It’s that time of year. College Football is getting into bowl season. College Basketball will soon begin conference play. NBA teams are starting to separate themselves in the standings - deciding who will try to win & who will tank, and NFL teams are making a push for the playoffs. That is great and all but does not hold a candle compared to the intensity of the below the rim CSAA 8th Grade Season which is a about to tip off this week, and will fill gyms with the smell of stale skittles and burnt popcorn along with the sounds of sneakers screeching on various court floor types and siblings crying because it is past their bedtime.

Last season, the preseason #3 ranked CHS Bears took down #1 St. Aloysius in the championship 37-35 in an instant classic which has been playing on the ESPN Junior High network all offseason. This win gave the Baby Bears their 2nd CSAA Elite 8 Championship in 5 seasons, and their 3rd all time. This was the 7th known runner up in the championship game for the Lions with 0 known victories in the history of CSAA.

As mentioned, Jamborees start this week, so let’s get to the rankings:

1. St. George – For the second year in a row a son of only 3 known people to have won a CSAA Elite 8 Championship both as a player and as a coach has a chance to add to his family’s trophy case. Last year it did not happen, so everyone is anxiously anticipating the possibility of history being made this year. That swingman leads a Dragon’s team that expects to win the league after winning the 7th Grade League Championship. They did not lose any key players in the transfer portal due to a strong NIL presence on Siegen Lane. They did struggle in other tournaments throughout the season, losing to teams like MBS, SJV, and St. Jude. Their Achilles heal is scoring droughts at times which will be a major hurdle they will have to overcome. They look to be one of the most balanced teams with a strong backcourt and frontcourt. This has team has good genes with multiple players’ parents having played college sports.

2. St. Jean Vianney – The Gators just missed the Elite 8 last year after being on the bubble all season. This year they appear to be a lock in the preseason to not only make the Elite 8 but contend for an Elite 8 Crown. LSU may have had the twin towers back in the day with Shaquille O’Neal and Stanley Robertson, but this SJV team boasts the triumvirate towers with 3 front court players over 6’1". Their coach has been studying film on the 2021 Cavaliers who often used a lineup of 3 Big Men: Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, and Lauri Markkanen. This Gators backcourt knows where their strength is but will need to stretch the floor with some shooting to let their big men feast. The league decided to get some buzz going early pitting #1 SGS vs #2 SJV in the jamboree this Wednesday with Sean Mcdonough and Dick Vitale on the call. This early season game will certainly have a postseason feel.

3. CHS BR – The Baby Bears are looking to be the first team to win back to back championships since St. George did it in 2016-2017. The Bears will feature a starting lineup with both size and athleticism at all 5 positions. Expect the typical full court and half court pressure that their coaches like to install along with their patented motion/dribble drive offense. The Bears will need their bench to provide some quality minutes for them to make a deep tourney run this year. The Baby Bears have been shown more support from their school in recent years with the upper classmen rocking the student section for big games at the Cave on Claycut. They face a wildcard St. Francis Xavier in the jamboree Thursday night.

4. MBS – The Pelicans are led by their center, who just like Nikola Jokic has great vision, feet, strength, and shooting ability. He is the preseason leading candidate for the CSAA MVP Award. Teams will key in on him, so the rest of the Pelican squad will need to share some of the load. MBS did have an impressive run in the St. George tournament last year defeating the home team Dragons before losing in the finals. They will be a tough matchup for any team that does not have a strong defensive presence down low. It will be an interesting watch to see what defensive schemes get thrown at their big man inside.

5. St. Aloysius – In the past 10 seasons, St. Aloysius has seen their basketball program go from good to Elite. They have had 5 finals appearances in that time frame, but that Championship victory still eludes them. This year does not appear to be the year they finally cutdown the nets as they were hit second hardest with the transfer portal and opt outs behind St. Jude. Three starters from their 7th grade team have either transferred or decided not to play. Don’t count out the Lions on any given night though as their long tenured coach can get them up for any team and always has them playing their best ball come postseason play. If they are successful come March, their coach would be in the running for the coveted Mike Palermo Coach of the Year Award.

6. Holy Family – This Holy Family team isn’t shy about shooting the 3. They are a guard heavy team and play an up-tempo style shooting more 3’s per minute than the Golden St. Warriors. They will run some 2-3 zone, but their lineup sets up to be switchable in man to man on positions 1 thru 5 on defense. The West Bank Bears are a tough away matchup due to their small court, raucous student section, and having to cross the bridge at rush hour.

7. St. Jude – As previously mentioned the Cougars were hurt by the transfer portal losing 2 of their key starters to CHS BR. They have a coach who has worked in the program for many years which will be a major advantage with stability. The remaining Cougars starters look to use their winning experience from last season with wins over SJV and St. George including winning the St. Jude tournament to help them create enough confidence to make a tournament run come March. After their 8th grade missed the Elite 8 last season, they are trying to avoid this becoming a trend.

8. Our Lady of Mercy – The Blue Jays have made some changes in the athletic department and that includes their basketball coaching staff. The second most championship winning school in CSAA history is looking to get back to the top. Two championships in the past 12 years would be good enough for some schools, but not the Blue Jays. They have put some money into their facilities including a nice new gym and are expecting the wins and championships to come back rolling in. They start the season on the bubble but will have some chances early in the season to achieve some Quadrant 1 wins which will certainly improve their NET rating.