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The Columbus Explorers (Miami, Fla.), led by Cayden and Cameron Boozer, are ranked No. 1 in MaxPreps' preseason top 25 high school basketball rankings. On Wednesday, their mother, CeCe Boozer, reacted to the news on Instagram.
"C-Pride," she captioned the IG story.
The Explorers won their third consecutive Class 7A state championships last season and were ranked No. 2 with a 29-5 record.
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The Explorers were also the top-ranked team last year, though rivals Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) ended the season undefeated. This year, MaxPreps noted that Columbus would have one of the toughest schedules of any school, as their opponents include Montverde Academy, Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) and more.
The team is stacked, with the Boozer twins leading the charge. Power forward, Cameron Boozer is the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2025 class. His brother, point guard Cayden, is the No. 21 recruit.
A difficult season awaits Cayden and Cameron Boozer's Columbus Explorers
While the Explorers are the top-ranked team, this does not mean they will have it easy this season. They will open their 2024-2025 campaign against Prolific Prep and No. 3 recruit Darryn Peterson on Nov. 19.
On Dec. 3, they play a non-conference home game against DME Academy (Daytona Beach, FL)
On Dec. 6, they will face Dynamic Prep (Irving, Texas) and its pair of four-star SMU commits, Jaden Toombs and Jermaine O'Neal Jr.
Next is Gonzaga, ranked No. 2 by MaxPreps, just behind Columbus. The Dec. 7 matchup will feature Cayden and Cameron Boozer facing Gonzaga’s four-star trio: Derek Dixon, Christian Gurdak and Nykolas Lewis.
The Explorers’ schedule also includes a game against two-time defending CHSAA Class AA champions Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) on Dec. 14. Stepinac is led by Massachusetts commit Danny Carbuccia and bolstered by 2026 stars Jasiah Jervis, Hassan Koureissi, Dylan Perry and Darius Ratliff.
