Preseason High School Top 50: 40-31
40. Caesar Rodney (DE) – They return a very committed player in Trey (41.77 ppg at HSNCT, 55.71 at NSC) and Coach Chrzanowski who is one of the most active new coaches around. I’m being conservative with this ranking, as they have a very good chance to jump multiple spots if they continue to improve. The addition of a steady cast around Trey would be key as well.
39. Ransom Everglades (FL) – They return four players who averaged 12 ppg or more at HSNCT, earning them this spot despite the graduation of Jesse and Matthew. Bonus conversion will need work, if the B team’s performance at HSNCT is indicative.
38. Blake (MD) – They return Isaac, who put up 71.54 ppg at NSC on his own. That alone is enough to place him here. A solid supporting cast would push this team even higher.
37. Walt Whitman (MD) – They lose Daniel’s 71.43 ppg from their NSC team, but Douglas’s 76.43 ppg return. He’s also been visible in attempts to improve this summer.
36. Walnut Hills (OH) – Peter’s 24.34 HSNCT ppg are gone, but they get Jon (39.82) and Max (22.06) back. With that much scoring coming back from a team that had a 15.80 ppb, these might be an under-ranking on my part.
35. Kellenberg (NY) – This team’s top two HSNCT players – James (36.41) and Nik (27.65) – are back. They also had 16.69 ppb, which speaks well for their ability to improve.
34. Loyola (IL) – They return a lot of players from the HSNCT team – Nolan (21.18 ppg), Marcel (21.01), and Christian (16.98) from the A team, plus Raman (14.41) from the B team. They also have Will from NSC, who put up 23.64 ppg on their B team at that event. I believe the HSNCT experience will do them well.
33. Chattahoochee (GA) – They lose nearly 80% of their A-team’s scoring at HSNCT, which include Wes, who also put up 112.14 ppg at NSC. They do return Connie (21.56 at HSNCT, 36.43 at NSC) and three players from their B team at HSNCT: Vikram (22.87), Rob (11.38) and Siddharth (10.71).
32. Walton (GA) – They lose Gazi (36.50 ppg at HSNCT, 92.86 ppg at NSC(!)) but return the rest of their A-team. Bouncing back is plausible, but they’ll need someone to step up and fill Gazi’s shoes.
31. Santa Monica (CA) – Their HSNCT team’s scoring was very evenly distributed – their high ppg person was Marino with 26.20, and their low were two players (Carlee and Sky) with 20.09 ppg. They lose Marino, but return Carlee, Sky and Max (24.45). If they can get a fourth to fill out the roster, they should be just as competitive as they were this past year.