Way Too Early Preseason Top 25 Team Rankings: 1-5

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the 2023-2024 High School Basketball season is just a few months away and Fall Leagues taking place beginning in just a few weeks. Prep Hoops Florida is taking a deeper dive at the way too early Top 25 teams in the state of Florida, regardless of classification. We will start by previewing our top five teams heading into the upcoming season. A lot of new faces are in new places as well this upcoming season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#1 Montverde Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Montverde Academy Eagles continue to re-load with talent all over the court, as they are coming off a 23-2 record in the 2022-2023 season. The Eagles will be returning their leading scorer in 6-7 senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1125933' first='Liam' last='McNeeley'], 6-9 senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1089573' first='Derik' last='Queen'], 6-8 senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1529069' first='Cooper' last='Flagg'] and 6-10 senior power forward [player_tooltip player_id='1055578' first='Asa' last='Newell']. Montverde Academy also added some new faces as they added 6-6 sophomore combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1696183' first='Kayden' last='Allen'] to the mix. The Eagles are expected to be a heavy favorite in the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) for a second consecutive year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#2 IMG Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The IMG Academy Ascenders could make a strong argument as well when it comes to seeing who the top team in the state of Florida is. The Ascenders finished with an 18-8 record last season and look to find their primary point guard after Blue Cain graduated last season. However, The Ascenders will be led by the 6-7 senior wing duo [player_tooltip player_id='1125963' first='Amier' last='Ali'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1127315' first='Khani' last='Rooths'] this upcoming season. They did land a key transfer in 6-9 senior power forward [player_tooltip player_id='2197284' first='Donnie' last='Freeman'], who is a Syracuse commit. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#3 Columbus</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The two-time defending Class 7A State Champion Columbus Explorers are coming off a 2022-2023 season where they were ranked as high as #11 in the nation, according to the MaxPreps' XCellent Top 25 Polls. The Explorers have landed another duo of brothers that are sons of a former NBA star. The Explorers landed 6-2 senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2197286' first='Jase' last='Richardson'] and his younger brother 6-6 sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='2134647' first='Jaxon' last='Richardson'], who are the sons of 14-year NBA veteran Jason Richardson from Bishop Gorman (Nevada) back in the summer. The Explorers do retain their leading scorer in 6-10 junior power forward [player_tooltip player_id='1301714' first='Cameron' last='Boozer'] who averaged a team-best 21.1 points and 11.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1301715' first='Cayden' last='Boozer'] who is arguably the team's best playmaker also will share the backcourt this upcoming season, as he averaged a team-best 4.3 assists per game last season. The Explorers are expected to be a heavy favorite to win their third consecutive state championship this winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#4 Riviera Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defending Class 3A State Champion Riviera Prep Bulldogs are coming off a 2022-2023 season where they won the school's first ever state championship. The Bulldogs finished 27-6 last season and defeated Windermere Prep, 51-27 to claim the Class 3A title last March. Riviera Prep retains 6-4 junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1301788' first='Dante' last='Allen'] who led the team averaging 21.6 points, 7.7 rebounds per game and shot 61 percent from the field, including 49 percent from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs also have a youthful backcourt that features 6-1 freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='2294486' first='Myles' last='Fuentes'] and his older brother 6-0 sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2294486' first='Myles' last='Fuentes'] who are two of the state's best perimeter shooters. The Bulldogs are expected to compete with Windermere Prep, Providence and Westminster Academy as favorites for the Class 3A title this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#5 Oak Ridge</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Oak Ridge Pioneers are coming off a 2022-2023 season where they finished 19-10 and were eliminated in the Class 7A semifinals by Winter Haven. The Pioneers are returning a huge culprit of the team's offense led by 6-1 junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1301787' first='Jalen' last='Reece'], 6-5 senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1055776' first='Tyler' last='Johnson'] and 6-5 senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1055794' first='Jordan' last='Tillery']. The Pioneers also added another member to their supporting cast during the off-season adding 6-6 junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1301713' first='Jamier' last='Jones'] who played this past season for IMG Academy. Another name to keep an eye on this upcoming season for Oak Ridge will be 6-6 senior combo forward [player_tooltip player_id='1163617' first='Cameron' last='Simpson'], UCF commit who averaged 12.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game for the Pioneers last season. Oak Ridge and Columbus look to be the favorites right now to win the Class 7A Championship this upcoming season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->