Want to be a nationally-ranked high school basketball team? Better get some transfers

Video: High school basketball transfers
Transfer topic continues to be lightning rod for debate.

As we compiled our preseason high school basketball rankings, transfers became a repeating theme among teams under consideration.

So we decided to do the math. The results paint an unsettling picture about the current landscape of elite high school hoops.

A total of 75 players will take the floor as first-year transfers for the 25 programs included in our preseason rankings. That number was determined through extensive research and cooperation from 24 of the 25 coaches.

During the 2016-17 season, MaxPreps ran separate rankings for traditional high schools that played for state championships within a recognized governing body and independent programs.

The practice was discontinued prior to 2017-18 but seven preseason ranked teams that would have been classified as an independent program combined for a staggering 44 of those first-year transfers. Part of that is due to the fact that transfers to traditional high schools usually meet far more resistance from governing bodies when it comes to eligibility. That is being illustrated now by the saga of high-profile newcomers James Wiseman and Ryan Boyce at No. 1 Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.), where a court-ordered injunction was needed to keep the duo playing until a Dec. 7 courtroom showdown with the TSSAA.

The status of Michigan State commit Thomas Kithier at No. 9 Clarkston (Mich.) remains unresolved as the MHSAA reviews his case.

All three of those players began the school year at the schools they intend to play for.

Meanwhile, an independent program like No. 8 Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) can bring on board five-star senior prospect Bol Bol – who left Southern California powerhouse Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) earlier this month – and insert them into the lineup immediately. The 7-foot-1 future Oregon Duck debuted for the Pilots over the weekend, scoring 30 points in his second outing in Chicago.

MaxPreps.com host Chris Brown and national basketball editor Lynden Ostrander dive deeper on high school basketball's transfer controversy in the video above.