Because Christmas falls on a Sunday, this year's Nike TOC might be the best ever.
Why does the calendar matter? Because a lot of teams can't get any days off school to travel, even to the best girls' tournament in the country.
Oderah Chidom and Bishop O'Dowd arestanding tall now that they're in theXcellent 25.
File photo by Dennis Lee
But with Christmas on a Sunday, almost everyone has the entire week off. And that's resulted in a spectacularly strong field in both the Joe Smith Division (the top bracket) and the James Anderson Division (second on the list).
The Top 5 teams in this week's Xcellent 25 are in the Joe Smith Division, along with five other teams in that elite group – plus Windward, with 6-7
Imani Stafford, and Incarnate Word, both of whom have been ranked at some point this season.
The Anderson Division has three teams in the Xcellent 25, plus a host of national and regional powers – and you can bet college coaches have taken notice. Expect 150-200 folks sporting polo shirts, sweatshirts and other paraphernalia to be in the stands at Hamilton and Perry high schools in Chandler, Ariz. this week. And if you're anywhere close, you should stop by as well.
The calendar won't be so kind for the next few years, so it may be a while before a field as strong as this one is assembled again.
MAXPREPS XCELLENT 25 NATIONAL GIRLS BASKETBALL RANKINGS PRESENTED BY THE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD1. (1) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 5-0The Crusaders smacked down one of Colorado's best teams, beating Regis Jesuit 67-43 at the Beast of the East Showcase, and now will get ready for the Nike TOC in Phoenix.
2. (2) St. Mary's (Phoenix), 5-0Like Riverdale Baptist, the Knights are just gearing up for the TOC. Their first-round opponent will be Christ the King of New York, a one-time national power that is the alma mater of Sue Bird and Tina Charles, among others.
3. (3) Bolingbrook (Ill.), 3-0 The Raiders have two league games this week before heading to the Nike TOC in Phoenix, where their first-round opponent is Cicero North of New York and UConn-bound Breanna Stewart. Bolingbrook's depth will make it hard for Stewart to win the game all by herself.
4. (4) St. John's (Washington, D.C.), 5-0 The Cadets rolled two pretty good Virginia teams at the Beast of the East (Forest Park and Oak Hill Academy), and like the three teams ranked ahead of them, and the one behind them, are gearing up for the Nike TOC.
5. (5) MacArthur (Irving, Texas), 16-0 Supersoph Brianna Turner transferred from Westbury Christian to Manvel, but even though Manvel was 15-1, MacArthur coasted to a 19-point win. The Nike TOC is next.
6. (6) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), 7-0The Indians will get a test Saturday against unbeaten Marietta and may get a shot at Hoover after Christmas, though Hoover's loss to Bob Jones knocked the Buccaneers out of the Xcellent 25.
7. (7) Spring Valley (Columbia, S.C.), 4-0The very solid Crescent Bank Holiday Invitational is in South Carolina, which makes it easier for Spring Valley. But the Vikings will travel to the D.C. area after Christmas to play No. 1 Riverdale Baptist.
8. (8) Nazareth (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 1-0The Kingsmen finally got to play their first game Monday, and are now on track to play in the West Coast Jamboree in Northern California after Christmas, presumably with all transfers eligible.
9. (9) Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.), 6-0 One of the most entertaining first-round matchups in the Nike TOC will be Dr. Phillips vs. No. 22 St. Mary's of California. Both teams like to press, run and shoot 3-pointers, so the matchup promises to be exciting and high-scoring.
10. (10) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 5-0 Though the Monarchs are 5-0, the bad news is that transfer
Nirra Fields is no longer eligible – and since Mater Dei already is in litigation with the governing body (the Southern Section in California) over another matter, it's unlikely a hardship waiver will be granted.
11. (12) Norcross (Ga.), 2-2Norcross might face No. 7 Spring Valley in the Crescent Bank Holiday Invitational next week – and if the Blue Devils want to retain this ranking, they need to win.
12. (13) Buford (Ga.), 1-0The Wolves better not get caught looking ahead to the Nike TOC, because Saturday night's opponent (Columbia) has lost just once – and that was by five points to No. 11 Norcross.
13. (14) Whitney Young (Chicago), 7-0St. John the Baptist came all the way from West Islip in New York to play Whitney Young – and went home on the short end of a 64-27 score. But Trinity, the Dolphins' opponent Saturday, is unbeaten and knocked off St. John the Baptist, 59-22.
14. (15) Potter's House Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.), 6-0The Lions didn't play, but starting Saturday they'll play eight games in 15 days, though they do get Christmas Day off. They've yet to be really challenged, but if nothing else, they'll get a workout over the break.
15. (17) Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.), 2-0The Yellowjackets host Twinsburg Dec. 22, and that will determine which of those two teams belong in the Xcellent 25.
16. (16) Shabazz (Newark, N.J.), 0-0Still waiting for the first game …
17. (18) Marion County (Lebanon, Ky.), 5-0DuPont Manual is ranked higher in three of the four Kentucky ratings, but Marion County can show it's really No. 1 by doing well at the Nike TOC. If the Knights do poorly, though, adjustments will be made.
18. (19) Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.), 5-0The Rams took it to Oregon's defending champion Jesuit, winning 53-29, but they haven't been dominating. South Medford and Oregon City might be playing better right now.
19. (23) Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), 4-0Longtime observers believe the DMV might just have the best collection of high school teams in one region ever, which means, among other things, these unbeaten records won't last long.
20. (21) Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.), 6-0Just like several other East Coast powers, the Chargers will find out where they stand at the Crescent Bank Holiday Invitational.
21. (22) St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.), 0-0No team in the country is more ready to play than St. Mary's, as not only have they had to handle Tom Gonsalves' high-intensity coaching since practice started in early November, they could have been playing as early as Thanksgiving.
22. (nr) Konawaena (Kealakekua, Hawaii), 6-0The Wildcats jump into the Xcellent 25 thanks to dominating the Iolani tournament, beating previous No. 20 Bishop Gorman, Oregon power Oregon City and Southern California's always strong Brea-Olinda in a row. Next up, the second bracket at the Nike TOC.
23. (24) St. Joseph's Academy (St. Louis), 5-0The Angels wanted to be in the top bracket at the Nike TOC, but instead will contend with Philadelphia's best, Archbishop Wood, in the first round of the John Anderson bracket – and it will only get tougher from there.
24. (25) Memphis Central (Tenn.), 2-2The Warriors will likely have to fend off Riverdale for the second time, at Riverdale this time, to hold on to this spot – and those two are likely to wind up meeting in the state playoffs as well.
25. (nr) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), 2-0Sue Phillips, longtime coach of Archbishop Mitty in California, calls the Dragons one of the most talented teams she's seen. They're in the second bracket at the TOC, but that still will be an excellent proving ground.
Dropped out: No. 11 Hoover
No. 20 Bishop Gorman
