Top 25 Florida high school boys basketball rankings: Montverde Academy begins at No. 1

The Eagles have been the most impressive team in the Sunshine State through the early going

We switch over from the gridiron to the hardwood as it's high school basketball time throughout the country and there's plenty of great hoop action going on in the Sunshine State. 

With Christmas and New Years fast approaching, national tournaments will be taking place around the state involving many of the top teams.

Who are those top teams everyone should be watching out for? We've got you covered with our first set of Power 25 rankings for boys basketball in Florida. 

Here’s the complete breakdown of Florida's elite high school basketball teams for the 2023-2024 season, as we see it for rankings.

1. Montverde Academy (11-0)

Ranking rationale: Reason being, this Montverde Academy team is absolutely loaded top to bottom. The Eagles have yet to lose a game yet and are playing this week at the prestigious City of Palms' tournament, where they started off with a dominating 110-57 win over Cannon. 

2. Columbus (6-2)

Ranking rationale: The Explorers are another team like IMG Academy that has a loss to Montverde Academy and another nationally-ranked program, Wasatch Academy. Other than that? The lead duo of Cayden-Cameron Boozer and other twin nightmare of Jase-Jaxon Richardson have shown their dominance throughout the South Florida circuit.

3. IMG Academy (2-3)

Ranking rationale: Yes, the Ascenders' have three losses on the season but before judging their record too hard, see the following teams: Montverde Academy, AZ Compass Prep and Bullis. All three teams are national powers and would tough games for anyone on this list. Well, unless you're Montverde Academy. 

4. Riviera Prep (7-3)

Ranking rationale: Last year's Class 3A state champions brought back many members of that very team, including guard Dante Allen. The Bulldogs have three losses, but they've come against a couple of the country's best in Columbus (see above) and Long Island Lutheran, arguably the nation's top club alongside Montverde Academy. 

5. Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian (7-1) 

Ranking rationale: The Eagles are soaring out of the gates and their lone loss of the season came at the hands of Riviera Prep (see above). If you wonder where this team is at when it comes to impressive wins, check the schedule as Calvary Christian has defeated always tough Sagemont and Centennial (California). 

6. Winter Haven (5-1) 

Ranking rationale: Remember these guys from a year ago? The team that gave the Columbus Explorers everything they could handle? Winter Haven is back on track to compete once again for the Class 7A state championship, with Isaac Celiscar (21.4 points per game) and Jamie Phillips (19.2 points per game) leading the way in the backcourt. 

7. Orlando Christian Prep (9-1)

Ranking rationale: The Warriors are always seemingly in the conversation when it comes to competing for state championships. There's no reason why Orlando Christian Prep won't be heavily in those conversations now with the way they're playing, with its lone loss coming to Corner Canyon (Utah). 

8. St. Thomas Aquinas (10-2) 

Ranking rationale: Playing all-around solid basketball are the Raiders of Fort Lauderdale. With just a couple losses on the season to Pembroke Pines Charter and Lexington Catholic (Kentucky), St. Thomas Aquinas is a team that's shown the ability to compete with anyone in Class 6A. 

9. Sagemont (7-3)

Ranking rationale: The defending Class 2A state champions from a season ago have looked good from the outset behind the play of Kevin Thomas and Patrick Liburd. Both players are averaging around 17 points per game and will be relied upon to lead Sagemont throughout the season. 

10. Edgewater (11-1) 

Ranking rationale: When it comes to public schools out of the 407, the Edgewater Fightin' Eagles are playing some really good basketball right now. Taking a look at their lineup, the Eagles have three scorers averaging 15 points per game or more this season, with Myles Mayfield leading the way with 17.3. 

11. Northeast (9-1) 

Ranking rationale: Class 5A better watch out as the Hurricanes are ramping up to be one of the state's better clubs heading into the new year. With only one loss under their belt against Stranahan, Northeast has impressed through 10 games. Leading the way is Landen Joseph, who is averaging 14.6 points per game. 

12. Pembroke Pines Charter (8-2)

Ranking rationale: There's no doubting the play of this Jaguars' team through their first 10 outings. This Pembroke Pines Charter team is playing really well, behind the play of 6-foot-7 wing Josh Harris, who is averaging over 20 points per game. Pembroke Pines owns an overtime victory over St. Thomas Aquinas this season. 

13. Gibbs (7-1)

Ranking rationale: There's a new top team of St. Petersburg, Florida and that's the Gibbs Gladiators. It's been a pretty impressive start for Larry Murphy's bunch, coming off a 23-6 campaign last year. The breakout player for Gibbs this season has been freshman Oneal Delancy, who is averaging a team-high 16.4 points per game. 

14. Westminster Academy (5-2) 

Ranking rationale: Picking up where they left off last season, Westminster Academy has looked sharp against some of the state's better competition. The Lions this season played a nationally-ranked Long Island Lutheran club somewhat well, falling 83-59. The impressive win to date came up against Oak Ridge earlier this season. 

15. Wellington (8-0)

Ranking rationale: Hard not to like what's going on over in Palm Beach County with the Wolverines. This club has been winning games by a pretty wide margin. The point differential for Wellington this season is 225, with the closest game being a 56-44 defeat of Western. A January 9th meeting with Dwyer should be interesting. 

16. Oak Ridge (6-2) 

Ranking rationale: The Pioneers didn't let a 1-2 start deter them whatsoever as they've strung together five straight wins since then. Oak Ridge's only two losses on the season have come against Bishop O'Connell (Virginia) and Westminster Academy. Looking ahead, we really like the January 19th's matchup against Olympia. 

17. Dwyer (7-1)

Ranking rationale: It seems like no matter what year it is, the Panthers always come creeping up eventually as one of the state's better ball clubs. This winter provides no different story compared to past years, with Dwyer picking up some impressive wins along the way. Only loss has come at the hands of Western.

18. Western (8-2) 

Ranking rationale: The Wildcats have played a tough slate of games through the opening 10 and their only two losses have come against teams on this list (Pembroke Pines Charter, Wellington). Other than that, Western has been one of the tougher teams out of South Florida. 

19. Lake Worth (8-2) 

Ranking rationale: Another Palm Beach County team that usually finds themselves in the mix come postseason time is the Lake Worth Trojans. Lake Worth's two losses have come against St. Thomas Aquinas and Hileah Educational Academy. A Dec. 28 meeting against Windermere looms large as 2023 comes to a close. 

20. Blake (11-1)

Ranking rationale: Outside of a loss to Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian, the Blake Yellow Jackets have been one of the better teams in the state this season. What will help determine how good this Blake squad is are upcoming games against Providence School and Gibbs.

21. Williston (8-0)

Ranking rationale: We'd be remiss if we didn't make a mention of the defending Class 1A state champion Red Devils on this list. Williston is playing some high level basketball right now and all signs point to this team making a run at repeating as state champions.

22. Sarasota (8-1)

Ranking rationale: Outside of a loss to IMG Academy's national team to begin the season, Sarasota has rattled off eight straight victories heading into the winter break. Upcoming games against North Port and Cardinal Mooney will be tough tests for the Sailors.

23. Santa Fe Catholic (7-1)

Ranking rationale: The Hawks have raced out of the gates with some solid victories, including against Bartow, Lake Highland Prep and SLAM Tampa. With Santa Fe Catholic's only loss coming up against Sarasota this season, this team could continue trending upwards as they have some tough games ahead. Tate Darner leads the club with a team-high 19.8 points per game.

24. Palmetto Ridge (9-0)

Ranking rationale: Now we've got to respect the strong start of Palmetto Ridge so far this season. Nine straight wins to start the season, but the Bears are going to face some tests here as Christmas and New Years roll around. Games against Gateway Charter and Vero Beach will show us a little more evidence of where this club is at.

25. Milton (11-0)

Ranking rationale: I mean until someone beats Milton, it's hard to keep these Panthers outside of the top 25 rankings. You might use the 'they play in the Panhandle' line, but this team has won by pretty big margins throughout. Not to mention they've received really good play from players like Treymar Jones and Christopher Jaylen McKinley. 

On the outside looking in: Brooks Debartolo Collegiate, Brooksville Central, Florida Christian, Hileah Educational Academy, Lake Highland Prep, Mainland, Marianna, Northwestern, North Broward Prep, North Tampa Christian Academy, NSU University, Olympia, Oviedo, Paxon School, Rickards, Rockledge, Sanford Seminole, Sneads, Stranahan, Tampa Catholic, Victory Christian Academy, Windermere, Wiregrass Ranch

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl