SoCal Top 25 Rankings: No.’s 1-5

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first week of high school basketball action tips Monday with tournaments spread out across the southland. We've taken the time to watch countless fall ball events and done endless research on the key departures, returners and new additions to SoCal high school programs and below are the teams who come in ranked No.'s 1-5.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">1. St. John Bosco</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Head Coach:</strong> Matt Dunn</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>23-24 Record/Results:</strong> 28-7 overall; 8-2 Trinity League; 1-2 in CIF-SS Open Division playoffs; defeated San Ramon Valley in CIF State Div. 1 championship game</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>24-25 Outlook:</strong> The Braves boast one of the best "Big Three" trios in the country with senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1630620' first='Elzie' last='Harrington'] (Harvard-commit) and two of the countries best junior prospects in [player_tooltip player_id='2131779' first='Brandon' last='McCoy'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2131780' first='Christian' last='Collins'] (a transfer from St. Bernard). If that isn't enough for opposing teams to have to deal with, the Braves have a litany of talented role players each of whom complement the team's stars. Seven-foot-2 center [player_tooltip player_id='2628542' first='Howie' last='Wu'] is vastly improved, Point Loma-commit Chris Komin is one of the more underrated prospects in the state, and [player_tooltip player_id='2425654' first='Max' last='Ellis'], [player_tooltip player_id='2131806' first='Gavin' last='Dean-Moss'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1956510' first='Dominic' last='Perfetti'] provide toughness off the bench.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">2. Eastvale Roosevelt</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Head Coach: </strong>Steve Singleton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>23-24 Record/Results:</strong> 31-4 overall; 6-1 Big VIII League; lost to Harvard-Westlake in CIF-SS Open Div. playoffs; lost to Harvard-Westlake in CIF State Open Div. SoCal Regional Final</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>24-25 Outlook: </strong>The Mustangs have a "Big Three" of its own led by 6-foot-5 wing [player_tooltip player_id='1630617' first='Brayden' last='Burries'] who is one of the top two-way prospects in the country regardless of class. Burries is flanked by sharpshooting New Mexico-signee [player_tooltip player_id='1630629' first='Isaac' last='Williamson'] and savvy playmaking point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1630660' first='Myles' last='Walker']. Roosevelt will be looking for a few others to step up in the case of Burries, Williamson or Walker having an off night and junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1956522' first='Jackson' last='Haggins'] could be that player with his ability to knock down open three's off the catch. Freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='1703091' first='Cameron' last='Anderson'] has shown promise early in the season and 6-foot-8 junior forward Christian Benjamin - a transfer from Grand Terrace - will make a difference inside when eligible.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">3. Harvard-Westlake</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Head Coach: </strong>David Rebibo</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>23-24 Record/Results: </strong>33-3 overall; 5-2 Mission League; won CIF-SS Open Div. and CIF State Open Div. championships</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>24-25 Outlook:</strong> It was another banner year for the Wolverines as they picked up CIF Open Division championships at both the Southern Section and State levels. While Harvard-Westlake did lose two Division 1 players in Trent Perry (UCLA) and Robert Hinton (Harvard), this season won't necessarily be a rebuild with the return of Duke-signee [player_tooltip player_id='1630618' first='Nik' last='Khamenia'] and addition of highly-ranked 2026 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1956504' first='Joe' last='Sterling']. Khamenia is one of the most versatile and skilled players in the country and Sterling is an elite shotmaker and creator on the perimeter. The Wolverines will need some young players to take a big step if they are to repeat the success of last season. Look for [player_tooltip player_id='1630659' first='Isaiah' last='Carroll'], [player_tooltip player_id='2136707' first='Amir' last='Jones'], [player_tooltip player_id='1956502' first='Dominique' last='Bentho'], [player_tooltip player_id='2435366' first='Cole' last='Holden'], [player_tooltip player_id='2435370' first='Pierce' last='Thompson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1956486' first='Barron' last='Linnekens'] to impact winning throughout the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">4. Notre Dame - Sherman Oaks</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Head Coach:</strong> Matt Sargeant</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>23-24 Record/Results:</strong> 31-4 overall; 6-1 Mission League; won CIF-SS Division 1 championship; lost to Mater Dei in CIF State Div. 1 SoCal Regional Semifinals</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>24-25 Outlook:</strong> The Knights were disappointed last season when they weren't selected for the eight-team Open Division field but are primed to be in the top playoff division this season with its combination of returners and the addition of 6-foot-7 wing [player_tooltip player_id='1702934' first='Tyran' last='Stokes'] - one of the country's top prospects regardless of class. Stokes will team with Rutgers-bound guard [player_tooltip player_id='1630643' first='Angelino' last='Mark'] and junior wing Zach White to form a high-octane transition offensive trio. Senior forward Mark Lewis and senior guard Micah Tannenbaum will be key contributors along with highly-touted sophomore guards [player_tooltip player_id='2435372' first='Josiah' last='Nance'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2646501' first='NaVorro' last='Bowman'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">5. Sierra Canyon</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Head Coach: </strong>Andre Chevalier</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>23-24 Record/Results: </strong>26-4 overall; 7-0 Mission League; 2-1 in CIF-SS Open Div. playoffs; lost to St. Joseph (Santa Maria) in 1st round of CIF State Open Division playoffs</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>24-25 Outlook: The Trailblazers have a roster loaded with talent, size and athleticism and, if fully healthy and on the same page, it will be tough for other teams in Southern California to match up to. Six-foot-5 wing [player_tooltip player_id='1630626' first='Bryce' last='Cofield'] is the main returning player for Sierra Canyon and will be joined by talented transfers [player_tooltip player_id='1253127' first='Chris' last='Nwuli'] (Wasatch Academy), [player_tooltip player_id='1630623' first='Gavin' last='Hightower'] (Windward) and [player_tooltip player_id='1956480' first='Maximo' last='Adams'] (Gardena Serra). The Trailblazers have plenty of depth to fall back on as well with talented role guys the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='1956506' first='Stephen' last='Kankole'], Chris Cain, [player_tooltip player_id='2119937' first='Michael' last='Baba'], [player_tooltip player_id='2119935' first='Bryce' last='James'] and sharpshooting freshman Jordan Mize ready to contribute.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->