The National Prep Basketball Poll is compiled by national high school sports experts Jamie DeMoney and Jeremy Plowman with input from sportswriters, analysts, and coaches. The preseason national Top 25 and regional Top 10's follow with last season's won-loss records:

Northeast Region
1. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick (29-4)  
2. Newark, N.J., St. Benedict's (29-2)  
3. Middle Village, N.Y., Christ the King (25-5)  
4. Philadelphia, Pa., Neumann-Goretti (22-6)  
5. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (23-5)  
6. Brooklyn, N.Y., Lincoln (29-4)  
7. Pittsburgh, Pa., Schenley (30-2)  
8. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony (26-3)  
9. Harrisburg, Pa. (32-2)  
10. Plainfield, N.J. (24-5)  

East Coast Region
1. Mouth of Wilson, Va., Oak Hill (40-1)  
2. Huntington, W.Va. (25-2)  
3. Hyattsville, Md., DeMatha (34-1)  
4. Baltimore, Md., Mount St. Joseph (38-1)  
5. Baltimore, Md., Towson Catholic (27-10)  
6. Rockville, Md., Montrose Christian (20-2)  
7. Wilmington, N.C., New Hanover (28-2)  
8. Aiken, S.C. (18-11)  
9. Washington, D.C., St. John's (23-10)  
10. Bear, Del., Caravel (23-3)  

Southeast Region
1. Norcross, Ga. (28-4)  
2. Winter Park, Fla., Lake Howell (28-5)  
3. Memphis, Tenn., Raleigh-Egypt (35-2)  
4. Marietta, Ga., Wheeler (29-3)  
5. Jackson, Tenn., Liberty Tech (34-3)  
6. Alexandria, La., Peabody (34-5)  
7. Norcross, Ga., Meadowcreek (24-7)  
8. Miami, Fla., Dr. Krop (29-4)  
9. Harvey, La., Cox (32-6)  
10. Jackson, Miss., Lanier (34-3)  

Midwest Region
1. Chicago, Ill., Simeon (33-4)  
2. Detroit, Mich., Redford (23-4)  
3. Westchester, Ill., St. Joseph (28-2)  
4. Indianapolis, Ind., North Central (20-4)  
5. Indianapolis, Ind., Pike (21-4)  
6. Milwaukee, Wis., Vincent (19-3)  
7. London, Ky., South Laurel (28-6)  
8. Saginaw, Mich., Arthur Hill (21-6)  
9. Solon, Ohio (24-2)  
10. Madison, Wis., Memorial (24-2)  

Midlands Region
1. Minnetonka, Minn., Hopkins (30-2)  
2. St. Louis, Mo., Vashon (27-2)  
3. Bellevue, Neb., West (26-2)  
4. St. Paul, Minn., St. Bernard's (23-7)  
5. Kaysville, Utah, Davis (21-3)  
6. Denver, Colo., East (22-4)  
7. Topeka, Kan., Highland Park (21-4)  
8. Omaha, Neb., Central (24-4)  
9. Aurora, Colo., Central (25-1)  
10. Roeland Park, Kan., Miege (18-7)  

Southwest Region
1. Houston, Texas, Alief Hastings (31-6)  
2. Oklahoma City, Okla., Putnam City (24-4)  
3. Mesa, Ariz., Mountain View (29-3)  
4. Kingwood, Texas (36-6)  
5. Bellaire, Texas (25-6)  
6. Duncanville, Texas (27-8)  
7. Phoenix, Ariz., Desert Vista (26-7)  
8. Reno, Nev., Galena (22-7)  
9. Houston, Texas, Westfield (36-1)  
10. Springdale, Ark., Har-Ber (14-14)  

West Coast Region
1. Lakewood, Calif., Artesia (33-1)  
2. Santa Ana, Calif., Mater Dei (33-3)  
3. Lake Oswego, Ore. (26-3)  
4. Los Angeles, Calif., Westchester (25-7)  
5. Medford, Ore., South (27-2)  
6. Seattle, Wash., Rainier Beach (23-6)  
7. Los Angeles, Calif., Fairfax (24-3)  
8. Villa Park, Calif. (30-5)  
9. San Jose, Calif., Mitty (29-5)  
10. Seattle, Wash., Franklin (23-5)  

FEATS OF THE WEEK: Mouth of Wilson, Va., Oak Hill begins the season ranked No. 1 in the National Prep Poll for the fourth time since 1992. The Steve Smith-led Warriors, who boast more McDonald's All-Americans than any other school, will be loaded again with blue chip players. Oak Hill's backcourt features a trio of talented guards led by Nolan Smith (Duke), Alex Legion (Michigan), and Compton, Calif., Dominguez junior transfer Brandon Jennings. Three more newcomers will provide a punch inside led by 6-8 Julian Vaughn (Florida St.), 6-7 Mike Holmes (South Carolina) and 6-8 junior Howard Thompkins. As usual, Oak Hill will crisscross America playing the nation's toughest schedule. The Warriors will face at least three preseason Top 10 teams in No. 5 Santa Ana, Calif., Mater Dei, No. 6 Norcross, Ga. (ESPN2), and No. 9 Chicago, Simeon (ESPN). Smith is 644-39 with five Prep Poll titles entering his 22nd season at Oak Hill.

Here are the previous preseason No. 1 teams with their final records and rankings for that season:
1987--Bronx, N.Y., Tolentine (30-1) 1st
1988--Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony (32-0) 1st
1989--Chicago, King (30-0) 1st
1990--Philadelphia, Simon Gratz (27-1) 1st
1991--Baltimore, Dunbar (29-0) 1st
1992--Mouth of Wilson, Va., Oak Hill (30-0) 1st
1993--Los Angeles, Crenshaw (29-2) 2nd
1994--Frederick, Md., St. John's at Prospect Hall (22-1) 2nd
1995--Jersey City, N.J. St. Anthony (31-0) 1st
1996--Miami, Senior (36-1) 2nd
1997--Frederick, Md., St. John's at Prospect Hall (25-0) 1st
1998--Hyattsville, Md., DeMatha (28-4) 8th
1999--Mouth of Wilson, Va., Oak Hill (30-2) 2nd
2000--Mouth of Wilson, Va., Oak Hill (33-0) 1st
2001--Los Angeles, Westchester (32-2) 5th
2002--Santa Ana, Calif. Mater Dei (25-2) 2nd
2003--Orlando, Fla., Edgewater (30-2) 4th
2004--Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony (21-6) not ranked
2005--Indianapolis, Lawrence North (29-0) 1st.

Copyright 2006 World Features Syndicate, Inc...endit

About the National Prep Poll: Compiled weekly since 1987 and a property of World Features Syndicate, the National Prep Poll is the nation's second oldest weekly high school sports rankings and are the only high school rankings distributed to newspapers and Web sites around the United States by the Associated Press national wire service. The National Prep Poll is the first of the three major high school football and boys basketball polls to released each week during the season.

Note: Jamie DeMoney and Jeremy Plowman also compiled the preseason Power 50 national and regional rankings for the Rise Magazine/Sporting News 2006 High School Hoops Preview Magazine. The publication (available in bookstores and on newsstands NOW) includes an in-depth breakdown on all 50 nationally ranked and 100 regionally ranked teams, including key players, strengths, weaknesses and overall outlook.