With so many high level contests in the first month and a half of the season, we have explosive movement in the second edition of the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com for the 2024-25 season. Even more than the 12 newcomers this week led by traditional FAB 50 power DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) at No. 17, there is tons of movement as parity has hit the high school game nationwide. Is there a great team this year? No. 1 Columbus (Miami, Fla.) will have a shot to prove it, as holiday tournaments over the next two weeks figure to shake up the rankings once again going into 2025!
By Ronnie Flores
A vast majority of the country now has a few games under its belt while the great state of Texas is rapidly approaching 20 and what’s clear is that on given night a ranked team can be knocked off, or knock off another one. As “In The Paint” podcast host and former WNBA player Chelsea Hopkins stated in our 2024-25 Preseason FAB 50 Show (WATCH REPLAY HERE), it’s a wide open season and her statement in late October is ringing true now.
Taking a look at the second regular season FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com, we have a dozen newcomers this week, the highest single amount of newcomers in any single poll in recent years, not to mention plenty of movement. The newcomers are led by No. 17 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.), the most consistently ranked program in high school basketball over the last 50 years as part of the powerful Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC). The WCAC has four of its teams ranked in the Top 17, as the results so far have shown the greater DMV has plenty of terrific clubs this season.
St. John’s (Washington, D. C.) is up 13 spots to No. 15, as Texas’ top-ranked club, No. 18 Brennan (San Antonio, Texas), easily fell to both the Cadets (77-61) and DeMatha (77-61) at the D.C. Hoopfest two weekends ago. DeMatha has only fell to No. 16 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.), which does have two losses but also defeated WCAC club and current No. 5 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.). Paul VI handed No. 6 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) its only loss so far and currently the Ascenders are the highest ranked of 10 Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic teams after previous No. 2 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) lost its first game since March 30, 2023 when it fell to new No. 7 Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.), 59-47, Sunday afternoon at Dolby Live in Las Vegas.
The highest ranked WCAC club is new No. 2 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), which moves up four spots on the strength of the results of the top DMV clubs so far and for taking No. 1 Columbus into triple overtime before falling, 85-79. Mr. Basketball USA candidate and Duke-bound Cameron Boozer netted 20 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter and overtime periods. He also tied the game in regulation at 55-55 with 16 seconds remaining on a 3-pointer. His brother and Duke signee Cayden Boozer added 22 points and eight assists for the Explorers.
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