High school basketball rankings: Patrick School makes National Top 10 debut

Holiday tournaments and events around the country helped establish the pecking order of the National Top 10 this week as Patrick School (Hillside, N.J.) debuts at No. 5 after a strong start to the season in the Garden State.

Patrick School replaces IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), who was the only team to drop out of the rankings after a tough start to the season.

Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) established itself as the team to beat in all of high school basketball after capturing the City of Palms Classic with a wire-to-wire victory over No. 2 Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) in the title game. 

The Eagles are heavy favorites to capture their seventh GEICO Nationals title and eighth national championship overall under head coach Kevin Boyle.

Despite beating Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) for the Chick-fil-A Classic title, Dynamic Prep (Irving, Texas) is not eligible for the National Top 10 rankings due to having a fifth-year player on their roster. The upstart prep school coached by former NBA all-star Jermaine O'Neal only has one loss on the season. National Top 10 basketball rankings

Record: 14-0 | Last week: 1

Claimed the City of Palms Classic title with wins over MaxPreps Top 25 No. 1 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) 69-62 in the semifinals and No. 2 Long Island Lutheran 73-59 in the championship game. Top-ranked Duke signee Cooper Flagg was named tournament MVP after averaging 18.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.5 blocks per contest.

Record: 9-1 | Last week: 2

Advanced to the City of Palms Classic title game before falling to No. 1 Montverde Academy 73-59. Top 10 senior V.J. Edgecombe averaged 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.0 steals per contest to earn all-tournament honors.

Record: 18-2 | Last week: 3

Suffered their second setback of the season in the Chick-fil-A Classic title game. The Crew fell to Dynamic Prep (Irving, Texas) 76-70 in the National Division championship showdown despite receiving a game-high 26 points from top-ranked junior A.J. Dybantsa.

Record: 12-4 | Last week: 4

The Lions advanced to the semifinals of the City of Palms Classic with victories over MaxPreps Top 25 No. 8 Columbus and No. 20 North Mecklenburg before suffering losses to No. 2 Long Island Lutheran and MaxPreps Top 25 No. 1 Paul VI. Top 10 Texas signee Tre Johnson earned an all-tournament selection after averaging 18.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest.

Record: 11-0 | Last week: NR

Debut in the rankings after picking up victories over MaxPreps Top 25 No. 5 Don Bosco Prep 78-73 and St. Rose 62-59. Junior guard Brandon Lee exploded for a game-high 34 points in the upset victory over Don Bosco Prep.

Record: 12-1 | Last week: 7

Following a 15-loss season with a 1-11 record in conference play, the perennial powerhouse appears to be back on track this season. A showdown with No. 1 Montverde Academy looms on at the Spalding Hoophall Classic.

A victory over MaxPreps Top 25 No. 14 Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.) 59-58 bolsters Brewster Academy's standing in the rankings. The Spalding Hoophall Classic will be huge for the Bobcats as they face No. 1 Montverde Academy and No. 6 Oak Hill Academy.

Record: 9-1 | Last week: 9

A defining stretch of the season awaits the Lakers as they battle No. 2 Long Island Lutheran on Thursday and No. 9 Wasatch Academy on Saturday at the La Porte Invitational. That will be followed by a trip to the Spalding Hoophall Classic to take on Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) and No. 10 AZ Compass Prep.

Sit at 3-1 in Nike EYBL Scholastic action heading into a big weekend at the La Port Inviational. The Tigers have meetings with IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) tomorrow and La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) on Saturday.

Record: 13-4 | Last week: 6

Big matchups await at the Spalding Hoophall Classic as the Dragons take on No. 8 La Lumiere and No. 2 Long Island Lutheran.