We explore the candidacy of a dozen hopefuls for NYC postseason extravaganza.
Ohio State freshman phenom D'Angelo Russell helped Montverde Academy beat Oak Hill Academy at Madison Square Garden in the 2014 Dick's Nationals championship game.
Photo by Steven Ryan
Eight of the country's best basketball teams will once again gather in New York City for Dick's Sporting Goods High School Nationals – better known as Dick's Nationals – to close out the 2014-15 season.
Christ the King High School in Middle Village and Madison Square Garden will host the event, scheduled for April 2-4. ESPN and its family of networks will broadcast all seven games.
Currently ranked No. 2 nationally by MaxPreps,
Montverde Academy (Fla.) is the two-time defending champion in the event and looks like a strong candidate to return in April.
A selection committee comprised of representatives from Paragon Marketing Group and ESPN will make the picks public in early March.
Robin Kelner of Paragon indicated that the committee uses USA Today's Super 25 rankings as its primary guide but does gauge the perspective of other media outlets as well – including MaxPreps.
Not many state governing bodies allow their champions to participate in the event at this point. Primary organizations from Florida, New York, Utah and Washington have permitted member schools to play in past years and Kelner indicates others are entertaining the discussion.
It seems unlikely that those discussions would impact this year's tournament but
Rainier Beach (Seattle) wasn't cleared to participate until Feb. 26 last season.
Here is a glance at who may be in the mix for an April trip to the Big Apple:
LOOKING GOODFindlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.)MaxPreps Xcellent 25 ranking: No. 3
Current record: 19-1
Governing body: Independent
Quality wins: No. 23 Stevenson (Lincolnshire, Ill.), Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.)
Looking ahead: The Pilots have a couple of potential trap games against quality local programs Foothill (Henderson) and Las Vegas High.
Montverde Academy (Fla.)MaxPreps Xcellent 25 ranking: No. 2
Current record: 24-1
Governing body: Florida High School Athletic Association
Quality wins: No. 9 Wayne (Huber Heights, Ohio), No. 16 Jonesboro (Ga.), No. 18 Bishop O'Dowd, No. 21 Plano West (Plano, Texs), Bishop Gorman, Lake Minneola (Fla.), Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.), St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.), Trinity (Louisville, Ky.), West Linn (Ore.)
Looking ahead: The Eagles will close out the regular season Feb. 13-14 with a trip to the Northeast and games against Roselle Catholic and St. Benedict's Prep (Newark) of New Jersey.
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)MaxPreps Xcellent 25 ranking: No. 1
Current record: 33-0
Governing body: Independent
Quality wins: No. 8 Cape Henry Collegiate, No. 12 Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland, Ohio), No. 13 Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.), No. 18 Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), No. 19 Quality Education Academy (Winston-Salem, N.C.), Our Savior New American
Looking ahead: The Warriors will head west Feb. 6-7 for the Nike Extravaganza, where they will play Bishop O'Dowd for a second time and face No. 4 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) in a major, late-season showdown.
WORK TO DOCape Henry Collegiate (Virginia Beach, Va.)MaxPreps Xcellent 25 ranking: No. 8
Current record: 18-2
Governing body: Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association
Quality wins: No. 13 Wesleyan Christian Academy, Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.), Wando (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.)
Looking ahead: Collegiate will have to survive the Tidewater Independent Schools and VISAA state tournaments in order to garner serious consideration.
Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)MaxPreps Xcellent 25 ranking: No. 11
Current record: 24-0
Governing body: Florida High School Athletic Association
Quality win: Sagemont (Weston, Fla.)
Looking ahead: The Chiefs will be a heavy favorite to win Florida's 5A title but have to get through the BCAA Big 8 tournament first. An unbeaten state champ from the Sunshine State will be tough to ignore.
Garfield (Seattle, Wash.)MaxPreps Xcellent 25 ranking: No. 14
Current record: 18-0
Governing body: Washington Interscholastic Activities Association
Quality wins: Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.), Las Vegas, Rainier Beach (Seattle), Seattle Prep
Looking ahead: Metro League rival Rainier Beach went unbeaten a year ago to earn a trip to NYC. The Bulldogs have been similarly dominant this year but have to navigate a rugged postseason gauntlet.
Greensboro Day (N.C.)MaxPreps Xcellent 25 ranking: No. 5
Current record: 26-1
Quality wins: No. 13 Wesleyan Christian Academy
Governing body: North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association
Looking ahead: The Bengals' resume took a hit this week as they suffered their first loss of the season to Davidson Day. Greensboro Day-Wesleyan Christian Academy II goes down next week and the league rivals could cross paths again in the NCISAA 3A state tournament.
Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.)MaxPreps Xcellent 25 ranking: No. 20
Current record: 21-2
Governing body: Independent
Quality wins: Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.), Oldsmar Christian (Oldsmar, Fla.), Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.), West Oaks (Orlando, Fla.)
Looking ahead: A strong finish would probably get the Fighting Irish in the field.
Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.)MaxPreps Xcellent 25 ranking: No. 13
Current record: 23-4
Governing body: North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association
Quality wins: No. 18 Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), Trinity (Louisville, Ky.)
Looking ahead: A NCISAA 3A state title combined with the starpower of junior forward
Harry Giles would make the Trojans a tempting choice. Don't be too alarmed by the four losses on Wesleyan's resume – all four came against teams ranked in the Top 10 this week.
DON'T COUNT OUTBlanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.)MaxPreps Xcellent 25 ranking: No. 25
Current record: 19-0
Governing body: Florida High School Athletic Association
Quality wins: Dillard (Fort Lauderdale), Norland (Miami)
Looking ahead: Ely could turn the tables on fellow Broward County school Cardinal Gibbons by beating them in the final of the BCAA Big 8 tournament Saturday. Even with a win there, the Tigers' path to the 7A title won't be an easy one with Bartow and Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens) in the picture.
La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.)MaxPreps Xcellent 25 ranking: Unranked
Current record: 16-2
Governing body: Independent
Quality wins: Christ Presbyterian Academy (Nashville, Tenn.), Dunbar (Dayton, Ohio)
Looking ahead: The Lakers need to take it to the next level down the stretch. The math is in their favor even as an unranked team but they can't afford another slip-up.
Quality Education Academy (Winston-Salem, N.C.)MaxPreps Xcellent 25 ranking: No. 19
Current record: 18-3
Governing body: Independent
Quality wins: No. 20 Huntington St. Joseph Prep, Arlington Country Day, Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.)
Looking ahead: The Fighting Pharaohs get a rematch with No. 1 Oak Hill Academy on Feb. 12. QEA doesn't have a history at Dick's Nationals so it will be interesting to see how the committee perceives the program.
