The Baton Rouge area has the top two boys basketball teams in the first edition of the Top 25 Louisiana Boys High School Basketball Rankings for the second straight year. Actually, the top three teams are from the area this time.
Last season, Madison Prep and Liberty Magnet were No. 1 and No. 2 to start (finished No. 7 and No. 1, respectively). This year, our rankings debut a few weeks earlier with three teams from the same Baton Rouge area district – Zachary, Liberty and Catholic – occupying the top three spots.
Another member of District 4-5A – Central High – is right behind. Scotlandville (7-2) and Woodlawn-BR (9-4) are also members of the loaded league.
Here is a look at our top 25 teams in Louisiana. The rankings will be updated each week.
Power rating: No. 1 (Division I nonselect)
Last year, the top-seeded Broncos went 25-6 and lost to No. 8 Ruston in the quarterfinals. Xavier Ferguson, who averaged a team-high 18 points, is a returning starter along with 6-foot-4 Kristion Brooks, a star receiver for the football team.
6-foot-1 sophomore guard Ian Edmond scored 26 points with five steals in a win over Mandeville. Ferguson is averaging 18.5 pgg. Edmond is scoring 12.5 ppg.
The Broncos are perfect so far against a challenging schedule that includes Captain Shreve, St. Thomas More, Northside, Crescent City and Alexandria.
Power rating: No. 5 (Division I select)
The Patriots went 26-3 last season and won the Division I select championship. Key players include Malek Robinson, Chivas Lee, Kingston Jarrell, Devin Houston and Kareem Washington. All five are averaging at least 8.8 points per game. Robinson is averaging 14.9 ppg, 6.7 steals, 6.2 assists and 6 rebounds (with only 2.4 turnovers). Kayden Colbert was called up from the junior varsity team, the Patriots announced on their X page.
Liberty is 3-1 against out of state competition with its only loss to Dynamic Prep (Texas). The Patriots defeated Archbishop Shaw, 66-56. Robinson scored 28 points with 10 rebounds, eight assists, eight steals and only one turnover.
Power rating: No. 1 (Division I select)
Key players for the Bears include Tate McCurry, Matthew Trahan, Matthew Hotstream, Sam Levy and Mikai Lacy. McCurry, Trahan and Hotstream all scored in double digits in Catholic’s second win over Archbishop Hannan, according to William Weathers of The Baton Rouge Advocate.
The Bears have wins over Crescent City, St. Augustine, Lake Charles College Prep and John Curtis Christian with a loss to Archbishop Shaw.
Power rating: No. 1 (Division II select)
The Eagles went 25-3 last year with an appearance in the state tournament. Kobe Butler, Triston Naquin and Allen Shaw are among the players to watch. Butler, a 6-foot-7 senior, is committed to Jackson State. Naquin led the team with nine points and 10 rebounds in the semifinal loss to Madison Prep as a freshman.
Butler, Naquin and Shaw all scored in double digits in a 59-53 win over Archbishop Hannan. The Eagles have wins over Madison Prep, Catholic-BR, Ponchatoula and Jesuit with losses to Sophie B. Wright and Liberty.
Power rating: No. 9 (Division II select)
The Warhorses went 28-5 and defeated Madison Prep for last year’s state title. Peabody is thriving despite losing six seniors. Guard Rashad Mitchell is the leading returning scorer. Senior forward Isaiah Jones is another experienced player.
Mitchell had 22 points in a win over Evangel Christian and 17 in a win over New Iberia. Peabody has wins over Beau Chene, Avoyelles Public Charter, Carroll and Captain Shreve with a loss to Carroll.
Power rating: No. 2 (Division I nonselect)
Players to watch include Jermaine O’Conner, Trae Dorsey, Jeremy Williams and DaJuan and DaSean Golman. O’Conner and Williams are each averaging more than 13 points per game. DaSean Golman is shooting 62% from the field.
The Yellow Jackets have wins over defending state champion Ponchatoula, Hammond and French Settlement and have routed their last five opponents by at least 20 points following the 71-66 win against Ponchatoula.
Power rating: No. 4 (Division I select)
The Trojans lost to No. 1 St. Thomas More in last year’s quarterfinals as a No. 8 seed. Guard Jarvell Bordelon is averaging 17 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Jordyn Johnson (12.5 ppg) and 6-foot-6, 200-pound junior Tyshawn Duncan (9.3 ppg) are players to watch.
Alexandria has wins over Ferriday, Natchitoches-Central, Marksville and Northside with losses to Carroll and Zachary (in overtime at the Southside Tournament).
Power rating: No. 5 (Division I nonselect)
The Chiefs went 29-8 and finished as runner-up to Ponchatoula. All-state guard Logan Smith graduated. Ja’Dell Demery, Jaden Braden, Jacorien Beard and Harold Remo were key underrclassmen. Demery and Braden both averaged double figures. Beard had a pivotal 3-pointer in last year’s 60-56 semifinal win over Ruston.
Braden scored 16 points with three assists in a 47-40 win over Lake Charles College Prep. Demery added 14 points and 16 rebounds.
Remo had 13 points and three steals. The Chiefs have wins over Zwolle and Tioga with losses to Marksville and Alexandria.
Power rating: No. 6 (Division II select)
The Trailblazers are paced by junior guards Jaiven and Juriah Matthews and junior wing Evan Burns. Jaiven Matthews averages a team-high 12 points per game. 6-foot-7 senior center Brayden Sinegal provides size in the middle.
LCCP lost by two points, 45-43, to No. 17 Washington-Marion in the first round of last year’s playoffs. The Trailblazers have wins over Madison Prep, Wossman, Lafayette Renaissance and Northwest with losses to Catholic-BR and Natchitoches-Central.
Power rating: No. 5 (Division II select)
The Chargers went 26-3 and finished as runner-up to Peabody Magnet. Jayce Depron, Josh Smith and Quentin Dabney were among several graduating seniors. Key players include Wes Favorite, Elijah Garner, William Nelson and Landon Epps. Favorite and Nelson combined for 17 points and 17 rebounds in a 46-39 win over L.B. Landry.
The Chargers have wins over Captain Shreve, Northwest and Woodlawn-BR with losses to Archbishop Shaw and Lake Charles College Prep.
Power rating: No. 8 (Division I nonselect)
The Wildcats lost by one point in the opener to Crescent City with wins over Hammond, St. Michael and Frederick Douglass. Max Tingle, Markell Sampson (6-7, 195), Jalen Thomas, Collin Verrett, Kedrick Franklin (6-5, 205) and Jace Conrad are among the players to watch.
Power rating: No. 2 (Division I select)
The Cougars, who went 29-2 and finished as runner-up to Liberty, have played the bulk of their games out of state. STM is 5-1 vs. out of state opponents with a 64-56 loss to Desert Vista (Arizona) in the championship game of the Great Desert Shootout.
Matthew Cook scored 21 points in the loss. Grayson Roy had 10. The Cougars made 10 3-pointers in a 63-33 semifinal win over Mountain View (AZ). John Luke Bourque scored 14 points. Trenton Poiter added 12 points. Xarian Babineaux and LG Carbo are players to watch.
STM lost to Zachary with wins over Albany, St. Michael and Southside.
Power rating: No. 2 (Division II select)
The Wildcats went 34-4 and won a state title last season. Zion Weeks, who returned this season, scored 10 points with five rebounds and four assists in the championship game vs. Iowa. Antron Mason transferred to Bastrop.
Weeks scored 32 points with six rebounds, three assists and three steals in a win over West Monroe. Wossman also has wins over Huntington, McDonogh 35, Hamilton Christian, Marksville and Ouachita Parish with losses to Ouachita Parish and Lake Charles College Prep (59-58 in overtime). Guard Davey Mays had 25 points with six 3-pointers in a win over Neville.
Power rating: No. 5 (Division I select)
Key players include Ben Cimini, Zachary Lagraize, Tyler Farley and Tanner Hughes. Cimini scored 25 points with four 3-pointers in a win over De La Salle. Jesuit, which lost to Alexandria in the regional round of last season’s playoffs, has wins over Vandebilt Catholic (which is 7-1), McKinley and L.B. Landry with a two-point loss (52-50) to Archbishop Shaw.
Power rating: No. 1 (Division III select)
The fourth-seeded Cavaliers were upset by No. 13 Episcopal in last year’s playoffs. Coach Victor Morris returned star sophomore point guard Tyrone Jamison, who is averaging 17.3 points and 5.1 assists per game. Bubba Strong is averaging 10.8 ppg and 6-foot-2 sophomore guard Robert Wright is chipping in 9.4 ppg.
The Cavaliers have wins over Carroll, Crescent City, Huntington, Evangel Christian and Richwood with a 50-48 loss to Archbishop Hannan.
Power rating: No. 6 (Division I select)
The Green Wave are in their first year in select after winning state titles in Division I nonselect. Guard/forward Cory Jackson (6-3, 180) is the leading returning scorer. Cody Al-Naziat is another important returning player from a senior-heavy team that went 30-4, along with C.J Braziel (6-5, 205), Jairus McKay (6-4, 200) and Lamario Hammitt (6-7, 175).
Ponchatoula has wins over Northshore, Archbishop Rummel, St. Amant and Hammond with losses to Denham Springs and Archbishop Shaw.
Power rating: No. 7 (Division III select)
The Greenies lost two of their star players to prep schools, including five-star forward Chris Cenac, after going 20-3 and winning the state title. Randy Livingston Jr. scored 14 points in the title game victory over University Lab. Livingston is averaging 23 points, 4.3 rebounds and four assists per game. 6-foot-4 senior Peyton Foster is averaging 13.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Newman has a win over St. Augustine and a loss to McDonogh 35. Though seven of its top nine scorers last year were underclassmen, the Greenies lost several players to transfer.
Power rating: No. 7 (Division I select)
The Purple Knights lost as a No. 12 seed to No. 5 Edna Karr in last season’s playoffs. Cy Merrett transferred to Link Academy. Players to watch include Vashaun Coulon (QB on the football team), Aaron Miles, Braydon Boyd, Jaden Hughes, Javardes Brazile and Jakobe Shepeard.
St. Aug has wins over Bonnabel, Frederick Douglass and Sophie B. Wright with losses to Newman and Catholic-BR.
Power rating: No. 4 (Division II select)
Key players include Zachary Lauro, Cornelius Woodard, Paul Hoyt, Anthony Thompson and Drew Timmons (6-6, 200), who scored 36 points in a one-point win over John Curtis Christian. Lauro hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer.
Hannan, which lost as the No. 8 seed to No. 1 Madison Prep in last season’s quarterfinals, has wins over Calvary Baptist, Huntington and Woodlawn-BR with losses to Catholic-BR, Archbishop Shaw and Country Day.
Power rating: No. 2 (Division II select)
The fifth-seeded Terriers were upset by No. 12 St. Michael in last season’s playoffs. Key players include Jaylon Coleman, Jayden Coleman, Josiah Johnson and Jordan Matthews, who averaged 37 points through the first three games.
Vandebilt Catholic has wins over Archbishop Rummel and L.B; Landry with a loss to Jesuit.
Power rating: No. 4 (Division II nonselect)
The Bulldogs went 27-9 and lost to Wossman in last year’s semifinals. Demarion Deal, Trey Neal and Jaden Williams all averaged double figures as juniors. Carroll has won eight of its last 10 with victories over Captain Shreve, Peabody and Alexandria and losses to Ouachita Parish, Peabody, Calvary Baptist and Northside.
Power rating: No. 33 (Division I nonselect)
A slow start is nothing new for the Bearcats, who lost seven of their first 10 games last year without their football players and finished with a 20-10 record. Aidan Anding (15 ppg) and 6-foot-7 Ahmad Hudson (14 ppg) helped Ruston to a semifinal appearance where the Bearcats lost to Natchitoches-Central. Anding is an LSU football signee. Hudson is rated as a five-star 2027 tight end.
Power rating: No. 10 (Division II select)
The Vikings, who are under first-year coach Ross Rix (J.S. Clark), have wins over Washington-Marion, Carroll, Villle Platte and New Iberia with losses to Alexandria and Zachary.
Key players include Roman Kinsey, Jayden Jones and Jaydon Francis.
Power rating: No. 12 (Division I select)
The Lions, who lost by four points in the regional round to No. 10 Scotlandville as a No. 7 seed, returned explosive scorer Kevon’te Landry and Diego Duhon and Kam’Ron Brown. Landry scored 21 points with 11 rebounds and seven steals in a win over St. Martinville, according to Shannan Belt of The Daily Advertiser.
The Lions have a win over Division IV nonselect defending state champion Franklin.
Power rating: No. 1 (Division II nonselect)
The Yellow Jackets went 29-5 and finished as runner-up to Wossman. Several seniors graduated, led by Deshawn Caeser and Desamonte Gradney. Cohen Charles, who was named MVP of his team’s win over undefeated Lafayette Christian at Brad Boyd’s Cajundome Classic, returns along with Jeremiah Bushnell and Victor Fisher.
On the Bubble: East Ascension (10-0), Ouachita Parish (9-3), Brusly (10-1), Marksville (11-4), Sulphur (11-2), Richwood (10-4), Country Day (10-3), John Curtis Christian (10-4), Holy Cross (10-0), Huntington (8-3), David Thibodaux (9-1), Avoyelles Public Charter (11-4), Crescent City (8-4), Booker T. Washington-Shreveport (12-1)
Up and comer: Carencro, which is off to a 3-3 start, is bullish on its team with supporters claiming the Bears will finish the season as the best team in the Lafayette area. The campuses of Carencro, Northside and Lafayette Renaissance (7-2), which is in its first year under head coach Brad Boyd, are all located closely together near the intersections of Interstates 10 & 49.
