The 2020-21 Virginia High School League Basketball season gets underway today, and as things have been during these past tumultuous 8-9 months in dealing with COVID-19, there's a ton of uncertainty. So much so that we even contemplated doing these rankings at all.

But the players and teams deserve as much recognition as possible during these trying times. A tip of the cap goes to all the people behind the scenes in doing whatever they can within their power to make a season happen.

As games in various portions of the state get tipped off today, there are still numerous schools playing the 'waiting game.' In fact, that list sits at 113 schools across 42 school divisions. Remember, there are 318 VHSL member schools total.

So far, a total of 40 programs have opted out of winter sports - recognizable schools that have hoisted State Championships in recent years like Henrico, John Marshall and Varina out of the Richmond area alone. More are sure to be coming. However, for now, we will be ranking the ones that have not pulled the plug yet as the season commences today.

*** List as of 12-21-20 of Schools Not Participating + Delayed in VHSL's 2020-21 Season 1 ***

As things move along, the Top Ten will obviously be adjusted, likely on a week-to-week basis. We'll also note at the bottom who would've been ranked if they were to be playing.

So without further ado, here's the Top Tens for each classification, and we plan to provide a closer look at these teams in the coming days...

1. South County

2. Western Branch

3. Potomac

4. Lake Braddock

5. Centreville

6. Patriot

7. Landstown

8. James River

9. Oscar Smith

10. Thomas Dale

Honorable Mention:
John Champe
South Lakes
Woodbridge
Yorktown
Forest Park
W.T. Woodson

1. Green Run

2. L.C. Bird

3. Patrick Henry-Roanoke

4. Kecoughtan

5. Albemarle

6. Maury

7. Rock Ridge

8. Norview

9. Freedom-South Riding

10. Potomac Falls

Opt Out:

3. Varina

9. Douglas Freeman

Honorable Mention:
Kempsville
Woodside
William Fleming

1. King's Fork

2. Menchville

3. Halifax County

4. Dominion

5. GW-Danville

6. Woodrow Wilson

7. Monacan

8. Jefferson Forest

9. Smithfield

10. Loudoun County

Honorable Mention:
Millbrook
Loudoun Valley
Louisa
Hampton
E.C. Glass

1. Charlottesville

2. Western Albemarle

3. Northside

4. Hopewell

5. Cave Spring

6. Goochland

7. Skyline

8. Spotswood

9. Independence

10. Abingdon

Honorable Mention:
Life Christian
Broadway
Manassas Park
Tunstall
Lord Botetourt
Booker T. Washington

1. East Rockingham

2. Radford

3. Dan River

4. Union

5. Floyd County

6. Martinsville

7. Graham

8. James River-Buchanan

9. Gate City

10. Richlands

Opt Out:

1. John Marshall

6. Brunswick

Honorable Mention:
Glenvar
Lebanon
Staunton
Page County
King William
Poquoson

1. Auburn

2. Parry McCluer

3. West Point

4. Grundy

5. Twin Springs

6. Mathews

7. Colonial Beach

8. Eastside

9. Altavista

10. Lancaster

Honorable Mention:
Narrows
George Wythe
Charles City
Galax
Riverheads
Chilhowie

Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a regular contributor to the ACC Sports Journal. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him from 10 AM to Noon on 757 Saturday Sports Talk on ESPN Radio 94.1.