MaxPreps 2016-17 Texas preseason high school boys basketball Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard

Video: Cameron Massey's highlights
See the South Grand Prairie player in action last season.


1. Steele (Cibolo)
2015-16 record: 32-4
Head coach: Lonny Hubbard

The Knights were just two wins away from winning the Class 6A state title last season, pushing eventual champ DeSoto into overtime in a 58-53 loss in the state semifinals. Steele has two starters back from last year's team and five of its top nine players. That's a good recipe for a deep playoff push. Junior Gerald Liddell leads the way. The 6-foot-7 shooting guard was the team's leading scorer at 17.3 points per game and 8.2 rebounds. Guard Terry Ellis was fifth on the team in scoring at 6.6 points, and now as a senior will play a bigger role. Jayden Martinez, a junior power forward, put in 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds last season off the bench.

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2. Houston Math Science & Tech
2015-16 record: 34-5
Head coach: Ralph Barreras

The Tigers will look for a repeat performance from last season after advancing all the way to the state semifinals, where Atascocita scored a 78-67 victory. HMS&T has a solid base to build off this season, with two starters and a top reserve returning. Kendric Davis was the team's scorer a season ago as a sophomore at 19.1 points per game to go with 7.3 assists and 3.2 rebounds. Junior Terrell Wilson was third on the team at 13.3 points per game and sophomore Marlon Jackson had 6.6 points a contest last year. The Tigers will have to find some players to hit the glass, having lost two of their top rebounders off last year's squad.

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3. DeSoto (Texas)
2015-16 record: 36-2, Class 6A state champion
Head coach: Chris Dyer Last year was a dream season for the Eagles. The squad won its third state title and first since 2009 by downing Atascocita 73-54 in the championship game. The Eagles were ranked No. 10 in the final MaxPreps Xcellent 25. DeSoto lost some big names off that team, namely Duke signee Marques Bolden, Tristen Wallace and Julian Miranda, and return just one starter this season. Senior Brandon Bulter is the only starter back, and junior Swahn Gibson was one of the team's top reserves. Both will be relied upon for more scoring and leadership this season.

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4. South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie)
2015-16 record: 24-9
Head coach: Brandon Bennett

The Warriors turned it up a notch late last season and won 10 games in a row before falling to eventual state champion DeSoto in a regional final. Despite losing two big-time players in Cameron McGriff, who is now at Oklahoma State, and USC's Harrison Henderson, the Warriors will again have another strong team. Bryce Cook, a 5-5 point guard, played well last season as a freshman and will be a court leader this year. Junior Cameron Massey will provide a good 1-2 punch with Cook in the back court. South Grand Prairie will also have some height with a pair of 6-7 seniors in Jonathan Jones and Maluw Deng.

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5. Atascocita (Humble)
2015-16 record: 38-1, Class 6A state runner-up
Head coach: David Martinez

The Eagles were just one win shy of perfection in 2015-16. The No. 1-ranked team in the state entering the postseason won its first 38 games of the season before being tripped up in the state title game by DeSoto, 73-54. The Eagles are a combined 102-8 in the last three seasons, and finished ranked No. 12 in the final MaxPreps Xcellent 25. Atascocita lost a quality group of 10 seniors and has back just one starter in 6-7 power forward Fabian White. The only other returning player is junior 6-3 small forward Devin Harrison.