There’s no better time to unveil our initial “Prep Hoops Next National Team Rankings” than the present, with several major holiday tournaments concluded, and a number of exciting events on the calendar ahead that are sure to shake up the current arrangement of clubs.
Trust that you won’t find a more detailed list than the winter edition of our rankings release for the Class of 2025. Not only does this group feature the top 25 teams nationally, but we’ve also included a “watchlist”, which highlights an additional twenty-five 8th grade teams to monitor as the grassroots hoops season gets into full swing.
Before crying foul, there are a couple of things to consider when perusing these lists. The first is eligibility. In order to be considered for this list, teams cannot have more than two (2) players residing in a state different from the respective “home state” of that program.
Additionally, all players on the roster must reside in the “home state” or a bordering state. Due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, there are several teams that meet these criteria, but have welcomed “guest” players to compete with them intermittently. Those players were omitted when considering the respective teams’ positions on the ranking.
The second matter to consider is that these rankings, like all others, are simply an opinion intended to spark positive dialogue. As we recognize the teams featured on our rankings, we encourage omitted teams not to perceive their absence as a slight.
Our staff makes every effort to be as knowledgeable and accurate as possible, but the fact remains, rankings will change constantly. It’s still extremely early in the year and we are looking forward to catching many more teams in action during the coming months.
We’ll continue to monitor the youth hoops scene with each passing week to prepare for our next scheduled update which will occur at the official start of spring (the week following March 20th, 2021). To nominate your team for future consideration please email info@prephoopsnext.com!
8TH GRADE (’25) NATIONAL TEAM RANKINGS
[table “1” not found /]8TH GRADE (’25) NATIONAL WATCHLIST
[table “2” not found /]Stay tuned for more from Prep Hoops Next!