Five-Star Top 25: 17U: May 11, 2011

Heralded matchup doesn't happen, but there's plenty of movement in the rankings

All eyes were on Baltimore this past weekend, with the anticipation of a possible 1-2 showdown. But Team Takeover didn't make the trip and the Houston Defenders went out and won again. So do they get the top spot? Not yet, but they're closing in. Meanwhile, the Midwest remains a war zone, and Spiece was the latest battleground. While the top teams continue to beat each other up, All-Iowa Attack is on the rise, and was rewarded with a boost up the rankings. As for the rest of the changes? Read on!

Rank	Prev	Team
1	1		Team Takeover (D.C.) Washington, D.C.
		As disappointed as we were that they skipped out on a potential matchup in Baltimore against the Houston Defenders by staying home to nurse nagging injuries, we can’t penalize them for it.
2	2		Houston Defenders Houston, Texas
		Meanwhile, the Defenders took care of their end of the bargain, coming East and whipping the competition, including a win over the top-10 NE Playaz.
3	3		Memphis YOMCA Memphis, Tenn.
		After a rapid three-week ascent up the rankings, the Memphis squad enjoyed a well-earned week off.
4	4		BABC Boston, Mass.
		The Boston crew will hang out locally the next couple of weekends before they test themselves in the third leg of the EYBL season.
5	6		Oakland Soldiers Oakland, Calif.
		Despite their loss to Team Takeover in Dallas, Drew Gooden’s squad has proven itself to be the unquestionable top team in the West so far this season.
6	7		Houston Hoops Houston, Tex.
		Yet another team that took time off this past weekend, the Hoops need to find a way to compensate for their lack of size through their three star guards.
7	8		New England Playaz Springfield, Mass.
		About as consistent a team as you’ll find, the Playaz keep beating the teams they should beat and losing to teams with just a bit more talent, like the Houston Defenders in Baltimore this past weekend.
8	9		DreamVision Las Vegas, Nev.
		After savoring their fine performance at the Jayhawk Invitational two weeks ago, Dream Vision will get back in action at the EBO Showdown in San Diego.
9	12		Playaz Basketball Club (N.J.) Paterson, N.J.
		Another potential great matchup in Baltimore was denied when the Houston Defenders had to fly home before the finals, but that shouldn’t diminish the 4-0 record the Playaz posted before the never-played game.
10	14		CIA Bounce Brampton, Ontario
		The continued success of other EYBL teams against non-league foes adds to the resume of the guys from Canada.
11	18		Georgia Stars Norcross, Ga.
		After beating the Atlanta Celtics for the second time this season – this time in a blowout – it’s time to recognize them as the top team in the state, at least for now.
12	16		Connecticut Basketball Club Hartford, Conn.
		Off this past weekend, but looking increasingly dangerous as the season goes on and no one proves capable of handling Andre Drummond.
13	5		Atlanta Celtics Atlanta, Ga.
		A blowout loss to the Georgia Stars and roster instability are major causes for concern for our preseason No. 1 team.
14	24		All Iowa Attack Des Moines, Iowa
		Arguably the hottest team in the country, they followed up a strong EYBL showing in Dallas by winning the Spiece Run-N-Slam against a stacked field.
15	21		Terry Porter Elite Milwaukee, Wis.
		Speaking of hot, it took two overtimes for TP to finally go down against All-Iowa Attack in the Spiece finals. The Milwaukee-based squad is proving to be one of the best in the Midwest.
16	13		Indiana Elite Indianapolis, Ind.
		Perhaps the most talented team at Spiece on paper, they went down big early against All-Iowa and couldn’t come all the way back.
17	15		Long Island Lightning Gold West Hempstead, N.Y.
		With a host of guys missing, Dana Dingle split his remaining players into two squads this past weekend, both of which went 2-1 in local action.
18	10		All-Ohio Red Columbus, Ohio
		Unlike their 16U and 15U squads, which won the Spiece tourney, the 17U Red couldn’t get things going, losing to Indiana Elite in the Round of 16.
19	20		New Heights New York, N.Y.
		The SATs took center stage for New Heights' players, as they took the weekend off to focus on the test.
20	11		Boo Williams Hampton, Va.
		It was a rough showing at their own venue, as Boo's crew got shocked in the quarterfinals by Team Takeover's "B" team.
21	25		Arizona Magic Phoenix, Ariz.
		After cracking the Top 25 for the first time last Wednesday, the Magic took last weekend off, but will be back in action playing in California this weekend.
22			East Coast Fusion Gold Richmond, Va.
		Came of nowhere to storm to the tourney title at the Southern Jam Fest, beating a talented Team Russia in the finals. Anytime you beat an entire country, you deserve a spot in the Top 25!
23	17		Spiece Indy Heat Fort Wayne, Ind.
		An up-and-down season took another dip, as the Heat lost at their own event to Indy Elite 1 -- the program's No. 2 squad.
24			Texas PRO Houston, Tex.
		They're 40-1, have won five straight events (most recently the Howard Pulley tourney in Minnesota) and feature Isaiah Austin. But they still need to prove themselves against top competition.
25	23		Mac Irvin Fire Chicago, Ill.
		Another rough weekend for the Fire; on the heels of a 2-3 showing at EYBL Dallas, they got knocked out of Spiece by CBiz.
Best of the Rest Albany City Rocks, Col. Hawks, CP3 All-Stars, D.C. Assault, Double Pump Elite, Fairfax Stars, H. Pulley Panthers, Houston Hoopstars, Kingdom Hoops, Pump-N-Run Elite, Team Loaded, Wisc. Playground Warriors. Nominate others on our Facebook page.