Post by Moderator on Oct 13, 2006 8:56:25 GMT -5
04/12/2006 - Updated 11:09 PM ET
Final Super 25 boys' basketball rankings
March 27, 2006
Regional rankings
Analysis by Christopher Lawlor
Newcomers: Three schools — No. 20 Mount Vernon (N.Y.), No. 21 Lanier (Jackson, Miss.) and No. 24 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) — enter the rankings after winning state or league titles.
Player of the week: Bill Walker totaled 45 points and 23 rebounds in two state tournament games as No. 3 North College Hill (Cincinnati) won its second consecutive Ohio Division III championship. Playing without teammate O.J. Mayo (banned by the school principal for undisclosed reasons) in the semifinals, Walker had 23 points and 13 rebounds in a 49-34 victory over Archbold. In the final, he had 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a 90-73 win over Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland).
How'd we do: Fifteen teams appeared in all 13 rankings, including seven of the top 10. Top-ranked Lawrence North (Indianapolis) was No. 5 in the preseason and assumed the top spot on March 7 after then-No. 1 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) lost. Eighteen teams won state or league championships.
Free throws: Junior Derrick Rose dropped in an eight-footer with one second remaining in overtime, lifting No. 19 Simeon (Chicago) over Peoria (Ill.) Richwoods 31-29 in the lowest scoring state Class AA tournament final. ... Lanier (Jackson, Miss.) beat Gentry (Indianola) 72-43 in the Class 4A final. It was coach Thomas Billups' seventh state title in 15 seasons, equaling the MHSAA boys record set by Bert Jenkins of Gulfport from 1961-1989. ... Alex Kellogg, a 6-7 junior from St. Francis DeSales (Columbus, Ohio), had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the Division II semifinals, but his team lost 58-56 to Triway (Wooster). Kellogg is the son of CBS college basketball analyst and former NBA player, Clark Kellogg.
1. Lawrence North, Indianapolis (29-0)
Previous: 1. Highlight: Won Class 4A state championship, beating Muncie Central 80-56 in final.
2. Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va. (40-1)
Previous: 2. Highlight: Set school single-season record for victories (40).
3. North College Hill, Cincinnati (26-1)
Previous: 3. Highlight: Beat Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland) 90-73 to win Division III for second consecutive season.
4. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (34-1)
Previous: 4. Highlight: Won Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament, beating then-No. 4 Mount St. Joseph (Baltimore) 70-55 in final. Also beat Cardozo (Washington, D.C.) 87-57 in City Title game.
5. Artesia, Lakewood, Calif. (33-1)
Previous: 6. Highlight: Won CIF Division III state championship, beating St. Mary's (Stockton) 60-41 in final.
6. De La Salle, Concord, Calif. (32-1)
Previous: 7. Highlight: Won CIF Division I state championship, beating No. 18 Clovis West (Fresno) 43-40 in final.
7. Hamilton, Memphis (39-0)
Previous: 8. Result: Won Class AAA state championship, beating Shelbyville Central 76-75 in double overtime in final.
8. Mount St. Joseph, Baltimore (38-1)
Previous: 5. Highlight: Won a state-record 38 consecutive games before losing to No. 4 DeMatha (Hyattsville) 70-55 in ACIT final.
9. Montrose Christian, Rockville, Md. (20-2)
Previous: 9. Highlight: Handed then-No. 1 Oak Hill Academy its lone loss, while coach Stu Vetter closed season with 719 career wins.
10. McKinley, Canton, Ohio (25-2)
Previous: 10. Highligt: Beat Trotwood-Madison 63-33 in Division I final.
11. St. Patrick, Elizabeth, N.J. (29-4)
Previous: 19. Highlight: Won State Tournament of Champions, beating Linden 61-54 in final.
12. Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy (34-2)
Previous: 13. Highlight: Won Division II state championship. Brandan Wright (22.4 ppg) and Joshua Bone (15.8) accounted for more than half the team's 70 points per game.
13. Vashon, St. Louis (27-2)
Previous: 14. Highlight: Won Class 5 state championship. Floyd Irons has coached Vashon to 10 of its 11 overall state championships.
14. Arlington Country Day, Jacksonville (27-3)
Previous: 15. Highlight: Won Class 2A state championship. Five players were double-digit scorers.
15. Norcross, Ga. (29-4)
Previous: 21. Highlight: Jodie Meeks, who signed with Kentucky, scored 32 points in final as team won Class 5A championship.
16. Fairfax, Los Angeles (24-3)
Previous: 16. Highlight: Advanced to CIF-City Section Championship Division semifinals.
17. Bloomfield (N.J.) Tech (29-2)
Previous: 12. Highlight: Lost to Linden 48-42 in State Tournament of Champions semifinals.
18. Clovis West, Fresno, Calif. (30-3)
Previous: 18. Highlight: Lost to then-No. 7 De La Salle (Concord) 43-40 in CIF Division I state final.
19. Simeon, Chicago (33-4)
Previous: 22. Highlight: Won Class AA state championship, beating Peoria Richwoods 31-29 in overtime in final.
20. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (23-5)
Previous: Not ranked. Highlight: Won State Federation Class AA championship, beating Lincoln (Brooklyn) 62-60.
21. Lanier, Jackson, Miss. (34-3)
Previous: Not ranked. Highlight: Beat Gentry (Indianola) 72-43 in Class 4A state final. Finished season by winning 19 consecutive games.
22. Westfield, Spring, Texas (36-1)
Previous: 23. Highlight: Won its first 36 games before losing in Class 5A regional final.
23. Wheeler, Marietta, Ga. (29-2)
Previous: 24. Highlight: Advanced to Class 5A state semifinals.
24. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (22-6)
Previous: Not ranked. Highlight: Won Philadelphia Catholic League championship, beating Roman Catholic (Philadelphia) 44-41.
25. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (33-3)
Previous: 11. Highlight: Lost to Palo Alto 51-47 in CIF Division II final.
Dropped out: No. 17 Wings Academy, Bronx, N.Y. (31-1) lost to Grady (Brooklyn) 60-49 in PSAL A semifinals; No. 20 Rice, Manhattan, N.Y. (25-5) lost to Lincoln (Brooklyn) 68-63 in State Federation Class AA semifinals; No. 25 San Joaquin Memorial, Fresno (33-4) lost to Horizon (San Diego) 68-67 in double overtime in CIF-Southern California final.
About the rankings: USA TODAY's Super 25 rankings are compiled by Lawlor, who consults with a national network of high school sportswriters, analysts and coaches. Among the criteria are a school's strength of schedule, the quality of competition in its state or league and the quality of its players.
Final Super 25 boys' basketball rankings
March 27, 2006
Regional rankings
Analysis by Christopher Lawlor
Newcomers: Three schools — No. 20 Mount Vernon (N.Y.), No. 21 Lanier (Jackson, Miss.) and No. 24 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) — enter the rankings after winning state or league titles.
Player of the week: Bill Walker totaled 45 points and 23 rebounds in two state tournament games as No. 3 North College Hill (Cincinnati) won its second consecutive Ohio Division III championship. Playing without teammate O.J. Mayo (banned by the school principal for undisclosed reasons) in the semifinals, Walker had 23 points and 13 rebounds in a 49-34 victory over Archbold. In the final, he had 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a 90-73 win over Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland).
How'd we do: Fifteen teams appeared in all 13 rankings, including seven of the top 10. Top-ranked Lawrence North (Indianapolis) was No. 5 in the preseason and assumed the top spot on March 7 after then-No. 1 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) lost. Eighteen teams won state or league championships.
Free throws: Junior Derrick Rose dropped in an eight-footer with one second remaining in overtime, lifting No. 19 Simeon (Chicago) over Peoria (Ill.) Richwoods 31-29 in the lowest scoring state Class AA tournament final. ... Lanier (Jackson, Miss.) beat Gentry (Indianola) 72-43 in the Class 4A final. It was coach Thomas Billups' seventh state title in 15 seasons, equaling the MHSAA boys record set by Bert Jenkins of Gulfport from 1961-1989. ... Alex Kellogg, a 6-7 junior from St. Francis DeSales (Columbus, Ohio), had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the Division II semifinals, but his team lost 58-56 to Triway (Wooster). Kellogg is the son of CBS college basketball analyst and former NBA player, Clark Kellogg.
1. Lawrence North, Indianapolis (29-0)
Previous: 1. Highlight: Won Class 4A state championship, beating Muncie Central 80-56 in final.
2. Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va. (40-1)
Previous: 2. Highlight: Set school single-season record for victories (40).
3. North College Hill, Cincinnati (26-1)
Previous: 3. Highlight: Beat Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland) 90-73 to win Division III for second consecutive season.
4. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (34-1)
Previous: 4. Highlight: Won Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament, beating then-No. 4 Mount St. Joseph (Baltimore) 70-55 in final. Also beat Cardozo (Washington, D.C.) 87-57 in City Title game.
5. Artesia, Lakewood, Calif. (33-1)
Previous: 6. Highlight: Won CIF Division III state championship, beating St. Mary's (Stockton) 60-41 in final.
6. De La Salle, Concord, Calif. (32-1)
Previous: 7. Highlight: Won CIF Division I state championship, beating No. 18 Clovis West (Fresno) 43-40 in final.
7. Hamilton, Memphis (39-0)
Previous: 8. Result: Won Class AAA state championship, beating Shelbyville Central 76-75 in double overtime in final.
8. Mount St. Joseph, Baltimore (38-1)
Previous: 5. Highlight: Won a state-record 38 consecutive games before losing to No. 4 DeMatha (Hyattsville) 70-55 in ACIT final.
9. Montrose Christian, Rockville, Md. (20-2)
Previous: 9. Highlight: Handed then-No. 1 Oak Hill Academy its lone loss, while coach Stu Vetter closed season with 719 career wins.
10. McKinley, Canton, Ohio (25-2)
Previous: 10. Highligt: Beat Trotwood-Madison 63-33 in Division I final.
11. St. Patrick, Elizabeth, N.J. (29-4)
Previous: 19. Highlight: Won State Tournament of Champions, beating Linden 61-54 in final.
12. Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy (34-2)
Previous: 13. Highlight: Won Division II state championship. Brandan Wright (22.4 ppg) and Joshua Bone (15.8) accounted for more than half the team's 70 points per game.
13. Vashon, St. Louis (27-2)
Previous: 14. Highlight: Won Class 5 state championship. Floyd Irons has coached Vashon to 10 of its 11 overall state championships.
14. Arlington Country Day, Jacksonville (27-3)
Previous: 15. Highlight: Won Class 2A state championship. Five players were double-digit scorers.
15. Norcross, Ga. (29-4)
Previous: 21. Highlight: Jodie Meeks, who signed with Kentucky, scored 32 points in final as team won Class 5A championship.
16. Fairfax, Los Angeles (24-3)
Previous: 16. Highlight: Advanced to CIF-City Section Championship Division semifinals.
17. Bloomfield (N.J.) Tech (29-2)
Previous: 12. Highlight: Lost to Linden 48-42 in State Tournament of Champions semifinals.
18. Clovis West, Fresno, Calif. (30-3)
Previous: 18. Highlight: Lost to then-No. 7 De La Salle (Concord) 43-40 in CIF Division I state final.
19. Simeon, Chicago (33-4)
Previous: 22. Highlight: Won Class AA state championship, beating Peoria Richwoods 31-29 in overtime in final.
20. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (23-5)
Previous: Not ranked. Highlight: Won State Federation Class AA championship, beating Lincoln (Brooklyn) 62-60.
21. Lanier, Jackson, Miss. (34-3)
Previous: Not ranked. Highlight: Beat Gentry (Indianola) 72-43 in Class 4A state final. Finished season by winning 19 consecutive games.
22. Westfield, Spring, Texas (36-1)
Previous: 23. Highlight: Won its first 36 games before losing in Class 5A regional final.
23. Wheeler, Marietta, Ga. (29-2)
Previous: 24. Highlight: Advanced to Class 5A state semifinals.
24. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (22-6)
Previous: Not ranked. Highlight: Won Philadelphia Catholic League championship, beating Roman Catholic (Philadelphia) 44-41.
25. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (33-3)
Previous: 11. Highlight: Lost to Palo Alto 51-47 in CIF Division II final.
Dropped out: No. 17 Wings Academy, Bronx, N.Y. (31-1) lost to Grady (Brooklyn) 60-49 in PSAL A semifinals; No. 20 Rice, Manhattan, N.Y. (25-5) lost to Lincoln (Brooklyn) 68-63 in State Federation Class AA semifinals; No. 25 San Joaquin Memorial, Fresno (33-4) lost to Horizon (San Diego) 68-67 in double overtime in CIF-Southern California final.
About the rankings: USA TODAY's Super 25 rankings are compiled by Lawlor, who consults with a national network of high school sportswriters, analysts and coaches. Among the criteria are a school's strength of schedule, the quality of competition in its state or league and the quality of its players.