Florida high school basketball: Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings

The 2024-2025 high school basketball season in the Sunshine State wrapped up in March. We start to turn our heads and look ahead to the way too early edition of the Top 25 high school boys basketball programs in the Sunshine State for the 2025-2026 season

Victory Christian (10) Quinton Wilson goes up for the shot over North Tampa Christian (3) AJ Jones during the FHSAA 1A state semi final game at the RP Funding Center Tuesday February 25, 2025 in Lakeland Fl. Victory won 65-63 in 4 overtime periods. Ernst Peters/The Ledger / Ernst Peters/The Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2024-2025 high school basketball season in the Sunshine State wrapped up in March. We start to turn our heads and look ahead to the way too early edition of the Top 25 high school boys basketball programs in the Sunshine State for the 2025-2026 season.

High School on SI Florida provides an exclusive early look at the Top 25 boys basketball rankings heading into the 2025-2026 season.

2025-2026 Way-Too-Early Boys Basketball Rankings

1. Columbus

The four-time defending state champion and first-time Chipotle Nationals Champions are at the top of the rankings. The Explorers have a new coach in charge as well in former assistant coach Jorge Milo who was named head coach when Andrew Moran departed for the University of Miami back on April 11.

2. Calvary Christian Academy

The reigning Class 3A state champion Calvary Christian Academy Eagles bring back 6'5 guard KJ Francis and 6'0 guard Cayden Daughtry.

3. IMG Academy

The IMG Academy Ascenders reached the Play-in Bracket at last month's Chipotle Nationals where they were the 8-seed but had their season come to an end against 9-seed Wasatch Academy (Utah) back on April 2.

4. Montverde Academy

The Montverde Academy Eagles have made a coaching change after Kevin Boyle left the program to take over at SPIRE Academy (Ohio). The Eagles named former Gonzaga (D.C.) head coach Steve Turner their new head coach back on March 31.

5. DME Academy

DME Academy will return a star-studded backcourt that features 6'4 combo guard Amari "AJ" Cummings and 6'1 point guard Nathan Kirk. DME Academy will look to have a new starting point guard next season after Mikel Brown Jr. will be playing under Pat Kelsey at the University of Louisville.

6. Riviera Prep

The three-time defending state champion Riviera Prep Bulldogs have high expectations heading into the 2025-2026 season where they'll look to become the third South Florida program to win four consecutive state championships, joining Dillard and Columbus.

7. The Villages Charter

The Buffalo came up short in the Class 3A Championship Game against Calvary Christian Academy, 66-64, back on March 1. The Buffalo retain four starters led by guards Aaron Britt Jr. and Jared Thompson.

8. St. Thomas Aquinas

The Raiders won their second state title in program history on March 8, winning 71-63 over Orlando Evans. The Raiders retain their leading scorer in combo guard Clarence Westbrook Jr.

9. West Oaks Academy

West Oaks Academy could emerge as the early favorites to win the Sunshine Independent Athletic Association (SIAA) Championship next season, where they retain 7'0 center Marcis Ponder, who has received offers from Sacramento State and Tennessee over the last couple of days.

10. The Rock

The Lions played one of the toughest schedules in the Sunshine State, where they retained four-star shooting guard Joseph Hartman, combo guard Colton Sembower, and wing Isaac Layow.

11. Stranahan

The Mighty Dragons won the Class 4A Championship with a 63-62 win over Gibbs back on March 6 where they erased a 6-point deficit in the final 20 seconds of regulation. The Mighty Dragons will be led by 6'9 center Isaiah Brown, 5'10 guard Damari Foster, and 6'3 wing Christian Yeargin.

12. Andrew Jackson

The Tigers under first-year head coach Byron Shemwell reached the Final Four for the third time in the last four seasons.

13. Westminster Academy

The Lions play one of the toughest schedules in the Sunshine State where they came off a 14-13 record in 2024-2025 and reached the regional semifinals before losing to three-time defending state champion Riviera Prep.

14. Gibbs

The Gladiators came up just short in the Class 4A Championship Game, losing 63-62 to Stranahan back on March 6. Gibbs retains two starters featuring 6'3 guard O'Neal Delancy and 6'10 center Mike Broxton.

15. Sagemont

Sagemont will be an intriguing program to follow for the 2025-2026 season, where they will look to replace Matthew Able, who committed to play collegiate basketball at North Carolina State. 6'7 wing Kevin Thomas averaged 17.3 points per game for the Lions where he was a key factor in their Class 1A Championship back in February.

16. Blanche Ely

The Tigers won their 9th state championship in school history, where they defeated Ponte Vedra, 44-38 back on March 7.

17. Sarasota

The Sailors reached the Final Four for the first time in 56 years last season and retain their leading scorer in 6'2 guard Johnny Lackaff who averaged a team-high 21.9 points per game

18. Lake Highland Prep

Lake Highland Prep won 23 games in the 2024-2025 season which marked their 3rd season in the last four years to win 20-plus games. Expect the Highlanders to make a lot of noise next season led by guards RJ Ingram and Michael Madueme.

19. Windermere

The Wolverines finished the 2024-2025 season with a 26-6 record and reached the Class 7A semifinals before their season came to an end against Columbus.

20. Oak Ridge

The Pioneers have a bright future where they will look to be led by 5'10 guard Torrence Moore next season. The Pioneers lost all five starters due to graduation, where they had the 2024-2025 season came to an end in the regional finals against Windermere.

21. North Broward Prep

North Broward Prep at No. 21? The Eagles have a dynamic backcourt that could make a ton of noise in the 2025-2026 season featuring 6'7 wing Samuel Cano and 6'1 guard Jayden Smith.

22. Cardinal Gibbons

Cardinal Gibbons reached the Class 3A semifinals in the 2024-2025 season where they had their season come to an end against Calvary Christian Academy.

23. Pembroke Pines Charter

The Jaguars finished the 2024-2025 season with a 19-8 record and had their season come to an end in the regional final against Class 5A champion Blanche Ely.

24. Hawthorne

The Hornets won the Rural-Classification Championship where they defeated Crossroad Academy, 59-38 back on February 28.

25. Victory Christian Academy

The Storm have a bright future in their starting backcourt, where they will be led by 6'4 guard Quinton Wilson and 6'0 guard Tucker Fox, who lifted them to their first-ever State Championship Game appearance by hitting the game-winning three in the semifinals against North Tampa Christian back on February 25.

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