Spalding Hoophall Classic among headlining events as eight ranked teams travel to year's premiere showcase.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend traditionally mark the midway point of the high school basketball season and this weekend's action is sure to help reshape the MaxPreps Top 25 rankings.
The Spalding Hoophall Classic is annually the season's biggest showcase and this year's no different as No. 1 Camden, No. 6 Calvary Christian Academy, No. 7 Gonzaga, No. 9 DeMatha, No. 12 Long Island Lutheran, No. 13 Roselle Catholic, No. 16 Greensboro Day and No. 18 Archbishop Stepinac all will compete in the loaded five-day event in Springfield, Mass.
Other headlining events over the long weekend include the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, Metro Classic, Kevin Durant MLK Showcase and the Flyin' to the Hoop Invitational.
Top-ranked Camden taking on
National Top 20 No. 3 Montverde Academy is among a handful of matchups to watch this weekend as the Panthers also battle No. 6 Calvary Christian
Academy. No. 7 Gonzaga faces No. 9 DeMatha and National Top
20 No. 7 Oak Hill Academy, and No. 12 Long Island Lutheran battling No.
13 Roselle Catholic among many others.
The previous week was a bit of "calm before the storm" as two new teams — No. 21 Bishop McNamara and No. 25 St. Mary Prep — made their MaxPreps Top 25 debut.
Gregg Glenn of Calvary Christian Academy flies to the hoop against Milton (Ga.) in the City of Palms Classic.
Photo by Pete Wright
Record: 5-0 | Last week: 1
Top-ranked junior prospect
D.J. Wagner averaged 19.7 points and 3.7 steals last week across three wins for the Panthers. Camden has a monster week with National Top 20 No. 3 Montverde Academy on Thursday before battling No. 6 Calvary Christian Academy and Milton (Ga.) at the Spalding Hoophall Classic.
Record: 19-1 | Last week: 2
Followed up their Whataburger Tournament championship victory over No. 3 Duncanville with wins over Irving 86-40 and Berkner (Richardson) 87-46. The Eagles are in search of the program's first state championship after reaching the UIL Class 6A state semifinals.
Record: 17-1 | Last week: 3
Secured a pair of solid wins over Midway (Waco) 54-42 and Lake Ridge (Mansfield) 71-55 following their first loss of the season. The Panthers own wins over Montverde Academy, No. 4 Sierra Canyon and No. 5 Centennial.
Saw all three scheduled games wiped out due to COVID protocols within the program. Sierra Canyon is expected to travel to the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo. this week with a Jan. 13 first round matchup against Parkview (Sprinfield, Mo.).
Record: 14-1 | Last week: 5
The Huskies have four games in six games beginning Wednesday with a showdown against unbeaten Norco (Calif.) and culminating with a Martin Luther King Jr. Day showdown against Durango (Las Vegas).
Record: 10-1 | Last week: 6
Returned to the court for the first time since going 3-1 at the City of Palms Classic prior to Christmas. Defeated three in-state opponents by an average of 39.3 points per contest. The Eagles have a Saturday showdown at the Spalding Hoophall Classic against top-ranked Camden.
Record: 8-0 | Last week: 7
Face their toughest stretch of games this season, hosting No. 9 DeMatha on Tuesday in a huge WCAC contest before traveling to the Spalding Hoophall Classic to face National Top 20 No. 7 Oak Hill Academy on Sunday.
Record: 15-0 | Last week: 8
A challenging in-state contest goes down Saturday against Coronado (Henderson) at the Big City Showdown. A youthful Bishop Gorman team has won three in-season tournaments — Wild West Shootout, Tarkanian Classic and Torrey Pines Holiday Classic.
Record: 6-1 | Last week: 9
Following nearly a full month layoff, the Stags return to take on No. 7 Gonzaga on Tuesday, Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.) on Wednesday and Montverde Academy on Saturday at the Spalding Hoophall Classic.
Record: 9-0 | Last week: 10
Notched wins over Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) 65-48 and Parkview (Little Rock, Ark.) 78-55 at Hoophall Central. Five-star sophomore
Ian Jackson scored a team-high 22 points in their win over Chaminade. The Cardinals travel to the Spalding Hoophall Classic for a showdown with De La Salle (Chicago) on Sunday.
Record: 11-3 | Last week: 11
Five-star seniors Arkansas signee
Nick Smith and Oregon signee
Kel'el Ware have built strong All-America resumes midway through the season. The Charging Wildcats own wins over No. 2 Richardson, Whitney Young (Chicago), Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.), Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas), Kimball (Dallas) and Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy (Dallas).
Record: 9-1 | Last week: 12
A daunting stretch awaits the Crusaders with No. 13 Roselle Catholic on Thursday at the Metro Classic and Chaminade (St. Louis) on Sunday at the Spalding Hoophall Classic. LuHi also competes in the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament later this month.
Record: 8-1 | Last week: 13
Junior North Carolina pledge
Simeon Wilcher (17.1 ppg) and senior Nebraska signee
Jamarques Lawrence (16.9) lead a balanced Lions offensive attack. Roselle Catholic faces No. 12 Long Island Lutheran on Thursday at the Metro Classic and St. John's (Washington, D.C.) at the Spalding Hoophall Classic on Sunday.
Record: 16-2 | Last week: 14
Defeated first-year independent program Donda Academy (Simi Valley, Calif.) 63-56 over the weekend. The Panthers take on National Top 20 No. 9 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) at the Kevin Durant MLK Hoopfest before a Monday showdown with No. 21 Imhotep Charter.
Record: 8-0 | Last week: 15
Junior Indiana pledge
Gabe Cupps (18) and senior
Rich Rolf (16) paced a 69-45 win over Blue Ridge (St. George, Va.) 69-45 at the Chance Harman Classic. The biggest test of their schedule comes Sunday as the Elks face National Top 20 No. 8 Southern California Academy (Castaic, Calif.) at Flyin' to the Hoop in Dayton, Ohio.
Record: 19-2 | Last week: 17
Freddy Johnson won his 1,123rd game last week, passing Ralph Tasker of Hobbs (N.M.) as the seventh all-time winningest high school boys basketball coach. The Bengals take on Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.) Saturday at the Spalding Hoophall Classic.
Record: 15-0 | Last week: 18
Princeton commit
Caden Pierce (17) and Army pledge
Bobby Durkin (15) led the way in the Hilltoppers' 60-45 victory over Benet Academy (Lisle) at the Pappas Shootout. Glenbard West plays one-loss Larkin (Elgin) on Wednesday.
Record: 9-1 | Last week: 19
Isaiah Alexander (18) and
Samuel Gibbs (17) led the way in the 70-57 victory over Xaverian while the Crusaders also downed Iona Prep (New Rochelle) 60-48. Stepinac travels to the Spalding Hoophall Classic for a Sunday showdown with Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.).
Record: 13-1 | Last week: 21
Beat John Curtis Christian (River Ridge, La.) 77-53, St. Mary's (Phoenix) 68-53, Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 65-36 and previous No. 23 Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) 67-54 en route to the Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic championship. The Rams have a huge in-state contest Saturday against Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.).
Record: 8-1 | Last week: 20
Recovered from the season's first loss with conference wins over Berks Catholic (Reading) 67-51 and Governor Mifflin (Shillington) 79-58. The Red Knights play four times in seven days, including games Wednesday against Chester and Lower Merion (Ardmore) on Sunday.
Record: 7-0
| Last week: NR
The Mustangs make their first appearance in the
MaxPreps Top 25 this season after beating previous No. 16 St. Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.). Things won't get any easier, as a loaded WCAC schedule includes a rematch with St. Paul VI
along with games against No. 7 Gonzaga and No. 9 DeMatha.
Record: 8-2
| Last week: 16
Fell 64-61 to No. 21 Bishop McNamara in this weekend's WCAC opener. A youthful group looks to rebound quickly with a trip to the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions where the Panthers have a first-round matchup against Springfield Catholic (Springfield, Mo.) before a likely second round tilt against Milton (Ga.).
Record: 8-2 | Last week: 24
Five-star junior
Justin Edwards had 17 points and seven rebounds in a 51-47 win over Vashon (St. Louis) at the Highland Shootout. The Panthers face National Top 20 No. 14 St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) on Saturday and No. 14 St. Frances Academy on Monday.
Record: 17-3 | Last week: 25
The Spartans look to build on their John Wall Holiday Invitational title with an upcoming slate that includes Winston-Salem Christian (Winston-Salem) on Saturday before traveling to National Top 20 No. 7 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) next week.
Record: 6-0 | Last week: NR
Make their rankings debut following a 65-62 victory over Grand Blanc. The Eaglets have held serve as the top-ranked Michigan team and are favorites to capture the program's first state championship since 2000.
