Week 1 PrepNation National Prep Basketball Poll

WAUKEE, Iowa – For the second consecutive year, the No. 1 ranking in the first PrepNation National Prep Basketball Poll of the season belongs to Montverde Academy (Fla.).

Montverde Academy has four Prep Poll titlist teams in the past six seasons, including a 35-0 squad that was a wire-to-wire national champ in 2017-18. Although the Eagles’ roster has been almost completely overhauled, it’s once again one of the best -- if the not the top --collections of talent in the country. 

(Editor's Note: The Week 2 PrepNation National Prep Basketball Poll will be released on December 10.)

Five Montverde Academy players are ranked among the 247Sports composite Top 100 rankings for their class. The group includes 6-foot-9 forward Precious Achiuwa (No. 8 in Class of 2019) and 6-5 forward Cade Cunningham (No. 8 in 2020). Achiuwa averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game for St. Benedict’s Prep (N.J.), which finished 28-2 and regionally ranked last season. Cunningham averaged over 18 points for an Arlington Bowie (Texas) team that won 24 games and reached the 6A region quarterfinals.

Balsa Koprivica, a 7-0 senior, is the Eagles’ lone holdover from last season. The Serbia native is committed to Florida State. He’ll be joined down low by 6-9 senior Omar Payne, a Florida recruit who played previously at Kissimmee Osceola (Fla.).

Moses Moody, who helped North Little Rock (Ark.) win the 7A state title as a sophomore, is a 6-5 shooting guard who figures to be Montverde’s most talented player in the back court.

In addition to an elite roster, Montverde Academy boasts a schedule befitting a national-championship run. There are standalone games against No. 3 Oak Hill Academy (Va.), No. 5 Sierra Canyon (Calif.), No. 6 Sunrise Christian Academy (Kan.), No. 11 Imhotep Charter (Pa.) and No. 22 Ranney School (N.J.) plus a handful of contests against regionally ranked opponents. Even more challenges against ranked foes will pop up at the Iolani Classic in December and when the Eagles host the Montverde Academy Invitational in January.

It’s a near certainty Montverde Academy’s season will wrap up with an invitation to New York City in late March/early April for the GEICO Nationals, the quasi-national championship tournament the Eagles won for the fourth time in 10 attempts last season.

Kevin Boyle has a jaw-dropping 194-11 record with four Prep Poll titles in seven seasons at Montverde Academy. Before that, he had more than 400 wins and captured five Tournament of Champions state titles at St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.). Overall, Boyle-coached teams have finished in the National Prep Poll’s final Top 25 in 14 consecutive seasons.

The National Prep Basketball Poll is compiled by high school sports experts Jamie DeMoney of XOS Digital and Dr. Jeremy Plowman. The preseason national Top 25 and regional Top 10's follow:

NATIONAL TOP 25

1. Montverde Academy (Fla.)  

2. Guyer HS (Denton, Texas)

3. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)

4. University School (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

5. Sierra Canyon HS (Chatsworth, Calif.)

6. Sunrise Christian Academy (Wichita, Kan.)

7. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)

8. Shadow Mountain HS (Phoenix)

9. McEachern HS (Powder Springs, Ga.)

10. DeMatha HS (Hyattsville, Md.)

11. Imhotep Charter HS (Philadelphia)

12. Belleville West HS (Ill.)

13. Paul VI HS (Fairfax, Va.)

14. La Lumiere HS (LaPorte, Ind.)

15. Bishop Gorman HS (Las Vegas)

16. Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.)

17. Rancho Christian HS (Temecula, Calif.)

18. Rayville HS (La.)

19. Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis)

20. Rainier Beach HS (Seattle)

21. Bishop Montgomery HS (Torrance, Calif.)

22. Ranney School (Tinton, N.J.)

23. Carmel Christian School (Matthews, N.C.)

24. Federal Way HS (Wash.)

25. Mountain Brook HS (Ala.)

NORTHEAST

1. Imhotep Charter HS (Philadelphia)

2. Ranney School (Tinton, N.J.)

3. Roselle Catholic (N.J.)

4. Long Island Lutheran HS (Brookville, N.Y.)

5. Roman Catholic HS (Philadelphia)

6. Archbishop Stepinac HS (White Plains, N.Y.)

7. South Shore HS (Brooklyn)

8. Kennedy Catholic HS (Hermitage, Pa.)

9. Putnam Science Academy (Conn.)

10. Springfield Central HS (Mass.)

EAST COAST

1. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)

2. DeMatha HS (Hyattsville, Md.)

3. Paul VI HS (Fairfax, Va.)

4. Carmel Christian School (Matthews, N.C.)

5. Cox Mill HS (Concord, N.C.)

6. Gonzaga College HS (Washington)

7. Greensboro Day School (N.C.)

8. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore)

9. Wilson HS (Washington)

10. Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.)

SOUTHEAST

1. Montverde Academy (Fla.)

2. University School (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

3. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)

4. McEachern HS (Powder Springs, Ga.)

5. Rayville HS (La.)

6. Mountain Brook HS (Ala.)

7. Olive Branch HS (Miss.)

8. Norcross HS (Ga.)

9. Meadowcreek HS (Norcross, Ga.)

10. Memphis East HS (Tenn.)

MIDWEST

1. Belleville West HS (Ill.)

2. La Lumiere HS (LaPorte, Ind.)

3. Nicolet HS (Glendale, Wis.)

4. Garfield Heights HS (Ohio)

5. Scott County HS (Georgetown, Ky.)

6. Warren Central HS (Indianapolis)

7. Covington Catholic HS (Ky.)

8. Carmel HS (Ind.)

9. University of Detroit Jesuit HS (Detroit)

10. SPIRE Institute (Geneva, Ohio)

MIDLANDS

1. Sunrise Christian Academy (Wichita, Kan.)

2. Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis)

3. Wasatch Academy (Mount Pleasant, Utah)

4. Olympus HS (Holladay, Utah)

5. Lewis-Palmer HS (Monument, Colo.)

6. Blue Valley Northwest HS (Overland Park, Kan.)

7. Rock Bridge HS (Columbia, Mo.)

8. Hopkins HS (Minnetonka, Minn.)

9. Vashon HS (St. Louis)

10. Dubuque Senior HS (Iowa)

SOUTHWEST

1. Guyer HS (Denton, Texas)

2. Shadow Mountain HS (Phoenix)

3. Bishop Gorman HS (Las Vegas)

4. Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.)

5. Tulsa Memorial HS (Okla.)

6. South Garland HS (Garland, Texas)

7. Morton Ranch HS (Katy, Texas)

8. Pinnacle HS (Phoenix)

9. Duncanville HS (Texas)

10. Lake Travis HS (Austin, Texas)

WEST COAST

1. Sierra Canyon HS (Chatsworth, Calif.)

2. Rancho Christian HS (Temecula, Calif.)

3. Rainier Beach HS (Seattle)

4. Bishop Montgomery HS (Torrance, Calif.)

5. Federal Way HS (Wash.)

6. Mater Dei HS (Santa Ana, Calif.)

7. O’Dea HS (Seattle)

8. St. John Bosco HS (Bellflower, Calif.)

9. Sheldon HS (Sacramento)

10. Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.)

All-time National Prep Poll champs, with records and coaches*:

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

2016--Chino Hills, Calif. (35-0), Steve Baik

2017--Nathan Hale (Seattle) (29-0), Brandon Roy

2018--Montverde, Fla., Montverde Academy (35-0), Kevin Boyle

*From 1987-2014, the National Prep Poll was published by World Features Syndicate and distributed to news outlets by the Associated Press.

All content Copyright 2018 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.