Central Cali’s Final Top 25 Team Rankings (1-10)

This is the final round of team rankings that I will do for the 2025-2026 basketball season. The top seed remains the same, but some shake-ups throughout, as well as several newcomers. For this final round of team rankings, postseason success (Section and State) is weighted heavier than in previous rounds of team rankings. With the CIF State playoffs finishing up this past Saturday in Sacramento, I have completed the final Top 25 Team Rankings. This article looks at the teams ranked from #1 to #11. We begin with the #1 team, the St. Joseph Knights.   1. (1) St. Joseph Knights (Santa Maria) (31-3)   For the second consecutive year, the Knights hold the top spot in these team rankings from the initial round of rankings in the Preseason Top 20 to the Final Team Rankings, winning the Central Section Division 1 title for its 4th Section Championship in the last 5 years. St. Joseph played a rigorous national schedule and earned quality wins over Crespi of Encino, Riviera Prep of Florida, Daviess County of Kentucky, San Joaquin Memorial of Fresno, Bakersfield Christian, De La Salle of Concord, Notre Dame of Sherman Oak, and its most impressive win over Open Division runner-up Salesian of Richmond. The Knights won the Central Coast Mountain League going undefeated at 8-0, won its own Elite 8 Challenge, won the Mission Prep Christmas Classic, and defeated Buchanan in a rematch of last year's D1 Section title by nearly 30 points, 62 to 34. The Knights were a top 5 team in California this season, as well as a borderline national Top 25 team, and saw its season come to an end in the Open Division Elite 8 to Harvard Westlake, 56 to 52. St. Joe's was led by standout senior and Stanford commit [player_tooltip player_id='1956462' first='Julius' last='Price'], the Mountain League MVP, but it was junior [player_tooltip player_id='2436278' first='Malcolm' last='Price'] that would lead the charge for the Knights in the postseason, with two monster games of 41 points in a first round win over Centennial of Bakersfield in the D1 Section Playoffs, and a 32 point game in the Section Championship, earning him Player of the Game honors. Senior Gunner Morinini provided crucial buckets all season and was the team's third leading scorer and one of its top 3-point shooters. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2436295' first='Godson' last='Eyita'], sophomore Williams Sacre, and senior [player_tooltip player_id='2131807' first='Abdoul' last='Bare'] provided a massive front line for the knights of 6'8, 6'10, and 6'9, as well as freshman phenom Bernardo Jeronimo who found his way into the core rotation by the end of the season. The Knights will be the front-runners to hold this spot in the preseason rankings to start off next season, but the presence of the 3 impact players graduating out will be felt when it comes to experience and execution on the big stages.   2. (4) San Joaquin Memorial Panthers (Fresno) (28-7)   The Panthers move up two spots in this final list of team rankings and finish at the #2 spot. The primary reason for San Joaquin moving up to this spot is the Panthers winning the Division 2 State Championship in a one point victory over Bakersfield Christian by a score of 46 to 45. In addition, the Panthers won the CMAC 1 League going undefeated at 8-0 and had quality wins over, Clovis West, Clovis, Bakersfield, Mater Dei of Santa Ana, Springville of Utah, Pasadena, Crossroads of Santa Monica, Woodcreek, and Oakland Tech. The Panthers did lose to Bakersfield Christian two times this season, at the Classic at Damien and in the quarterfinals of the D1 Section playoffs, but given that San Joaquin's win over the Eagles was for the State title, I chose to place it one spot ahead of Bakersfield Christian. The Panthers were led by senior [player_tooltip player_id='3072422' first='Sajjin' last='Sidhu'], the CMAC 1 MVP, but it was senior, and UC Irvine commit, [player_tooltip player_id='2830146' first='Parker' last='Spees'] that came up big in the D2 State championship, as he would lead all scorers with 19 points and 6 rebounds and was the Player of the Game. Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2932601' first='Ty' last='Schalk'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2932197' first='Jaxson' last='Silverstrom'] made huge jumps in their roles for the Panthers, which will be huge next year, as well as sophomore Domo Olanrewaju and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2956487' first='Jaedyn' last='Johnson'], who had arguably the play of the game in the State championship, and will likely bring in some new faces next year.    3. (3) Bakersfield Christian Eagles (24-12)   The Eagles are coming off one of its best seasons in program history, as it would win another SYVL title going undefeated at 8-0, a semifinal appearance in the D1 Section playoffs, and a D2 SoCal Regional title, before falling to San Joaquin Memorial in the D2 State Championship. Bakersfield Christian earned quality wins this season over Weston Ranch of Stockton, Sheldon of Sacramento, Palisades, Oakland Tech, [player_tooltip player_id='2763310' first='Rancho' last='Christian'], Mayfair of Lakewood, Bakersfield, and Centennial of Bakersfield. The Eagles did defeat San Joaquin Memorial two times this season, in the Classic at Damien Tournament and in the D1 Section quarterfinals, but given that the Panthers got the win in the State title game this past weekend in Sacramento, I decided to keep the Eagles at the #3 spot in this final round of team rankings. I considered a tie for second place, but I feel like ties, especially at the top of these rankings, would have been a cop-out. The Eagles have been led by standout junior [player_tooltip player_id='2646533' first='Taiwo' last='Daramola'], the SYVL MVP, who put up great numbers this season, especially during league play and in the postseason. Sophomore Braylen Smith has emerged as the Eagles top perimeter scoring punch with some big postseason showings. Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2194700' first='Jeremias' last='Killebrew'], Caiden Jackson, and Owen Yurosek rounded out the core five for Bakersfield Christian with sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='3034823' first='Carter' last='Steinback'] bringing the 3-ball threat from the bench this season. The Eagles will return all of its core rotation, and will likely bring in a few new players to add some depth. I would have the Eagles as the likely #2 seed to open up next year's preseason rankings.     4. (2) Buchanan Bears (Clovis) (25-7)   The Bears had another successful season winning its second consecutive TRAC League title, this year winning it outright with a 9-1 record. The Bears earned the #2 seed in the D1 Section playoffs and made it back to the Section title game in a rematch against St. Joseph of Santa Maria. The Bears would fall short of its Section title goals, losing 62 to 34, and then earned the #1 seed in the D1 NorCal Regional playoffs. Despite the high seed, Buchanan was without one of its top scorers for the entire Section and State playoffs, and it seemed to catch up to the Bears in the first round of the State playoffs, as it would fall to #16 seeded Jesuit of Carmichael, 60 to 54. Buchanan had some impressive wins this season against Clovis North (three times in TRAC and Section semifinals), Oxnard, Centennial of Bakersfield, Clovis West of Fresno, Atascadero, Legacy Christian of Valencia, Clayton Valley Charter of Concord, and Clovis. Despite making it to the Section Championship game, I moved Buchanan down to the #4 spot in this final round of team rankings for the following reasons: both Bakersfield Christian and San Joaquin Memorial lost to St. Joseph but by less than 10 points at their gym, where the Bears lost to the Knights by nearly 30 on a neutral floor. Therefore, I moved the Panthers and Eagles ahead of Buchanan. The Bears will graduate a few key players, but the impact of standout sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='2915953' first='Rhead' last='Sweeney'], Josiah Perry, and Luke DeManby should keep Buchanan as one of the top TRAC teams next season.    5. (5) Clovis North Broncos (Fresno) (20-14)   Rounding out the top five and holding steady at the #5 spot in these final team rankings is Clovis North. The Broncos played a rigorous schedule, which has become the norm for Clovis North under Coach Amundsen and staff. The Broncos earned quality wins over Village Christian of Sun Valley, Branson of Ross, Santa Barbara, Lincoln of Stockton, Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland, Bishop Montgomery of Torrance, Bakersfield, Clovis West, and Clovis. Despite Clovis North making it to the D1 Section semifinals, the losses to Buchanan, and not playing Bakersfield Christian or San Joaquin Memorial, I did not feel there was a justification to move the Broncos ahead of the four teams ahead of it on this list. The Broncos were placed in the D1 NorCal Regionals with the #5 seed and earned a first round win over Bishop O'Dowd before falling to Oakland in a close overtime loss to end its season. The Broncos were led this season by the program's new all-time leading scorer, senior McKae Amundsen, and fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='2977779' first='Elias' last='Gish'], both 1st Team All-TRAC selections. Juniors Jahlil Montgomery, [player_tooltip player_id='3188048' first='Landon' last='Woodsford'], and Miles Tucker provided the support to the big two this season. I am curious to see how things shape-up for Clovis North next season, as it will need to have someone step up into more of a primary scorer role, or will there be some players that look to transfer in.    6. (6) Clovis Cougars (25-10)   The Cougars had the best season its program has had in some time and one of the biggest turnarounds I have seen any program make from one year to the next. Last year, the Cougars did not win a game in TRAC League play and failed to make the postseason. A year later, the Cougars defeated Atascadero to win the Division 2 Section championship, the program's first since the 1940s. Clovis was led by standout sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2843567' first='Anthony' last='Smith'], but it was junior transfer [player_tooltip player_id='2954272' first='Sier' last='Harbin'] and senior transfer Jackson Scarborough that came up huge in the Section title game with 19 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals and 11 points and 8 rebounds respectively, with Harbin earning Player of the Game honors. Clovis earned key wins this year against Buchanan of Clovis, Bakersfield, Clovis West, Centennial of Bakersfield, McLane of Fresno, George Washington of Colorado, Granada, and Atascadero. Although Clovis will graduate Scarborough, it will return most of its core players in Smith, Harbin, juniors Damon Jackson Jr. and Kayden Lewis-Burnley, and freshman Roman Felix. Clovis has a chance to take a step forward in TRAC play, as it needs to build off of this season momentum.    7. (7) Clovis West Golden Eagles (Fresno) (20-13)   The Golden Eagles remain in the #7 spot in this final list of team rankings. The last few seasons have been a bit rocky for one of the Section's top programs annually, as it has gone through a few coaching changes and had a really young roster this season. The Golden Eagles finished third in the TRAC with a .500 record, and earned the #6 seed in the D1 Section playoffs, losing to Clovis North in the quarterfinals. What helped Clovis West retain its spot at #7 and not be moved down was its success in the D2 State Regional playoffs, where the Golden Eagles, as the #13 seed, would get wins over Menlo-Atherton and University of San Francisco before falling to eventual D2 State champs San Joaquin Memorial of Fresno. Clovis West was led by senior Jace Kellogg, a 1st Team All-TRAC selectee, who put up impressive numbers across the board and took on the senior leadership role. Sophomore Hunter Bradford and freshman Jamel Castro were crucial pieces to the Golden Eagles roster and made significant contributions on the scoreboards and on the boards. Sophomore David Hinton IV and freshman Kannon Green added to the young impact players for Clovis West this season, who will look to get back to the top of the TRAC next season.   8. (11) Tulare Union Tribe (31-5)   The Tribe are coming off one of its most successful seasons in program history and break the top 10 of these team rankings for the first time this year, coming in at #8. The Tribe's highlight of the season was winning its first Section title since the late 90's, as it would defeat Central Valley Christian of Visalia in the D3 Section championship game, 64 to 43. The Tribe would earn the #1 seed in the D4 SoCal Regionals and made a run to the D4 State semifinals before falling to San Juan Hills 74 to 66. Tulare Union would win the WYL in a three way tie, going 7-3 in league play. The Tribe were led by its two-headed duo of senior Brayden Stevenson, the school's new all-time leading scorer, and junior Demaje Riley, who both averaged over 16 points per game and impacted both ends of the court game after game. I am not sure how the Tribe will stack up next year, as it is graduating several key players including Stevenson, but this season was a special one.    9. (8) Bakersfield Drillers (19-12)   The Drillers played a heck of a schedule this season, facing many Fresno/Clovis teams, as well as SoCal teams, and will finish this season in the top 10 at the #9 spot. The Drillers won the annual Lloyd Williams Tournament hosted by North Bakersfield over Centennial of Bakersfield, it took second place in the SYVL, with its only losses coming to Bakersfield Christian, and it would make a run to the semifinals of the D2 Section playoffs, giving Clovis a much better test than Atascadero in the title game, with a close loss 67-60. The Drillers were led by standout senior [player_tooltip player_id='2700921' first='Kade' last='Johnson'] and super sophomore RJ Shehee, as well as seniors Kam Owens, Keshawn Black, Omari Brown, and sophomore Ryze Niles. The Drillers will have a different look next season, but I would expect some players to look into making the move to Bakersfield.   10. (12) Centennial Golden Hawks (Bakersfield) (20-10)   Rounding out the top 10 of this final team ranking list is the Centennial G-Hawks. Centennial won its league, the SWRL, going 9-1, made it to the Lloyd Williams championship game, and earned a spot in the D1 Section playoffs, as it would defeat Clovis East in the D1 play-in game. The G-Hawks were led by standout sophomores, and co-league MVPs, Ryan Shaw and [player_tooltip player_id='3069019' first='Drake' last='Jimenez'], as well as juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2932172' first='Giovanni' last='Fomusoh'] and Ryan Romain Jr., and seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3150628' first='Acen' last='Zuniga'] and Derek Jimenez. Coach Santiago stepped down after decades of success in the hoops community, whoever takes over this job will have plenty of pieces to work with and Centennial should be one of the teams to beat in the SYRL.

This is the final round of team rankings that I will do for the 2025-2026 basketball season. The top seed remains the same, but some shake-ups throughout, as well as several newcomers. For this final round of team rankings, postseason success (Section and State) is weighted heavier than in previous rounds of team rankings. With the CIF State playoffs finishing up this past Saturday in Sacramento, I have completed the final Top 25 Team Rankings. This article looks at the teams ranked from #1 to #11. We begin with the #1 team, the St. Joseph Knights.