Chipotle Nationals closed out the 2023-24 season and it is now time to publish our ultimate FAB 50 Nationwide Group Rankings powered by Ballislife.com. Montverde Academy of Florida captured the event title to go wire-to-wire No. 1, with the outcomes of the occasion involving eight groups inflicting some motion throughout the High 20.
By Ronnie Flores
The massive query heading into 2024 Chipotle Nationals was if any group might significantly problem season-long FAB 50 No. 1 Montverde Academy of Florida. The Eagles had been going through as gifted a crop of groups this system has ever confronted within the end-of-season occasion that has been performed for 16 years. The Eagles had been additionally going through seven potential groups, all ranked throughout the high 14 of the FAB 50 Nationwide Group Rankings powered by Ballislife.com previous to the beginning of the occasion, that they beat no less than as soon as earlier within the season.
There may be an outdated saying it is exhausting to beat a great group twice, however the battle examined and high seeded Eagles gained three video games at Brownsburg (Ind.) to seize the occasion title for the seventh time within the final 11 instances the occasion was held. Montverde Academy’s 79-63 victory over No. 2 seeded and FAB 50 No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) makes the Eagles the official 2023-24 FAB 50 Nationwide Champs.
Many veteran onlookers felt Paul VI was one of the best guess to upset Montverde Academy, however the all-around brilliance of Duke-bound Cooper Flagg and the shot making capacity of LSU-bound Curtis Givens was the distinction within the championship contest. Flagg, the main Mr. Basketball USA candidate, was named tourney MVP after scoring 16 factors, grabbing eight rebounds, and blocking six pictures versus Paul VI. In Montverde Academy’s three victories, Flagg averaged 20.0 ppg and seven.0 rpg and had solely blocked one shot within the first two video games earlier than his large defensive efficiency within the ultimate.
Montverde Academy led 45-32 at halftime, as each Givens and Flagg hit large discipline objectives proper earlier than intermission. Each time Paul VI regarded to make a run, Givens would hit an enormous 3-pointer to play the function of rally-killer. Flagg’s block and run out dunk proper earlier than the third interval buzzer which gave his group a 60-46 lead summarized the sport and the occasion. It doesn’t matter what any group tried to do, Montverde Academy had a solution.
Givens completed with 24 factors, together with 6-of-9 capturing from 3-point vary. Additionally making a big effect as a matchup nightmare was Maryland-bound ahead Derik Queen. He used his large physique, passing capacity and uncanny strikes across the basket to complete with 19 factors, six rebounds and 4 assists. Queen, who averaged 16.3 ppg and 6.7 rpg on the occasion, must also be thought-about a Mr. Basketball USA candidate.
“In nearly 40 years of teaching this 12 months’s group was as shut has any I’ve ever had each on and off the courtroom,” Montverde Academy head coach Kevin Boyle instructed Ballislife.com. “They gained seven video games versus nationally-ranked high 5 groups and 14 versus nationally-ranked high ten groups. They’re within the dialog as the best group of all-time and clearly together with Montverde Academy 2020, Dunbar 1983, Oak Hill Academy 1993 and Montverde 2018 one of many 5 greatest groups of all- time.”
The massive rating choice popping out of the occasion was one to maneuver up Paul VI one spot to No. 2 because the runner-up or go away Columbus (Miami, Fla.) in that spot after the Explorers fell within the semifinals to Montverde Academy, 84-70. Despite the fact that Paul VI superior one spherical additional at Chipotle Nationals, the Panthers misplaced a head-to-head matchup to Columbus, 70-61, on the Spalding Hoophall Traditional in Massachusetts, so the Explorers stay at No. 2. Though Columbus did fall behind large early in its sport with MVA simply because it did within the first assembly between the 2, MVA’s victory margins over the Explorers and the Panthers had been in related vary {that a} rankings flip to go towards the head-to-head consequence was unwarranted.
Flagg completed with 28 factors within the win over Columbus whereas Queen added 16 factors and 6 rebounds. Cameron Boozer, final season’s Mr. Basketball USA as a sophomore, led Columbus with 29 factors (3-of-11 3-point) and 7 rebounds.
Paul VI knocked off then No. 11 Hyperlink Academy (Branson, Mo.) in its semifinal, 58-44, as Duke-bound Darren Harris led the best way with 20 factors. Harris additionally scored a team-high 16 factors within the championship ultimate loss to Montverde Academy and had 36 factors (5-of-9 3-point) within the 101-89 first spherical win over then No. 14 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.). Hyperlink Academy is ready to transfer up 5 spots after defeating then No. 6 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), 80-76 in double time beyond regulation, within the first spherical. Hyperlink Academy and Prolific Prep cut up video games this season, however with Hyperlink Academy avenging the common season loss, it finishes ranked one spot forward of The Crew from Napa, Calif.
In its first spherical victory, Montverde Academy took down then No. 12 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.), 64-49, as Flagg had 16 factors whereas Queen completed with 14 factors and eight rebounds.
That is Montverde Academy’s third FAB 50 nationwide title group to complete unbeaten, becoming a member of the already legendary 2020 group that did not get the chance to compete in Chipotle Nationals due to COVID-19 and the 2018 group. The 2018 group additionally went wire-to-wire as FAB 50 No. 1 group simply as this 12 months’s shut knit group did.
For Montverde Academy, this system has now completed No. 1 within the FAB 50 seven instances, which ties Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) for essentially the most all-time FAB 50 nationwide titles. We’ll have extra element on that achievement and this 12 months’s MVA group in our annual “Salute to All-Time FAB 50 No. 1 Groups”.
There was additionally some motion within the ultimate rankings after we reviewed the whole season log for every group that we’ll clarify in our Closing, Expanded FAB 50 Rankings with element on every group.
RELATED: Preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker | “In The Paint” Podcast (Spotify) | “In The Paint” Podcast (YouTube) | Chipotle Nationals Document E-book
Closing FAB 50 Nationwide Group Rankings
Powered by Ballislife.com
(sixteenth and ultimate ballot of 2023-24 common season; By video games performed on Saturday, April 6; *Signifies forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Signifies forfeits and defaults not included)
| No. | Prev. | Excessive Faculty (Metropolis) | Document |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) | 33-0 |
| 2 | 2 | Columbus (Miami, Fla.) | 28-5 |
| 3 | 3 | Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) | 35-3 |
| 4 | 5 | Plano East (Plano, Texas) | 40-0 |
| 5 | 4 | Lengthy Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) | 21-5 |
| 6 | 11 | Hyperlink Academy (Branson, Mo.) | 26-7 |
| 7 | 6 | Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) | 31-6 |
| 8 | 7 | Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) | 33-3 |
| 9 | 9 | Fishers (Fishers, Ind.) | 29-1 |
| 10 | 9 | Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.) | 30-0 |
| 11 | 13 | Stony Level (Spherical Rock, Texas) | 38-2 |
| 12 | 8 | Central Cabarrus (Harmony, N.C.) | 33-0 |
| 13 | 20 | Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) | 31-4 |
| 14 | 15 | St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.) | 29-2 |
| 15 | 26 | Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) | 27-4 |
| 16 | 12 | AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) | 27-6 |
| 17 | 14 | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) | 18-9 |
| 18 | 16 | Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) | 26-4 |
| 19 | 17 | Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) | 29-3 |
| 20 | 18 | St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) | 27-1 |
| 21 | 19 | Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.) | 27-2 |
| 22 | 21 | Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) | 24-6 |
| 23 | 22 | Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) | 30-2 |
| 24 | 23 | McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) | 26-6 |
| 25 | 24 | North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) | 30-3 |
| 26 | 26 | Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.) | 27-4 |
| 27 | 27 | John Marshall (Richmond, Va.) | 25-3 |
| 28 | 28 | Bullis (Potomac, Md.) | 27-3 |
| 29 | 29 | Sidwell Pals (Washington, D.C.) | 27-4 |
| 30 | 30 | Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) | 28-6 |
| 31 | 31 | St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) | 28-7 |
| 32 | 32 | Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) | 31-2 |
| 33 | 33 | La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) | 23-5 |
| 34 | 34 | Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) | 27-7 |
| 35 | 35 | Patrick Faculty (Elizabeth, N.J.) | 28-4 |
| 36 | 36 | Camden (Camden, N.J.) | 30-2 |
| 37 | 37 | Kell (Marietta, Ga.) | 28-3 |
| 38 | 38 | Homewood Flossmor (Flossmor, Sick.) | 33-4 |
| 39 | 39 | Reidsville (Reidsville, N.C.) | 29-0 |
| 40 | 40 | Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 26-3 |
| 41 | 41 | St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) | 26-3 |
| 42 | 42 | Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) | 25-5 |
| 43 | 43 | Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.) | 27-2 |
| 44 | 44 | Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.) | 33-3 |
| 45 | 45 | Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) | 27-1 |
| 46 | 46 | Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) | 29-6 |
| 47 | 47 | Lyon County (Eddyville, Ky.) | 36-3 |
| 48 | 48 | Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) | 34-4 |
| 49 | 49 | Northwest (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) | 25-0 |
| 50 | 50 | Nice Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.) | 36-2 |
Dropped Out: None.
Editor’s Notice: No bubble golf equipment are included within the ultimate FAB 50, as the ultimate 2023-24 High 20 Regional Rankings embody all of the groups thought-about for the bubble.
Notice: The FAB 50 powered by Ballislife.com is a continuation of the Nationwide Sports activities Information Service scores that started in 1952. These had been the primary nationwide highschool rankings and the late Artwork Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They had been compiled for a few years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 24 years in the past.
Ronnie Flores is the nationwide Grassroots editor of Ballislife.com. He could be reached at [email protected]. Do not forget to observe him on Twitter: @RonMFlores