championship game next year after falling in the semifinals this season.
Beauchamp has his work cut out for him, particularly with three-star small forward Jamon Kemp graduating.
But Rainier Beach has at least 20 games all but two years since 2005-06, and every year since 2010-11. Mike Bethea has worked wonders getting his team to achieve at the highest level. There can be optimism that he will constructing his team well.
21. La Lumiere
Location: La Porte, Ind.
18-19 Record: 30-1-0
Final Super 25 Rank: 2
Why them: Really the question is why not higher, right? Well, we’re calling this the “Way Too Early Super 25” for a reason. In the case of perennial GEICO contender La Lumiere, the reason for the drop from No. 2 to 21 is sheer uncertainty. The Lakers graduated six of the 13 players on their active roster, including USA TODAY Chosen 25 stars Isaiah Stewart and Keion Brooks, who are headed to Washington and Kentucky, respectively. Three other Division I signees are also gone.
The good news? The cupboard isn’t bare. The Lakers return four-star point guards Desmond Polk and Wendell Green, assuming one doesn’t head to another elite program. And La Lumiere should welcome its annual influx of elite talent before the 2019-20 season tips off, which should completely change the complexion of the program’s next season … and very likely its ranking in the Super 25 as well.
22. Roman Catholic
Location: Philadelphia, Penn.
18-19 Record: 24-5
Final Super 25 Rank: NR
Why them: Roman Catholic is the Lynn Greer III show, plain and simple. One of the nation’s top point guard prospects, Greer III is the straw that drives Roman Catholic forward.
Greer will be a senior, but most of the raw talent on his supporting cast will be either sophomores or juniors. No sweat.
Rising sophomores Jalen Duran, a Barkley-styled 6-foot-8, 220 pounder, and Justice Williams, a do-everything shooting guard, can help Greer shoulder the load.
23. Sierra Canyon
Location: Chatsworth, Calif.
18-19 Record: 32-3
Final Super 25 Rank: 12
Why them: La Lumiere of the West Coast? Sierra Canyon loses as much talent as virtually any other program in the country, and more celebrity to boot. Gone are the explosive trio of Cassius Stanley — a Chosen 25 Duke commit — K.J. Martin (son of Kenyon Martin) and Scottie Pippen Jr. (son of Scottie Pippen).
But four-star power forward Terren Frank returns to lead the front line, and freshman Amari Bailey, already a UCLA recruit, return to anchor Sierra Canyon’s run back to the California state tournament. All of that comes before the potential of additional reinforcements from other Southern California power programs, many of which are flush with top end talent that has a tendency to move around.
24. South Central
Location: Winterville, N.C.
18-19 Record: 30-1-0
Final Super 25 Rank: 6
Why them: Yes, the Falcons lose experience, but the brightest talents will continue shining in a South Central jersey in 2019-20.
Four-star junior Day’Ron Sharpe will be a senior, and the 6-foot-10 center’s commitment to North Carolina ensures he’ll be focused solely on the action on the floor. They’ll be heavy favorites to repeat as North Carolina’s Class 4A state champion, and if they do they’ll likely justify another spot in the final Super 25, perhaps higher up than this.
25. Norcross
Location: Norcross, Ga.
18-19 Record: 22-9
Final Super 25 Rank: NR
Why them: The list has to end somewhere, right? Brandon Boston is a pretty good place to wrap it up. The Chosen 25 shooting guard is a walking matchup problem, and good enough to single-handedly make Norcross one of the top-25 programs in the nation. As it is, he has help in the form of fellow 4-star guard Caleb Murphy, which makes Norcross’ backcourt one of the country’s best.
If they can remain healthy and stay put precisely where they are in the Atlanta suburbs, all while adding more contributions from rising junior guards Jaden Harris and Ashton Malone, all bets are off to just how high the Blue Devils can finish.
