High school basketball time is in full swing throughout the country and there’s plenty of great hoop action coming out of the Sunshine State.
Who are the 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.
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 took over the top spot after upending Montverde Academy, 59-57, in the City of Palms championship game a few weeks ago.
The long list of newbies that have joined the Eagles make this one, if not the, most talented team in the country. The biggest name transfer to head over to Montverde Academy is CJ Ingram, a Florida commitment. Only losses on the season have come to Brewster Academy National and now Columbus. The Eagles have bounced back with wins over Legacy Early College and Southeastern Prep Academy.
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. Routing a very good Oak Ridge team by 30 points at the City of Palms’ tournament spoke volumes about IMG’s talent.
We vaulted West Oaks Academy up the rankings a few weeks ago because of the Flames successes over the first 19 games. Only losing by 10 to Prolific Prep earlier in the season says a lot about this squad and how talented they’re.
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. The Raiders defeated Gibbs (see below) in the Kingdom of the Sun tournament championship and have won an impressive 15 in a row.
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. Having played the most games of any team on this list, DME Academy latest contest was a loss to Winston Salem Christian National (North Carolina).
Senior small forward Shon Abaev is one of the state’s top prospects in leading a very talented Eagles team. The Eagles have rushed out to a hot start with twelve straight victories.
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. Since the Gladiators fell against St. Thomas Aquinas at the Kingdom of the Sun tournament, they have won nine straight games.
The Lions take a little bit of a dip in this week’s rankings after a 67-61 loss to Gibbs last week. Upcoming games against Columbus, Sagemont and The Villages will be important down the stretch.
The Pioneers’ losses on the season have come against nationally ranked Montverde Academy, IMG Academy, Gonzaga, Duncanville and Pebblebrook. 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.
Despite losing Dante Allen to transferring to Montverde Academy, expect the Bulldogs to still be among South Florida’s top clubs. The Bulldogs had previously lost four in a row, but each game has come against a national power, including top-ranked Columbus.
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 Rock National defeated Williston in its latest contest.
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 before falling to St. Thomas Aquinas in a nail biter, 58-57. Only other losses have come to Jefferson (New York) and Providence Christian Academy. The Wildcats are on a 4-game winning streak currently.
The other top Tampa Bay area club on this list is the Yellow Jackets, which bring back 2026 4-star forward Joe Philon. Blake has defeated Gaither and Jefferson after a loss to Gibbs.
The Trojans make their way up the rankings after defeating Edgewater this past week. Evans making the case to be Central Florida’s top team. Two of Evans’ four losses have come to Windermere.
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. Andrew Jackson was undefeated through eight games until a stumble against Fleming Island, a 55-54 loss. Since then, Tigers have won nine straight contests.
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. Edgewater’s eight losses have come against very good Blake, Columbus, Evans, Mater Dei (California), St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Joseph (California) and Riviera Prep squads.
The Griffins remain strong in our rankings because of the quality of opponents they’ve played. Since a Jan. 2nd loss to Blake, Gateway Charter has won six straight games.
The Stingarees stay in our rankings even after their third loss coming against Sagemont, 72-65. Miami has been one of the top teams out of South Florida.
Sophomore Aaron Britt Jr. has been one of the best 2027 players so far this season, averaging around 20 points per game. The Buffaloes most recent loss was to St. Thomas Aquinas, 66-51.
Since narrowly losing to Lake Highland Prep to start the season, the Wolverines have been one of the state’s best teams. Two victories over Evans have continued to make this an impressive season for the Trojans.
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). Its been a tough stretch recently for Sagemont, losing back-to-back games to Blake and Windermere, but bounced back with a victory over North Broward Prep.
Making its debut into our rankings this week is the Charlotte Fightin’ Tarpons after they defeated Port Charlotte at the Wally Keller Classic this weekend.
The Bulls re-enter the rankings after a 115-13 throttling over Miami Booker T. Washington.
Since December 19th loss to Palmetto, the Sailors have won nine straight games.
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— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolsi
