Strictly BBall Newsletter 16

Naismith POY Candidates, New Top 10 Team Rankings

Who is the Naismith Player of the Year?

by Griffin Greenberg on February 14

February marks the last month for high school regular season basketball and end of season awards are around the corner. Let’s look at our Naismith POY top 5 candidates, as well as the new top 10 and 2 big event recaps!

THIS WEEK’S TOP STORIES

Updated Strictly BBall Top 10 Rankings

This week features a lot of movement in the top-10. IMG Academy makes their reappearance at No. 9 with wins over Prolific Prep and Oak Hill. Take a look at the full list.

1. Montverde Academy (FL)

2. Paul VI (VA)

3. Columbus (FL)

4. Long Island Lutheran (NY)

5. Prolific Prep (CA)

6. Link Academy (MO)

7. La Lumiere (IN)

8. AZ Compass Prep

9. IMG Academy (FL)

10. Brewster Academy (NH)

5 Naismith Boys’ HS Player of the Year Candidates

by Griffin Greenberg 

With the Naismith Awards announcing their semifinalists in the final 10 Naismith Boys’ HS Player of the Year Candidates, we went ahead and cut that list to 5. Take a look:

1. Cooper Flagg (Montverde Academy)

One of the most highly recognized recruits in recent high school basketball history is averaging 15.1 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.3 SPG and 2 BPG in EYBL Scholastic play. The Duke commit is helping Montverde Academy sell out seats in every gym they play in and is currently on the way to leading his team to an undefeated season.

2. Derik Queen (Montverde Academy)

Queen is another player on the nation’s best team that makes a great case at winning Naismith Player of the Year. He’s averaging 17.6 PPG and 8.6 RPG in EYBL Scholastic play and has shown his elite passing ability at the center spot.

3. AJ Dybantsa (Prolific Prep)

The top player in the 2025 class and one of the best in the nation has led one of the most exciting teams to a dominant season. Dybantsa has done it all averaging around 20 PPG, including averaging 19.5 PPG in two matchups with No. 1 Montverde.

4. Cameron Boozer (Columbus)

The 2025 5-star is averaging 22 PPG, 11.2 RPG and 2.1 BPG on the season for the Miami public school. Boozer is having another monster season and has led Columbus to four wins over teams who are or at one point were in our top-10 rankings.

5. Dylan Harper (Don Bosco Prep)

The Rutgers commit is averaging around 20 PPG in his senior year at DB. He’s led them to a 23-3 record, which includes two wins over top-10 teams. Harper is one of the most exciting guards to watch in the nation and has proven why his name should be on this list.

Strictly Joe’s Take

by Joe Doerrer

With the season Montverde is having, I think the ultimate winner of this award has to come from that squad. Cooper Flagg will likely win the award and is very much deserving.

But I think there is a case to be made that Derik Queen has been close to as impactful for that Montverde squad. The Montverde offense runs through Derik A LOT and his chemistry with both Cooper Flagg and Asa Newell has been incredible to watch. I have not seen a high school passer and connector at the center position like Derik Queen.

Derik Queen may fall just short to his teammate for this award, but don’t be surprised if he wins a player of the year award at the next level some day.

Metro Classic Recap

by Griffin Greenberg 

One of the best HS basketball events was back in New Jersey last weekend and featured some of the nation’s top teams. Let’s take a look at the best games. These rankings are from at the time of the matchup.

No. 5 Link Academy (MO) 58 vs. No. 10 Brewster Academy (NH) 68

Link got off to a hot start, but it didn’t take long for Brewster to storm back. 7’3” Purdue commit Daniel Jacobsen led the way with 16 points (8-9 FG), 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks for Brewster as their bigs overwhelmed Link. Brewster outscored Link 30-14 in points in the paint, and shot 60% in the second half behind 15 each from Nojus Indrusaitis and Sebastian Wilkins to upset Link.

No. 7 La Lumiere (IN) 74 vs. No. 10 Brewster Academy (NH) 66

The Lakers held control for almost 32 minutes in this one, holding a 14-point lead heading into the final quarter thanks to a game-high 22 points, 14 rebounds and 3 steals from Jerry Easter II. However, Brewster would edge LaLu 19-5 in the fourth quarter, with Nojus Indrusaitis taking over. After a back and forth first OT, LaLu would pull away in the second, Darius Adams finished with 12 points and Steven Solanon finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

No. 5 Link Academy (MO) 48 vs. No. 6 Long Island Lutheran (NY) 61

One of the biggest games of the weekend did not disappoint, these two highly talented teams battled back and forth, with Link leading by a basket at the half. LuHi flipped the switch on in the second half, only allowing 16 points and holding Link to 5-27 (18.5% FG) shooting. VJ Edgecombe and Alier Maluk made a big impact defensively, with Edgecombe securing 4 steals and Maluk finishing with 4 blocks and 2 steals. Kayden Mingo led LuHi with 13 points and 4 assists.

Southern California Academy (CA) 77 vs. Phelps School (PA) 69

SoCal Academy and the Phelps School delivered an exciting game at the Metro Classic. SoCal Academy led the entirety of the game, but 2025 3-star Onyx Nnani and 2025 5-star Will Riley each scored 20+ to keep it close. However, it seemed every time Phelps made a push, SoCal Academy was right there to answer. Creighton commit Larry Johnson had 26 points and 10 rebounds, showing his dominance inside at the guard spot scoring the ball. Alabama commit Naas Cunningham had 26 points and 5 rebounds, showing his elite shooting ability at all levels, including hitting six 3-pointers.

No. 1 Montverde Academy (FL) 84 vs. St. Rose (NJ) 55

In a sellout game, Montverde dominated St. Rose to keep their perfect record going. Cooper Flagg looked elite with 28 points (11-14 FG), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks and 3 steals, Derik Queen had 22 points, 14 rebounds and 4 steals. On the other side, Villanova commit Matt Hodge had 21 points and 3 blocks.

EYBL Scholastic Weekend at IMG Academy

by Griffin Greenberg 

IMG Academy hosted multiple teams, including No. 6 Long Island Lutheran in an exciting atmosphere on their home court. These rankings are from at the time of the matchup.

No. 6 Long Island Lutheran (NY) 83 vs. IMG Academy (FL) 81

IMG continues to make their late season push to make nationals. Following a huge win over Prolific Prep, IMG faced off LuHi in a huge game backed by their sellout home crowd. LuHi started strong, holding a 13-point lead early in the second quarter before IMG started to chip away and cut it to 4 at the half. IMG would hold LuHi to 15% shooting in the third, but a late 4th quarter comeback would bring it to OT. LuHi got off to a hot OT start and escaped at the buzzer as Darius Acuff’s 3-pointer fell short. Edgecombe had 27 points and 3 blocks and Kayden Mingo had 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Oak Hill Academy (VA) 70 vs. IMG Academy (FL) 77

This was a battle between two teams that are seemingly right on the bubble to making nationals this year. In this one, the short-handed Oak Hill squad fought despite IMG holding a lead for the majority of the game. However, 26 points from Darius Acuff and 17 from Michigan commit Khani Rooths propelled IMG to a 7-point win. Michigan commit Christian Anderson finished with 24 points and 8 assists.

Recruitment Recap

Final schools

Class of 2025 5-star guard Joson Sanon is down to 10 schools… Arizona, UConn, Indiana, Kansas, Providence, Overtime Elite, Boston College, Kentucky, Georgia, and Louisville.

Class of 2025 4-star guard Jeremiah Green is down to 10 schools… Auburn, Texas A&M, Virginia, TCU, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Kansas State, and Houston.