16U Power Rankings: Week 1: April 11, 2012

Mac Irvin plummets, Takeover the new No. 1

It's been two weeks since we published our preseason rankings, and things have changed quite a bit. Previous No. 1 Mac Irvin Fire no longer has the services of Paul White, the St. Louis Eagles have come out of nowhere to claim a spot on the top 10, and All-Ohio Red has made a similar jump. How did it all happen? Find out here.

Rank	Prev		Comments
1	4	Team Takeover Caron Butler Washington, D.C.
With Mac Irvin and Team Scan falling in the past two weeks, the DMV-crew literally takes over the top spot. They'll be back on the court in two weeks at the Big Shots tournament in Baltimore, Md.
2	3	Dream Vision Las Vegas, Nev.	Notes: Won Las Vegas Easter Showdown
Stephen Zimmerman stepped down to the the 15U level last week to win the Las Vegas Easter Showdown. He'll be with the 16s for the rest of the season.
3	5	Texas Titans Dallas, Texas
The Titans move up to No. 3 as they remained inactive. Mickey Mitchell should be a player to watch all season as he plays up.
4	6	Sports U Newark, N.J.
A number of players from this program were at the Under Armour Grind Session in Baltimore this past week. The combination of Karl Towns Jr. and Quadri Moore should be a cause of concern for the circuit — two bigs with skill.
5	7	Houston Hoops Houston, Tex.
The Defenders were off this past weekend and move up due to teams losing in front of them.
6		St. Louis Eagles St. Louis, Mo.	Notes: Won NY2LA Swish N' Dish
The St. Louis Eagles go from unranked and unnoticed to a spot in the top 10 after taking the NY2LA 16U Championship this week. They beat former No. 1 Mac Irvin Fire, Meanstreets and All-Ohio Red along the way.
7	9	Playaz Basketball Club (N.J.) Paterson, N.J.	Notes: Advanced to finals of Playaz Spring Fling
The Playaz lost in the finals of the Spring Fling two weekends ago to Team Takeover, our new No. 1. This past weekend they played up at the final phase of the Spring Fling, placing second in their pool behind the 17U Long Island Lightning team.
8	2	Team Scan New York, N.Y.	Notes: Won Brewster Easter Classic
Chris McCullough and company couldn't take home the title at the Spring Fling two weekends ago but got back on track this past weekend, winning the Brewster Easter Classic.
9	10	Las Vegas Prospects Las Vegas, Nev.
The Prospects will try to keep building after winning the adidas Super 64 late last season. With a bevy of talented guards, including Dinotae Jones, we expect them to gain momentum as the season picks up.
10	1	Mac Irvin Fire Chicago, Ill.	Notes: Advanced to finals of NY2LA Swish N' Dish
The Mac Irvin Fire no longer have Paul White, and they missed him right away. After just one week atop the polls, they fell twice at NY2LA — once to eventual champion St. Louis Eagles and once to Ray Allen Select.
11	11	MN Pump N' Run Minneapolis, Minn.
The Pump N’ Run had the week off last week, but will be competing in tournaments for the next three weeks straight. In order to stay in the rankings, they will have to have solid outings at each event moving forward.
12	12	Indiana Elite Bloomington, Ind.
They took the past week off and have another bye week this weekend. As the adidas VIP Exclusive Run approaches on April 20-22, 6'7'' big man Mangisto Deng better be ready to man the interior while the rest of their team rounds into form.
13		All-Ohio Red Columbus, Ohio	Notes: Semis of NY2LA Swish N' Dish
A semifinal appearance at NY2LA was enough for All-Ohio Red to join their 17U team in our Power Rankings. They beat Ray Allen Select this week before losing to the St. Louis Eagles — certainly a respectable defeat.
14	15	Ray Allen Select Milwaukee, Wisc.
Ray Allen Select gets a bit of a boost this week for knocking off Mac Irvin Fire. Time will tell how good that win actually is.
15	14	Forest City Heat Forest City, N.C.
With L.J. Peak on it’s side – and the two years of varsity experience that he brings to the table – the Heat are expected to be competitive all season long.
16	8	Meanstreets Chicago, Ill.
Meanstreets went 2-2 at NY2LA, with a heartbreaking one-point loss to the St. Louis Eagles and an eight-point defeat in the seeding showcase at the hands of the Iowa Barnstormers, who are now a watchlist team.
17	16	MoKan Elite Kansas City, Mo.
The Elite should be poised to begin their season in Minneapolis after taking the first few weeks of the season off in Kansas City. MoKan kicks off their season on April 20 with an appearance at the IM Basketball Spring Showcase in Minneapolis, MN followed by the Battle of the Arch in St. Louis, MO the weekend of April 27.
18	13	Louisville Magic Louisville, Ky.
The Louisville Magic went into this weekend looking to separate themselves from the middle of the pack. Instead, they went 2-1 at NY2LA with a loss to CIA Bounce.
19	17	CP3 All-Stars Winston-Salem, N.C.
Fresh off of a local tournament victory, the CP3 All-Stars have reason to feel good about themselves. Now, they have to warm up to competition at the national level.
20	19	Arkansas Hawks Little Rock, Ark.	Notes: Won Memphis Magic Invitational
The Arkansas Hawks played up this week with their 17U team and swept through the Memphis Magic Invitational.
21	21	Oakland Soldiers Oakland, Calif.	Notes: Finalist Oakland Soldiers Easter Extravaganza
Trevor Dunbar ran this team to the final of the Oakland Solders Easter Extravaganza this past week before falling to their 17s in the championship game. On their way to the final they beat Portland ICP's 17s, which featured Jordan Bell and Roschon Prince.
22	20	IBA Select Naperville, Ill.
The Illinois crew is one of the best in the midwest and they refined their skills at a warm-up tournament this past weekend, winning title honors. They will be playing up next weekend at the Hall of Fame Championship in Chicago.
23	22	BABC Boston, Mass.	Notes: Won Zero Gravity MASS
BABC stayed local this week and won the Zero Gravity MASS event with wins over Bay State Flash and VBC.
24	18	KC Run GMC Olathe, Kan.
Nick Norton will be the player to watch this year as the reigning Jayhawk Invitational champions look to gain some respect on the national level.
25	25	Oakland Rebels Oakland, Calif.	Notes: Semis Soldiers Easter Extravaganza
This team played up at the Soldiers Easter Extravaganza before bowing out to the Soldiers 17s team in the semifinals. They will host their own tournament this weekend.
Best of the Rest Iowa Barnstormers, CIA Bounce, Albany City Rocks, Southern Stampede, Cincinnati Knights, Worldwide Renegades