Monday, November 16, 2015

Week 1 PrepNation National Prep Basketball Poll

WAUKEE, Iowa -- For the second time in three year, the No. 1 team in the first PrepNation National Prep Basketball Poll of the season is from the state of California. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) tops the first Prep Poll rankings of the 2015-16 season.


The Trailblazers return six key players – including all five starters – from a team that was 5-3 versus ranked teams and finished 26-4 overall last season. 

Four of Sierra Canyon’s returners have four-star ratings by rivals.com, including senior point guard Devearl Ramsey. The Nevada commit averaged over 13 points and four assists last season. Also back is superb junior power forward Cody Riley. The athletic 6-foot-7 power forward averaged over 15 points and nearly 10 rebounds as a sophomore.

Similar to last season, Sierra Canyon will play an aggressive national schedule. The Trailblazers will play three-time defending Prep Poll champion Montverde Academy (Fla.) in January at the HoopHall Classic in Springfield, Mass., in addition to competing in the Iolani Prep Classic and the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions.

Mater Dei (Santa Ana) was the most recent California to begin a season ranked No. 1 in the National Prep Poll. The Monarchs started the 2013-14 atop the rankings but ended the year ranked No. 2 despite going 35-0.

Here is a brief look at the rest of the teams in the preseason top five:

No. 2 Garfield (Seattle): Four-star junior shooting guard Jaylen Nowell returns after leading the Bulldogs to their second straight 3A state crown last season. Add in super quick senior point guard Jashaun Agosto and Washington-bound junior wing Daejon Davis – who transferred in this fall – and Garfield should have one of the most explosive backcourts in the nation.

No. 3 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.): The Stags have a pair of five-star prospects back from a 33-4 team in Washington-bound senior guard Markelle Fultz and 6-7 junior forward D.J. Harvey. All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference performers Nate Darling – a senior guard headed to UAB – and two-sport star Kellon Taylor (football) also return.  

No. 4 Chino Hills (Calif.): Although Sierra Canyon tops the Prep Poll's national rankings, many in California have the Huskies No. 1 in the state ahead of the Trailblazers. UCLA-bound senior point guard Lonzo Ball was the Cal-Hi Sports State Junior Player of the Year in 2014-15 with an eye-popping stat line of 25 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, five steals, and five blocks per game.

No. 5 Montverde Academy (Fla.): Coach Kevin Boyle’s Eagles have more than enough talent – both on the court and on the bench -- to contend for an unprecedented fourth consecutive Prep Poll title. The only question is how quickly this year’s team will develop a new go-to scorer with last season’s national player of the year Ben Simmons now at LSU. Senior point guard Howard Washington, a Butler commit, will be counted on heavily for experience.  

The National Prep Basketball Poll is compiled by high school sports experts Jamie DeMoney of XOS Digital and Jeremy Plowman with input from sportswriters, experts, and coaches. The Week 1 national Top 25 and regional Top 10's follow with won-loss records:

NATIONAL TOP 25

1. Sierra Canyon HS (Chatsworth, Calif.), 0-0                                  
2. Garfield HS (Seattle), 0-0
3. DeMatha HS (Hyattsville, Md), 0-0
4. Chino Hills HS (Calif.), 0-0
5. Montverde Academy (Fla.), 0-0
6. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 3-1
7. Roman Catholic HS (Philadelphia), 0-0
8. Advanced Prep International HS (Dallas), 2-0
9. Chaminade HS (St. Louis), 0-0
10. Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 3-0
11. St. Anthony HS (Jersey City, N.J.), 0-0
12. Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.), 2-0
13. Apple Valley HS (Minn.), 0-0
14. Atascocita HS (Humble, Texas), 0-0
15. Oldsmar Christian HS (Fla.), 0-0
16. Mater Dei HS (Santa Ana, Calif), 0-0
17. Southport HS (Indianapolis), 0-0
18. West Linn HS (Ore.), 0-0
19. Bishop Gorman HS (Las Vegas), 0-0
20. Cardozo HS (Bayside, N.Y.), 0-0
21. Jonesboro HS (Ga.), 0-0
22. Roselle Catholic HS (N.J.), 0-0
23. Neumann-Goretti HS (Philadelphia), 0-0
24. Norland HS (Miami), 0-0
25. Sacred Heart HS (Waterbury, Conn.), 0-0

NORTHEAST REGION

1. Roman Catholic HS (Philadelphia), 0-0
2. St. Anthony HS (Jersey City, N.J.), 0-0
3. Cardozo HS (Bayside, N.Y.), 0-0
4. Roselle Catholic HS (N.J.), 0-0
5. Neumann-Goretti HS (Philadelphia), 0-0
6. Sacred Heart HS (Waterbury, Conn.)
7. St. Benedict’s Prep (Newark, N.J.), 0-0
8. Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.), 0-0
9. Catholic Memorial HS (West Roxbury, Mass.), 0-0
10. Christ the King HS (Middle Village, N.Y.), 0-0

EAST COAST REGION

1. DeMatha HS (Hyattsville, Md.), 0-0
2. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 3-1
3. Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.), 2-0
4. Gonzaga College HS (Washington), 0-0
5. 22ft Academy (Greenville, S.C.), 4-1
6. High Point Christian (N.C.), 0-0
7. Greensboro Day School (N.C.), 2-0
8. Paul VI HS (Fairfax, Va.), 0-0
9. Word of God Academy (Raleigh, N.C.), 1-2
10. Hammond HS (Columbia, S.C.), 0-0

SOUTHEAST REGION

1. Montverde Academy (Fla.), 0-0
2. Oldsmar Christian HS (Fla.), 0-0
3. Jonesboro HS (Ga.), 0-0
4. Norland HS (Miami), 0-0
5. Bartow HS (Fla.), 0-0
6. Spain Park HS (Birmingham, Ala.), 0-0
7. Wheeler HS (Marietta, Ga.), 0-0
8. Scotlandville HS (Baton Rouge, La.), 0-0
9. Starkville HS (Miss.), 2-1
10. Memphis East HS (Tenn.), 0-0

MIDWEST REGION

1. Southport HS (Indianapolis), 0-0
2. Stevens Point HS (Wis.), 0-0
3. Simeon HS (Chicago), 0-0
4. La Lumiere School (La Porte, Ind.), 0-0
5. St. Vincent-St. Mary HS (Akron, Ohio), 0-0
6. Westerville South HS (Ohio), 0-0
7. University of Detroit Jesuit HS (Detroit), 0-0
8. Bowling Green HS (Ky.), 0-0
9. Garfield Heights HS (Ohio), 0-0
10. Western International HS (Detroit), 0-0

MIDLANDS REGION

1. Chaminade HS (St. Louis), 0-0
2. Apple Valley HS (Minn.), 0-0
3. Iowa City West HS (Iowa), 0-0
4. Overland HS (Aurora, Colo.), 0-0
5. Hopkins HS (Minnetonka, Minn.), 0-0
6. Sunrise Christian Academy (Wichita, Kan.), 2-1
7. Maple Grove HS (Minn.), 0-0
8. Omaha South HS (Neb.), 0-0
9. Wichita East HS (Kan.), 0-0
10. Lone Peak HS (Highland, Utah), 0-0

SOUTHWEST REGION

1. Advanced Prep International HS (Dallas), 2-0
2. Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 3-0
3. Atascocita HS (Humble, Texas), 0-0
4. Bishop Gorman HS (Las Vegas), 0-0
5. Mustang HS (Okla.), 0-0
6. Corona del Sol HS (Tempe, Ariz.), 0-0
7. DeSoto HS (Texas), 0-0
8. Bentonville HS (Ark.), 0-0
9. Lancaster HS (Texas), 0-0
10. Norman North HS (Okla.), 0-0

WEST COAST REGION

1. Sierra Canyon HS (Chatsworth, Calif.), 0-0
2. Garfield HS (Seattle), 0-0
3. Chino Hills HS (Calif.), 0-0
4. Mater Dei HS (Santa Ana, Calif.), 0-0
5. West Linn HS (Ore.), 0-0
6. Centennial HS (Corona, Calif.), 0-0
7. Rainier Beach HS (Seattle), 0-0
8. Bishop Montgomery HS (Torrance, Calif.), 0-0
9. Prolific Prep (Windsor, Calif.), 4-1
10. Federal Way HS (Wash.), 0-0


THREE TO WATCH
Three teams from each region that just missed being ranked

Northeast
Jefferson HS (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Westtown School (Pa.)
Lincoln HS (Brooklyn, N.Y.)

East Coast
Wando HS (Mount Pleasant, S.C.)
Sanford HS (Hockessin, Del.)
Westfield HS (Chantilly, Va.)

Southeast
Miller Grove HS (Lithonia, Ga.)
Cardinal Gibbons HS (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.)

Midwest
Althoff Catholic HS (Belleville, Ill.)
Rufus King HS (Milwaukee)
Morgan Park HS (Chicago)

Midlands
Linn-Mar HS (Marion, Iowa)
Olathe East (Kan.)
Champlin Park HS (Champlin, Minn.)

Southwest
Allen (Texas)
Shadow Mountain (Phoenix)
Centennial (Las Vegas)

West Coast
Crespi (Calif.)
Bellevue (Wash.)
Fairfax (Los Angeles)


PAST NATIONAL PREP POLL CHAMPIONS

The National Prep Poll was originated and published by World Features Syndicate from the 1987 football season through the end of basketball season in 2015. 

National High School Sports Hall of Fame journalist Doug Huff authored the National Prep Poll before he joined Student Sports in 1999. Current poll chiefs Jamie DeMoney and Jeremy Plowman took over at the start of the 1999-2000 basketball season. 

Here is a listing of the 27 National Prep Poll champion teams and their coaches, as published by World Features Syndicate.

1988--Bronx, N.Y., Tolentine (30-1), John Sarandrea
1989--Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony (32-0), Bob Hurley
1990--Chicago, King (32-0), Landon Cox
1991--Philadelphia, Simon Gratz (27-1), Bill Ellerbee
1992--Baltimore, Dunbar (29-0), Pete Pompey
1993--Mouth of Wilson, Va., Oak Hill (30-0), Steve Smith
1994--Mouth of Wilson, Va., Oak Hill (30-1), Steve Smith
1995--New Orleans, St. Augustine (37-1), Bernard Griffith
1996--Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony (31-0), Bob Hurley
1997--Peoria, Ill., Manual (31-1), Wayne McClain
1998--Frederick, Md., St. John's at Prospect Hall (25-0), Stu Vetter
1999--Mouth of Wilson, Va., Oak Hill (31-0), Steve Smith
2000--Compton, Calif., Dominguez (35-2), Russell Otis
2001--Mouth of Wilson, Va., Oak Hill (32-1), Steve Smith
2002--Dallas, Lincoln (40-0), Leonard Bishop
2003--Akron, Ohio, St. Vincent-St. Mary (25-1), Dru Joyce II
2004--Mouth of Wilson, Va., Oak Hill (38-0), Steve Smith
2005--Niagara Falls, N.Y. (28-1), Dan Bazzani
2006--Indianapolis, Lawrence North (29-0), Jack Keefer
2007--Mouth of Wilson, Va., Oak Hill (40-1), Steve Smith
2008--Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony (32-0), Bob Hurley
2009--Henderson, Nev., Findlay (33-0), Michael Peck
2010--Houston, Yates (34-0), Greg Wise
2011--Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony (33-0), Bob Hurley
2012--Mouth of Wilson, Va., Oak Hill (44-0), Steve Smith
2013--Montverde, Fla., Montverde Academy (26-2), Kevin Boyle
2014--Montverde, Fla., Montverde Academy (28-0), Kevin Boyle
2015--Montverde, Fla., Montverde Academy (31-1), Kevin Boyle

Editor’s note: The PrepNation National Prep Basketball Poll will resume with its weekly poll on Monday, December 7.

All content Copyright 2015 Jamie DeMoney/PrepNation.com

About the PrepNation National Prep Poll
The PrepNation National Prep Poll is a continuation of World Feature Syndicate’s National Prep Poll, which was published and distributed to the Associated Press and other news organizations from 1987 to 2015. 

The National Prep Poll is second only to the USA Today Super 25 as the longest continually published weekly high school rankings. While a product of World Features Syndicate (1987-2015), the National Prep Poll was the only high school poll distributed to newspapers and websites around the United States by the Associated Press.

Before authoring rankings for Student Sports and ESPN, National High School Sports Hall of Fame journalist Doug Huff compiled the National Prep Poll rankings from 1987 until 1999. Current author Jamie DeMoney has compiled the poll since the start of the 1999 basketball season to the present. 

Among the criteria used in the weekly compilation of the National Prep Poll rankings are strength of schedule, the ability to accomplish the ultimate goal on a team's schedule (i.e. winning a championship), impact players and performers, a team's coaching and recent tradition.

About PrepNation.com

PrepNation.com was originally launched August 1, 2001 by Jamie DeMoney for the purpose of creating a permanent online home for the National Prep Poll football and boys basketball rankings. 

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