The last two high school basketball seasons have produced undefeated, consensus national champions. Bob Hurley's St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) Friars went 33-0 last winter en route to the No. 1 ranking, while high-scoring Yates (Houston) blazed a 34-0 trail in 2009-10 to garner the top spot.
Don't expect a three-peat when it comes to an unblemished (mythical) national champion.
Running the table like Bob Hurley's St. Anthony Friars did a year ago might be mission impossible in 2011-12.
Photo by Lonnie Webb
There's no lack of talented, well-coached teams in the hunt, but ambitious scheduling will make running the table a monster task for the programs featured in our
Preseason Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard.
College football produced a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup two months into the season, but high school basketball fans won't have to wait that long. The top two teams in our rankings meet Dec. 3 – and both have other nationally-ranked opponents on the slate before the holiday break.
Events like the City of Palms Classic (Fort Myers, Fla.), Clash at Cameron (Durham, N.C.), Chick-fil-A Classic (Columbia, S.C.), Les Schwab Invitational (Hillsboro, Ore.), Beach Ball Classic (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) and Spalding Hoophall Classic (Springfield, Mass.) all feature multiple preseason ranked teams, providing true national tests for title hopefuls.
To begin counting down the nation's top high school programs, use the "Next" tabs at the top or bottom of the page.
Photos by Louis Lopez (Muhammad), Greg Behrens (Parker) and Jim Redman (Smart)
