Central Cali's Class of 2026 Player Rankings (Version 5.0)

This is the 5th version of these player rankings for the Class of 2026, which have previously been featured on the Nothing But Net Magazine website. I have updated this list to include the Spring and Summer club sessions, and the Scholastic Live Periods of June. I have expanded this list from 55 to 60 players from around the Central Section. This list of players was compiled using my own evaluations, along with feedback from knowledgeable media, coaches, and other relevant basketball personnel from the Section, to make up the top 60 rising senior prospects for this updated round of player rankings for the 2026 Class. However, the order of players on this list is my own. I will update these rankings by the end of the calendar year and expand the number of players if needed. This list takes into consideration two key factors in determining where players are ranked, and will be the same criteria used each time this list is updated. The criteria for these rankings are as follows: current skill level and production on the court, as well as future projection at the collegiate level. The depth of this class combined with the impact many have had since their freshman year, has led to some impressive statistics and numbers that will set some on track to achieve key milestones and even school records. Below is the first 10 players of these players rankings, and will be followed by the next 10 layers, #11-#20. In this article, you will find the following information: current rank, their previous rank in parentheses, the player's name, height, player position, and current school attending. We begin this updated list with the top lead guard in the Section, and consensus #1, [player_tooltip player_id='1956462' first='Julius' last='Price'].   1 (1) [player_tooltip player_id='1956462' first='Julius' last='Price'] |6'3| PG (St. Joseph)   Price has been at the top of this list of player rankings for the 2026 class since its inception, and it would be a surprise if he were to lose this spot before the final round of rankings for the rising senior class. Price had a great junior season for the Knights, as he would average 18 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals per game, and played a pivotal role in St. Joseph winning the D1 Central Section Championship and a Top 15 National Ranking from Ronnie Flores' FAB 50, playing the Robin to the Knights Batman, recent grad and Baylor Bear Tounde Yessoufou. With Yessoufou, the state of California's all-time leading scorer, off to college, Price will be called upon to lead the Knights in scoring this coming season, along with being the go to guy in clutch moments, which he has shown the ability to do over the Summer during the scholastic live period tournaments in Arizona and California throughout June. Price is also coming off a standout showing for Team Why Not 17s at Peach Jam, where his team made the semifinals on the illustrious Nike EYBL Circuit. Price keeps the ball on a string to survey the floor, has the moves to create his own shots off the dribble, is an effective 3-level scorer, and has the court vision and quality decision making to find open teammates off the dribble drive. Price currently holds offers from Michigan, Washington, Cal, Loyola Chicago, UCSB, Cincinnati, Texas State, Minnesota, and UCLA.   2 (2) [player_tooltip player_id='2830146' first='Parker' last='Spees'] |6'9| WF (San Joaquin Memorial)   Spees has been one of the fastest rising prospects from the Central Section since the end of last year's high school season, and a key reason why Spees remains at the #2 in these updated player rankings. Spees put up great numbers last season for the CMAC co-Champs, with averages of 14.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 2 assists, as well being named 1st Team All-League. Despite his high level of play on both ends, recent graduates Julius Olanrewaju and Abram Potts were two volume scorers that took some of the scoring pressure off of Spees. In June, playing with San Joaquin Memorial, Spees would be the driving force for the Panthers, and had big showings at Section 7 in Arizona and California Live scholastic live events and the offers have been flowing since. Spees continued his high-level of play on the 3SSB Circuit with Jalen Green Elite 17s in July at the Championships and the Invitational. Spees is a great rim protector and shot blocker, controls the boards on both ends of the court, has the handle to push the ball off the glass or create off the dribble from the perimeter, and has a smooth stroke from the mid-range to the 3-point line. Spees has the moves to score in the post with touch on shots within fifteen feet, and has really shown off the bounce in recent months around the basket with some monster dunks. The big man from San Joaquin currently holds offers from Northeastern, UC Riverside, Pepperdine, Boston University, Montana, and Fresno State. He is a phenomenal student with a 4.5+ GPA.   3 (4) Elias Gish |6'6| WG (Clovis North)   Gish had a strong junior season for the TRAC League co-Champs Broncos, averaging 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game, and earned 1st Team All-League honors being part of the big three, along with fellow rising senior McKae Amundsen and Loukas Jones, currently at Fresno Pacific. Gish has added a solid interior game to go with his perimeter skill set, and had a strong showing in June at the scholastic live events in Arizona and California, averaging 18 points and 7 rebounds at Section 7 and 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks at Cali Live, and showcased his ability to impact the game on both ends from various spots on the floor. It is for these reasons that I moved Gish up one spot to #3 in this updated list. Defensively, Gish has the size and length to guard post players, with the agility to step out and defend perimeter players. Gish alters shots, controls the boards, and has the moves and handles to create his own shots off the bounce with accuracy from the 3-point line, on or off the ball. Gish has garnered a lot of interest this Summer and has D1 interest but nothing official to date.   4 (3) Dalen Felder |6'3| SG (Bullard)   Felder comes in at #4, moving down one spot, but that does not take away from the accomplishments and accolades he has garnered over the past few years, and I have consistently referred to him as one of the best pure scorers and shooters in the Section, if not the state. Felder is coming off back to back CMAC MVP seasons, leading the Knights in scoring in both of those seasons, as well as consecutive league titles. He averaged 21 points a game this past season and is part of the 3-guard backcourt of rising seniors, with Ja'Vance Coleman and Sean Smith-Sharkey, that will give Bullard a chance to compete for a 3rd consecutive league title and one of the top 5 teams in the Section. Felder had a strong showing at California's scholastic live tournament and played in the invite-only Pangos Premier 80, as well as a strong showing in Vegas at the Big Time event to close out the club season. Felder is an elite shooter from the mid-range to the 3-point line with range, the handles and moves to create space from his defender and get to his shot spots, moves well off the ball for catch and shoot looks, is a good positional rebounder to push the pace of play, the court vision to find open teammates, and can turn it up on the defensive end when locked in. Strong build and has moves and variety in his scoring arsenal that make him a tough assignment on defense. At the moment, Felder is trending on the low D1 and D2 radar and that is not the most comfortable spot to be in given the current landscape of college recruitment, but he has the game and the shooting efficiency that translate to the next level and is a D1 caliber prospect.   5 (7) McKae Amundsen |5'10| PG (Clovis North)   Rounding out the top 5 and moving up two spots from the previous list is McKae Amundsen. The lead guard has had a successful Spring and Summer with club ball and the scholastic live periods in June, playing against some of the top competition and talent in the nation, and producing at a high clip in various aspects of the game. Amundsen averaged 24 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals a game at Section 7, and followed that with 23 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals a game at California Live. He then went on to display high level lead guard play on the 3SSB Circuit in July with Jalen Green Elite, with averages of 15 points and a personal best of 22 points against TJ Ford 3SSB at the Invitational to cap off his club career. Amundsen is one of the craftiest and skilled guards in the Section and he has proven it against the top competition time and again. He will be tasked with leading the Broncos and will contend for his first league MVP, as I see Clovis North and Buchanan as the top two in the TRAC League in Fresno/Clovis. Amundsen has court vision, relentless motor, tough shot making, range on the 3-ball, and tough on-ball defender that makes life hell for his opponent. Amundsen has an offer from Idaho State, with Idaho, Dartmouth, and UC Riverside interested.    6 (5) Ja'Vance Coleman |6'3| PG (Bullard)   Coleman comes in at #6 for these updated player rankings and moves down one spot. Sounds like an excuse, but it really has nothing to do with how he has played, putting up huge numbers in June, especially at California Live with games of 38 and 28 points. I watched him multiple times over the Summer, and his ability to get paint touches is nearly automatic and he has the frame and scoring variety within fifteen feet of the basket to force defenses into tough choices, and one defender is not enough to slow him down. The 2-Time All First Team Coleman is a true point guard with improved range and accuracy on the 3-ball, and a solid on-ball defender that can turn it up and make plays quickly. Coleman impacts the game and has nice touch on the floater, elite court vision to find players off the dribble drive, and can finish through contact. I know he is hungry to prove he belongs near the top of this list and his game is as good as anyone's above him. But at the moment I would put Coleman just outside the top 5.    7 (8) Jace Kellogg |6'| CG (Clovis West)   Kellogg moves up one spot from the previous round of these players rankings to the #7 spot. The lead guard led the Golden Eagles in scoring as a junior at 17 points per game, along with 4 rebounds, 3 assist, and 2 steals and kept up that level of scoring during the month of June, with a strong showing at the California Live tournament. Kellogg finished up the Summer running with Jalen Green Elite 17s on the 3SSB Circuit, and had some impressive showings at the Invitational in SoCal to wrap up the Adidas Circuit. The explosive lead guard has elite handles, keeps the ball on a string, has great vision to find open teammates, a great burst of speed off the dribble to get by his defender, with lift on the mid-range jumper, touch on the floater, and creativity on finishes at the basket. Kellogg is a solid on-ball defender with active hands to create turnovers, and accuracy on the 3-ball off the bounce or the catch. Kellogg has 4-year potential and is currently a D2 prospect.    8 (10) Gavin Christian |6'5| WF (South Bakersfield)   Moving up two spots and coming in at #8 is the SYML co-MVP Gavin Christian of South Bakersfield. The wing/forward helped lead the Spartans to another co-SYML title and averaged a double-double at 13 points and 10 rebounds per game. Christian continued to show the evolution of his post-game, to go with a good perimeter game, over the month of June with South Bakersfield. Christian had a solid club season playing with Team Rampage on the Prelude 32 Circuit. Christian controls the glass, has the handle to push the ball up the court, the moves to create off the dribble, the footwork and touch to score in the paint amongst the bigs, and is accurate with the 3-ball to space the floor. Christian plays with a high motor and has the size and skill to play multiple positions on both ends of the court. Currently, Christian is a D2 prospect and will be the key interior presence for the Spartans this coming season, as it is the front-runner to win its league.   9 (15) Sajjn Sidhu |6'4| CG (San Joaquin Memorial)   Making the biggest jump of players in the top 10, and cracking this top tier group for the first time since these rankings began 3 years ago, is Sajjin Sidhu of San Joaquin Memorial at #9. Sidhu was part of the core group of players for last year's Panther squad and had some impressive games, but this Summer he emerged as the premier lead guard for San Joaquin, as he has shown improved playmaking and shot making off the dribble. Sidhu played with BTI 17s on the Pro16 Circuit, which prepared him for a strong showing in the month of June with the Panthers. He had strong showings at Section 7 and California Live, with San Joaquin playing in the top division at the California Scholastic event. Sidhu has a smooth handle, shifty moves to create off the dribble, the shot making to score at all 3-levels, the court vision to find open teammates when on the attack or in the open court, and the off ball movement to get open looks off the catch. Sidhu has seen his stock rise over the last few months and D2s are in pursuit of the good size and skilled combo guard that will be a key scoring piece for the Panthers this coming season.    10 (12) [player_tooltip player_id='2700921' first='Kade' last='Johnson'] |6'4| CG (Bakersfield)   Rounding out the top 10, and making his debut in this first group of players, is [player_tooltip player_id='2700921' first='Kade' last='Johnson'] of Bakersfield High. Kade led the Drillers in scoring his junior season, with averages of 18 points and 5 rebounds per game and a 1st Team All-League in the SYVL selection, as well as 1st Team All-Area by B-Varsity. Johnson had a solid club season of play with Jalen Green Elite Central Valley 17s, and showed off improved perimeter shooting efficiency and scoring moves, along with improved play making, for Bakersfield, in the month of June, capping it off with a strong offensive showing at California Live. Johnson makes great use of the wide crossover and the between the leg cross, gets nice lift on the jumper from the mid-range to the 3-point line, is a good positional rebounder to push the ball up the court. Johnson will be called upon to lead the Drillers in scoring, as it looks to capture its first league title since 2020. Johnson's ceiling is low D1 at the moment, but his pathway to that level of play may go through JUCO given the current recruiting atmosphere.

This is the 5th version of these player rankings for the Class of 2026, which have previously been featured on the Nothing But Net Magazine website. I have updated this list to include the Spring and Summer club sessions, and the Scholastic Live Periods of June. I have expanded this list from 55 to 60 players from around the Central Section. This list of players was compiled using my own evaluations, along with feedback from knowledgeable media, coaches, and other relevant basketball personnel from the Section, to make up the top 60 rising senior prospects for this updated round of player rankings for the 2026 Class. However, the order of players on this list is my own. I will update these rankings by the end of the calendar year and expand the number of players if needed. This list takes into consideration two key factors in determining where players are ranked, and will be the same criteria used each time this list is updated. The criteria for these rankings are as follows: current skill level and production on the court, as well as future projection at the collegiate level. The depth of this class combined with the impact many have had since their freshman year, has led to some impressive statistics and numbers that will set some on track to achieve key milestones and even school records. Below is the first 10 players of these players rankings, and will be followed by the next 10 layers, #11-#20. In this article, you will find the following information: current rank, their previous rank in parentheses, the player's name, height, player position, and current school attending. We begin this updated list with the top lead guard in the Section, and consensus #1, Julius Price Julius Price 6'2" | CG St. Joseph | 2026 State #86 Nation CA-S .