Central Cali’s Class of 2028 Player Rankings (21-30)

This is the initial round of these player rankings for the Class of 2028, as this list has been compiled over the last year. This first round of 2028 player rankings were complied looking at their freshman season, the Spring and Summer club sessions, the Scholastic Live Periods and other shootouts in June, and Fall high school events, as well as individual events like our Next Up Showcase. This initial list includes 35 players from the class of 2028 from 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 35 sophomore prospects for this first round of player rankings for the 2028 Class. However, the order of players on this list is my own. I will update these rankings by the end of the high school season and will expand to include any players that I see that need to be apart of these rankings. 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. This article takes a look at the #21 through #30 ranked players from the 2028 graduation class, and will be followed by the first round of player rankings for the class of 2029, with approximately 20 players to be ranked. In this article, you will find the following information: current rank, the player's name, height, player position, and current school attending, as well as a brief discussion of their skill set. We begin the last article for the 2028 Player Rankings with Dalen Mason.   21. Dalen Mason |6'3| WG (Bullard Knights-Fresno)   Mason is a physical and athletic wing that can lock-up of defense, make quality plays on offense as a scorer or passer, and comes in at #21 in this initial list of rankings for the 2028 class. I saw Mason in June with the Knights, and was really impressed with his level of play at the Fresno State Team Camp. Mason reinforced his ability to impact the game on both ends at the Clovis West Fall Shootout in mid-September, and is poised to be part of the young but talented Knights that will see significant time in the rotations this coming season. Mason has a strong handle on the ball, the moves to get his defender off balance, a quick burst of speed to get into the paint off the bounce, the strength to score through contact on shots around the basket, and is accurate with the mid-range jumper off the dribble. Mason has active hands and good lateral movement to stay in front of his opponent, is a good positional rebounder to push the ball up the court, and has good timing to poke the ball out and turn defense to offense.     22. Dasani Davis |6'1| PG (Clovis West Golden Eagles-Fresno)   Davis is a shifty lead guard that has dynamic handles, can score the ball from 3-levels, and comes in at #22 on this list of players. I was able to see Davis several times in the month of June at the Clovis North Nike Summer Shootout, the Fresno State Team Camp, and the Clovis West Summer Shootout, and he impressed with his crafty style of play with the ball in his hands. He was not available to play at the Clovis West Fall Shootout, and I did not see him during the Spring and Summer club portions of the basketball calendar. Davis keeps the ball on a string to survey the defense, has the moves to shake his defender, the burst of speed off the bounce to weave through the defense, with the body control to score within fifteen feet of the basket or make the right read to open teammates. Davis is accurate with the 3-ball off the dribble or the catch, has touch on the floater down the lane, and uses the spin-move to evade length and height around the basket, with the reverse or Euro-step lay-ups. Davis is a pesky on-ball defender that likes to pressure the opposing ball handler, poke the ball out to create turnovers, and pushes the pace of play in the open court. Davis could be the lead guard to back-up or play alongside senior Jace Kellogg, but there are some things he has to expand on to be relied upon.   23. Hideo Yamaura Jr. |5'11| CG (Sierra Pacific Golden Bears-Hanford)   Yamaura is a shifty guard that can put up point quickly, as well as run the offense, and comes in at #23. Prior to this Fall, I was unaware of Yamaura and his game, but he made a big impression on me at the 5th Annual Next Up Showcase, as he would open up the event with a solid showing of 15 points and 6 rebounds, as well as countless assists, a stat that was not kept at the event. Yamaura has a strong handle on the ball, keeps the dribble alive to survey the floor, has the court vision and decision making to make tough reads in tight windows, has the moves to get by his initial defender with good body control on finishes around the basket, and is accurate with the 3-ball off the bounce or the catch. He has active hands on defense, keeps relentless pressure on his opponent, and forces turnovers that allow him to get out in the open court, where he makes good decisions to find others or get his own bucket.    24. Carter Hanson |5'8| CG (Liberty Patriots-Bakersfield)   Hanson is an athletic and strong combo guard that makes plays on offense, is an elite on-ball defender, and is ranked #24 in this first round of this class's player rankings. Hanson had a strong freshman season for the Patriots, as he was the team's second leading scorer at almost 10 points per game, and had some solid showings over the month of June, in particular at the Bakersfield College Team Camp. Carter is also a standout football prospect, so he has been focused on that throughout the Fall portion of the basketball calendar, and has not been with the Patriots throughout the Fall. Hanson keeps the ball on a string, has a great burst of speed off the dribble, touch on the floater down the lane, and the physical prowess to bully through contact down the lane and at the basket. Hanson can space the floor with the 3-ball off the bounce or the catch, gets good lift on the mid-range jumper, has great footwork and agility to stay in front of his opponent, and the timing and instinct to jump passing lanes or dislodge the ball to get out in the open court. He will be a key player for Liberty this season, as it looks to rebuild the program back up to where it was in the mid-to-late 2010s.    25. DJ Nance |6'5| PF (Bullard Knights-Fresno)   Rounding out the top 25 is Nance, a lengthy and solid built forward that runs the floor well, controls the glass, and takes advantage of scoring from the dunker spot. Nance blocks/alters shots in the post, has the strides to step out and alter perimeter shots, has good touch on shots around the basket, crashes the boards to get putbacks or limit opponents to single possessions, outlets the ball quickly and runs the floor well to get ahead of the defense. His size and build could be of use to the young but talented Knights, and if he can learn to play in the pick and roll action with senior lead guard Ja'Vance Coleman, Nance could enhance his overall skill set needed to take his game to the next level.    26. Saheb Dhatt |5'11| CG (Clovis North Broncos-Fresno)   Dhatt is a shifty and crafty combo guard that can score in volume, pushes the pace of play, and comes in at #26 on this list of sophomore prospects. Dhatt had a strong showing at the 5th Annual Next Up Showcase, as he would go for 20 points and 14 points respectively, and showed he is assertive when looking to get his own buckets. Dhatt has good handles, the moves to shake his defender, plays with good change of pace to keep his defender off balance, has touch on the floater, moves fluidly off the ball to get open looks off the catch with accuracy from beyond the arc, and is a crafty finisher over height at the basket. Dhatt has active hands and good foot speed to be a pesky defender, pokes the ball out to create steals, and can make the right read in the open court, as well as get his own shots off.    27. Cruz Shearon |6'2| CG (North Bakersfield Stars)   Shearon is a lengthy and rangy wing/guard that can score quickly from beyond the arc, makes good decisions with the ball in his hands, and comes in at #27 in these initial rankings. I saw Shearon a few times in the month of June, and he was still getting adjusted to the physicality of varsity play, but he looked much more comfortable in early September, where I saw him at the Minutemen Fall Varsity Shootout, where his perimeter shot came with more confidence. Shearon has solid handles, has the court vision and height to see over the defense and make quality reads to open teammates, and moves fluidly off the ball to get open looks off the catch, with accuracy on the 3-ball. High IQ player that has a lot of upside and if the drive is there, he could be a sneaky prospect to keep an eye on.    28. Clay David Laurente |5'8| CG (Clovis North Broncos-Fresno)   Laurente is a physical and skilled combo guard that makes the right play, is a tough on-ball defender, and finds himself at #28 in this list of player rankings. Laurente has had quality showings for the Broncos, playing on its second team (JV) throughout the Summer and Fall portions of the basketball calendar, as well as a solid showing at the 5th Annual Next Up Showcase. Laurente has active hands on defense, the footspeed to stay in front of his opponent, the instincts to poke the ball out and create steals, and can play at a fast but controlled pace in the open court. Laurente has solid handles, a good burst of speed to get paint touches, has the court vision to make good reads off the dribble drive and kick, and moves well off the ball to get open looks off the catch, and is accurate with the 3-ball.    29. Jaythan Rivera |5'8| PG (Bakersfield Drillers)   Rivera is a crafty and skilled lead guard that makes plays for others, can get his own shots, and drops in at #29 in this list of player rankings. Rivera had a good showing at the 5th Annual Next Up Showcase, as well as some impressive showings for the Drillers at the Minutemen Fall Varsity Shootout in early September, which was key for me putting him in the top 30. Rivera has shifty handles and moves to create space from his defender, uses the hesitation effectively to get by his defender, gets paint touches routinely with the court vision to find open teammates off the drive and kick pass, moves well off the ball to get to his shot spots off the catch, with accuracy on the 3-ball, which allows him to use the pump-fake and attack the defense. With fellow sophomore RJ Shehee playing football at the moment, Rivera is getting some quality reps with the core players on the roster.     30 . Alexander Gomez |6'3| WG (North Bakersfield Stars)   Rounding out the top 30 of this initial list of 2028 player rankings is Gomez, a lengthy and rangy wing/guard that can score from beyond the arc, runs the floor well, and is part of a talented group of sophomores that will get significant minutes this coming season. Gomez is accurate with the 3-ball, uses his length to disrupt passes on the perimeter, does a solid job on the boards, and has enough handle to put the ball on the deck and attack from the wing. Gomez moves fluidly off the ball to get open for catch and shoot looks and has nice touch around the basket.

This is the initial round of these player rankings for the Class of 2028, as this list has been compiled over the last year. This first round of 2028 player rankings were complied looking at their freshman season, the Spring and Summer club sessions, the Scholastic Live Periods and other shootouts in June, and Fall high school events, as well as individual events like our Next Up Showcase. This initial list includes 35 players from the class of 2028 from 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 35 sophomore prospects for this first round of player rankings for the 2028 Class. However, the order of players on this list is my own. I will update these rankings by the end of the high school season and will expand to include any players that I see that need to be apart of these rankings. 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. This article takes a look at the #21 through #30 ranked players from the 2028 graduation class, and will be followed by the first round of player rankings for the class of 2029, with approximately 20 players to be ranked. In this article, you will find the following information: current rank, the player's name, height, player position, and current school attending, as well as a brief discussion of their skill set. We begin the last article for the 2028 Player Rankings with Dalen Mason.