The mythical high school national championship of boys basketball could be decided in New Jersey, where St. Patrick and St. Anthony - teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2 by most national polls - appear headed for a showdown March 9.
Dynamite Dozen: Keep Eye On These 12 National Powerhouses During March Madness
SB Nation will be covering several state championships this month that have national implications. Here is a look at 12 of the best high school boys basketball teams in the country that could be playing in those championship games.
SB Nation’s Adam Zagoria featured those programs in article last week: St. Anthony vs. St. Patrick for the National Championship.
This week, we look at 12 teams that SB Nation will be covering during March Madness that could secure Top 10 national rankings if they can win their state championship. Or if St. Patrick or St. Anthony have a misstep, they might be poised to steal a national title.
The following 12 are those ranked in the top 25 of MaxPreps, USA Today and ESPN Rise and whose state championships will be covered by SB Nation’s High School March Madness.
Benet Academy (Illinois): At 27-0, this team is assured of top 10 rankings in most every national poll if it can close out with a state title in Illinois’ Class 4A. The top players are 6-foot-11 Frank Kaminsky (committed to Wisconsin) and 5-11 guard David Sobolewski (Northwestern). Kaminsky had 19 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots in a 58-54 victory over defending Class 4A champion Simeon in mid-February. Benet Academy opens the state tournament Wednesday in the Naperville Regional. The state final is March 19 in Peoria.
Rankings: No. 8 MaxPreps, No. 6 USA Today, No. 7 ESPN Rise
Chaminade (Missouri): Chaminade of St. Louis is 26-0 and favored to win Class 5 in Missouri. Its top player is Brad Beal, a 6-4 guard who has signed with Florida. Beal is averaging 32 points per game and went for 40 with eight 3-pointers in the District 3 championship game victory over Webster Groves last week. He’s a McDonald’s All-American. Senior guards Luke Bumgarner and Tevin Evans are excellent cast mates. Chaminade opens the state tournament Wednesday against Marquette. The finals are March 12 at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia.
Rankings: No. 9 MaxPreps, No. 15 USA Today, No. 9 ESPN Rise
Heights (Kansas): Heights’ senior backcourt of Evan Wessel (Wichita State) and Dreamius Smith (Kansas football signee) is one of the best in the Midwest, but the team’s marquee figure is 6-8 junior forward Perry Ellis, rated the No. 6 power forward for 2012 by ESPN. Many believe he could become his state’s best-ever player. Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma and hometown-school Wichita State are among his college choices. He’s averaging 23 points and eight rebounds. Heights is 26-0. The Kansas Class 6A state final will be March 12 at Wichita State’s Koch Arena.
Rankings: No. 11 MaxPreps, No. 9 USA Today, No. 14 ESPN Rise
Lakeview Centennial (Texas): Lakeview’s trio of guards -- Texas Tech-bound Toddrick Gotcher (16.4 points per game), North Texas-pledged Chris Jones (17.1 ppg) and Jamarias Demas (12.6) -- make this team difficult to defend. The Patriots are averaging 79 points per game. Lakeview is in the regional quarterfinals of Texas’ Class 5A, which concludes March 12 in Austin, Texas. The favorites are Lakeview and nationally ranked Marcus (featured below).
Rankings: No. 12 MaxPreps, No. 12 USA Today, No. 8 ESPN Rise
Lincoln (California): Lincoln’s top player is Norman Powell, a 6-3 guard who has signed with UCLA. He’s averaging 20.5 points and 2.3 steals per game. Sophomore twins Tyrell Robinson and Tyree Robinson, both 6-4, are top prospects, as is 6-7 forward Rasean Simpson, the team’s top rebounder and second-leading scorer. Lincoln is 27-1, its lone loss to Long Beach Poly. Lincoln is playing this week in the San Diego Section Division II semifinals.
Rankings: No. 7 MaxPreps, No. 13 USA Today, No. 17 ESPN Rise
Long Beach Poly (California): Rory Anderson, a 6-8 forward headed to Boston College, is the leading scorer at 16.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Point guard Alex Moore, who has signed with Southern Cal, is a pure floor leader. Shooting guard Alex Carmon also is likely to wind up with a Division I school. Poly (27-1) has beaten another of California’s nationally ranked teams, Lincoln, and its only loss was to Bishop Gorman of Nevada. Poly is playing in the Southern Section Division I-AA playoffs this week. The California state championships are March 25-26 at Arco Arena in Sacramento.
Rankings: No. 6 MaxPreps, No. 5 USA Today, No. 16 ESPN Rise
Marcus (Texas): A loss to Judson of Texas hurt national title hopes, but with three prized juniors - Marcus Smart (offers from Baylor, Kansas State, Marquette), Phil Forte and A.J. Lucky - this could be a team that makes a run for a national title in 2012. All three are Division I recruits, and the team has a pair of 6-8 posts in John Malone and Nick Banyard to complement them. Marcus plays Lewisville in the third round of regional playoffs Wednesday at the University of North Texas. The Class 5A final will be March 12 in Austin, Texas.
Rankings: No. 4 MaxPreps, No. 15 USA Today, No. 11 ESPN Rise
Mater Dei (California): Mater Dei is 27-2, with one of its losses to national No. 1 St. Patrick of New Jersey. That’s despite losing three players that signed with major Division I schools off last year’s team. Junior guard Katin Reinhardt has committed to Southern Cal. The team got a boost when Xavier Johnson, a 6-7 forward, transferred from Chaparral High. He’s averaging 21 points and eight rebounds and might join Reinhart at USC, although he’s got UCLA high on his list. Mater Dei has a tough sectional playoff game on Tuesday against Centennial of Corona, which has three Division I-signed players and national rankings of its own.
Rankings: No. 13 MaxPreps, No. 7 USA Today, No. 13 ESPN Rise
Miller Grove (Georgia): Miller Grove is seeking its third straight Class AAAA title. Junior center Tony Parker has offers from several ACC and SEC schools. He is flanked by 6-7 junior forwards Henry Brooks (Ivy League recruit) and Brandon Morris (offers from Georgia, Clemson and Auburn). Davante Provost, Thomas Marshall. Miller Grove would be undefeated except for an upset loss to Southwest DeKalb - a team Miller Grove (26-1) has beaten twice - last week in a region tournament. Miller Grove’s loss to Dr. Krop of Florida in January was overturned by forfeit. Miller Grove would play its state final March 11 at the Gwinnett Place Arena in Suwanee.
Rankings: No. 16 MaxPreps, No. 14 USA Today, No. 12 ESPN Rise
Milton (Georgia): The defending champion in Georgia’s Class AAAAA, Milton puts out a lineup of four Division I senior recruits in forward Julian Royal (Georgia Tech) and guards Shannon Scott (Ohio State, McDonald’s All-American), Dai-Jon Parker (Vanderbilt) and Jordan Loyd (Furman). Juniors Evan Nolte (recruited by Florida) and Shaquille Johnson (committed to Auburn) also are blue-chip recruits. Milton (25-2) is the most likely national champion not from New Jersey. The Eagles lost to No. 1 St. Patrick on a buzzer-beating shot in December. Milton would play its state final March 11 at the Gwinnett Place Arena in Suwanee.
Rankings: No. 3 MaxPreps, No. 4 USA Today, No. 3 ESPN Rise
Norcom (Virginia): Norcom (26-1) is the defending Group AAA champion in Virginia. It avenged its only loss, to Washington of Norfolk, in the Eastern District title game earlier this month, when Dorian Finney-Smith, a Virginia Tech signee, had 20 points, 18 rebounds and eight blocked shots. Guards Jeremy Canty (Morgan State) and Decarlos Anderson are seniors and returning starters. The Class AAA final will be March 11 at the Sigel Center at Virginia Commonwealth.
Rankings: No. 5 MaxPreps, No. 10 USA Today, No. 4 ESPN Rise
Simeon (Illinois): Simeon (23-2) of Chicago is the defending champion in Class 4A and also won in 2007, when Derrick Rose was the star player. Now consider that sophomore Jabari Parker, a 6-6 forward, was the school’s first-ever freshman starter in boys basketball last year. He’s rated the No. 2 power forward in the class of 2013 by Scout.com. Other top players are 6-6 center Rashawn McElrath and 5-10 guard Tywon Pinkney, both seniors. To stake solid claim to a Top 10 national ranking, Simoen must win state and perhaps avenge a loss to unbeaten Benet Academy. Simeon begins regional playoffs Wednesday. The state final is March 19 in Peoria.
Rankings: No. 17 MaxPreps, No. 17 USA Today, No. 21 ESPN Rise
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