30 Louisiana Players Nominated for 2010 McDonald's All-American Game

This year's class of 2010 has been well represented on the list of nominated players for the prestigious McDonald's All-American game which includes close to 1500 nominated senior nationally of about 30,000 that play for their high school teams. Being one of 30,000 to be mentioned is an honor in itself but to actually move on and get to play in the game is even greater. Here is a list of players from Louisiana that have been selected to play in the game.

1978 Micah Blunt East Jefferson (Metairie) Tulane
1982 Benoit Benjamin Carroll (Monroe) Creighton
1983 Tom Curry Redemptorist (Baton Rouge) Marshall
1986 Dwayne Bryant De La Salle (New Orleans) Georgetown
1986 Fess Irvin East Ascension (Gonzales) LSU; James Madison
1990 Melvin Simon Shaw (Marrero) New Orleans
1992 Duane Spencer Cohen (New Orleans) Georgetown; LSU
1993 Jerald Honeycutt Grambling Tulane
1993 Randy Livingston Newman (New Orleans) LSU
1994 Neil Reed East Jefferson (Metairie) Indiana; Southern Mississippi
1996 Lester Earl Glen Oaks (Baton Rouge) LSU; Kansas
1997 Marcus Fizer Arcadia Iowa St.
1998 Stromile Swift Fair Park (Shreveport) LSU
2000 Chris Duhon Salmen (Slidell) Duke
2003 Brandon Bass Capitol (Baton Rouge) LSU
2004 Glen Davis University (Baton Rouge) LSU
2005 Tasmin Mitchell Denham Springs LSU
2006 Demond Carter Reserve Christian Baylor
2006 D.J. Augustin Brother Martin(New Orleans)/Hightower*(Sugarland,TX) Texas
2008 Greg Monroe Helen Cox (Harvey) Georgetown

*= Moved to Hightower his senior year after Hurricane Katrina

Below is a list of all 30 players nominated from our state along with their picture. Of the 30 nominated ten* kids have signed their national letters of intent to play college. Leading the list of players are four nationally ranked players by Rivals including two in the top 100. Matt Derenbecker(71), Shavon Coleman(97), Langston Galloway(120) and Brian Williams(127) have all been nominated to play in the game.

*=Technically only nine signed but Dominick Scelfo of Jesuit will be at Cornell. With Cornell being an Ivy League school, they don't offer athletic scholarships, only academic.

LOUISIANA

In Alphabetical Order

Chip Armelin Sulphur High School Sulphur LA

Markel Brown Peabody Magnet High School Alexandria LA

Signed with Oklahoma State

LaDon Carter Richwood High School Monroe LA

Jacolby Colbert Westgate High School New Iberia LA

Shavon Coleman Thibodaux High School Thibodaux LA

Signed with UL-Monroe

Matt Derenbecker Metairie Park Country Day School Metairie LA

Signed with Louisiana State University

Langston Galloway Christian Life Academy Baton Rouge LA

Signed with St. Joseph's University(PA)

Michael Harrell Southern University Laboratory High School Baton Rouge LA

Signed with Southeastern Louisiana University

Cedric Jenkins Riverside Academy Reserve LA

C.J. Johnson Rapides High School Lecompte LA

YonDarius Johnson Plain Dealing High School Plain LA

Kaleb Knight Christian Life Academy Baton Rouge LA

Signed with Grambling State University

Antonio Landers Ouachita Parish High School Monroe LA

Keelon Lee Abbeville High School Abbeville LA

Trevon Lewis Ellender Memorial High School Houma LA

Kyle McClue Riverside Academy Reserve LA

Ronald Mcghee Istrouma High School Baton Rouge LA

Elridge Moore St. Augustine High School New Orleans LA

Daniel Piper Pineville High School Pineville LA

No picture

Patrick Robinson, Jr. Christian Life Academy Baton Rouge LA

Signed with Northwestern State University(LA)

Dominick Scelfo Jesuit High School New Orleans LA

Committed to Cornell University

Gary Stewart Vidalia High School Vidalia LA

Patrick Swilling, Jr. Brother Martin High School New Orleans LA

Dantrell Thomas Many High School Many LA

J.J. Thomas Scotlandville Magnet High School Baton Rouge, LA

Signed with Stephen F. Austin(TX)

McCall Tomeny Christian Life Academy Baton Rouge LA

Tyler Washington Port Allen High School Port Allen LA

Hakeem Welch Alexandria Senior High School Alexandria LA

Brian Williams Glen Oaks High School Baton Rouge LA
Signed with Oklahoma State

Thomas "TJ" Williams Jonesboro Hodge High School Jonesboro LA

Louisiana D-1 Ambassador and Beau Chene Star Joseph Charles: Overcoming Adversity Against All Odds

Highlights are from the 2009 River City Showdown at the University of Memphis Finch Center

and the 2009 Memphis Select Classic IV Tournament which both stretched from July 9-15

By Larry Young
lyoung@dailyworld.com
The Daily Advertiser

Take a long, hard look at the 5-foot-9 kid playing starting point guard for Beau Chene high school. Watch him play.

Observe how he flies up and down the court with free will, often generating a fire-like spark his teammates feed off. How he scores, penetrates and passes with ease.

Then imagine that two years ago, in a matter of minutes, all that was almost stripped away from him.

You'd never know that same kid, Joseph Charles, is fresh off the road of recovery from a two and a half year break, which almost ended his basketball career.

How'd it happen?

One October night, Charles was headed to Beau Chene to watch the game he loves most — basketball.

Minutes later, a serious car accident leaving him with a punctured lung, among other injuries derailed those plans. He never made it.

The repercussions from the accident left the then high school sophomore with two choices. He could either spend seven months in a halo, which would help his neck heal. Or risk surgery, a move that could have potentially left him paralyzed from the neck down.

Charles chose the halo. In turn, the decision helped the speedy guard make a swift recovery and avoid neck surgery.

He said his time in the halo provided him some much needed time to get things right.

"Sitting in the halo made me think what I wanted to do with life," Charles said. "I got back in school, started hitting the books and playing basketball."

Charles' comeback bid has been nothing short of his signature style on the basketball court: hard and fast. But it wasn't always that way.

At one point during his recovery, Charles said he had given up. He didn't want to play basketball anymore. Then, one day, he picked up a ball and played around.

Jumpers began to fall. Charles noticed he still had it.

From there the rest is history.

"I just got back on court and started working hard again," Charles said.
It was during this time he thought of all the trips he made to watch Beau Chene basketball games when he was unable to play. During that seven-month span, he watched and began plotting his return.

Why Beau Chene?

"All my family members came here," Charles said. "When my uncle (Kentrail Charles) was here he brought them to the top 28, so I'm trying to do it again."

Before enrolling at Beau Chene at the beginning of the school year, Charles spent his freshman year at Carencro, before transferring to Acadiana Prep midway through his sophomore year.

Then, the car accident came just months before he was to first suit up for Acadiana Prep. He never played there.

"It just made me realize that I shouldn't take things in life for granted," Charles said. "Life's short. You have to go at it and get it."

Since then he's lived by those words.

And first year Gators coach Roy Young is satisfied with his floor general. He said he is fortunate to have the levelheaded senior. He also tabbed him the team's scoring and emotional leader.

"The fact that I was new and he was new probably benefited both of us," said Young, who neither knew Charles nor had any knowledge of his accident before this school year.

"Technically the only basketball he's had the past few years is AAU ball. That's a totally different game. That's the biggest transition he's had to make. I think he's making it fairly well."

Take another long, hard look. It's safe to say he's making it fairly well.

Big Time district games, Rematches Highlight a Great Friday Night of Basketball

Lot's of big time games tonight in the state. Let's start in Class B and C, where 4-Time district 9-C and 10-C champion Family Christian hosts Jehovah Jireh. JJCA is ranked 4th in the power rankings. Family Christian has been playing without their 6'7" junior Joseph Larson who is out for the year with a torn ligament in his knee. JJCA has a great history of being an elite team in Class C up until 2006. Now Coach Dirk Ricks has his team back in the upper echelon of team in Class C and look poised for a Top 28 run. Another class C to watch is a game will feature top 10 teams in Grace Christian and Sicily Island.  Sicily Island is back in the top 10 after losing all-state sguard Karlos Gary who was one of the best players in the entire state in 2009. Grace Christian is finally back in Class C after a 2-year absence and are coming off a quarterfinal appearance in Class B in which they lost to eventual state champ Zwolle.

In Class A, the big game on the schedule is a rematch of Christian Life vs. White Castle. In their first meeting at Christian Life, WC pulled the upset and defeated top-ranked CLA on the road. Tonight, White Castle Hosts Christian Life in what is probably the most intriguing match up in Louisiana in Class A and one of the best games on tap in the state. White Castle with a win can maintain their top spot in the district race while CLA with a win can take a share of lead for the district title. White Castle will look to a very favorable home crowd and the leadership of junior star Ronald Martin to lead them to the win while CLA will look to St. Joseph's signee Langston Galloway(right). Christian Life, who since that loss to the Bulldogs 3 weeks ago, have since beaten their oponents by an average of 42.2 points per game with the closest being a victory of East Iberville which was decided by 16. White Castle on the other hand has only averaged 20.2 points per win since the CLA upset. On paper you may think CLA won't lost again to WCHS but don't be too quick to say that. CLA has kept White Castle from the Cajun Dome last year and in 07 and in 08 CLA beat them in the semi-finals. There is a lot of bad blood between the two. This will be the type of game that will be decided by who plays the toughest, the most poised and who can limit turnovers. This will definitely be one of the best games in the state tonight.

In 2A, one of the best rivalries in the class is in 7-2A with Dunham vs. Episcopal. Since their last meeting, an 8 point Dunham win at home, the Tigers have dropped 3 of their last 4 and Episcopal hasn't lost since. The Knights of EHS are led by the state's and the country's top freshman in 6'5" Brian Bridgewater. Dunham will look to their senior leaders of Jasper Caine, Kyle Planchard, Dantrail Butler and Tre Celestine to counter EHS. The biggest key to the game isn't who will stop Bridgewater but it will be how well can Dunham stop the other 4 EHS players. This game is huge for Dunham. If they can get the win it will stop their slump of losses and give them a huge momentum lift going into February. Another key game in this  7-2A district race is Capitol hosting Pointe Coupee Central. Capitol is led by former Parkview Baptist coach Don Green who spent the last few years as principal at Carroll HS in Monroe. PCC is led by senior guard DJ Cobb and another senior leader in Idrakery Lewis.  A third game to really lookout for tonight is Red River traveling to Many. The last meeting of the two teams was a Many loss at Red River. The two teams now are ranked 1 and 3 in the state. Many comes in the top ranked team in the power rankings despite losing to RR a few weeks earlier. Many will look at Dantrell Thomas, Rod Davis, DJ Palmer and Nic Jacobs to lead the way while RRHS counters with two very good players in the Cordarius' Johnson and Smith. Johnson is a high flying athlete that can really score the ball and Smith is a player that can really score it as well and in a variety of ways. Definitely keep an eye on these games tonight. 2A has definitely got some of the best games in the state tonight.

Left: Red River's Cordarius Smith,  Right: P.C.C.'s DJ Cobb

Left: Episcopal's Brian Bridgewater, Right: Many's Dantrell Thomas

In Class 3A, the biggest game of the night is in district 2-3A with Carroll hosting Caldwell. Carroll, the district leader at 4-0 on the 1st part of district looks to continue their district streak. Caldwell who started the year with a 25-0 record has since only won 1 game. This game will be huge for Caldwell if they can pull the upset.

Left: Bossier's Jalan West, Right: Minden's A'Torri Shine

Left: Peabody's Markel Brown  Right: Alexandria's Christavious Gill

Class 4A also has a big time game on tap as Alexandria Senior High hosts Oklahoma State Signee Markel Brown and top ranked Peabody. This game is big for a few reasons. In their first meeting back in November, Peabody won 66-29. Since then, Peabody is still undefeated, still have Markel Brown, still have the states winningest active coach in Charles Smith but a few things have changed. One has been the steady play of Doc Welch for ASH and the emergence of freshman point guard Christavious "Tay-Tay" Gill. Not only is this big for ASH if they want to win a district title but it is big because it is a big time rivalry game as well. ASH has dropped a game already to Leesville so to lose this would drop them to 3rd. Should be a good game but I still expect Peabody to be undefeated after tonight. Another big time game will be Bossier who hasn't lost a game since they lost to Christian Life in the Ballin' on the Red tournament back in November, taking on Minden who comes in at 24-4. BHS will be led by Jalan West, a 5'11" sharp-shooting guard that can do it all. Minden counters with A'Torri Shine another player that is highly talented and a heck of an athlete.This is definitely one of the most intriguing matches in 4A tonight and one of the best games in the state along with CLA/White Castle. Another big time matchup will be between district 6-4A rivals Opelousas and Northside. Northside comes in at 21-6 while Opelousas is a misleading 8-15. Why do I say misleading, well it is easy. Although they are very talented, they are equally as young. OHS is led by 2 juniors in Jalen Pullard and Avalokeia "Tubby" Malveaux along with 6'4" freshman Clarence "Pooh" Hamilton. OHS started the year out 3-13 but since they are 5-2 in January and have losses to St. Martinville and district rival Northside. The last meeting between the two was at OHS in which NHS easily beat the Tigers on the road. I don't expect Opelousas to come out and dominate the Vikings but don't be shocked if an upset happens. OHS is one of the hottest teams in 4A right now so keep an eye on this big time match up.

Now on to 5A and where better to start than with the state's top ranked team in Scotlandville. The Hornets are led by Stephen F. Austin signee J-Jay Thomas(right) and junior Levie Wright to go with a trio of very good sophomores in 6'8" Zarif Basile, Thaddeus Fortune and Deshawn Washington. The Hornets will have a huge test tonight as they go on the road to Central HS. Central has a record of 17-4 and their only district loss was to Scotlandville three weeks ago by 23. This time is different, CHS has now gotten to know SMHS' personnell, it is a home game and it is very tough to win at Central. If Scotlandville can win at CHS then that will be a big time road win for the young Hornets. Central counters with a lot of senior leadership that starts with PG Josh Veals, shooters Will and Wes Briscoe and the post play of Jae Cutno. This game should be a great matchup tonight. The other big time matchup tonight which could possibly be a preview to the 5A state title game is Jesuit hosting St. Augustine in a key 10-5A district game. The winner of this game will be the sole owner of the 1st place spot in district. This game is also a rematch of a game played earlier in the year the Nokia Sugar Bowl CYO classic in which Jesuit won. The difference this time around is that in the last meeting senior Dominick Scelfo, who will play at Cornell University next year, was not playing with a knee injury. He is now back and healthy and junior Brady Hadden has played well all year in Scelfo's absence. St. Augustine counters Jesuit with one of the best sophomore point guards in the state in Javan Felix and one of the top forwards in the sophomore class in Sydie London to go with senior leadership from Eldridge Moore. Not only does this game have talented players but it has an intrigue to it that goes back to the 60's that ended up in the making of a TNT movie called "Passing Glory" that talked about the prejudiced back in the 60's between the white schools playing the black schools. It was a great movie and now 40 years later the rivalry has continued and better than ever. Both teams know each other and respect each other. To add more intrigue to the matchup, St. Augustine is ranked 3rd in 5A while Jesuit is 5th. Should be a classic matchup tonight.

Jesuit's Dominick Scelfo left and St. Aug's Javan Felix right.

Jesuit's Brady Hadden

2010 LHSAA Power Rankings as of January 13th, 2010

Power Ratings are UNOFFICIAL due to schools not reporting/confirming game results As of January 13, 2010 Boys Basketball Power Ranking Report By Classification Tournament Games Included

All Power Rankings are as of January 13, 2010
Listings include top 32 Ranked Teams followed by the next 5 teams

Class 5A Power Rankings
School Wins Losses District

Scotlandville 15.25 19 4 5-5A
St. Augustine 14.82 20 3 10-5A
Jesuit 14.29 14 3 10-5A
Ouachita Parish 13.99 19 5 2-5A
LaGrange 13.66 17 5 3-5A
Brother Martin 13.44 15 5 10-5A
Sulphur 13.39 16 4 3-5A
Comeaux 12.83 13 7 4-5A
Natchitoches Central 12.60 17 6 2-5A
Hammond 12.51 15 3 7-5A
Destrehan 12.22 17 5 6-5A
Central - B.R. 12.15 14 4 5-5A
East Ascension 12.12 15 6 6-5A
St. Thomas More 12.04 11 6 4-5A
Westgate 11.86 12 8 4-5A
Covington 11.78 15 6 7-5A
Pineville 11.59 15 8 2-5A
Ehret, John 11.56 15 6 9-5A
Catholic - B.R. 11.45 14 6 5-5A
Slidell 11.45 14 6 7-5A
Ponchatoula 11.41 12 9 7-5A
Hahnville 11.30 13 5 6-5A
Southwood 11.09 13 10 1-5A
Central Lafourche 11.02 13 6 8-5A
Airline 10.69 15 10 1-5A
Byrd, C.E. 10.54 15 9 1-5A
Assumption 10.50 12 9 8-5A
West Jefferson 10.37 11 9 9-5A
West Monroe 10.29 9 7 2-5A
Thibodaux 10.28 13 8 8-5A
Denham Springs 10.24 14 8 5-5A
Lafayette 10.05 12 7 3-5A

Archbishop Rummel 9.81 13 9 10-5A
Barbe 9.77 11 9 3-5A
Acadiana 9.53 12 10 3-5A
Fontainebleau 9.48 12 8 7-5A
Walker 9.19 10 12 5-5A

Class 4A Power Rankings
School Wins Losses District

Bossier 17.40 23 1 2-4A
Peabody Magnet 17.35 20 0 4-4A
Minden 13.98 22 3 2-4A
Cecilia 13.71 14 4 6-4A
Istrouma 13.71 16 4 7-4A
Glen Oaks 13.62 15 4 7-4A
DeRidder 13.49 16 6 5-4A
Wossman 13.45 16 6 3-4A
Ellender, A.J. 12.90 21 3 8-4A
East Jefferson 12.72 16 5 9-4A
Washington-Marion 12.60 9 3 5-4A
Tioga 12.54 14 5 4-4A
Neville 12.28 18 6 3-4A
Franklin Parish 12.11 19 3 3-4A
McDonogh #35 12.05 12 8 10-4A
Salmen 11.92 14 5 9-4A
Northside 11.89 16 6 6-4A
Alexandria 11.04 14 8 4-4A
Huntington 10.96 12 8 1-4A
Karr, Edna 10.88 9 8 10-4A
Morgan City 10.49 13 8 8-4A
Houston, Sam 9.97 15 10 5-4A
Vandebilt Catholic 9.81 10 10 8-4A
Haughton 9.81 9 9 2-4A
St. Martinville 9.80 16 9 6-4A
Grant 9.73 10 10 4-4A
St. Louis 9.51 9 6 5-4A
Cox, Helen 9.44 13 10 8-4A
Benton 9.28 6 8 2-4A
Easton, Warren 9.13 13 10 10-4A
West Ouachita 9.07 14 6 3-4A
Woodlawn - B.R. 8.95 11 9 7-4A

Beau Chene 8.88 13 9 6-4A
Franklinton 8.67 12 8 9-4A
Belle Chasse 8.55 13 6 8-4A
Walker, O.P. 8.48 7 8 10-4A

Class 3A Power Rankings
School Wins Losses District

Plaquemine 13.61 19 1 8-3A
Vidalia 13.37 14 2 3-3A
White, E.D. 12.32 14 4 6-3A
Caldwell Parish 12.13 25 1 2-3A
Iowa 11.87 12 9 4-3A
Carroll 11.75 13 7 2-3A
Green Oaks 11.43 19 5 1-3A
Rayville 10.89 15 5 2-3A
Abbeville 10.65 13 5 5-3A
Crowley 10.36 11 6 4-3A
North DeSoto 10.32 12 7 1-3A
Marksville 10.27 15 8 3-3A
Port Allen 9.79 11 8 8-3A
Holy Cross 9.77 12 10 10-3A
Bogalusa 9.63 8 7 9-3A
De La Salle 9.43 12 6 10-3A
Madison 9.32 15 6 2-3A
Amite 9.27 13 7 9-3A
Erath 9.27 13 5 5-3A
Rayne 9.20 10 11 5-3A
Avoyelles 9.05 11 8 3-3A
Northwest 8.98 11 10 4-3A
Redemptorist 8.90 9 12 7-3A
Patterson 8.54 6 11 6-3A
Richwood 8.42 8 7 2-3A
Northeast 8.38 11 9 7-3A
Loyola Prep 8.22 8 12 1-3A
Franklin 8.15 14 10 6-3A
Eunice 7.71 6 9 4-3A
Jena 7.62 11 8 3-3A
Bolton 7.34 3 11 3-3A
Baker 7.34 6 11 7-3A

Kaplan 7.28 10 11 5-3A
Westlake 7.19 7 13 4-3A
Washington, B.T. 6.96 5 13 1-3A
Bunkie 6.91 6 11 3-3A
Brusly 6.83 7 14 8-3A


Class 2A Power Rankings
School Wins Losses District

Many 15.09 15 7 3-2A
Riverside Academy 14.52 15 4 9-2A
Anacoco 14.34 17 3 4-2A
Red River 14.19 22 3 3-2A
Springfield 13.41 15 4 8-2A
St. Thomas Aquinas 12.79 18 5 8-2A
Episcopal 12.63 19 5 7-2A
Evangel Christian 11.73 15 5 1-2A
Dunham 11.67 17 7 7-2A
Mamou 11.50 16 6 5-2A
Donaldsonville 11.29 14 6 7-2A
Jonesboro-Hodge 11.14 13 5 3-2A
Port Barre 11.06 14 2 6-2A
Rosepine 10.90 13 7 4-2A
Pointe Coupee Central 10.54 16 8 7-2A
Lakeview 10.41 10 10 3-2A
Lakeside 10.37 12 10 1-2A
Pickering 10.19 12 10 4-2A
Pope John Paul II 9.65 12 7 8-2A
Douglass, F.A. 9.60 15 4 10-2A
Farmerville 9.52 7 13 2-2A
Loreauville 9.24 11 5 6-2A
Homer 9.17 8 13 1-2A
Jefferson, Thomas 8.97 13 2 10-2A
Welsh 8.95 11 9 5-2A
Kinder 8.83 7 7 5-2A
Lusher Charter 8.81 14 8 10-2A
Calvary Baptist 8.71 9 14 1-2A
Capitol for Boys 8.52 10 9 7-2A
St. Helena Central 8.50 11 6 8-2A
Newman, Isidore 8.48 12 8 10-2A
South Beauregard 8.45 10 9 4-2A

East Beauregard 8.40 8 7 4-2A
Sterlington 8.33 18 7 2-2A
North Caddo 8.27 12 12 1-2A
Winnfield 8.03 5 11 3-2A
St. Charles 7.92 7 12 9-2A

Class 1A Power Rankings
School Wins Losses District

Christian Life 16.12 17 2 8-1A
Metairie Park Country Day 12.77 17 4 9-1A
North Central 12.02 16 4 5-1A
Plain Dealing 11.69 15 4 1-1A
East Iberville 10.95 12 6 8-1A
Elton 10.88 15 3 4-1A
Central Catholic 10.80 10 4 7-1A
Arcadia 10.71 11 6 1-1A
St. Mary 9.93 13 9 3-1A
Basile 9.75 8 3 4-1A
Ecole Classique 8.73 11 6 9-1A
White Castle 8.56 9 12 8-1A
Northwood - Lena 8.55 11 6 3-1A
Block 8.43 7 10 3-1A
Varnado 8.42 10 7 6-1A
Southern Lab 8.36 6 8 6-1A
Gueydan 8.22 9 9 7-1A
Ascension Catholic 8.11 7 11 8-1A
Cedar Creek 7.68 7 11 2-1A
Delcambre 7.67 10 8 7-1A
Grambling 7.61 9 13 1-1A
Delhi 7.36 6 12 2-1A
Hamilton Christian 7.13 8 12 4-1A
Tensas 7.06 10 7 3-1A
Crescent City 6.94 11 10 9-1A
Haynesville 6.93 6 10 1-1A
Montgomery 6.83 6 10 3-1A
St. Martin's Episcopal 6.69 8 8 9-1A
Vermilion Catholic 6.38 7 9 7-1A
Ringgold 6.37 7 10 1-1A
Oberlin 6.35 3 5 4-1A
Oak Grove 5.99 4 11 2-1A

Merryville 5.93 6 16 4-1A
LaSalle 5.71 8 8 3-1A
St. John 5.67 4 7 8-1A
Jackson 5.59 6 11 6-1A
Hanson Memorial 5.54 4 12 7-1A

Class B Power Rankings 
School Wins Losses District

Rapides 15.04 29 5 6-B
Midland 14.58 23 3 7-B
Fairview 14.56 20 6 5-B
Zwolle 14.56 24 8 4-B
Hornbeck 11.92 16 11 5-B
Simsboro 11.40 18 10 3-B
Centerville 11.11 19 9 8-B
Lacassine 10.83 17 14 7-B
Glenmora 10.27 17 11 6-B
Florien 10.01 10 13 4-B
Houma Christian 9.99 10 3 8-B
Summerfield 9.62 10 12 1-B
Gibsland-Coleman 9.49 15 13 1-B
Quitman 9.46 13 8 2-B
Bell City 9.45 14 14 7-B
Holden 9.44 19 13 9-B
Pitkin 9.37 10 17 5-B
Castor 8.91 14 12 2-B
Negreet 8.85 13 14 4-B
Doyline 8.69 13 9 1-B
Hosanna Christian 8.65 15 11 9-B
Singer 8.62 12 12 5-B
Shongaloo 8.62 9 11 1-B
Hathaway 8.39 8 14 7-B
Monterey 8.30 12 8 6-B
Grand Lake 7.26 11 15 7-B
Weston 7.25 11 13 2-B
Maurepas 7.05 14 12 9-B
Simpson 6.97 9 18 5-B
Converse 6.32 8 20 4-B
Evans 6.07 8 17 5-B
Forest 6.06 6 16 3-B

Bethany Christian 5.88 9 11 9-B
Avoyelles Public Charter 5.85 12 11 6-B
Mt. Hermon 5.71 6 9 9-B
Episcopal of Acadiana 5.64 5 16 8-B
Stanley 5.47 3 16 4-B

Class C Power Rankings
School Wins Losses District

Pleasant Hill 16.39 21 4 3-C
Athens 13.94 26 4 1-C
Jehovah-Jireh 12.08 13 7 9-C
Plainview 12.04 24 6 6-C
Grace Christian 10.79 16 6 5-C
Spearsville 10.12 17 12 1-C
Dubach 9.69 12 9 1-C
Kilbourne 9.56 19 3 2-C
Sicily Island 9.51 12 8 5-C
Marion 9.36 9 6 1-C
Pelican 8.84 10 11 3-C
Grand Isle 8.63 14 13 10-C
Atlanta 8.56 10 9 4-C
Calvin 8.42 13 13 4-C
Saline 8.36 7 15 4-C
Reeves 8.05 9 11 6-C
Elizabeth 7.62 14 14 6-C
Starks 6.95 8 16 8-C
Assembly Christian 6.82 12 11 7-C
Claiborne Christian 6.63 13 8 2-C
Hicks 6.53 9 18 6-C
Northside Christian 6.38 7 16 7-C
Family Christian 6.32 8 21 9-C
First Baptist Christian 6.28 10 4 10-C
Epps 5.92 7 15 2-C
Cotton Valley 5.78 8 16 1-C
Bishop McManus 5.71 4 6 10-C
St. Joseph's - Plaucheville 5.65 8 18 5-C
Johnson Bayou 5.54 6 13 8-C
Phoenix 4.85 3 15 10-C
Ebarb 4.72 4 21 3-C
Hackberry 4.66 6 11 8-C

Georgetown 4.47 1 24 5-C
La. School for Deaf 4.14 2 6 9-C
Bienville 4.12 1 16 4-C
Holy Rosary School 3.68 3 15 10-C

Back to Business with LSWA State Rankings

After taking 3 weeks off and missing coverage on some of the top tournaments in the state along with quite a few upsets since our last post on Dec. 17th, the Louisiana Basketball Report is back. The past 3 weeks have been a tough time for me personally so I am glad some of you have been keeping me updated on the teams all throughout the state. I will be trying to update you all on tournaments winners and upset losses from the past 3 weeks throughout this week along with updates for this week. So, I figure the best way to start off the year will be the first set of rankings by the Louisiana Sportswriters Association(LSWA). This year they are doing a little different in that the Class B and C polls are combined. I don't know why or understand their logic but to me I think it is not good to do that. More Class B teams will be ranked over Class C teams or vice versa. We will see how it works as the year goes on. Below you will see the rankings for the week of January. 11-18.

BOYS


CLASS 5A
First Place votes in Bold
Total Points in ( )
School Record Points

1. St. Augustine (7) 19-3 (116)
2. Jesuit (2) 15-5 (106)
3. Scotlandville (1) 17-4 (104)
4. Ouachita (1) 18-5 (99)
5. Brother Martin 18-4 (84)
6. Sulphur 16-5 (74)
7. LaGrange 13-5 (66)
8. Hammond 13-3 (43)
9. Westgate 16-8 (39)
10. John Ehret 14-6  (27)

Others receiving votes: Hahnville 26, Natchitoches Central 24, West Monroe 12, Airline 7, Catholic-BR 7, Destrehan 7, St. Thomas More 6, Byrd 3, East Ascension 3, Central 1, Comeaux 1.

CLASS 4A
First Place votes in Bold

Total Points in ( )
School Record Points

1. Peabody (7) 24-0 (128)
2. Bossier (4) 19-1 (125)
3. Glen Oaks 16-4 (92)
4. Ellender 21-3 (80)
5. Minden 20-3 (60)
6. Salmen 12-5 (56)
7. Washington-Marion 12-4 (55)
8. Istrouma 14-4 (47)
9. Northside 16-6 (45)
10. Wossman 15-5 (42)

Others receiving votes: Franklin Parish 40, Cecilia 18, Neville 18, DeRidder 14, Tioga 12, McDonogh 35 10, East Jefferson 6.

CLASS 3A
First Place votes in Bold

Total Points in ( )
School Record Points

1. Caldwell (6) 25-0 (123)
1. (tie) Plaquemine (3) 19-1 (123)
3. Vidalia (2) 13-2 (116)
4. Carroll 12-5 (89)
5. Abbeville 13-5 (71)
6. Green Oaks 16-4 (67)
7. Richwood 8-7 (65)
8. E.D. White 13-4 (63)
9. Rayville 13-5 (53)
10. Holy Cross 12-9 (26)

Others receiving votes: De La Salle 23, Iowa 22, Franklin 14, Madison 12, Erath 10, Crowley 1, Marksville 1.

CLASS 2A
First Place votes in Bold

Total Points in ( )
School Record Points

1. Riverside (8) 18-5 (125)
2. St. Thomas Aquinas (2) 18-5 (117)
3. Red River (1) 22-3 (115)
4. Many 15-6 (73)
5. Port Barre 13-2 (66)
6. Dunham 17-6 (64)
7. Anacoco 17-3 (57)
8. Episcopal-BR 18-4 (46)
9. Springfield 14-4 (44)
10. Evangel 14-5 (41)

Others receiving votes: Pointe Coupee Central 33, Douglass 20, Jonesboro-Hodge 20, Sterlington 20, Donaldsonville 15, Pope John Paul II 3, Rosepine 1.

CLASS 1A
First Place votes in Bold

Total Points in ( )
School Record Points

1. Country Day (6) 21-5 (127)
2. Christian Life (5) 19-4 (126)
3. North Central 15-4 (100)
4. Plain Dealing 14-4 (98)
5. Elton 14-2 (80)
6. Arcadia 10-6 (74)
7. Central Catholic 10-4 (65)
8. East Iberville 10-6 (61)
9. Basile 10-4 (37)
10. Northwood-Lena 9-4 (29)

Others receiving votes: White Castle 23, Grambling 3, St. Mary’s 2.

CLASSES B-C
First Place votes in Bold

Total Points in ( )
School Record Points

1. Midland-Class B (5) 22-3 (119)
2. Zwolle- Class B (1) 22-7 (117)
3. Rapides- Class B (4) 28-4 (116)
4. Athens- Class C (1) 25-4 (98)
5. Fairview- Class B 18-6 (85)
6. Pleasant Hill- Class C 19-3 (76)
7. Plainview 20-6- Class C (51)
8. Centerville 19-9- Class B (50)
9. Kilbourne- Class B 16-2 (49)
10. Simsboro 17-9- Class B (23)

Others receiving votes: Hornbeck 20, Grace Christian 15, Holden 12, Claiborne Christian 11, Jehovah-Jireh 5, Sicily Island 4, Hosanna Christian 1, Lacassine 1.