Xcellent 25 high school boys basketball rankings

It didn't take long for the high school basketball season to present a tricky situation at the top of the national rankings.

No. 1-ranked Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) went down over the weekend, but fell to another top-ranked team in Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), who claimed the top spot in MaxPreps.com's debut edition of the Academy Top 10.

Marcus led by two at the half before wearing down against Findlay Prep's all-star roster, which likely features 12 future Division I players. Eight are listed at 6-foot-7 or taller. Pilot head coach Michael Peck was highly-complimentary of the defending Texas Class 5A champions following the contest.

"That might be the best-coached team we've ever gone against," Peck said. "They are so disciplined and do an unbelievable job of packing it in defensively."

The Marauders owned a 42-game winning streak prior to the Findlay Prep loss and remain No. 1 in this week's Xcellent 25 High School Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.



A couple of points in Marcus' defense;

1. The Xcellent 25 is designed to be a measure of what teams have accomplished to this point in the season, not necessarily an indication of what's to come. Marcus has already knocked off two of the top five teams in Texas' 5A classification (DeSoto and San Antonio Warren) and the top-ranked team in Class 4A (Houston Yates). They also sent Rodney Purvis and Upper Room Christian (Raleigh) back to North Carolina with a loss.

2. The decision to split the rankings between high school and academy/independent schools was made in part because traditional high schools shouldn't be held to the same standard as programs that draw players from all over the country. It's a huge accomplishment for any high school team to lead Findlay Prep by two at halftime and keep it within 10 points at the final buzzer. The Pilots are as loaded as any sub-collegiate basketball team will ever be.

Read on for a complete look at this week's rankings.

Xcellent 25 High School Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. (No. 1 last week) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) (9-1)
No shame in losing to Findlay Prep, but the margin for error gets microscopic for the Marauders. Remaining No. 1 will be a tall order as defending National High School Invitational champ Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) is the next big test Dec. 15.

2. (2) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (4-0)
Watch out. The Monarchs roared to a tournament victory at the Diablo Inferno, pasting four very respectable opponents by an average margin of 45.5 points per game, including a 91-55 win over Capistrano Valley (Mission Viejo) in the final. UNLV-bound Katin Reinhardt and Colorado-bound Xavier Johnson earned co-MVP honors. Head coach Gary McKnight topped himself by listing 23 players on the roster submitted to MaxPreps.

3. (3) Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) (2-0)
Tony Parker picked up where he left off last year – earning National Junior of the Year honors – by going for 26 points and 18 rebounds in the Wolverines' opener against Redan (Stone Mountain), an 86-51 drubbing. Both Parker and Georgia-bound Brandon Morris posted double-doubles in an 81-44 win over Mays (Atlanta) on Friday night.



4. (4) Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) (2-0)
No. 1-ranked Class of 2013 prospect Jabari Parker scored 26 points in his junior debut to lead Simeon to a 69-51 win over Hillcrest (Country Club Hills) on Saturday at the University of Illinois-Chicago. He pumped in 22 more in a 73-53 win over Notre Dame (Niles) on Sunday night.

5. (5) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) (0-0)
Opens season Dec. 9 vs. Durango (Las Vegas).

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6. (6) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (0-0)
Opens season Dec. 16 vs. Fisher Charter (Trenton).

7. (7) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) (1-0)
Syracuse-bound senior Jerami Grant led the way with 18 points as the Stags opened with a 77-48 win over Glenelg Country (Glenelg) on Saturday night. Grant will face off against future Syracuse teammate DaJuan Coleman as DeMatha takes on Jamesville-DeWitt (DeWitt, N.Y.) in a key matchup at the National High School Hoops Festival this weekend.

8. (8) Grace Prep (Arlington, Texas) (6-0)
Jordan Mickey, a 6-7 junior transfer from Berkner (Richardson), popped in a team-high 21 points as Grace Prep raced past South Oak Cliff (Dallas) 85-72 in the team's only action of the week. It appears the Lions will be without DeSoto transfer Karviar Shepherd, however. The 6-9 junior is likely the unnamed subject of an investigation centered around third-party tuition payments. According to the Dallas Morning News, Grace Prep was cleared of any wrongdoing in the matter. With that out of the way, the Lions can focus on Academy Top 10 No. 2 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) next weekend at the aforementioned National High School Hoops Festival.

9. (9) Columbia (Decatur, Ga.) (5-0)
The Eagles received their first serious test of the season Saturday at the Nike Explosion, beating defending Class AA state champ Greater Atlanta Christian 64-56, getting 15 points and 10 boards from Oregon State signee Jarmal Reid.

10. (10) Wichita Heights (Wichita, Kan.) (1-0)
Kansas signee Perry Ellis put up 21 points and grabbed nine boards as the Falcons extended their winning streak to 45 games in a season-opening 71-54 win over North (Wichita). Senior guard Terrence Moore added 20.



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11. (11) Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.) (4-0)
The Cubs took home the first-place trophy at the Pacific Shores Tournament in Redondo with a 70-65 win over Long Beach Poly (Long Beach), getting 13 points from MVP Parker Jackson-Cartwright in the final.

12. (12) Westbury Christian (Houston, Texas) (6-0)
Baylor signee L.J. Rose paced the Wildcats with 20 points as they stayed perfect with a 70-55 win over Westbury (Houston). Westbury Christian has been extremely impressive early on, winning by an average margin of 26 points per game.

13. (13) Chester (Chester, Pa.) (0-0)
Opens season Dec. 9 vs. Coatesville.

14. (14) Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) (1-0)
The Royals opened the 2011-12 campaign with a 92-81 victory over Jefferson (Brooklyn) on Saturday night. Connecticut pledge are reigning NYC player of the year Omar Calhoun tallied 25 points, 11 boards and four assists. CTK meets defending PSAL AA champ Boys & Girls (Brooklyn) in another Big Apple showdown this weekend.

15. (15) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) (1-0)
The Monarchs limited opponents to just 47 points per game a year ago en route to the Division II state title. Mitty held Oakland to just 37 in a 17-point, season-opening victory Saturday.

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16. (16) Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) (1-0)
Recent North Carolina pledge Nate Britt notched 22 points as the Eagles opened with a 69-50 win over Ballou (Washington, D.C.). Head coach Steve Turner's program will host the Gonzaga D.C. Classic beginning Friday. The event features a strong field, highlighted by No. 20 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia).

17. (18) North Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) (3-0)
The Panthers flexed their muscle Saturday in a 101-49 blowout of Lew Wallace (Gary), getting double-figures scoring from five players. Purdue signee Ronnie Johnson led the way with 17 points.



18. (19) Taft (Cincinnati, Ohio) (2-0)
The Senators burst out of the gates with easy wins over Cincinnati foes Aiken (73-45) and Western Hills (96-66). Taft should roll into Fort Myers, Fla., for the City of Palms Classic later this month unbeaten, setting up an opening-round showdown against No. 8 Grace Prep.

19. (21) Milton (Ga.) (5-0)
The Eagles have clearly reloaded. Despite losing three seniors to high-major Division I programs, Milton hasn't missed a beat. Head coach David Boyd's squad beat solid Peach State programs Buford and South Gwinnett (Snellville) comfortably last week.

20. (20) Neumann & Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) (0-0)
Opens season Dec. 9 at Gonzaga D.C. Classic.

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21. (24) St. Augustine (New Orleans, La.) (8-0)
The Purple Knights rolled through the field at the Allstate Sugar Bowl CYO Tournament, hammering Holy Cross (New Orleans) 76-52 in the final. Six-foot-seven sophomore Craig Victor scored a game-high 18 points in the final and earned tournament MVP honors for the second-straight season.

22. (22) Southwind (Memphis, Tenn.) (6-1)
Taking Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) – ranked No. 5 in the Academy Top 10 – to the wire over the weekend does nothing to hurt Southwind's early-season resume. The Jaguars responded a night later with a 72-40 win over St. Bendecit at Auburndale (Cordova).

23. (23) Romulus (Mich.) (0-0)
Opens season Dec. 6 vs. Robichaud (Dearborn Heights).



24. (NR) Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.) (3-0)
It's not just the Gary Harris Show at Hamilton Southeastern. Harris, a 6-5 shooting guard committed to Michigan State, is averaging 18.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. But the Royals are also getting big contributions from junior Michigan commitment Zak Irvin (17.7 points, 5.0 rebounds per game) and senior point guard Jacobby Bledsoe (15.7 points, 4.3 assists). A highly-anticipated showdown with No. 17 North Central looms Dec. 17.

25. (25) Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) (0-0)
Opens season Dec. 9 vs. Cottonwood (Salt Lake City).

Dropped out: No. 17 last week Fort Bend Travis (Richmond, Texas)