Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) has started as preseason No. 1 nine times and finished as FAB 50 champ in four of those years.
We hope you enjoy this free list. To access all our event top performer rankings, national player rankings back to 1983, recruiting updates and other features, please subscribe today! CLICK HERE for more subscription details and sign up info.
The Warriors went wire-to-wire in the National Prep Poll (precursor to FAB 50) in 1992-93, likely fielding their strongest team ever that season. Three seniors off that team played at North Carolina, including Jerry Stackhouse and Jeff McGinnis.
Greg Oden, the No. 1 pick of the 2007 NBA Draft, is one of two Mr. Basketball USA honorees to lead a team to a wire-to-wire FAB 50 No. 1 ranking. He was national player of the year and led Lawrence North to a 29-0 mark during the 2005-06 season. Duke’s R.J. Barrett matched Oden’s feat during the 2017-2018 season for Montverde Academy of Florida, which has won four FAB 50 mythical national titles since 2012-13 and was preseason No. 1 in each of those seasons.
Naismith Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley’s club at St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) ran into injury problems during the 2004-05 season and was unranked in the final poll that season.
All other preseason No. 1 ranked teams have finished no lower than No. 14 in the final rankings.
All-Time Preseason FAB 50 No. 1 Teams
(Teams’ finishes in parentheses)
1987-88: Miami Senior (Miami, Fla.) 34-2 (No. 7)
1988-89: Flint Hill Prep (Oakton, Va.) 23-3 (No. 9)
1989-90: King (Chicago, Ill.) 30-0 (No. 1)
1990-91: Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 27-1 (No. 4)
1991-92: Dunbar (Baltimore, Md.) 29-0 (No. 1)
1992-93: Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 30-0 (No. 1)
1993-94: Crenshaw (Los Angeles, Calif.) 29-2 (No. 2)
1994-95: St. John’s at Prospect Hall (Frederick, Md.) 22-1 (No. 2)
1995-96: St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), 31-0 (No. 1)
1996-97: Dominguez (Compton, Calif.) 29-5 (No. 11)
1997-98: St. John’s at Prospect Hall, 25-0 (No. 1)
1998-99: DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 28-4 (No. 8)
1999-00: Oak Hill Academy, 30-2 (No. 2)
2000-01: Oak Hill Academy, 33-0 (No. 1)
2001-02: Oak Hill Academy, 32-1 (No. 2)
2002-03: St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) 27-4 (No. 9)
2003-04: Oak Hill Academy, 38-0 (No. 1)
2004-05: St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), 21-6 (Not Ranked)
2005-06: Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) 29-0 (No. 1)
2006-07: Oak Hill Academy, 40-1 (No. 1)
2007-08: Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) 36-2 (No.10)
2008-09: St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) 30-3 (No. 4)
2009-10: Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 32-2 (No. 3)
2010-11: Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 28-4 (No. 14)
2011-12: Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) 33-1 (No. 6)
2012-13: Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 26-2 (No. 1)
2013-14: Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 27-1* (No. 1)
2014-15: Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 31-1 (No. 1)
2015-16: Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 45-1 (No. 2)
2016-17: Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 38-5 (No. 11)
2017-18: Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 36-0 (No. 1)
2018-19: Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 22-3 (No. 4)
2019-20: IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 19-6 (No. 5)
2020-21: Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 24-1 (No. 1)
2021-22: Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 22-4 (No. 2)
2022-23: Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 23-3 (No. 2)
USA Today
1986-87: Marion (Ind.) 28-1 (No. 2)
1985-86: Flint Hill Prep (Oakton, Va.) 22-1* (No. 2)
1984-85: King (Chicago, Ill.) 23-3 (Not Ranked)
1983-84: Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 28-2 (No. 10)
1982-83: Dunbar (Baltimore, Md.) 31-0 (No. 1)
Basketball Weekly
1981-82: Calvert Hall (Towson, Md.) 34-0 (No.1)
1980-81: Rindge and Latin (Cambridge, Mass.) 25-0 (No. 2)
1979-80: Proviso East (Maywood, Ill.) 26-2 (No. 8)
1978-79: DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 28-3 (No. 12)
1977-78: Verbum Dei (Los Angeles) 27-2 (No. 4)
1976-77: West Philadelphia (Pa.) 30-0 (No. 1)
1975-76: Male (Louisville, Ky.) 29-2 (No. 26)