Jamborees start tomorrow night, so it is time for the most debated thread of the year.

Last year we witnessed greatness as St. George cut down the nets once again in the CHS gym after putting together the best CSAL/CSAA season in two decades. They went undefeated in CSAA play and have put themselves into the discussion as a Top 3 all time CSAL team bumping out the 1998 St. George squad. They have entered the often-held debate about the greatest CSAL/CSAA team in history with the 1997 St. George Dragons and the 1996 STM Eagles.
This year appears to be much different as most experts expect to see a greater deal of parity, without one dominant team. These teams all traded blows last season while 7th graders, but as always there were some transfers, players hitting growth spurts, and coaching changes which will no doubt affect the landscape at the top of the league. So without further ado, here are your 2017-2018 CSAA Rankings:

1. St Aloysius – This isn’t your typical 2010’s Lions team, which has looked more like a Cross Country squad, or your underachieving split 1990’s Lions team, that was never quite able to put it together. The Coaching Triumvirate at Aloysius is hungry after missing the championship game for the first time in 4 seasons. They are still looking to win the big one as coaches and bring an Elite 8 Championship Trophy to Stuart Avenue, in what I believe has been more than 20 years. The Lions lost some games they probably shouldn’t have at the 7th grade level as free throws late in games were their Achilles heal. They have some great size in the front court and a very deep bench. They will play through their Karl Anthony Towns type center who commands a double team in the post. They handle pressure very well and will expose teams who try to pick them up with full court pressure.

2. Our Lady of Mercy – The Blue Jays are a very guard heavy team, but that is not an issue with small ball being the preferred style of play these days at every level. They are led by their fearless point guard, who has great floor presence and is clutch when it counts. He is on the preseason CSAA player of the year watch list. They run some of the best halfcourt sets in the league, and are extremely difficult to defend when they spread you out and look to drive and kick. The pews will be rocking this season as this team garners excitement with their grit and style of play. Mercy looks to win their second Elite 8 Championship in 4 seasons and to do so, they are going to need some of their bigs to step up.

3. St Jude – The Cougars bring back an old coach with an impressive resume. He takes over a title contending team that features a lot of size, which has been a staple of the Cougars for the last few seasons. The jamboree matchup that will feature Dickie V on the call tomorrow night is between #3 St. Jude and #2 OLOM, so the Cougars get a chance early in the season to show what they are made of. They have a versatile group which can adapt to different tempos and styles like the Spurs.

4. St Thomas More – STM may have to change their mascot from the Eagles to the Kardiac Kids this season. They had more comeback victories as 7th graders than the 1980 Cleveland Browns. They are a gritty bunch that never gives up and is known for clutch free throw shooting. They had impressive wins over just about everyone last season, but also were taken to the limit by some unranked teams. If they get on a run, they will be scary. Look for them to even incorporate the flex offense as a throwback to the great 90’s and 2000’s Eagle teams. STM still boasts the best student section in all of CSAA. Unlike LSU, their students stay the entire game.

5. St. George (Green) – I know everyone has been reading down wondering where the school that has won 5 of the last 6 Elite 8 Championships, with the coach who has the most Elite 8 Championships in CSAL/CSAA history is ranked. For schools like Duke, Kansas, and St. George being ranked 5th is a major down year. They actually have two teams competing in the CSAA Varsity division, but the Green team is the better of the two. They lack star power, but even at a #5 ranking, they probably have the deepest team in the league and similar to last year’s team, they aren’t afraid sub all 5 players at once Billy Donovan 2000 Gator’s style. They will cause teams problems with their tempo and will probably average the most possessions per game of any team. The Dragons have a tendency to kick it in gear late in the season, so even though they are ranked lower than usual, look for them to make a push in the Elite 8.

6. CHS (BR) – The Son Father coaching staff missed their first Elite 8 after 5 straight appearances last season with a disappointing year. Expect them to bounce back with the most athletic back court in the league, including a guard that will give you flashbacks of Derrick Rose pre ACL injury. The Baby Bears have more depth than your typical CHS team, but will need some raw front court players to contribute in order to make a run. If the coaches can find the right lineups to mesh well, they will be a fun bunch to watch with multiple scorers and shot blocking ability. They are one of the last remaining teams in the league that primarily plays man defense and should be able to run with any team.

7. St. Theresa – St. Theresa has one of the best combo guards in the league. He plays relentless defense and has Ty Lawson like top end speed. St. Theresa has some height, but does not appear to have enough skill to compete with the top teams in the league. The trip down to Gonzales into the hostile small gym is never an easy one to make for opposing teams to make. They will knock off a few higher ranked teams for sure.

8. St. Alphonsus – St. Alphonsus was setup like the 1990’s Sonics team with Gary Payton at the point and Shawn Kemp down low, but unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, their Detlef Schrempf instant offense swing man transferred to CHS (BR). In a league full of excellent point guards, theirs may have the best all-around game. They knocked off some top teams last year including preseason #1 St. Aloysious. They may be a sleeper team, but need to adjust to losing a key piece from a solid 7th grade team in order to be dancing come March.

9. Sacred Heart – Sacred Heart plays a round robin jamboree against CHS (BR) and St Louis which will give them an early season gauge of where they are at. They also host the Holiday Tournament in a couple weeks which will be the CSAA version of the PK80, with some heavy hitters in the mix. The Tigers small court always creates difficulty of spacing on offense, which is a homecourt advantage and something they can adapt to better than their opponents. They may not have the athletes of some retro Sacred Heart teams, but can light it up from downtown.

10. Holy Family – The Bears have an intimidating team walking off the bus with impressive size, but that size didn’t translate to a bunch of wins last season. They are led by a very skilled point guard who will find the open guys. The supporting cast just needs to knock down the open shots and take advantage of driving opportunities. They typically play a 2-1-2 zone and also run some nice overload zone offensive sets that create mismatches.

This post was edited on 12/6/17 at 10:14 am