Top 25 Florida high school boys basketball rankings (11/29/2024): Montverde Academy remains at the top

The Eagles started off the preseason as the top program out of the Sunshine State; Columbus and IMG Academy come in at 2-3

Future Duke teammates Cameron Boozer (Columbus), Nik Khamenia (Harvard-Westlake) battle in the Les Schwab Invitational finals in Oregon in 2023. / Photo by Naji Saker, SBLive

We begin ever so slowly the transition of switching over from the gridiron to the hardwood as high school basketball time approaches throughout the country and there's plenty of great hoop action coming out of the Sunshine State. 

With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas, 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 second 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 2024-2025 season, as we see it for rankings.

1. Montverde Academy (3-0)

The long list of newbies that have joined the Eagles make this one, if not the, most talented team in the country. Most recent big name transfer to head over to Montverde Academy is CJ Ingram, a Florida commitment. A matchup against Long Island Lutheren on Dec. 7th should be a doozy.

2. Columbus (0-1)

After winning another Class 7A state championship, the Explorers are looking to end the Boozer twins time with one more title under their belts. This team is another that’s loaded up with transfers, bolstering the roster. The Explorers dropped their first game of the season, 66-54, to Prolific Prep.

3. IMG Academy (1-0)

Having guys like Arkansas commitment Darius Acuff Jr. and Syracuse commit Sadiq White Jr. highlight what is another star-studded class for the Ascenders. Once again one of the state's top teams.

4. Oak Ridge (2-0)

The Pioneers have opened up the season with wins over Olympia and Oviedo. Providence commitment Jamier Jones is the premier star for the Pioneers from last season after leading them to the Class 7A finals. LSU commit Jameel Jones pairs with Jones to form a solid duo.

5. Westminster Academy (0-0)

Another team that has a couple stars returning to their roster this fall is the Lions, which feature Florida commitment Alex Lloyd.

6. Sagemont (4-0)

Sagemont returns a very talented roster from last season, which includes shooting guard Matthew Able, who is already committed to the University of Miami (FL). Their latest victory was a 76-58 win over St. Frances Academy (Maryland).

7. West Oaks Academy (7-1)

We vault West Oaks Academy up the rankings because of the Flames successes over the first eight games. Only losing by 10 to Prolific Prep says a lot about this squad.

8. DME Academy (7-2)

When you see the kind of talent coming back to DME Academy this fall, it's hard to argue that they won't be one of the state's best this fall. Top player coming back is senior point guard Mikel Brown Jr.

9. Winter Haven (0-0)

Though the Blue Devils lose three of their top starters from a year ago, you can't count this Polk County powerhouse program out as one of the top programs.

10. Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian (1-0)

Senior small forward Shon Abaev is one of the state's top prospects in leading a very talented Eagles team. First win for the Eagles was a 76-54 victory over Coral Glades.

11. Gibbs (0-1)

Last year's Class 4A state champions have the Tampa Bay area's most talented team, with players like Jacob Daniels and O'Neal Delancy returning. Center Isaiah Medina rounds out a very sound Gladiators team. The Gladiators opened up the season with a 73-65 loss to Vashon (Missouri).

12. Western (1-0)

Losing to Columbus in the postseason last year was how the Wildcats' season ended, but Western has another strong group with the team's leading scorer from a year ago, Ethan Panton-Hazell, back. Western impressed in its opener against Pembroke Pines with a 51-48 win.

13. Riviera Prep (1-0)

Despite losing Dante Allen to transferring to Montverde Academy, expect the Bulldogs to still be among South Florida's top clubs. The Bulldogs knocked off a talented Lake Worth squad, 76-51, to start the season.

14. The Rock School (5-2)

You can always expect The Rock School to have one of the better teams in the state and this season is no different, with Joseph Hartman (2026 3-star) coming back. The Lions have some tough in-state tilts coming up against Rickards and FSU High, respectively.

15. Andrew Jackson (3-0)

The Tigers finished as the Class 4A state runner ups a year ago and bring back enough to make another deep postseason run this winter. Jahari Simmons leads the team with 20.3 points per game through three contests.

16. Miami Norland (2-0)

Winning the Class 5A state championship a year ago, the Vikings featured one of Dade County's deeper rosters and should be in line to be a contender once again. The Vikings just knocked off Langston Hughes of Georgia recently.

17. Pembroke Pines Charter (1-1)

The Jaguars won the Class 6A state crown last year and with another talented roster, Pembroke Pines Charter has a chance to do it again. Pembroke Pines dropped its first game to Western narrowly, 51-48.

18. Williston (1-0)

Back-to-back Class 1A state championships bring the Red Devils back as one of Florida's top teams. Williston defeated Wiregrass Ranch, 78-63, to open the season.

19. Blake (3-0)

The other top Tampa Bay area club on this list is the Yellow Jackets, which bring back 2026 4-star forward Joe Philon. Blake defeated Edgewater, 58-49, in its most recent victory.

20. Evans (2-0)

The Trojans enter the rankings after narrowly knocking off North Tampa Christian, 68-65.

21. Miami Country Day (1-0)

Opening up the season with a 79-63 rout of Miami Central was impressive. The Spartans will be challenged in this weekend's Hoopfeast in Wesley Chapel.

22. Edgewater (2-1)

The Fighting Eagles were right on the doorstep of winning it all in Class 6A and with kind of talent they have back, will have a chance to return to the finals. Darius Washington transferred in from Orlando Christian Prep, making this an even more dangerous club. Lone loss came against a very good Blake squad.

23. Bartow (3-0)

Got to like how the Yellow Jackets are playing right out of the gates. Bartow has notched impressive wins over Mulberry, George Jenkins and Jones.

24. St. Thomas Aquinas (2-1)

One of South Florida's most well rounded programs feature one of the top players in Florida State commitment Dwayne Wimbley Jr. Lone loss came to St. Frances Academy of Maryland.

25. North Tampa Christian (3-1)

A team that was on the rise last season was North Tampa Christian and they have one of the state's best players in 2026 5-star forward Toni Bryant back in the fold. The Titans started off 3-0 before falling to Evans.

On the outside looking in: Bell Creek Academy, Berkeley Prep, Brooks Debartolo Collegiate, Brooksville Central, Charlotte, Dwyer, Florida Christian, Gateway Charter, Hileah Educational Academy, Lake Highland Prep, Lake Worth, Mainland, Marianna, Milton, Northwestern, NSU University, Olympia, Oviedo, Palmetto Ridge, Paxon School, Rickards, Rockledge, Sanford Seminole, Santa Fe Catholic, Sneads, Stranahan, Tampa Catholic, Wellington, Windermere Prep, Wiregrass Ranch

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