Video: Basketball Rankings 2017-2018
See who joined the Top 25 this week and who moved up.
See the video above for a complete breakdown of this week's Xcellent 25 High School Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.
Here's a look at developments that shaped this week's Top 25:
Looking the partMemphis East (Tenn.) blasted previous Top 10 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) by 26 points at Memphis vs. The World Classic over the weekend. Wichita State commit
Alex Lomax dominated with 22 points and 10 assists.
James Wiseman, the nation's No. 2 overall junior, is averaging 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocks per game for the top-rated 7-0 Mustangs.
Montverde Academy (Fla.) owned the competition in China over the weekend. Duke commit
R.J. Barrett posted 25 points in soaring the No. 2 Eagles to an 85-50 championship victory over Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.) at the International Youth Basketball Spectacular.
Big RisersGuyer (Denton, Texas) proved they're undoubtedly the best squad in Texas and had the strongest showing of any team in the Top 25 this past week. The 16-0 Wildcats dismantled previous No. 15 Westlake (Austin, Texas) by 23 points. Then Guyer topped Waxahachie (Texas) 77-71, a team that ended Cypress Falls (Houston) 37-game winning streak, to capture the
Houston Methodist Cy-Hoops Invitational championship.
Electric Top 50 junior De'Vion Harmon, an Oklahoma commit, is averaging 21 points and 11 assists per game. The Wildcats frontline, led by Top 50 junior Jalen Wilson (19 PPG) and Georgetown commit Grayson Carter, have three players above 6-foot-8 averaging double figures. All reasons why Guyer has skyrocketed 11 spots to No. 6 this week. Simeon (Chicago) jumped three spots to No. 7 after pounding preseason Top 50 and archrival Morgan Park 70-57. The senior, guard-heavy bunch are as tough as they come.
Four new teams join the party
• DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) woke up the country over the weekend. The unranked Stags obliterated past No. 26 Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) by double digits and held a 30-point lead at the National Hoopfest in Washington, D.C. DeMatha also defeated previous No. 20 Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) 80-70. Five-star sophomore Hunter Dickinson, the nation's second-rated center, owned the interior on both ends of the floor. The No. 14 Stags are a hungry team aiming to silence the preseason doubters.
• Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) showed that the preseason loss of senior Notre Dame commit Prentiss Hubb was not a big deal. The Eagles defeated three quality opponents by an average margin of 16 points to snag the Gonzaga DC Classic title. The No. 17 Eagles also smothered tested, one-loss St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) by nearly 30 points this season.
• Rainier Beach (Seattle) checks in at No. 24. USC commit Kevin Porter gave us the play of the year so far this year and heads an athletic squad that aims to put on a dunk fest every trip up the floor.
• Garfield Heights (Ohio) is one of elite young squads in America. Freshman guard Meechie Johnson dropped 50 points last Friday. Five-star teammate Alonzo Gaffney is the top-rated junior in Ohio and leads a star-studded roster with size and Division I recruits coming off the bench. This team is so exciting that even NBA superstars LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and J.R. Smith all attended a game last week. James has also publicly praised this bunch in both post-game interviews and on Twitter already this season.
Tournament to watch
The 'Iolani Classic in Hawaii has three Top 25 ranked teams and is a must-watch event this weekend. Second-ranked Montverde Academy could potentially face No. 10 Greensboro Day (N.C.) and the high-flying Vikings from No. 24 Rainier Beach. This stacked field also includes unbeatens Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), Jefferson (Portland) and Taft (Calif.). Not to mention talented one-loss Fairfax (Los Angeles).
De'Vion Harmon, Guyer
Photo by Dan Wozniak
