16U Inside the Rankings
In-depth look into Five-Star top 5
Last week, Fivestarbasketball.com culminated our inaugural season of Top 25 travel team rankings with BABC taking the top spot in the final 16U edition. All season long, our staff has covered all the major tournaments and events across the country and we have done extensive research, week over week, to ensure that we are fair and accurate in our rankings. We have set aside sneaker affiliations, regional preferences and politics to focus entirely on presenting the facts, sharing information and allowing for the top teams in the country to earn their ranking based on their performance on the court.
No. 1: BABC
Total weeks at #1: 14
Total weeks in Top 5: 16
Highest Ranking: 1
KEY WINS vs. Top 25:
- No. 6 CP3 All-Stars at AAU National Championship
- No. 4 Garner Road at AAU National Championship
- No. 12 Ohio Varsity at AAU National Championship
- No. 16 Team Takeover at AAU National Championship
KEY LOSSES vs. Top 25:
N/A
Total Record vs. Top 5: 1-0
Key Tournament Championships:
Hall of Fame New England Championships; 16U Massachusetts State Tournament; Boston Shootout Championship; Hoopville Spring Finale; AAU National Championship
Other Key Wins/Notes:
N/A
Other Key Losses: N/A
Final Analysis:
What more can be said about this bunch from Beantown? They went undefeated on the year as 16Us and culminated that dominance with the 16U AAU National Championship. Perhaps what's most impressive is the fact that Leo Papile's crew played up and dominated virtually the entire season as 17Us, with only three actual players from the Class of 2012 (Domonique Bull, Jake Leyman and Iowa State-commit Georges Niang). The young core of Nerlens Noel (2013), Jaylen Brantley (2013), Goodluck Okonoboh (2013) and Wayne Selden (2014) all provided major contributions in BABC's impressive 15-1 EYBL slate before a run to the program's first-ever Peach Jam title - with Noel taking EYBL Most Outstanding Player honors and Brantley winning the Peach Jam scoring title.
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No. 2: CIA Bounce
Total weeks at #1: 0
Total weeks in Top 5: 13
Highest Ranking: 2
KEY WINS vs. Top 25:
- No. 16 Team Takeover at Boo Williams
- No. 15 New Jersey Playaz at Pitt Jam Fest
- No. 23 East Coast Elite at Super Showcase
- No. 5 Memphis YOMCA at Super Showcase
- No. 4 Garner Road at Super Showcase
KEY LOSSES vs. Top 25:
- No. 21 Mac Irvin Fire at Boo Williams
- No. 8 Team Final at Pitt Jam Fest
- No. 5 Memphis YOMCA at EYBL Peach Jam
Total Record vs. Top 5: 2-1
Key Tournament Championships:
Best Buy Classic, Super Showcase
Other Key Wins/Notes:
N/A
Other Key Losses:
N/A
Final Analysis:
The Canadians were pound-for-pound one of the more talented and productive 16U teams all year, taking the Best Buy Classic in Chicago in May and culminating their season with a Super Showcase title in Orlando. All in all, they had five wins over Top 25 foes, with two coming against teams ranked in the top 5.
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No. 3: Eric Gordon All-Stars
Total weeks at #1: 1
Total weeks in Top 5: 15
Highest Ranking: 1
KEY WINS vs. Top 25:
- No. 7 New Heights at adidas Invitational
KEY LOSSES vs. Top 25:
- No. 11 Ohio Varsity at Pitt Jam Fest
Total Record vs. Top 5: 0-0
Key Tournament Championships:
Indyball Shootout; King James Classic; Adidas May Classic; Best of the Midwest
Other Key Wins/Notes:
Las Vegas Prospects; Indiana Elite South; Indiana Elite Stars; Wisconsin Playground Warriors; Dream Vision
Other Key Losses:
Indy Elite South; Michigan Mustangs
Final Analysis:
This squad added IU-commit Collin Hartman to an already loaded roster before the season, but chemistry never turned out to be an issue for the Indianpolis-based group. Hartman joined Zavier Turner, VJ Beachem, Michigan-commit Zak Irvin and future Purdue Boilermaker Basil Smotherman to win the Indyball.com Shootout, Best of the Midwest and two major titles in King James and the Adidas May Classic. EG10 finished the season strong, coming within minutes of adding an adidas Super 64 title to their long list of accolades, as they fell to a tough KC Pump N Run team in the Vegas finals.
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No. 4: Garner Road
Total weeks at #1: 2
Total weeks in Top 5: 16
Highest Ranking: 1
KEY WINS vs. Top 25:
- No. 16 Team Takeover at Pitt Jam Fest
- No. 7 New Heights at Pitt Jam Fest
- No. 22 The Ville at Kentucky Hoop Fest
- No. 22 The Ville at AAU Nationals
- No. 13 All-Ohio Red at AAU Nationals
KEY LOSSES vs. Top 25:
- No. 8 Team Final at Pitt Jam Fest
Total Record vs. Top 5: 0-0
Key Tournament Championships:
17U Super Regional; Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions
Other Key Wins/Notes:
Indiana Elite Stars; Indiana Elite South
Other Key Losses:
CT Select; Florida Family; BA Hoyas
Final Analysis:
The team from North Carolina was the team to beat for awhile, spending two week at the top spot with very good reason. New North Carolina-commit Isaiah Hicks and Co. led the Bulldogs to five total wins over Top 25 opponents and two titles on the season, one of which was the prestigious Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in their home state.
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No. 5: Memphis YOMCA
Total weeks at #1: 0
Total weeks in Top 5: 5
Highest Ranking: 3
KEY WINS vs. Top 25:
- No. 6 CP3 All-Stars at Nike Memorial Day in Atlanta
- No. 21 Mac-Irvin Fire at Peach Jam
- No. 2 CIA Bounce at Peach Jam
- No. 6 CP3 All-Stars at Peach Jam
- No. 6 CP3 All-Stars at Super Showcase
KEY LOSSES vs. Top 25:
- No. 2 CIA Bounce at Super Showcase
Total Record vs. Top 5: 1-1
Key Tournament Championships:
Nike Memorial Day Classic (Atlanta); Nike EYBL Peach Jam
Other Key Wins/Notes:
Other Key Losses:
Ray Jackson’s Rising Stars; Oakland Kings; Carolina Hurricanes
Final Analysis:
YOMCA's 17U squad started the season with all the hype after winning Real Deal in the Rock early, but they weren't the team in the program to have a great summer. The 16U crew caught our eyes midseason and took two titles, one of which was the prestigious Peach Jam, as the Memphis team won on a tip-in at the buzzer in a one-point win over CP3 All-Stars. That was the second of three wins over our sixth-ranked team, the last coming in the Super Showcase where YOMCA put together an impressive run to the quarters.
