Greatest High School Basketball Dynasty in Every State

High school sports bring people together. Football may be America’s most popular sport, but basketball is a close second. All you need is a ball and hoop to play, and if you can ball, you can ball.

The game continues to grow with high school basketball tournaments across the country. Huge venues sell out for state finals as schools vie for civic pride and players make lifelong memories. 

Some schools have a tradition of winning state titles and sending players to the NBA. These are the best high school basketball dynasties of all time from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. 

City: Uniontown

Type of school: Public 

Notable players: Erwin Dudley (forward, 1999) Frankie Sullivan (guard, 2008)

Notable coaches: Eugene Mason (1965-2005)

State championships: 10 (1978, 1985, 1987, 1994, 1995, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008)

Hatch hasn’t produced the type of NBA talent as schools in Montgomery or Birmingham, but it’s hard to argue against 10 state championships — the most in Alabama basketball history.

Erwin Dudley has enjoyed a standout pro career in Europe, and Frankie Sullivan played at Auburn. Who’s next to make a name for the program?

(All stats through 2020)

City: Anchorage

Type of school: Public

Notable players: Trajan Langdon (guard, 1994), Mao Tosi (forward, 1995)

Notable coaches: Chuck White (1965-99)

State championships: 18 (1970, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2013, 2021, 2023)

College and pro basketball coaches often change teams over the course of their careers, but some of the best high school coaches stay at one school for decades.

Chuck White, who passed away in 2019, coached at East for 34 years and became a legend during his tenure at the public school in Anchorage.

He had only one losing season, won 14 of the 16 state titles in school history and put Alaska basketball on the map coaching players like Trajan Langdon, a second-team All-American at Duke, and Mao Tosi, who played three NFL seasons.

City: Phoenix

Type of school: Public

Notable players: Mike Bibby (guard, 1996), Michael Bibby (guard, 2016) 

Notable coaches: Mike Bibby (2014-19)

State championships: 8 (1996, 1999, 2000, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)

Mike Bibby was a part of six of Shadow Mountain’s eight Arizona state titles after coaching the school to four straight 4A titles and five in six years before he resigned in February 2019.

Bibby guided Shadow Mountain to its first state championship in 1996 as a player and was a McDonald’s All-American. Then, he starred at the University of Arizona and had a standout NBA career. 

City: Little Rock

Type of school: Public

Notable players: Duane Washington (guard, 1983), Derek Fisher (guard, 1992), Quincy Lewis (forward/guard, 1995), Daryl Macon (guard, 2014)

Notable coaches: Al Flanigan (1996-2019), Scotty Thurman (2019-present)

State championships: 14 (1971, 1972, 1978, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2018)

Parkview trails intracity rival Little Rock Central in state championships, but the Patriots produced three more NBA prospects and have won two state crowns since 2016, which puts them ahead.

Derek Fisher is probably the most famous Parkview alum, since he was a stalwart guard for the Lakers, Knicks and Warriors and has coached in both the NBA and WNBA.

Scotty Thurman, a national champion for the 1994 University of Arkansas team, took over coaching duties in 2019.