You don't have to be perfect to have a national championship campaign for the ages. And while the gap behind Columbus (Florida) wasn't large, the Explorers were the clear-cut best team in high school boys basketball pretty much all season long.
After a 30-3 season that included a Florida state championship and 11 victories over top 25 teams, Columbus finishes the 2024-25 high school boys basketball season ranked No. 1 in The Sporting News Top 25.
Final Top 25 High School Boys Basketball Rankings
1. Columbus (FL) (30-3)
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Columbus' only losses came against top-five opponents in Link Academy, Prolific Prep, and Long Island Lutheran.
As for who Columbus beat? Dynamic Prep, Wasatch Academy, and Brewster Academy National in the Chipotle Nationals alone. Link Academy (avenging the prior loss), Dynamic Prep, Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), CIA Bella Vista Prep, Montverde Academy (twice), IMG Academy, Grayson, Great Crossing, Archbishop Stepinac, Bullis, Riviera Prep, Gonzaga College, and DME Academy in regular season non-conference play alone. That makes 11 wins over teams in our Top 25 and at least four more against teams that would've made the cut if we went to 50. And all that is in addition to annihilating everyone in their district and everyone Columbus faced in the FHSAA 7A state playoffs.
2. Dynamic Prep (TX) (34-5)
Dynamic Prep wasn’t the No. 2 team in high school basketball for most of the season, but it sure was by season’s end. Following a Jan. 24 loss to IMG Academy, it never lost again until falling to Columbus in the Chipotle Nationals finals. The last four games of that 13-game tear were wins of at least 15 points each over Utah Prep, Montverde Academy, Link Academy, and Prolific Prep.
3. Link Academy (MO) (23-8)
Like Dynamic Prep, Link Academy didn’t reach peak form until late but its peak form was something to behold. The Lions took four losses in Nike EYBL Scholastic play but got the last laugh by winning the conference tournament on Mar. 8, a feat that included revenge wins over AZ Compass Prep National and Wasatch Academy. Link Academy also mixed in an upset of national champion Columbus on Dec. 29.
4. Prolific Prep (CA) (35-6)
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From traditional high school powers to post-grad teams to their fourth Grind Session title, Darryn Peterson and company went 35-6 against a schedule that had it all. Prolific Prep improved throughout the season after narrowly losing three games to national contenders in November, and was one of just three teams to beat national champion Columbus. An overtime win over Long Island Lutheran to open Chipotle Nationals cemented the team's lofty final ranking.
5. Long Island Lutheran (NY) (27-7)
If injuries hadn't spearheaded a 3-5 start, LuHi likely would've been looked at as a top-flight national contender from start to finish. Long Island Lutheran won 24 of its last 26 games, which included making the Nike EYBL Scholastic title game and winning The Throne before falling to Prolific Prep in the Chipotle Nationals quarterfinals.
6. Brewster Academy National (NH) (28-5)
A couple of near-misses in the playoffs might've cost the Bobcats a national title, but they don't diminish the amazing regular season they had. Brewster Academy finished tied atop the Nike EYBL Scholastic standings at 9-2 but fell narrowly to eventual finalist Long Island Lutheran, which it had beaten by 17 points previously, in the first round of the postseason. The Bobcats nearly took down Columbus in the Chipotle Nationals semifinals but fell 47-45 on a buzzer beater.
7. Wasatch Academy (UT) (26-5)
Just like Brewster Academy National, Wasatch Academy had an incendiary 9-2 regular season performance in the EYBL Scholastic, fell in the first round to a finals team (eventual champion Link Academy), and lost to No. 1 Columbus at Chipotle Nationals. The Tigers did find time to drub IMG Academy 75-57 in the first round of Chipotle Nationals before losing to Columbus in the quarterfinals.
8. CIA Bella Vista Prep (AZ) (21-7)
The third team in a row in these rankings to tie atop the EYBL Scholastic regular season standings with a 9-2 conference record. The Bears' season ended with losses to Long Island Lutheran in the EYBL semifinals and Brewster Academy National in the Chipotle Nationals quarterfinals, but not before they beat almost every team in the EYBL Scholastic in addition to Grind Session top dogs Prolific Prep and Utah Prep.
9. Wheeler (GA) (29-3)
Wheeler wraps up 2024-25 with a particularly clean resume and a GHSA 6A state championship. It lost only to Columbus, Grayson, and Brewster Academy National, with the last of those three losses coming on Dec. 19. It bounced back the next day with a 71-68 win over Paul VI (VA) that seemed to set the tone for its season-ending 21-game tear, which included a 68-53 revenge win over Grayson in the state semifinals.
10. Paul VI (VA) (27-6)
A major upset in the VISAA state semifinals to Bishop O'Connell hurts Paul VI badly in the season-end rankings, especially when the Panthers had entered on a vicious 11-game tear. Still, they finish 2024-25 with a tremendous body of work and a Washington Catholic championship. Top non-conference victories include IMG Academy and St. John Bosco.
11. Gonzaga College (DC) (29-5)
Gonzaga sent legendary head coach Stephen Turner out with a bang in his 21st and final year at the helm before moving on to replace Kevin Boyle at Montverde Academy. The Eagles went 29-5 against a grueling schedule, nearly defeated Paul VI in the WCAC finals, and more or less rolled their way to a DCSAA state championship. Their top win was an 18-point rout of Roosevelt in January, at which point Roosevelt was ranked top-three in the country.
12. Roosevelt (CA) (35-3)
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If the year-end ranking was simply a reflection of teams' overall bodies of work and accomplishments throughout the year, Roosevelt would be fourth at the minimum. But the Mustangs' season ended in shocking fashion, with a first-round exit to bottom-seeded Plainfield at The Throne, which they'd won a year prior. Not a great ending to the Brayden Burries era, but what's far more important is that they won both the CIF-Southern Section and state Open Division titles before faltering. Roosevelt's only other losses were against Brennan and Gonzaga College.
13. Notre Dame Sherman Oaks (CA) (28-8)
It's no secret that the Knights were more formidable than their overall body of work and eight losses would indicate. Notre Dame lost five of its 15 games played without 4-star Rutgers commit Lino Mark, including its only loss against competition that isn't ranked in any year-end national top 25. Once at full strength, the Knights avenged prior league losses to Sierra Canyon and Harvard-Westlake, and then knocked a slew of other national-caliber teams out of the playoffs before twice giving Roosevelt everything it could handle in the CIF-SS finals and regional finals/state semifinals.
14. Harvard-Westlake (CA) (30-3)
Surprisingly, it took Harvard-Westlake until the new calendar year to show what it was made of thanks to a 61-49 upset loss to Timpview in December. And unsurprisingly, Harvard-Westlake was almost as good as it gets once it rounded into form as announced by January upsets of Gonzaga College and Perry. It went on to sweep the vaunted Mission League despite later losing to league rival Notre Dame in CIF-SS Open Division pool play.
15. Sunrise Christian Academy Elite (KS) (18-7)
The Buffaloes went 7-4 in Nike EYBL Scholastic play and might've been one bucket away from finishing the year on a very high note. They opened the EYBL Scholastic playoffs with a 64-47 rout of IMG Academy in perhaps their best win of the season before falling to eventual champion Link Academy in overtime in the semifinals.
16. IMG Academy (FL) (21-8)
21-8 against what might've been the single hardest schedule in the country, and a 7-4 record in EYBL Scholastic play? Not bad at all despite a disappointing finish. Every one of the Ascenders losses came against higher-ranked teams, and they all came by single digits until their season-ending playoff losses, first by 17 points at the hands of Sunrise Christian and then by 18 to Wasatch Academy at Chipotle Nationals.
17. Montverde Academy (FL) (19-8)
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Before cooling off late in the season, MVA got off to a torrid start, including a 30-point rout of Wasatch Academy and wins over Long Island Lutheran, CIA Bella Vista Prep, and Utah Prep. In particular, it lost four of its last five games, losing in the first round of the EYBL Scholastic playoffs and Chipotle Nationals. Even still, Montverde Academy went 16-1 against teams not ranked higher in the season-end top 25.
18. Calvary Christian Academy (FL) (22-1)
The Eagles have been one of the harder teams to rank all season, varying from a top-five selection by some outlets to hardly inside the top 25 by others. They unquestionably played nearly the easiest overall schedule on this list, but on the other hand, they went 4-1 against nationally-ranked competition and took care of business handily against everyone else. Calvary Christian Academy's only loss was 64-57 against Montverde Academy on Jan. 31, and it was sandwiched between wins over AZ Compass Prep National and Utah Prep. CCA later held off The Villages Charter 66-64 for a Florida 3A state crown.
19. AZ Compass Prep National (AZ) (19-8)
It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle as a middle-of-the pack EYBL Scholastic team. AZ Compass Prep National lost to a few teams it shouldn’t have, but it also beat some juggernauts and improved continuously throughout the regular season. The Dragons are arguably underrated after defeating Brewster Academy National, Mt. Zion Prep Academy, Wasatch Academy, Prolific Prep, Montverde Academy, and Link Academy falling to Link Academy in a rematch in their postseason opener.
20. Perry (AZ) (27-2)
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Other than losses to out-of-state foes Columbus and Harvard-Westlake, Perry didn't even come close to losing this season. Not even when All-American senior Koa Peat was out with a broken hand. To illustrate the Grand Canyon-sized gap between the state champion Pumas and the rest of Arizona, their closest win all season came by nine points to statewide No. 2 Sunnyslope in a game they mostly led by double-digits, and they blew Sunnyslope out in their other two meetings. Perry's top out-of-state win was a 21-point drubbing of Duncanville.
21. Hoover (AL) (35-0)
The 2024-25 Buccaneers are immortalized as undefeated state champions, and they did it against just hard enough of a schedule to warrant a top-25 national ranking as well. Hoover's closest tests were an overtime win against underrated California foe Heritage Christian and a 63-60 win over another nationally-relevant Alabama team, statewide No. 2 Huntsville. Their next-closest win was by 12 points, and everything else was a blowout victory.
22. Utah Prep (UT) (20-11)
AJ Dybantsa, the nation's top high school recruit, did some heavy lifting as Utah Prep played one of high school basketball's toughest schedules and registered a litany of wins over national contenders. Of the 11 losses, seven were against teams ranked higher, and Utah Prep's list of wins includes Link Academy, Highland (VA), Brewster Academy National, Duncanville, and Christ School.
23. Duncanville (TX) (27-7)
One of the toughest teams to rank because of its five losses against unranked teams, lack of wins over top-50 teams, and abundance of wins over excellent Texas foes on its way to a UIL 6A D1 state title. Few teams finished the season hotter than Duncanville, which ended on an 11-game winning streak capped off with wins over Allen and Bellaire, the latter of which was fresh off an upset of Brennan.
24. St. Joseph Santa Maria (CA) (31-2)
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St. Joseph didn’t play a tough schedule for a team firmly planted in the California open division state title race, but the results still speak for themselves. Tounde Yessoufou and the Knights mowed down all challengers from Central California, plus Georgia powerhouses Milton and Holy Innocents’ Episcopal, en-route to a CIF-CS crown. Their only losses came against Calvary Christian Academy and Notre Dame Sherman Oaks.
25. Brennan (TX) (34-3)
Despite missing 6-foot-7 wing Isaiah Ward for some key stretches, Brennan showed what it could be for much of the season as evidenced by its record. Its upset loss to Bellaire in the state semifinals was crushing, but Brennan did get to celebrate one more dub when it beat Georgia powerhouse Grayson in The Throne quarterfinals. Before that, Brennan beat the likes of Dynamic Prep, Allen (TX), Roosevelt (CA), and Bishop O'Connell.