SoCal Top 25 Rankings: No.’s 16-20

<!-- 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 16-20.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">16. Anaheim Canyon</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Head Coach: </strong>Nate Harrison</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023-24 Record/Results</strong>: 22-8 overall; 4-2 Crestview League; Lost in 2nd round of Division 1 playoffs</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>24-25 Outlook: </strong>University of San Diego-bound [player_tooltip player_id='1630650' first='Brandon' last='Benjamin'], one of the top senior forwards in Southern California, returns to Canyon after a season at Mater Dei and his inside-out scoring and playmaking skill-set will make a huge difference for the Comanches this season. Canyon is always a tough team to play against with its fast-paced offense and bevy of guards who can knock down the three-point shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">17. Crespi</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Head Coach:</strong> Derek Fisher</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023-24 Record/Results:</strong> 24-8 overall; 4-3 Mission League; Lost in 1st round of Division 2AA playoffs</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>24-25 Outlook:</strong> The Celts 23-24 season ended abruptly on a buzzer-beating loss to Great Oak in the opening round of the playoffs and this year's team features plenty of returners who are looking to get that bad taste out of their mouth. Nevada-commit [player_tooltip player_id='1630640' first='Peyton' last='White'] is the engine that makes it all go but he's surrounded with plenty of offensive firepower at the guard spot. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1956505' first='Malakai' last='Perrantes'] has made strides while sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='2194692' first='Isaiah' last='Barnes'], [player_tooltip player_id='2194390' first='Carter' last='Barnes'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2435364' first='Nickon' last='Daei'] have a season of maturity under their belts. Look for senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2119936' first='Jayden' last='Xu'], a sharpshooting transfer from Santa Monica, to ease the loss of [player_tooltip player_id='1956504' first='Joe' last='Sterling'] who transferred to Harvard-Westlake</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">18. Windward</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Head Coach:</strong> DJ Gay</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023-24 Record/Results:</strong> 29-5 overall; 8-0 Gold Coast League; Lost to Notre Dame in Southern Section Division 1 championship game</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>24-25 Outlook: </strong>The loss of All-CIF guard [player_tooltip player_id='1630623' first='Gavin' last='Hightower'] via transfer to Sierra Canyon will sting a little bit but the Wildcats still have plenty of talent to have another strong season. The senior trio of [player_tooltip player_id='2323686' first='JJ' last='Harris'], [player_tooltip player_id='1630647' first='Jeremiah' last='Hampton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2373658' first='Louis' last='Bond'] is one of the best "big three" groups in SoCal and each of them are two-way impact players who can take over a game on any given night. Windward is limited in its interior size and skill but coach DJ Gay has proven the ability to deploy a high octane five-out style offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">19. Corona Centennial</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Head Coach:</strong> Josh Giles</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023-24 Record/Results: </strong>21-14 overall; 6-1 Big VIII League; Lost in 2nd round of CIF State Division 1 playoffs</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>24-25 Outlook: </strong>The Huskies have been a mainstay among the Top 10 teams in Southern California over the last decade or so but this year coach Giles finds himself with a young but very talented group to mold. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1956524' first='Isaiah' last='Rogers'] is the main returning piece and is primed for a breakout season. Junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2425657' first='Tariq' last='Iscandari'] is another returner who saw big minutes as a sophomore and will bring some necessary stability and experience to youthful roster. Sophomore guards [player_tooltip player_id='2436255' first='Jayden' last='Yim'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2436254' first='Jaden' last='Berry'] were two of the best players on Centennial's JV team and incoming freshmen [player_tooltip player_id='2336388' first='Josh' last='Agbo'], Karter Butler and Kai Patton are three of the top 2028 prospects in SoCal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">20. Rolling Hills Prep</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Head Coach:</strong> Harvey Kitani</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023-24 Record/Results: </strong>27-7 overall; 7-0 Coastal League; Lost to St. Anthony in Division 2AA championship game</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>24-25 Outlook:</strong> The Huskies feature three returning starters from last year's 27-win team and, from what we saw this fall, RHP is poised to make another deep playoff run. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1630655' first='Mateo' last='Trujillo'] is one of the most underrated players in the region and skilled junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2425677' first='Kawika' last='Suter'] falls into that category for SoCal's 2026 class. Six-foot-9 forward Nick Welch anchors the painted area on both ends of the floor for coach Kitani's squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->