Legendary head coach Bob Hurley is in the hunt for yet another national championship at St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.).
Photo by Lonnie Webb
For the second year in a row, Monday action at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., results in a new No. 1-ranked team in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Boys Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.
Last season it was
Milton (Ga.) knocking off then-No. 1
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), clearing the way for
St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) to take over. The Celtics would eventually relinquish the top spot to
St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.).
Ironically, it's legendary head coach Bob Hurley and St. Anthony that move to No. 1 this week following a win Monday over
Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) combined with a
Simeon (Chicago) loss to
Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.).
According to Hurley, his 2011-12 Friars are far from a finished product.
"This is an absolute work in progress. We played St. Benedict's two weeks ago and we were absolutely awful," Hurley said. "We left there very confused, offensively, about what we were doing well at that point."
The Friars were crowned national champions in 2011 and extended their winning streak to 45 games Monday in Springfield.
Read on for a complete look at this week's rankings.
Xcellent 25 High School Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard1. (No. 2 last week) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (12-0)The Friars haven't lost since March 13, 2010.
2. (4) Grace Prep (Arlington, Texas) (15-2)The Lions closed out Flyin' to the Hoop in Ohio on Monday night with a 60-42 win over Thurgood Marshall of Dayton.
3. (5) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) (23-2)The Marauders have held their last five opponents to 45 points or less.
4. (14) Milton (Ga.) (13-4) *The Eagles dominated two of New York's better programs by a combined 62 points over the weekend en route to the tournament title at the Burger King Classic in Erie, Pa. Milton might be playing better than anybody in the country right now.
5. (6) Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) (15-0)A
Kris Jenkins 3-pointer at the buzzer kept the Eagles perfect Monday night against Aquille Carr and Patterson (Baltimore) in a 75-73 classic.
