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LB Poly's Monique Oliver, Jasmine Dixon, Kelli Thompson and April Cook

For those who rank girl's high-school basketball teams on a national basis, the aptly named Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits are the safest bets as preseason No. 1 to come along - maybe ever.

After all, Poly finished last year as No. 2 after repeating as California state champions and losing only one of 37 games, and that one to Collins Hill of Suwanee, Ga., the unbeaten, concensus national No. 1 with Maya Moore, the all-everything superstar. Moore now is at the University of Connecticut, but the Jackrabbits return reigning CIF Division I player of the year, Jasmine Dixon, who is ranked No. 26 in the 2008 class by HoopGurlz.com, and is coached by reigning state coach of the year, Carl Buggs.

Monique Oliver

Moreover, far from a one-player show, Poly's "supporting cast" already included point guard April Cook, No. 84 in the 2008 class who is visiting Washington State this

weekend; wing Kelli Thompson, ranked 36th in the HoopGurlz Super Sixty for 2009, and twins Ashley and Brittany Wilson, who are among the best in the 2010 class.

But (and we say this in our best game-show announcer voice) that's not all.

As Buggs says, the Jackrabbits "have had to cause pressure and havoc because we've never had the size to play slow-down with a dominant inside player," but that has changed - and rather dramatically at that. The family of Monique Oliver, HoopGurlz.com's No. 5 prospect in 2009, moved from Las Vegas to Long Beach, and guess where Oliver enrolled for high school?

Now the question isn't whether Poly will three-peat as California state champs, or win the mythical national high-school championship, but whether they should be moved up to the WAC, if not the Pac-10.

"We've been hearing that a lot lately," said Keisha Buggs, wife and assistant coach to Carl at Poly.

Even without Oliver, Buggs had committed Long Beach Poly to a schedule nearly as challenging as, say, USC's. The Jackrabbits will tune up for the prestigious Nike Tournament of Champions, where it suffered the loss last year to Collins Hill, at the Nike Northwest Invitational, Dec. 6-8, a tournament co-sponsored by HoopGurlz which includes California Division III champions Sacred Heart, Oregon three-peat champions and host Southridge and perennial Washington state powerhouse Prairie. After a quick Christmas break following the TOC, Poly will play in the second annual T-Mobile Invitation in Albuquerque, N.M., then travel out to Minneapolis for the Gatorade Timberwolves Shootout and likely Jan. 5 matchup with St. Paul Central, which could be ranked in the nation's top three by then.

April Cook

And people were comparing Collins Hill's 2006 holiday schedule to the Bataan Death March. If that's true, what is this?

Maybe, just maybe, it will be a justly challenging romp for a team, already the best in the country, that just added one of the best posts in a once-in-10-years, mammothly talented class for that position.

Buggs knew of the 6-foot-3 Oliver, but hadn't seen her play until his team began workouts a couple weeks ago.

"We run drills where the girls have to partner up and she goes over and selects Jaz Dixon because she knows Jaz is one of the top players in the country and will push her," Buggs said. "That shows she wants to do this. She is serious about the game and, even though she's already a good player, she's serious about improving her game."

Oliver's presence, in turn, should improve things for Dixon, who only 6 feet still is one of the most physical inside players in the country. Now Dixon can slide out to her more-natural position, wing, where she will be overpowering. Buggs will go into virtually every game knowing he has matchup advantages at at least four of five positions.

Before Oliver popped up on their doorstep, the Jackrabbits had set as their goals for the 2007-08 season to win a third straight California state title and finish No. 1 in the country. Needless to say, but Buggs says it anyway, "We are not changing those goals now."