For the third time in six weeks, there is a new No. 1 team in the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com. The new No. 1 comes from the powerful Nike EYBL Scholastic League, which dominates the top of the nation’s longest running rankings. Can the current No. 1 hold on to its spot? And does a team from another league have a shot to ascend to No. 1? The lone newcomer is No. 50 East St. Louis (East St. Louis, Ill.).
By Ronnie Flores
We stated in November there wasn’t a slam dunk preseason FAB 50 No. 1 team that had a strangle hold on the top spot and that if Prolific Prep (Southwest Ranches, Fla.) lost, it wouldn’t be a stunning upset.
The Crew did drop a game and Link Academy (Branson, Mo.), which started off No. 2 in the FAB 50 and is currently No. 5, took over. After the Lions lost, Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.), which started at No. 9 and is currently No. 8, lasted a week before losing albeit when its best player (Jordan Smith Jr.) was out with an ankle injury. Spire Academy (Geneva, Ohio), which started at No. 12, took over No. 1 from the Panthers.
Courtesy of Hugo Rodas
No. 1 Spire Academy Falls
Spire Academy stayed in the pole position for four weeks, but we now have a new No. 1 for the third time in six weeks after that club fell over the weekend to then No. 19 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), 66-52, at the Dr. Pepper Classic in Chattanooga, Tenn. Ironically for Spire head coach Kevin Boyle, his team lost to the program he led to a record-tying seven FAB 50 national titles between 2013 and 2024 before leaving for Ohio this past off-season.
The Eagles, led by new coach Steve Turner and a team that fell out of the FAB 50 temporarily after a 0-3 start, scored 26 second chance points and held Spire Academy to 21 percent shooting from 3-point line and under 41 percent from the field. Kent St.-bound Dhani Miller had a big game against Spire Academy’s heralded backcourt with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while junior guard O’Neal Delancy also came up big with 19 points and seven rebounds.
Montverde Academy out-rebounded Spire Academy, 34-27, and also had more assists, 12-10.
No, MVA doesn’t move up to No. 1, but the Eagles do move up 13 spots to No. 6 behind the Link Academy team it lost to. They also are behind fellow EYBL Scholastic League member Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah), which moves up 11 spots to No. 3 after a big 3-0 showing at the LuHi Invitational in New York. Coach Paul Peterson‘s club defeated Christ School (Arden, N.Y.), host and then No. 33 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) and then No. 3 Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.).
Following its 62-51 loss to Wasatch Academy in which UConn-bound Junior County went for 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the victors, Brewster Academy fell one spot. The Bobcats own a win over No. 5 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.), a team that defeated Montverde Academy, and have lost to Spire Academy and to this week’s new No. 1.
AZ Compass Prep Takes Over No. 1
AZ Compass Prep takes over the No. 1 spot in the FAB 50 following Spire Academy’s loss to become the fifth program this season to sit in the rankings’ pole position. This past weekend the Dragons defeated ABC Prep (Albuquerque, N.M.), and then No. 49 Layton Christian (Layton, Utah), 63-42, as senior guard Quincy Wadley had 23 points and junior forward DeMarcus Henry had 16 points.
AZ Compass Prep has one default win (noted by asterisk) and its only loss is to Spire Academy. Perhaps if the Ohioans lost on a freak play or on a buzzer beater they could have remained at No. 1, but they had to be penalized for losing to Montverde Academy by 14 points. Spire Academy does own a win over No. 4 Brewster Academy and Wasatch has four losses to teams ranked below it, so it only falls one spot in the rankings.
Montverde Academy currently sits at 4-0 and in first place of the East Division of the EYBL Scholastic League in front of 3-1 Spire Academy, Brewster Academy and No. 40 La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.). In the West Division, AZ Compass Prep is 4-0 one game in front of 3-1 Link Academy and No. 24 Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas).
The teams in the EYBL Scholastic League now make up 7 of the Top 10 teams in the current FAB 50. Sure, last week’s results knocked some traditional high schools down a notch this week, but there will be some EYBL Scholastic clubs taking more losses in the weeks to come and those clubs that fell without losing will have the opportunity to move back up provided they win in their respective playoff divisions.
With AZ Compass Prep defeating Layton Christian and that club also losing to No. 10 CIA Bella Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.), the Eagles are the only club to drop out of the FAB 50 this week, as a vast majority of teams won their games and kept focus on league and district titles before facing stiffer competition in the weeks to come.
Replacing Layton Christian is new No. 50 East St. Louis (East St. Louis, Ill.), which has lost only to No. 11 Principia (St. Louis, Mo.), Faith Family and No. 25 North Crowley (Ft. Worth, Texas).
“Our guys are playing connected basketball right now,” said AZ Compass Prep head coach Pete Kaffey. “The energy is high, the defense is winning us games, and all five are committed to stopping the ball and sharing it on offense. This group loves playing together, and that’s what makes them special. Now it’s about staying locked in and stacking wins to finish the season.”
There is no question AZ Compass Prep is deserving of the No. 1 spot, now the question becomes can the Dragons maintain it against the rugged competition they will face down the line?
Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
Powered by Ballislife.com
(8th poll of 2025-26 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, Feb. 8; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)
No. Prev. High School (City)Record
12AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.)17-1**
21Spire Academy (Geneva, Ohio)22-2
314Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah)19-4
43Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.)24-3
54Link Academy (Branson, Mo.)17-1
619Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)16-5
76Prolific Prep (Southwest Ranches, Fla.) 24-3
87Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.)22-2
95Calvary Christian Academy (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) 19-1
1016CIA Bella Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.)15-3
118Principia (St. Louis, Mo.)19-2
129Seven Lakes (Katy, Texas)31-0
1310Fishers (Fishers, Ind.)19-0
1411Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)22-1
1512Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.)22-1
1613Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.)25-3
1715Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.)19-0
1817Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.)26-1
1918Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.)30-2
2020Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.)19-4
2121Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.)21-4
2222Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.)20-5
2325Webb (Knoxville, Tenn.)26-2
2424Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas)23-7
2528North Crowley (Ft. Worth, Texas)26-3
2626Concord Academy (Concord, N.C.)25-2
2727Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.)19-3
2829Gainesville (Gainesville, Ga.)24-0
2930Timpview (Provo, Utah)19-2
3031Santa Margarita (Rancho SM, Calif.) 26-3
3132St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.)27-2
3234IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)18-8
3335St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.)30-5
3436Salesian (Richmond, Calif.)23-3
3537St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)20-7
3638Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.)20-1
3739Columbus (Miami, Fla.)21-6
3833Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)8-10
3940Southeastern Prep Academy (Orlando, Fla.) 33-8
4041La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.)17-3
4142Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio) 18-1
4223East Lansing (East Lansing, Mich.)17-1
4343Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.)13-7
4444Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.)18-6
4545DePaul College Prep (Chicago, Ill.)22-3
4646Kankakee (Kankakee, Ill.)22-1
4747Heritage (Frisco, Texas)25-2
4848Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.)19-6
4950Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.)16-6
50NREast St. Louis (East St. Louis, Ill.)23-3
Dropped Out: No. 49 Layton Christian (Layton, Utah).
Bubble Teams: Appleton North (Appleton, Wis.) 17-2; Arvada West (Arvada, Col) 18-1; Atascocita (Humble, Texas) 23-6; Bearden (Knoxville, Tenn.) 26-1; Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) 19-3; Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) 18-1; Brennan (San Antonio, Texas) 25-3; Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) 15-3; Bryant (Bryant, Ark.) 20-3; Cathedral Prep (Erie, Pa.) 20-1; Cedar Falls (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 17-0; Chaparral (Parker, Col.) 17-2; Crown Point (Crown Point, Ind.) 15-1; Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 21-1**; DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 18-7; DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.) 20-6; Dream City Christian (Glendale, Ariz.) 15-7; East Kentwood (Kentwood, Mich.) 15-2; Forsyth Country Day (Lewisville, N.C.) 24-2; Houston (Germantown, Tenn.) 15-5; La Mirada (La Mirada, Calif.) 22-6; Layton Christian (Layton, Utah) 20-6; Little Elm (Little Elm, Texas) 28-2; Millwood (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.) 17-2; Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 26-5; Mt. Vernon (Fortville, Ind.) 17-2 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Baltimore, Md.) 22-9; Petersburg (Petersburg, Va.) 11-4; Pike (Indianapolis, Ind.) 16-3; Providence (Jacksonville, Fla.) 24-3; Ralston Valley (Arvada, Col.) 18-1; Rangeview (Aurora, Col.) 15-3; Richland (Richland, Wash.) 21-0; Riviera Prep (Miami, Fla.) 17-9; Rockford (Rockford, Mich.) 14-3; Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) 16-5; Silver Creek (Sellersburg, Ind.) 20-1; South (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) 15-0; Southern School of Energy & Sustainability (Durham, N.C.) 19-3; St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) 19-6; St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) 23-4; Tartan (Oakdale, Minn.) 18-0; The Rock (Gainesville, Fla.) 21-8; Veritas Prep (Chino Hills, Calif.) 13-6; Warren Township (Gurnee, Ill.) 24-2; West Allis Central (West Allis, Wis.) 17-2.
Note: The FAB 50 powered by Ballislife.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 26 years ago.
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of Ballislife.com. He can be reached at ronnie@ballislife.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
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