Fighting Irish fueled by All-American Banchero looking to make noise on a national level.
Video: Preseason Top 25 basketball rankings
Breaking down the national contenders heading into the 2019-20 season.
Head Coach: Jason Kerr
Last Season: Not Ranked in final Top 100, 19-8 (WIAA Class 3A state champions)
Key Contributors:
Jan. 21 vs.
Ingraham (Seattle)
Forward Paolo Banchero
File photo by Paul Caldwell
The defending WIAA Class 3A state champions are heavy favorites to repeat, as they return seven players who started at some point in 2018-19.
Assuming the Fighting Irish are able to repeat as state champions in the Evergreen State, their final ranking will ultimately be determined by how they fare in their only out-of-state contests at the City of Palms Classic.
This group will rely heavily on the production of Banchero, their first team MaxPreps Sophomore All-American selection from last season.
They'll especially need the top-ranked junior big man to perform at a high level in the City of Palms Classic with an opportunity to pick up some quality wins — an opening round win over Blanche Ely would set up a quarterfinals meeting with No. 17 Gonzaga.
Christofilis, Davis, Perkins and Johnson are expected to round out the starting lineup on a junior oriented team looking to make some noise on the national stage a year earlier than expected.
O'Dea could qualify for a berth in GEICO Nationals. However, unless they make a run to the semifinals or better at the City of Palms Classic a limited national schedule may hold this group back from the Big Apple.
