MaxPreps 2013-14 Preseason Top 25 high school basketball rankings presented by the Army National Guard

No. 21 Mentor (Ohio)
Head coach: Bob Krizancic
2012-13 record: 25-5, Division I state champions, No. 25 final Xcellent 25 national ranking
Players to watch: Kent Berger (6-4, Sr., F, Ohio football commitment), Brandon Fritts (6-4, Sr., G/F, North Carolina football commitment), Kyle Hagey (5-11, Sr., G), Conner Krizancic (6-2, Sr., G, Cincinnati football commitment), Kade McClure (6-6, Sr., F, Louisville baseball commitment), Caleb Potter (6-3, Sr., F, West Virginia baseball commitment)

Breaking down the Cardinals

Mentor might be the most athletic team in the country. Not necessarily combine-type athleticism, but simply the ability to play multiple sports well.

Ohio's defending big school state champs have five seniors committed to Division I schools – but none for basketball. It's an unthinkable oddity in today's high school basketball landscape where prospects tend to flock together, a nationally ranked team with no Division I prospects.

But that's a testament to the program Krizancic has built in 21 years at Mentor. After years of playoff frustration, the Cardinals finally broke through and won the Division I state crown last season.

Though Mentor will miss leading scorer and lone All-State pick Jeff Foreman, the 2012-13 Cardinals were balanced with eight different players reaching double digits on a regular basis. That group showed the program can compete with the nation's elite by taking Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.) to the wire in a two-point loss at the Dunk 4 Diabetes Shooout (a rematch is slated for the same event this season).

Plenty of production returns for the high-scoring Cardinals, who averaged 84 points per game last season. Potter (14 points per game), Conner Krizancic (13.3) and Fritts (13.3) all averaged double figures and contributed to the team's astounding total of 331 3-point field goals.

Key dates
Dec. 6 – at Garfield Heights (Ohio)
Dec. 12 – Shaker Heights (Ohio)
Dec. 26-31 – Arby's Classic
Jan. 24 – Garfield Heights
Jan. 26 – vs. Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.) at Dunk 4 Diabetes Shootout
Jan. 31 – at Shaker Heights