Gramps Braggin Rights Missouri Class Five Boys Basketball ratings - 01092022

Is it any surprise to see Webster Groves and De Smet on top of the class five boys basketball ratings?

If you watched the Coaches vs. Cancer finale between these two schools in late December, you would have seen one of the best games in recent St. Louis basketball history.  You can still catch it on Lafayette's YouTube channel HERE.  It was really gracious of the CvC tournament to live stream the games.  I am not sure they had planned to, but with the pandemic, I think they might have been concerned about fan safety.  If you watch the game, send them a donation too.

Webster Groves, coached by animated and energetic Justin Mathes, just plays hard-nose, intense basketball on both ends of the floor.  Led by lefty PG Matt Enright, SG Ethan Chartrand, and sophomore forward Iziah Purvey, the Statesmen aren't tall but they are quick and smother the other team's offensive plans.  De Smet, with a historically rich basketball tradition, has D-1 recruit Brian Taylor and hot shooting guard Justin Duff.  The Spartans dismantled an excellent Parkway West squad in the opening round and a superb Westminster team in the semi and then took the championship game to OT after Duff nailed a half-court banked three-pointer to tie it as the clock expired.

Those two teams are my top two rated teams and are less than a point apart.  There are some other great teams in the top ten and I expect some real fireworks in the districts the way they are set up this winter.  Watch out for Parkview, Willard, and Springfield Catholic in the Springfield area and Platte County up in the NW part of the state.  Do not count Cardinal Ritter out, although they have had a couple of hiccups of late.  Westminster Academy, who disappointed in the semi vs. De Smet, will also be a force to reckon with in the play-offs.

I am still not sure what the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association poll has been smoking.  They just switched Webster Groves from their class six poll and still have U City, a class four team, in their class five poll.  Come guys, MSHSAA messed with the classes again.  Time to adjust.

If you missed the recent posts on boys and girls ratings, check them out through these links.
Class six girls are HERE:
Class six boys are HERE:
Class two girls are HERE:
Class two boys are HERE:

Class five boys' ratings by district are below the overall ratings.  I will get to class five girls shortly and I have not forgotten about class one, three, and four boys and girls.  Just having problems with the hired help and service is a little slow right now.

Updated 9:45am 1/10/2022



Here are the boy's class five ratings by district.  Districts 2, 3, and 6 will be really tough.




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