MaxPreps Southern California boys basketball rankings

Welcome to the inaugural MaxPreps Southern California boys basketball rankings. This will be a weekly feature posted by Tuesday night each week.

While the Freeman Rankings use a computer formula to create rankings, this weekly feature will also add a human element. That helps some teams and hurts others.

Most importantly, these rankings factor in all the sections that qualify for the Southern California Regional Championships. That means the CIF Central, Los Angeles, Southern and San Diego sections are ranked.

MaxPreps Southern California Boys Basketball Rankings

1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 14-0
Division: Southern Section Division I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 1 state, 5 national

The nation's top team (in the Xcellent 25) has to be the area's top team, there's no denying that. The Monarchs are blasting their way through the nation thus far, with just one of their victories by single digits and they own wins over teams from five different states. Mater Dei is fresh off an Orange Holiday Classic title but will face a plethora of tough teams once Trinity League play begins today – and will face four of the next five on the road. Amazingly, the Monarchs didn't lose a bracket-based game in the 2012 calendar year.

2. Long Beach Poly, 12-1, 1-0 Moore League
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 3 state, 9 national

The Jackrabbits are back in California after rampaging to a 4-0 title in the Whatabruger Tournament in Texas and a solid third-place finish in the City of Palms in Florida. We don't think Poly should be ranked ahead of Mater Dei considering that Poly has a loss. But we also think the Jackrabbits have played a more daunting schedule once you factor in the tournaments they have played in, and there could at least be a discussion about which team is better. Poly hasn't played a California team since Dec. 10, and will get back at it on Jan. 7 when Moore League play starts back up.

3. Bishop Montgomery (Torrance), 12-0
Division: Southern Section IV-AA
Freeman Rankings: 2 state, 8 national

The Knights wear black and gold. Is their lofty Freeman Rankings spot fool's gold? Nope. They have dispatched Westchester and Serra (Gardena) locally, and also beat top-five teams from Utah, Colorado and Washington. The high Freeman Rankings number finally translated into an Xcellent 25 spot, with a No. 13 ranking in the most recent edition. The Knights have St. John Bosco on the schedule on Jan. 12, while the Del Rey League schedule begins Jan. 9.

4. St. John Bosco (Bellflower), 8-1
Division: Southern Section Division 3-A
Freeman Rankings: 18 state, 129 national

The Braves are being held back in the Freeman Rankings by a one-point loss to Inglewood. National Basketball Editor Jason Hickman is willing to look past that and has the Braves 14th in the most recent Xcellent 25. There certainly is reason to believe the rankings will improve – and soon. Bosco won the Chic-Fil-A Classic in South Carolina, and beat Xcellent 25 No. 17 Blanche Ely of Florida in the title game. Now comes the Trinity League, and the Braves' proven ability to win close games could be a huge benefit when playing teams like Mater Dei, which has steamrolled all its opponents.

5. Loyola (Los Angeles), 10-2
Division: Southern Section 1-AA
Freeman Rankings: 4 state, 24 national

A 10-0 start is now 10-2 after the Cubs dropped two in the MaxPreps Holiday Classic, and they lost their No. 19 spot in the Xcellent 25. The setback to Harvard-Westlake hurts the Cubs' standing a bit, and the loss to Fort Bend Travis of Texas (one where Loyola led in the fourth) hurt more than anticipated because they also fell out of the Xcellent 25. Two wins over Santa Monica and a win over Pacific Hills look good for Loyola, which begins Mission League play on Friday.

6. Centennial (Corona), 15-1
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 5 state, 26 national

It's not just a football school out there in Corona. The Huskies have a good amount of wins against some of the area's best, and this week jumped into the No. 24 spot in the Xcellent 25. The one loss on Centennial's record is against Etiwanda, and the Huskies had already defeated Etiwanda earlier in the season. Tack on wins against Santa Monica, Inglewood and Bullard, and it's a compelling resume. The Big VIII schedule kicks off Jan. 8.

7. Mission Viejo, 15-1
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 6 state, 34 national

The Diablos' 15-0 start came to an end at the MaxPreps Holiday Classic with a 12-point loss to defending state finalist La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad). The lofty Freeman Rankings spot bodes well for Mission Viejo, as does a No. 2 spot in the Orange County Register's rankings. The Diablos have quality wins over Rancho Cucamonga, Jserra Catholic and Foothill (Santa Ana) – and they'll have a shot at more when they face Tesoro (Rancho Santa Margarita) and El Toro (Lake Forest) during South Coast League play, which kicks off on Jan. 9.

8. Etiwanda, 8-2
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 8 state, 42 national

The loss against Westwind Prep Academy of Phoenix is a head-scratcher, because Etiwanda is the only team to beat Corona Centennial this season and also has defeated San Diego Section power Cathedral Catholic. The Baseline League is full of good teams this season so Etiwanda will either have a chance to ascend quickly or fall out just as fast.

9. Bullard (Fresno), 10-1
Division: Central Section I
Freeman Rankings: 9 state, 43 national

Some people forget that the Central Section competes in the SoCal portion of the state playoff brackets. And some people don't know that they play great basketball at Bullard. Just ask Long Beach Poly, which Bullard knocked off last year in the state playoffs. This year's Knights were 21st in the Xcellent 25 before bowing out, and have won the Gridley Invitational Basketball Tournament. In their only matchup against a SoCal title contender, the Knights lost to Centennial (Corona). It's difficult to know where to put Bullard, and their signature win against Salesian (Richmond) took a hit when Salesian lost to St. Augustine (San Diego).

10. Westchester (Los Angeles), 12-4
Division: Los Angeles City Section I
Freeman Rankings: 10 state, 44 national

Winning the MaxPreps Holiday Classic makes Westchester's 12-4 record look a lot better, especially when you see the teams the Comets beat: Miller Grove of Georgia, Fort Bend Travis of Texas, O'Dea of Seattle and Harvard-Westlake. And you have to factor in that three of the four losses are to Poly, Pacific Hills and Bishop Montgomery. The Western League schedule begins Jan. 7.

11. Pacific Hills (Los Angeles), 10-2, 1-0 Alpha League
Division: Southern Section IV-A
Freeman Rankings: 11 state, 56 national

The Bruins are fresh off a tournament victory in Arizona that saw them take out Arizona's No. 10 and No. 2 teams, along with Oregon's No. 5 squad. Their two losses this season are both by four points (Westchester and Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland), so nobody has been able to pummel Pacific Hills this season. Alpha League play resumes Jan. 7 and Brentwood School should be a worthy opponent two times.

12. Brentwood School (Los Angeles), 12-1, 1-0 Alpha
Division: Southern Section IV-A
Freeman Rankings: 14 state, 104 national

The Eagles' only blemish is a loss to Loyola, something quite a few teams have in common. Other than that, it has been a great start with wins over teams like El Camino Real, Mira Costa, Crescenta Valley and Sierra Canyon. The Alpha League schedule recommences this week and two games with Pacific Hills await in the future.

13. West Ranch (Valencia), 10-3
Division: Southern Section I-A
Freeman Rankings: 19 state, 136 national

The Wildcats' three losses are all to teams in the Top 100 in the state, and they have two wins against the same Top 100. A big game looms Jan. 8 at Hart in Foothill League play.

14. Chaminade (West Hills), 11-2
Division: Southern Section III-A
Freeman Rankings: 28 state, 201 national

The Eagles have victories over El Camino Real and Santa Monica, while both their losses were by just two points - to West Ranch and Sacramento. The Mission League has three teams in the rankings and that means there are sure to be tough matchups coming up. One thing that bodes well for Chaminade is that it has played tight games, and that should pay dividends as compared to winning lots of blowouts.

15. Santa Monica, 11-4
Division: Southern Section I-A
Freeman Rankings: 26 state, 183 national

The Vikings have played a brutal schedule, and their losses tell as much of a story as their wins. They lost to Loyola twice but only by two and six. Throw in a three-point loss to Chaminade as well (plus an 11-point setback to Centennial) and it shows they aren't ducking anybody. That will aid them as they embark upon the Ocean League schedule, which begins Jan. 9 with a road contest an Inglewood, another ranked squad.

16. El Camino Real (Woodland Hills), 12-2
Division: Los Angeles City Section I
Freeman Rankings: 13 state, 66 national

The Conquistadors are the defending City champions and won a game in the state playoffs last year. This year, they have dropped contests to Brentwood School and Chaminade, but have otherwise won handily, including over Leuzinger (Hawthorne) and Pasadena. Senior Michael Thomas has been providing the Conquistadors with senior leadership and the team's highest scoring output. West Valley League play begins Jan. 9.

17. JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano), 9-2
Division: Southern Section IV-AA
Freeman Rankings: 12 state, 58 national

The Lions captured the title in a tournament in Maryland and return in time to kick off the Trinity League schedule. What they will hope to pick up soon is a signature win against a Southern California team. Wins over Santiago (Corona) and Clovis West look decent, but the losses to Mission Viejo and Mater Dei show that JSerra is not in the upper echelon quite yet. The Lions will definitely get a shot at making it to that upper echelon with the tough Trinity League schedule kicking off Wednesday.

18. Orange Lutheran, 13-1
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 23 state, 153 national

The only loss for Orange Lutheran is to De La Salle of Chicago. That team lost to Loyola by two points in the MaxPreps Holiday Classic, so it's a good benchmark of where this Trinity League team stands. Most of Orange Lutheran's wins are by double digits, which means the Lancers can stand up to St. John Bosco, JSerra and Mater Dei. They're also getting contributions from sophomores and that bodes well for the future.

19. JW North (Riverside), 14-2, 3-0 Inland Valley League
Division: Southern Section II-AA
Freeman Rankings: 25 state, 181 national

All their wins have come by double digits with the exception of a win against Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco, and the Huskies' losses are to Mt. Vernon of New York and St. Augustine (San Diego). Junior Deshon Taylor is averaging 21.2 points per game and senior Dorian Butler nets 15.9 per contest. Rancho Verde is also 3-0 in league play and is a contender for the rankings. Those teams do battle Jan. 9.

20. Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood), 9-3
Division: Southern Section IV-AA
Freeman Rankings: 41 state, 306 national

The Wolverines knocked off preseason Xcellent 25 team Rainier Beach (Seattle), lost to Westchester and then triumphed over Loyola in the MaxPreps Holiday Classic. That masks a loss to Fairfax and an earlier blowout at the hands of Loyola. Mission League contests against Chaminade will prove important in these rankings, and Derick Newton will be the key, as he averages 21 points per game.

21. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego), 12-2
Division: San Diego Section III
Freeman Rankings: 30 state, 217 national

The San Diego Section doesn't have one dominant team, but Cathedral Catholic is the best choice. The Dons bested St. Augustine, which beat Mission Hills (San Marcos), so there you have the reason why Cathedral is the top SDS pick. Senior Niksha Federico leads the way with 15 points per game and fellow senior Xavier Williams nets 12.9 points per contest. The Dons lost to Etiwanda and St. Joseph (Santa Maria) earlier this season, and St. Augustine looms in the Western League, which begins play next week.

22. Foothill (Santa Ana), 14-1, 2-0 Century League
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 27 state, 200 national

The Knights' only loss is to Mission Viejo and an eight-point win against Tesoro (Santa Margarita) looks nice. The Orange County Register has Foothill ranked fifth in the county. Senior Justin Davis leads the way with 20 points per game. The Century League also features Canyon (Anaheim).

23. Inglewood, 7-4
Division: Southern Section Division I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 71 state, 578 national

The Sentinels are a mixed bag, and a lot of their signature wins are against NorCal teams. They beat St. John Bosco, plus Newark Memorial and Oakland up north. Two losses to Centennial can't hurt too much. Inglewood, the defending section champ, has two big games next up: Serra (Gardena) and Santa Monica. Those games will tell a lot about how consistent Inglewood can be. The Sentinels are tall, with only one player shorter than 6 feet, and begin the Ocean League schedule Jan. 9.

24. Sonora (La Habra), 15-2, 1-0 Freeway League
Division: Southern Section III-AAA
Freeman Rankings: 42 state, 307 national

Two Raiders' two losses are each by one point, so an undefeated record isn't too far out of the question. Those losses came to Canyon (Anaheim) and Galena (Reno, Nev.). The wins are big, though. The Freeway League features Troy and Sunny Hills, which could prove to be tough.

25. St. Augustine (San Diego), 8-2
Division: San Diego Section III
Freeman Rankings: 38 state, 293 national

The Saints lost to Cathedral Catholic but beat Mission Hills (San Marcos). They also have wins over JW North and NorCal power Salesian (Richmond). A rematch with Cathedral Catholic looms next. The Western League will almost certainly come down to St. Augustine and Cathedral Catholic.