The 2022-23 high school basketball season enters a crucial period as holiday tournaments shape future rankings with the City of Palms Classic, Tarkanian Classic and Hoopfest in Paradise taking center stage.
The Hoopfest in Paradise features a showdown between the top two teams in high school basketball and will likely determine the spot in next week's rankings as top-ranked
Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) opens its season against the defending national champions and No. 2-ranked
Duncanville (Texas).
The biggest climb in this week's rankings came from
Ben Davis (Indianapolis), which jumps into the MaxPreps Top 25 at No. 21 after upsetting previous No. 18 Cathedral 62-50 over the weekend.
The final two teams who have yet to tip off their season will begin play this week as New Jersey teams are finally set to begin their 2022-23 campaign.
Bronny James and Sierra Canyon debut at No. 24 in the MaxPreps Top 25. (Photo: Michael Coons)
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 1
Begins the season with a pair of anticipated showdowns against No. 2 Duncanville on Friday and National Top 10 No. 6 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) on Saturday at the Hoopfest in Paradise.
Record: 9-0 | Last week: 2
No team has played a tougher early season schedule than the Panthers, defeating seven quality out-of-state opponents, including Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.) 69-58 and Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 94-77 last week.
Record: 5-0 | Last week: 3
Picked up wins over Mount St. Joseph (Baltimore) 87-52 and Patrick School (Hillside, N.J.) 72-57 at the National High School Hoops Festival. The Panthers face Canterbury (Fort Myers, Fla.) on Saturday in their first round City of Palms matchup.
Record: 4-0 | Last week: 4
Slipped past North Laurel (London, Ky.) 59-54 at the Kentucky Play-By-Play Classic paced by 15 points, four rebounds and two blocks from five-star Kentucky signee
Justin Edwards. Takes on Simon Gratz (Philadelphia) tonight before tipping off the City of Palms Classic against Newman (New Orleans) on Saturday.
Record: 6-1 | Last week: 5
Duke signee
Jared McCain led the way with 15 points, 14 rebounds and four assists in a victory over previous No. 9 Bishop Gorman 72-53 at Hoophall West. The Huskies next contest comes against Winter Haven (Fla.) on Saturday at the City of Palms Classic.
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 6
Opens its 2022-23 campaign against Rancocas Valley (Mt. Holly, N.J.) on Dec. 15.
Record: 5-1 | Last week: 10
Notched a 73-70 victory on the road against Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) at the Battle in the Peach led by a combined 44 points from
Cayden and
Cameron Boozer. The Explorers face Palmetto (Miami) on Wednesday before opening City of Palms Classic play on Dec. 19 after a first-round bye.
Record: 10-0
| Last week: 13
Defeated Ironwood (Glendale, Ariz.) 76-49 over the weekend at Hoophall West led by a balanced effort that saw five players score 10 or more points.
Brady Dunlap had a game-high 16 points, while
Trent Perry chipped in 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Record: 4-1
| Last week: 7
Suffered its first setback of the season against No. 7 Columbus 73-70 despite USC signee
Isaiah Collier and Iowa State signee
Jelani Hamilton combining for 42 points. The Wildcats take on Tampa Catholic (Tampa, Fla.) on Friday in their opening round matchup at City of Palms Classic.
Record: 2-0 | Last week: 12
After
opening the season with lopsided victories over Eagle Academy (Bronx,
N.Y.) 72-51 and Salesianum (Wilmington, Del.) 69-44, the Saints travel
to the 'Iolani Classic for a first-round matchup against Maryknoll
(Honolulu) on Saturday.
Record: 2-2 | Last week: 11
Although the Crusaders have split their first four games of the season, both losses were single digit defeats against top five National Top 10 opponents. The Crusaders fell to Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 56-51 and IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 68-62 before picking up a signature victory over Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 63-55.
Record: 9-0 | Last week: 17
Jump five spots after picking up a pair of statement victories over out-of-state opponents at Hoophall West, defeating Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.) 78-47 led by 21 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks from five-star sophomore
Koa Peat and taking down San Ysidro (San Diego) 90-66 paced by 20 points, four rebounds and four assists from
Barron Silsby.
Record: 3-1 | Last week: 9
Suffered the program's second loss in the past 48 games against No. 5 Centennial 72-53 at Hoophall West. The Gaels look to rebound this week at the Tarkanian Classic, facing Putnam City West (Oklahoma City) in their first round matchup on Dec. 19.
Record: 4-0 | Last week: 14
Defending KHSAA Sweet 16 state champions knocked off Madison Central (Richmond, Ky.) 76-67 and Blazer (Ashland, Ky.) 70-57 to move their win streak to 35 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Record: 8-1
| Last week: 15
Continued their strong start to the season with a 65-59 victory over Highland Park (Dallas) last week. The Wildcats take on Berkner (Richardson, Texas) tonight before traveling to the City of Palms Classic for a first round contest against Newton (Covington, Ga.) on Friday.
Record: 7-0
| Last week: 19
Captured the Gonzaga D.C. Classic title with wins over Friendship Tech Prep Academy (Washington, D.C.) 87-49, St. Ramond (Bronx, N.Y.) 78-73 and Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.) 64-58.
Ryan Sabol led the way with a game-high 25 points in the Eagles title game victory over Jackson-Reed.
Record: 6-0 | Last week: 20
Notched a quality win over Coronado (Henderson, Nev.) 52-46 at Hoophall West, led by 16 points and seven rebounds from Toledo pledge
Sam Lewis. The Wolverines take on Central (Little Rock, Ark.) on Friday and Moravian Prep (Atlanta) on Saturday at Hoophall South.
Record: 3-0
| Last week: 21
Notched a big-time win over previous No. 25 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 69-62 at the National High School Hoopfest Festival led by North Carolina State pledge
Dennis Parker Jr. who finished with a game-high 26 points.
Record: 6-1
| Last week: 8
Dropped 11 spots after falling to Roman Catholic (Philadelphia) 49-46 in a first round upset at the Gonzaga D.C. Classic. The Quakers bounced back with wins over Whitney Young (Chicago) 53-52 and Archbishop Spalding (Severn, Md.) 53-43 to remain in the rankings.
Record: 7-0 | Last week: 22
After a hot start to the season, the Wildcats take on Village Christian (Sun Valley, Calif.) on Friday before traveling to the Tarkanian Classic for a first round showdown against Rainier Beach (Seattle) on Dec. 19.
Record: 7-0 | Last week: NR
Jump into the national rankings after defeating previous No. 18 Cathedral (Indianapolis) 62-50 at the Forum Tip-Off Classic guided by a game-high 20 points from three-star junior
K.J. Windham and 19 points, seven rebounds and five blocks from Valparaiso commit
Zane Doughty.
Record: 7-0
| Last week: NR
Enter the rankings following a strong start the to season that includes wins over quality in-state opponents Greenforest (Decatur), Pebblebrook (Mableton) and McEachern (Powder Springs). The Longhorns face Greenforest again on Saturday before opening up Tarkanian Classic play with a first round matchup against Liberty (Henderson, Nev.).
Record: 5-1 | Last week: NR
Split a pair of meetings with National Top 10 programs to start the season, upsetting Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 56-55 before falling to Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 69-64. Notched another solid win over the weekend, defeating Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) 73-71 paced by
Tiger Cuff (17),
Ashton Wallace (16) and
Aaron Dunne (15).
Record: 7-1 | Last week: NR
The Trailblazers rebounded from a bad early season loss to Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) 63-60 with a quality victory over Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 62-51 led by 17 points and seven rebounds from five-star junior
Isaiah Elohim.
Record: 12-0 | Last week: NR
Have won five consecutive games against out-of-state opponents, defeating Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 52-51, Douglass (Memphis, Tenn.) 87-64, Christian Brothers (St. Louis, Mo.) 88-69, Lehi (Utah) 54-49 and Durango (Las Vegas) 61-59.
