Top 25 national high school boys basketball rankings: Dynamic Prep makes massive jump (1/4/2023)

The second half of the high school basketball season is here. Who rose, who fell in the latest SBLive/Sports Illustrated national Power 25?

Author:
Zach Shugan
Updated:
Jan 4, 2024 6:01 PM EST
Original:
Jan 4, 2024

The holiday season means it's time for some of the biggest high school basketball tournaments of the year.

These tournaments, like the Les Schwab Invitational where top 15 teams Columbus (Florida) and Harvard-Westlake (California) faced off in the championship, never fail to provide drama and upsets that fuel heavy movement in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national rankings.

Cameron Boozer and the No. 9 Explorers won the LSI championship to help cement their status as a top 10 team nationally, but they were far from the only squad to have a winning week.

One of the week's biggest headlines came out of South Carolina, where Dynamic Prep (Texas) pulled off a string of major upsets to win the Chick-Fil-A Classic's National Division. Following their week full of signature wins, Dynamic Prep made the massive leap from unranked to No. 6 in the country.

Including Dynamic Prep, four new teams earned spots in the Power 25 this week. Ridge View (South Carolina), Eastvale Roosevelt (California) and Plano East (Texas) all make their debuts in the national rankings after bringing home championships at holiday tournaments in their home states.

Find the complete breakdown of the third update to the SBLive/SI Power 25 below:

PREVIOUS RANKINGS: WAY-TOO-EARLY | PRESEASON | DEC. 12 | DEC. 26

SBLIVE/SI POWER 25 NATIONAL BOYS BASKETBALL RANKINGS

January 3, 2024

1. Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) (13-0)

Previous rank: 1; Up next: Jan. 5 vs. No. 19 Gonzaga (DC) at Maine Event

Montverde holds onto the top spot in the national rankings after sitting idle last week. The Eagles will be in Maine this week, the home state of Cooper Flagg, to take on No. 19 Gonzaga and CATS Academy (Massachusetts).

2. Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) (9-1)

Previous rank: 3; Up next: Jan. 4 vs No. 11 La Lumiere (IN) at La Porte Invitational

A spot opened for Long Island Lutheran to climb to No. 2, a record high for the program, and the Crusaders earned it with a 44 point win over Roselle Catholic (New Jersey). They'll put their new ranking on the line right away with a showdown against No. 11 La Lumiere in Indiana.

3. St. Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) (10-1)

Previous rank: 4; Up next: Jan. 4 vs. Good Counsel (MD)

The Panthers enter the top three after picking up a 57-44 victory against Cardinal Ritter (Missouri) in Delaware last week and a dominant win over St. Mary’s Ryken (Maryland) to start this week.

4. Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) (18-2)

Previous rank: 2; Up next: Jan. 11 vs. Orangeville Prep (Canada)

Prolific Prep only drops two spots after dropping their second game of the season last week, a 76-70 loss to new No. 6 Dynamic Prep in the Chick-Fil-A Classic National Division championship.

5. Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) (15-4)

Previous rank: 5; Up next: Jan. 15 vs. No. 14 IMG Academy (FL) at Hoophall Classic

Link Academy bounced back from consecutive losses at the City of Palms Classic with a 2-0 trip to New York City last week. The Lions edged out former No. 25 Sidwell Friends (D.C.) and dominated Penn Charter (Pennsylvania).

6. Dynamic Prep (Irving, Tex.) (12-1)

Previous rank: Unranked; Up next: Jan. 8 at R.W. Goines STEM (TX)

Dynamic Prep went from unranked to top 10 in the country after a special week in South Carolina at the Chick-Fil-A Classic. Coached by former NBA star Jermaine O’Neal, Dynamic Prep took down national power Combine Academy (North Carolina), former No. 6 Dream City Christian (Arizona) and former No. 2 Prolific Prep (California) on consecutive days to win the National Division championship at the tournament. Dynamic Prep features four-star juniors Jaden Toombs and Jermaine O’Neal Jr., among others.

7. Wasatch Academy (Wasatch, Utah) (6-2)

Previous rank: 7 Up next: Jan. 4 vs. No. 14 IMG Academy (FL) at La Porte Invitational

Wasatch returned from a month-long hiatus with a win early this week over Provo (Utah). The Tigers will be in Indiana later this week for big games against No. 11 La Lumiere and No. 14 IMG Academy.

8. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) (7-2)

Previous rank: 8; Up next: Jan. 4 at St. Joseph (N.J.)

Don Bosco lost against The Patrick School (N.J.) after five-star senior Dylan Harper left the game with an injury. The Ironmen bounced back with victories against Cardinal Hayes (New York) and Immaculate Conception (N.J.) Meanwhile, the Rutgers commit Harper appears to have avoided a serious injury and should be back in the lineup soon.

9. Columbus (Miami, Fla.) (10-4)

Previous rank: 9; Up next: Jan. 3 vs. Mater Lakes Academy (FL)

Coming off back-to-back losses at the City of Palms Classic, Columbus made the cross country trip to Oregon for the Les Schwab Invitational and took care of business. The Explorers gave No. 16 Harvard-Westlake its first loss in the tournament finals, marking their third win over a top 25 team in the first half of the season.

10. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) (12-1)

Previous rank: 10; Up next: Jan. 4 vs. Orangeville Prep (Canada) at La Porte Invitational

Oak Hill will take the court for the first time in three weeks when it sees Orangeville Prep (Canada) and Sunrise Christian (Kansas) at the La Porte Invitational this week.

11. La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) (9-1)

Previous rank: 11; Up next: Jan. 4 vs. No. 2 Long Island Lutheran at La Porte Invitational

After a couple weeks off, La Lumiere returns this week with a pair of big tests against No. 7 Wasatch Academy and No. 2 Long Island Lutheran. The Lakers will have a bit of home court advantage on their side with the games being played near their campus as part of the La Porte Invitational.

12. AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ari.) (13-4)

Previous rank: 12; Up next: Jan. 5 vs. Whitehaven (TN) at Memphis Hoopfest

The Dragons went to the East Coast last week for the Governors Challenge and picked up wins over Maryland schools DeMatha and Rock Creek Christian. They’ll be in Memphis this week for games against Tennessee schools Whitehaven and Bartlett.

13. Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.) (14-0)

Previous rank: Unranked; Up next: Jan. 5 at Lugoff-Elgin (SC)

Ridge View joins the national rankings after pulling off back-to-back takedowns of top 25 teams to win the Chick-Fil-A Classic’s American Division championship. The Blazers handed former No. 16 Grayson (Georgia) its first loss this season and beat former No. 23 John Marshall (Virginia) to win the tournament title.

14. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) (4-5)

Previous rank: 13; Up next: Jan. 4 vs. No. 7 Wasatch Academy (UT) at La Porte Invitational

IMG Academy returns to action this week for the first time since going 2-2 at the City of Palms Classic. The Ascenders are heading to Indiana for the La Porte Invitational, where they’re set to take on No. 7 Wasatch Academy and Canyon International (Arizona).

15. Eastvale Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) (16-1)

Previous rank: Unranked; Up next: Jan. 5 vs. Northeast (FL) at RealRun Winter Classic

After starting the season on the bubble of the national rankings, Eastvale Roosevelt earned a spot in the top 25 by defeating former No. 14 St. John Bosco in the Classic at Damien’s Platinum Division championship. The Mustangs, led by five-star junior Brayden Burries, have staked their claim as the top team in California entering the second half of the season.

16. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) (15-1)

Previous rank: 15 Up next: Jan. 5 at Alemany (CA)

Harvard-Westlake drops one spot in the rankings after suffering its first defeat of the season, a one-point loss to No. 9 Columbus in the Les Schwab Invitational championship. Trent Perry and the Wolverines went 3-1 at the event with a win over formerly-ranked Perry (Arizona).

17. Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) (12-2)

Previous rank: 17 Up next: Jan. 13 vs. No.1 Montverde Academy (FL) at Hoophall Classic

Brewster Academy hasn’t played since a 60-56 loss to Veritas Academy (California) on Dec. 16. The Bobcats will see No. 1 Montverde Academy and No. 10 Oak Hill Academy at the storied Hoophall Classic next time they’re in action.

18. Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) (12-2)

Previous rank: 22 Up next: Jan. 6 at Bishop Ireton (VA)

Bishop O’Connell has looked much better since falling to Arbor View (Nevada) at the Tarkanian Classic. The Knights went 3-0 to win the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina last week, and they began this week with a 65-57 win at home over a No. 19 Gonzaga team that was on the verge of cracking the top 10.

19. Gonzaga College (Washington, D.C.) (11-1)

Previous rank: 18 Up next: Jan. 5 vs. No. 1 Montverde Academy (FL) at Maine Event

Gonzaga went to Arkansas last week and won the King Cotton Classic, taking down St. Joseph (California), Pine Bluff (Arkansas), and Westminster Academy (Florida) to bring home the tournament title. A loss on the road early this week against No. 18 Bishop O’Connell keeps the Eagles from reaching the top 15.

20. Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.) (9-2)

Previous rank: 20 Up next: Jan. 3 vs. Hough (NC)

Myers Park went 3-0 at the John Wall Holiday Invitational, beating in-state opponents Garner, Millbrook and Christ School to bring home some hardware. The Mustangs have won six games in a row since losing in overtime against No. 3 St. Paul VI.

21. Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) (12-1)

Previous rank: 16 Up next: Jan. 5 at Brookwood (GA)

Grayson surrendered its first loss of the season last week, falling to newly ranked Ridge View in the Chick-Fil-A Classic American Division championship. The Rams beat Imani Christian (Pennsylvania) and St. John’s (D.C.) to reach the tournament finals.

22. Plano East (Plano, Tex.) (21-0)

Previous rank: Unranked Up next: Jan. 5 vs. Plano (TX)

Plano East makes its Power 25 debut after taking down formerly-ranked Stony Point in a battle of two of the top teams in Texas. Through one half of the season, the undefeated Panthers have emerged as the team to beat in the UIL’s highest classification.

23. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) (13-2)

Previous rank: 14 Up next: Jan. 3 at JSerra Catholic (CA)

St. John Bosco falls in the rankings after losing to new No. 15 Eastvale Roosevelt, its second loss in two weeks. Playing in the Platinum Division of the Classic at Damien, the Braves outlasted Salesian College Prep (California) in overtime of the semifinals but dropped the championship game against Eastvale Roosevelt.

24. Dream City Christian (Glendale Ari.) (14-4)

Previous rank: 6 Up next: TBD at Derby City Slam

Dream City Christian went 1-2 at the Chick-Fil-A Classic, beating Rock School (Florida) but losing two games in a row to new No. 6 Dynamic Prep and DME Academy (Florida), the latter of which is their second loss against an unranked team this season.

25. McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) (9-3)

Previous ranking: 24 Up next: Jan. 6 vs. Alexander (GA)

McEachern went to New Jersey last week and won by 25 against a Camden team featuring Kentucky commit Billy Richmond. Five-star Rutgers commit Ace Bailey went off for 40 points and 21 rebounds with Scarlet Knights fans watching at his future college arena.