7th Annual CSAL 8th Grade Preseason Basketball Rankings

Jamborees took place over the weekend, and the regular season games start tonight. First lets recap last season's preseason rankings compared to the final results.

St. George (preseason #2) upset STM (preseason #1) in the Elite 8 championship game.
Sacred Heart (preseason #3) defeated St. Aloysius (preseason #6) in the third place game.
St. Jude (preseason #5) defeated CHS (preseason #8) in the 5th place game.
ACMS finished 7th (preseason unranked), and Holy Family (preseason #7) finished 8th.
OLOM was preseason #5 and finished unranked.

Now what everyone has been anxiously waiting for, the preseason rankings for the 2012-2013 season:

1. St. George - The dragons continue to have the best collection of athletes in CSAL. They are looking for back to back championships for at least the third or fourth time in Elite 8 history. Their coaching staff has been called the best Italian duo since Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. Expect the typical full court press from start to finish (or at least until the game is in hand) that would make Nolan Richardson proud.

2. St. Jude - St. Jude had a somewhat disappointing season last year after being ranked preseason #3. It has been a while since they cut down the nets in the Elite 8. This program is still a top 3 program, but has been a step behind their rival St. George for few years now. With these schools separated by less than 5 miles, you know this rivalry gets heated, and there are some houses divided. Their young coach looks to have his team ready to play after a runaway jamboree victory against St. Elizabeth.

3. Sacred Heart - After a mid-season coaching change last season, the Tigers responded with a strong 3rd place finish. This season they boast some serious speed. They will get aggressive and trap you both in the full court and half court. This is especially successful on their smaller intimidating home court.

4. St. Aloysius - Gone are the days where the Lions split up into 2 teams and had trouble competing for championships. This Aloysius team looks like most in recent years. They are built on conditioning with their strong track and off-season programs. They like to play an up and down game and force the other team to make mistakes. They have been a perennial Elite 8 team over the past few seasons. Could this be the year they turn the corner and get to a championship game?

5. St. Thomas More - During last season, it was hard not to see "Eagle Pride" signs and hand signals everywhere. The disappointing championship game loss changed that though. This team may be different and less talented than last years, but the principles are still the same. They will still run the infamous Flex Offense that even former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan came down to study at point in order to improve his team's flex sets.

6. OLOM - It has been 3 years since OLOM has won a championship, but feels a lot longer to some Blue Jay fans. Last year marked the first time OLOM has missed an Elite 8 tournament in quite some time. They should bounce back this season with one of the best guard combos in the league.

7. St. Theresa - St. Theresa has one of the biggest and deepest teams in CSAL this year. They can go 10 deep with little to no drop off. They like to speed up the tempo with a 3/4 court press and then drop into a zone defense. The progression of their center will determine how far they go. This team is the favorite to win the lower division and could give some upper division teams fits.

8. CHS - The baby bears exceeded expectations last year with a 6th place finish. This year is going to be a challenge, but they certainly have potential. They had a disappointing loss to St. Theresa in the jamboree, but rumor has it they were missing 3 starters. Look for the typical motion offense and intensity on defense that have been staples of the CHS 8th grade since the son-father coaching duo took over about 10 seasons ago. Last season they had one of the top home attendance marks including a raucous student section comprised of mostly upperclassmen. If this happens again, they will be a tough out at home.