17U Preseason Power Rankings: March 28, 2012

The Oakland Soldiers start off at No. 1

Coming down the stretch in 2011, it was a two-horse race, as the Houston Defenders and BABC both had excellent cases to be our 17U Summer National Champion.

This year, those same two teams find themselves in the mix, but they’ll have to fight their way to the top as talented teams from around the country and beyond stand in their way. For now, the Oakland Soldiers hold down the top spot, but that can change quickly. As always, it’s not about where you start. It’s where you finish

So did we pick the top teams or did we snub your summer club? Share your comments below.

Rank	Prev	Team		Comments
1			Oakland Soldiers Oakland, Calif.
Key Players: Jabari Bird, Aaron Gordon, Tyree Robinson, Tyrel Robinson Last year’s team was dominant, but this year’s group could be even better. Outside of the Harrison twins, who play for the Houston Defenders, the do-it-all combo of Gordon and Bird are shaping up to be the most dominant senior-to-be tandem in the country. Throw in Stanley Johnson, Shaquan Aaron, Tyrel and Tyree Robinson, and you have a stacked squad — to say the least.
2			Eric Gordon All-Stars Indianapolis, Ind.
Key Players: V.J. Beachem, Devin Davis, Colin Hartman, Zak Irvin, Basil Smotherman This group will enter the summer with relative ease, with its heavy hitters already committed: Irvin to Michigan, Beachem to Notre Dame, Davis and Hartman to Indiana and Smotherman to Purdue. That’s a wealth of talent, making the Eric Gordon All-Stars deserving of their preseason nod.
3			CIA Bounce Brampton, Ontario
Key Players: Tyler Ennis, R.J. Currington, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Andrew Wiggins Wiggins is considered to be one of the best players in the country, regardless of class. Throw in the steady play from lead guard Ennis, and opponents are presented with a bunch of problems. The 7’3’’ presence of Tanveer Bhullar is also dangerous. Not bad, eh?
4			Houston Defenders Houston, Texas
Key Players: Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison Last year’s No. 1 team lost a top big man in Shaquille Cleare. However, the dynamic backcourt scoring duo of the Harrison twins will be headaches for the opposition all season long. It will be interesting to see who else emerges around them when the Harrisons inevitably face double teams.
5			Texas Titans Dallas, Texas
Key Players: Matt Jones, Julius Randle This team has the ability to beat anybody on any given day. Randle is a double-double machine with the potential for an occasional triple-double and Jones will bury you from the perimeter. If the Titans can have a big man emerge at the 5, similar to how Prince Ibeh did last year, Randle will be free to terrorize his matchup at the 4.
6			Mac Irvin Fire Chicago, Ill.
Key Players: Billy Garrett Jr., Jahlil Okafor, Jabari Parker The inside-outside duo of Parker and Okafor will attempt to do its best Shaq-Kobe impression this summer on the Nike circuit. While they do go to rival high schools (Parker goes to Simeon, Okafor goes to Whitney Young), they are friends off the court. DePaul commit Garrett Jr. will also play a big role with his ball handling and shooting prowess.
7			Team Final Philadelphia, Pa.
Key Players: Austin Colbert, Rondae Jefferson, Davon Reed Last year’s team was a force on the 16U circuit, but struggled playing up. Now, they are the big boys and their experience should help them. Colbert is a versatile 4 while Jefferson and Reed are high-major players.
8			CP3 All-Stars Winston-Salem, N.C.
Key Players: Greg McClinton, Theo Pinson, Ja’Quel Richmond The CP3 All-Stars might be one of the fastest and longest teams on the circuit. Expect the long arms of Pinson and McClinton to start a number of fast break opportunities. Last year, this team lost on a buzzer-beater to Memphis YOMCA in the Peach Jam final. The loss should serve as motivation.
9			Garner Road Bulldogs Raleigh, N.C.
Key Players: Anton Gil, Isaiah Hicks UNC-bound Hicks is going to make a lot of highlight reels this spring/summer. Louisville-bound guard Gill showed his ability all last summer to hit clutch shots. Together, they should be a force again this season.
10			Team Penny (Bluff City Legends) Memphis, Tenn.
Key Players: Nick King, Johnathan Williams III King and Williams III are a dangerous inside-outside duo. Throw in Austin Nichols and you’ve got a scary frontline. They took home the honors at the 16U Peach Jam and will look to take care of business on the 17U level this summer.
11			BABC Boston, Mass.
Key Players: Jaylen Brantley, Rene Castro, Goodluck Okonoboh, Wayne Selden If Nerlens Noel remained in the class of 2013, it would have been hard not to put this team at No. 1. Without him, they can no longer escort players to the rim knowing Noel will be there to block shots. Goodluck Okonoboh, it’s your time. Selden and Brantley will hold it down on the perimeter.
12			Team Takeover Washington, D.C.
Key Players: BeeJay Anya, Josh Hart, Stanford Robinson Whenever you have a center with a 7-9 wingspan in the paint, you should be one of the top defensive teams. Takeover has that with Anya. Rising stars Robinson, Hart and Jarius Lyles will also be dangerous.
13			Boo Williams Hampton, Va.
Key Players: Anthony Barber, Troy Williams If you turn the ball over against this team, you will pay. Williams and Barber are scary in a fast break situation. Boo Williams is a sleeper team to do serious damage on the EYBL circuit.
14			Compton Magic Compton, Calif.
Key Players: Roschon Prince, Jordan Bell This West Coast outfit should be one of the top adidas teams this season. Roschon Prince and Jordan Bell have chemistry playing high school ball at L.B. Polytechnic. 6-11 Idrissa Diallo and 6-10 Elston Jones along with the aforementioned two can make this team one of the best defensive squads out.
15			Dream Vision Las Vegas, Nev.
Key Players: Stephen Domingo, Stephen Zimmerman, Rashad Muhammad Shabazz Muhammad is no longer with this team but that shouldn't stop them from being a top team in the nation. Domingo can flat out score and the young Zimmerman offers the interior size needed to be a force.
16			New Heights New York, N.Y.
Key Players: Jordan Washington, Jalen Jenkins Washington and Jenkins made noise for New Heights as 16s, and expect them to do the same this year as they should be the best team in New York City.
17			Nike Baltimore Elite Baltimore, Md.
Top Players: Alajuwon Fisher, Daquan McNeil, Kameron Williams With excellent guard play, led by Daquan McNeil, Nike Baltimore Elite might be a sleeper on the Nike circuit.
18			Playaz Basketball Club (N.J.) Paterson, N.J.
Top Players: Reggie Cameron, Kavon Stewart, Mike Young The Playaz lose Kyle Anderson, but don’t underestimate the power of bigs Mike Young and Neville Fincher. They aren’t exactly weak in the backcourt either with Kavon Stewart.
19			Long Island Lightning West Hempstead, N.Y.
Top Players: Jason Boswell, Kuran Iverson, Dayshon Smith, Jonathan Severe Kuran Iverson is one of the best players in Connecticut and this summer he takes his talents to Long Island where he will try to unseat New Heights as the best team in the NYC area.
20			D.C. Assault Washington, D.C.
Top Players: Nate Britt, Junior Etou, Kris Jenkins You heard enough about the D.C. region during the high school season, and with D.C. Assault competing with the best 17U teams in the country, don’t expect that to stop any time soon.
21			Florida Elite St. Petersburg, Fla.
Top Players: Kasey Hill, Malik Martin-Price The Rams came out of nowhere to win the adidas Invitational last year. This year, Kasey Hill and Co. have a bigger target on their backs.
22			All-Ohio Red Columbus, Ohio
Top Players: Nigel Hayes, Marc Loving The All-Ohio Red 16s performed well at AAU Nationals last year, but Nigel Hayes and Marc Loving will need to step it up if they want to compete with the best Nike teams in the nation.
23			Atlanta Celtics Atlanta, Ga.
Top Players: Brannen Greene, Solomon Poole As a member of last year’s preseason No. 1 team, Solomon Poole won’t let the Celtics fall short of expectations again this year.
24			KC Run GMC Olathe, Kan.
Top Players: Dom Collier, Conner Frankamp, Travis Jorgensen Conner Frankamp is a Kansas commit who will be one of the guards to watch this summer. His three-point range and ability to handle the ball will keep KC Pump N’ Run relevant over the next few months.
25			Terry Porter Elite Milwaukee, Wisc.
Top Player: Deonte Burton TP Elite rounds out the Top 25, but any team with Deonte Burton on it has the potential to move up as the summer progresses.
Best of the Rest Coming Soon!