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

This is the 2nd version of the Class of 2028 Player Rankings, with the first round of player rankings for this class located published in September of 2025, and includes the high school basketball season and postseason, as well as the Spring and Summer portions of the club season, and the month of June with their high school teams. I have expanded this list from 30 to 50 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 50 rising junior prospects for this updated round of player rankings for the 2028 Class. However, the order of players on this list is my own. 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. Below is the next 10 players of these players rankings, featuring the #21 through #30 players, followed by the next 10 players, #31-#40. 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 they are attending. There may be some school info that has not been fully updated, as there are a few unknowns out there as of the time of this writing. We begin this updated list with utility player Luke DeManby.   21 (9) Luke DeManby (6'2 | WF) - Buchanan Bears (Clovis CA)   Coming in at #21 is Luke DeManby, moving out of the top 10 for this round of player rankings for the 2028 class, which is much more about the players ahead of him that were not on my radar for the initial round of these rankings. DeManby is one of the top utility players in the Section and does a lot on both ends to impact winning, as his role drastically increased for the Bears in his sophomore season, helping lead Buchanan to a TRAC title and a second consecutive trip to the D1 Section title game. DeManby had a solid showing in June for the Bears, with a strong outing at the annual California Scholastic Live event, where he averaged nearly 15 points per game, with a single game high of 17 points, connecting on 5 threes, against Folsom. DeManby is a high-level perimeter defender with active hands, good instincts, and the agility to stay in front of his opponent, gets into their dribbling space, pokes the ball out, gets deflections to force loose balls, jump passing lanes, and the bounce to alter shots on the wing, turning defense to offense routinely. DeManby is a great positional rebounder, looks to push the pace of play in the open court, has the moves to create off the dribble, using the crossover combos, hesitation, spin-move, and fade-away to get space from his defender, has good lift and body control in the air, is accurate with the mid-range jumper, and moves fluidly off the ball to get open looks off the catch, efficient from beyond the arc with range on the 3-ball.    22 (18) TJ Dixon (6'3 | CG) - Bullard Knights (Fresno CA)   Dixon is one of the best pure athletes in his class and comes in at #22 in this current list of player rankings, moving down 4 spots from the initial round of rankings. Dixon was one of the better two-way players in the sophomore class this past season, earning honorable mentions honors in CMAC 1 play, and was followed by a great month of June with the Knights playing in the Clovis North Nike Summer Showdown, Fresno State Team Camp, and the California Scholastic Live events and showing he is ready to be one of the main scoring options for Bullard this coming season. Dixon has a lengthy wingspan, lateral agility, bounce, and active hands to jump passing lanes, deflect passes, poke the ball out, or alter/block shots on the wing, as well as from the weak-side or the chase down block in transition. Dixon has solid handles, uses the crossover combos and the hesitation moves to get by his initial defender, has a quick burst off the bounce, has lift and good body control on the jumper off the dribble, is a crafty scorer around the basket, and can space the floor with the 3-ball off the catch. Definitely a player to keep an eye on and will be relied upon as Bullard moves into the TRAC League this season.    23 (NR) Elijah Banuelos (6'1 | PG) - Clovis East Timberwolves (CA)   Making his debut on this list of 2028 player rankings and emerging as one of the better two-way lead guards in his class is Elijah Banuelos at #23. Banuelos was one of the leading scorers and lead facilitator for the T-Wolves during his sophomore season, which continued over into the month of June, where I saw him at the Clovis North Nike Summer Showdown and the Fresno State Team Camp, displaying his ability to control the pace of play, find open teammates, keep pressure on the defense, and a ball-hawk on perimeter defense. Banuelos has tight handles, keeps the ball on a string to survey the floor, finds holes in the defense to attack, has several moves to create off the dribble, using the crossover combos, hesitation, and spin-move to get space from his defender, gets paint touches on the regular with great footwork and use of the pivot to find teammates cutting off the ball, has the court vision to find open players off the drive and kick pass, to the diver off the pick and roll action, to players using the back-cut to get open around the basket, or cross court to open shooters. Banuelos has active hands, good lateral foot-speed to stay in front of his defender, instincts and timing to jump passing lanes, poke the ball out, or deflect passes to get out and push the ball in transition, can space the floor with the 3-ball off the catch, has good body control on the jumper in the air or at the basket through contact on the finish. Rising junior to keep an eye on and will be key in Clovis East's success this coming season.    24 (8) [player_tooltip player_id='3035416' first='Kason' last='Niko'] (6'8 | PF) - Mission College Prep Royals (San Luis Obispo CA)   Coming in at #24 on this updated list of player rankings is [player_tooltip player_id='3035416' first='Kason' last='Niko'], moving out of the top 10. Niko made the move from Atascadero to Mission Prep of San Luis Obispo for his sophomore campaign and provided the anchor in the middle that was needed for the Royals to compete against the top teams in its league, as well as in the D2 Section playoffs. Niko controls the boards on both ends, gets put-backs off missed shots, limits opponents to single shot possessions, looks to outlet and runs the floor well to get ahead in transition, has good timing and length to be a proficient rim protector, altering and blocking shots in the paint. Niko has great touch on shots around the basket, uses various moves to score in the paint, with the drop-step, spin-move, and the physical build to absorb and score through contact, and is effective with the jumper, from the mid-range to the 3-point line to space the floor. Niko has emerged as a football prospect to track and has earned an offer from Dartmouth.    25 (NR) David Hinton IV (6'4 | WG) - Clovis West Golden Eagles (Fresno CA)   Hinton makes his debut on this list of 2028 player rankings and rounds out the top 25. Hinton is one of the more underrated wing/slashers in the rising junior class, has the skill set and size to be a high-level perimeter scorer, and was a key piece for the Golden Eagles last season. I saw Hinton at the Clovis North Nike Summer Showdown and he displayed the skill and shot making that show why he is a top 25 player in this class, with the potential to move up this list. Hinton has dynamic handles, the size to see over the defense to find openings to attack, the moves to create off the bounce, using the various crossover combinations, hesitation, spin-move, fade-away, and step-back to get his defender off balance, gets great lift on the jumper with accuracy from the mid-range to the 3-point line off the bounce, a creative scorer around the basket, using the euro-step, up-and-under, and reverse lay-ups to score overnight in the paint. Hinton is solid on the boards, can push off the glass to get up the court in transition, alter shots on the perimeter, and active hands and timing to jump passing lanes or deflect entry passes to get out and run.    26 (NR) BJ Guyton (6'2 | SG) - Liberty Patriots (Bakersfield CA)   Guyton is making his debut on this list and comes in at #26 on this updated list of players. Guyton had a productive sophomore season for the Patriots and was one of the top 3-point shooters in the South Valley area of the Central Section, along with a solid showing during the month of June with Liberty, especially at California Live event at the end of June, where he averaged 10 points per game with a high of 17 points against California High. Guyton has solid handles, shifty moves to create off the dribble, using the crossover combos, hesitation, and fade-away to create space from his defender, is accurate with the jumper from the mid-range to the 3-point line, and is a crafty scorer around the basket. Where he is at his best up to this point has been his off ball movement to get to his shot spots, squares up his shoulders, and is lights out from beyond the arc with range from deep. Guyton will be relied upon to be more of a play maker and shot creator this coming season, and is a versatile defender.    27 (19) Hunter Bradford (6'6 | WF) - Clovis West Golden Eagles (Fresno CA)   Moving down 8 spots and coming in at #27 is the power forward from Clovis West, Hunter Bradford. Bradford was a stable force in the paint for the Golden Eagles throughout his sophomore season, controlling the boards, playing out of the pick and roll action, and holding down the paint on the defensive end, which he took up another notch in June with Clovis West, as I saw them 3 times throughout that month, with a strong showing at California Live with averages of 7 points and close to 10 rebounds per game. Bradford dominates the glass to get points off the put-back from missed shots, limits opponents to single shot possessions, outlets the ball quickly to get up the floor where he uses his athleticism to get ahead of the defense for catch and score opportunities. Bradford sets great screens, great timing on the dive to seal off his defender to get open off the pick and roll action, uses the drop-step and up-and-under moves to score around the basket, as well as the strength to muscle through and finish at the cup. Bradford makes good reads to open teammates from the top of the key or from the low-block to players cutting off the ball, and alters/blocks shots in the paint.    28 (NR) Gavin Johnson (6'4 | WF) - Clovis North Broncos (Fresno CA)   Making his debut to this updated list of player rankings and coming in at #28 is Gavin Johnson. Johnson had a great sophomore campaign earning 1st Team All-CMAC 2 honors with averages of 10.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.4 steals per game. Johnson has made the move from Fresno High to Clovis North, as part of a revamping of the program that has graduated 5 four-year level players, 2 being D1 players, and looking to establish a new look for this coming season. I was able to catch him with the Broncos at the California Live event to wrap up June play and he impacts the game in various ways that will be welcomed by the coaching staff. Johnson has a lengthy and athletic build to impact the defensive end in various ways, with the timing, active hands, and lateral quickness to jump passing lanes, deflect the ball, poke the ball out, and alter/block shots in the paint, as well as the strides to alter shots on the close out, and is active on the boards on both ends with the handle to push the ball up the court. Johnson has solid handles, the moves to get his defender off balance, using the spin-move, crossover, hesitation, and fade-away to get space from his opponent, is effective with the middy off the dribble, moves well off the ball to get open looks for the 3-ball off the catch, and is a crafty scorer at the basket, using the euro-step, up-and-under, and reverse lay-ups to evade shot blockers in the paint. A prospect that could see his stock rise playing on a bigger stage for the Broncos.    29 (NR) Leonardo Lemus (6' | PG) - Tulare Western Mustangs (CA)   Lemus makes his debut at #29 in this updated list of 2028 player rankings and part of a young but talented back court. Lemus had an impressive sophomore season for the Mustangs, which led to him earning 1st Team All-WYL honors, and an impressive stat-line of 19.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, which was one of the tops in scoring per game in the Section. Lemus has a strong handle on the ball, keeps it on a string to survey the floor, has the court vision to find open teammates off the drive and kick pass, to players up the court for transition points, and cross court to open shooters. Lemus has the moves to create shots off the dribble, uses the crossover combos, hesitation, and fade-away to get free from his defender, moved fluidly off the ball to get to his shot spots, is efficient from beyond the arc with range on the 3-ball off the catch or off the bounce, and is a crafty scorer around the basket, using the up-and-under, euro-step, or can score through contact in the paint for the finish.    30 (27) [player_tooltip player_id='3074364' first='Alexander' last='Gomez'] (6'4 | WF) - North Bakersfield Stars (CA)   Rounding out the top 30 and moving down a few spots is the sharp shooter from North Bakersfield, Alex Gomez. Gomez made major strides in his sophomore season, being one of the more versatile players on the Stars roster, capable of playing in the post, as well as operating from the perimeter, with the ability to space the floor from beyond the arc. Gomez has solid handles, the moves to create off the perimeter, using the crossover, hesitation, and spin-move to create space from his defender, moves well off the ball to get to his shot spots, is accurate with the jumper from the mid-range to the 3-point line off the dribble or the catch, and is a crafty scorer around the basket, using the euro-step or up-and-under lay-ups to evade shot blockers at the rim, as well as touch on the float/hook in the paint. Gomez is active on the boards, has the wingspan and timing to alter shots in the paint, as well as on the wing, and turns defense to offense by jumping passing lanes or deflecting the ball out to get in transition.

This is the 2nd version of the Class of 2028 Player Rankings, with the first round of player rankings for this class located published in September of 2025, and includes the high school basketball season and postseason, as well as the Spring and Summer portions of the club season, and the month of June with their high school teams. I have expanded this list from 30 to 50 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 50 rising junior prospects for this updated round of player rankings for the 2028 Class. However, the order of players on this list is my own. 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. Below is the next 10 players of these players rankings, featuring the #21 through #30 players, followed by the next 10 players, #31-#40. 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 they are attending. There may be some school info that has not been fully updated, as there are a few unknowns out there as of the time of this writing. We begin this updated list with utility player Luke DeManby.

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

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