Kentucky commit Makayla Epps and No. 18 Marion County hope to improve upon last season's 34-5 record.
Photo by James Conrad
Vanessa Watson just keeps turning out winners at Shabazz, and this year's edition will be no different. Led by 6-0 power forward
Zaire O'Neal, the Bulldogs will be their usual athletic, feisty selves. New Jersey, though, starts basketball very late, so after just a couple weeks of practice, Shabazz opens its season with No. 5 Good Counsel. That will be a tough start, but look for a strong finish — as usual.
17. Hathaway Brown (Shaker Heights, Ohio) 22-5All five starters return for the Blazers, who won their fourth straight Division II title last season after playing their typically brutal schedule. Paul Barlow has lined up the heavyweights again, including a trip to the Naples Holiday Shootout, and with three senior starters taller than 6-0, this might be the year Hathaway Brown breaks through on the national scene.
18. Marion County (Lebanon, Ky.) 34-5The Knights build around Kentucky commits
Makayla Epps and
Kyvin Goodin-Rogers, and also return two other starters that lost by four to last year's No. 11, DuPont Manual, in the state championship game. Marion County could have started higher in the rankings, but the schedule doesn't appear to be that challenging, so a sparkling won-loss record is almost a given.
19. Nazareth (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 18-4No team at any level went through what the Kingsmen did last year. Coach Apache Paschall died in December, a grievous blow to a team that was very close to its leader, and then the announcement came that the school itself would close in June. Investors were found, and the school stayed open, but then Hurricane Sandy added to the woes. Still, Bianca Cuevas leads a group of talented athletes who look to be the class of New York City.
20. Hoover (Ala.) 31-3Another school that just fills holes with more talent, the Buccaneers have seven seniors who played for the state title each of their four seasons, and are led by SEC recruits
Marques Webb (Vanderbilt) and
Courtney Hunter (Alabama). The schedule is also big-time, with No. 8 Norcross, a trip to D.C. for the Title IX Shootout, and a potential shot at No. 7 Riverdale at the Thanksgiving Turkey Jam. Hoover lost a lot to graduation, but that doesn't mean the Bucs will lose a lot on the court.
