Top 25 Illinois high school boys basketball rankings (12/8/2023)

Check out this week's Illinois boys basketball Power 25

Iowa recruits Owen Freeman and Brock Harding led Moline to the Class 4A title last season. Could the next big-school champ come from the I-74 corridor as well? 

Top-ranked Normal is big, experienced and primed to make a long playoff run.

Here is our breakdown of this week's SB Live Power 25 Illinois high school boys basketball rankings (records through Dec. 5):

Illinois high school boys basketball rankings

1. Normal (5-0)

The Ironmen's starting lineup features players who are 6-foot-10, 6-8, 6-6, 6-4 and 6-4. Leading the way is 6-10 Wright State recruit Jaheem Weber. He's joined by 6-8 Noah Cleveland, who sat out last season; 6-6 Bloomington transfer Niko Newsome and 6-4 Braylon Roman among others.

2. Homewood-Flossmoor (6-1)

Junior guard Bryce Heard, a top-100 junior nationally, has returned to the Chicago area from prep power Montverde Academy (Fla.) to lead the Vikings. They opened the season by winning the Chicago Heights Classic, beating Bloom in the title game. Their loss was to Gonzaga (D.C.) at the Chicago Elite Classic.

3. Bloom (4-1)

The Blazing Trojans bounced back from their loss to H-F by knocking off longtime rival Thornton 65-54 in Southland Conference action.

4. Thornton (5-1)

Like Bloom, Illinois recruit Morez Johnson and Thornton had a nice rebound from their first loss of the season, knocking off Chicagoland preseason No. 1 Kenwood 52-45 at the Chicago Elite Classic. The Wildcats also have a quality win over Peoria Richwoods.

5. Downers Grove North (5-0)

Last year's Cinderella team won't sneak up on anyone this season. Princeton recruit Jack Stanton is the emotional leader for the Trojans, who won 19 straight before falling to Moline and New Trier at state to finish fourth in Class 4A.

6. Mount Carmel (7-1)

Few players' stock rose faster over the summer than the Caravan's Angelo Ciaravino, who has signed with Northwestern. He's the go-to guy for the team looking to win the loaded Catholic League Blue. Mount Carmel lost 58-51 to Missouri power Vashon at the Chicago Elite Classic and has signature wins over Warren and Fenwick.

7. Curie (5-1)

Veteran coach Mike Oliver has the makings of yet another strong team that should be in the thick of the Public League Red South-Central race. The Condors' lone loss was 56-54 to Sidwell Friends (D.C.) at the Chicago Elite Classic.

8. Quincy (5-0)

The Blue Devils have their entire starting lineup back from a team that won 24 games and a Class 4A regional last season. That quintet also saw major minutes the year before for a 28-win sectional champion club.

9. Marist (7-0)

The RedHawks escaped St. Laurence 49-44 in overtime en route to a perfect start. They figure to be in the thick of the East Suburban Catholic title chase.

10. Brother Rice (7-0)

Another team in the Catholic League Blue race, the Crusaders already have notable wins over Loyola and Warren.

11. DePaul Prep (7-0)

The Rams move up to Class 3A after winning the 2A state title last season. They came from 19 down in the first quarter to beat neighborhood rival Lane 60-49 at the Chicago Elite Classic.

12. Lindblom (3-1)

Guards Je'Shawn Stevenson and Quentin McCoy lead an experienced club looking to make program history. The Eagles dropped their opener to Lincoln Park by a point, but have quality wins over Joliet West and Chicagoland preseason No. 1 Kenwood.

13. Whitney Young (2-2)

The Dolphins almost came from 28 down to beat Cardinal Ritter (St. Louis, Mo.) at the Chicago Elite Classic before falling 65-63.

14. De La Salle (6-0)

Yet another team with Catholic League Blue title aspirations is De La Salle, which has a win over returning Class 3A state placer St. Ignatius.

15. Benet (7-0)

The Redwings, who lost to Moline in last season's Class 4A final, will always be in the East Suburban Catholic and state conversation as long as coach Gene Heidkamp is on the sideline. This week he became the program's all-time leader with his 368th win at Benet.

16. Warren Township (6-1)

One of the fast risers in the season's early going, the Blue Devils have noteworthy wins over New Trier and Bolingbrook. Their lone loss came against Mount Carmel.

17. Glenbrook North (7-0)

The Spartans already have a signature win over their district rival Glenbrook South, which is off to a 5-1 start.

18. New Trier (5-1)

The Trevians are coming off a 33-win season that ended with a third-place trophy in Class 4A. Their defeat came vs. Warren.

19. Bolingbrook (4-1)

After winning the Decatur Turkey Tournament, the Raiders fell 77-64 to Warren at the Chicago Elite Classic.

20. Kenwood (3-2)

It's been an eventful start to the season for the Chicagoland preseason No. 1 Broncos. Coach Mike Irvin missed the first three games while sitting out an IHSA suspension for allowing a player to participate in summer workouts without having enrolled at Kenwood. The Broncos got past Lincoln Park, but lost 52-45 to Thornton at the Chicago Elite Classic and then dropped their Public League Red South-Central opener to Lindblom.

21. Lincoln Park (3-1)

Simeon grad Josh Anderson, whose dad Nick is a Chicago hoops legend, has the Lions making some noise in his first season. They knocked off Lindblom by a point and played Kenwood tough before falling.

22. Riverside-Brookfield (5-1)

The Bulldogs fell to Brother Rice but beat another top Catholic League team at the Chicago Elite Classic, edging St. Ignatius 50-49.

23. Kankakee (6-0)

Two-sport standout Larenz Walters is the spark plug for the Kays, who have yet to be tested — their smallest margin of victory so far was 17 points. 

24. Metamora (3-2)

This will be a farewell tour for veteran coach Danny Grieves, who has announced he'll retire at the end of the season. The Redbirds are coming off two consecutive 30-win seasons and trips to the 3A final, including last winter's championship. Two starters return, joined by Peoria Notre Dame transfer and Iowa-bound Cooper Koch. The two losses were against out-of-state teams over Thanksgiving.

25. Peoria Richwoods (6-1)

A pair of transfers — Rutgers recruit Lathan Somerville and DaQuan Little — join two returning starters from a team that lost to Metamora in the sectional final. The Knights' lone loss was to Thornton.

Vote: Who should be SBLive's Illinois High School Athlete of the Week (12/6/2023)?

Top 25 Illinois high school football rankings (11/29/2023)

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- Mike Clark | latsch@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveIL