Central Cali’s Class of 2029: Top 5 Player Rankings

This is the initial round of these player rankings for the Class of 2029, as this list has been compiled over the past six months. This first round of 2029 player rankings were compiled looking at play in the month of June, over the Spring and Summer Club portions of the year, and most recently in team and individual events in the Fall portion of the basketball calendar, like our Next Up Showcase for example. This initial list includes 20 players from the class of 2029 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 20 freshman 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 a part 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, size, talent, and skill of this class so far could lead to some impactful moments as freshman on varsity, as well as 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 top 5 players from the 2029 graduation class, and will be followed by 3 more articles in waves of 5 players, the next being #6-#10. Given that many of these players are unknown or not well known beyond the Central Section as freshmen, I wanted to elaborate more on each player. 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 this article with the intriguing wing/forward from Clovis High, Roman Felix.   1. Roman Felix |6'6| WF (Clovis Cougars)   Starting off at the top spot of this initial round of 2029 player rankings is Felix; a lengthy and skilled wing/forward that impacts both ends of the court at a high level, has the frame and build that is appealing to 4-year coaches, and has shown he has the game to be one of the next big named prospects from the Central Section if he continues to develop as a perimeter scoring threat. Felix had a strong showing last year at the Pangos Junior All-American Camp, which was followed by an impressive Spring and Summer on the Jr. 3SSB circuit with Jalen Green Elite 14s that made it to the National Championships in South Carolina. The reason I have Felix at the top of this list for the first iteration of these rankings is because of what I saw from him in the month of June, in particular his play at the Clovis North Nike Summer Shootout, where he displayed his ability to impact the defensive end at a high level, as well as score from the paint to the 3-point line to go along with his size and length, which put him above the rest of the current freshman class. Felix crashes the boards providing second chance scoring opportunities, limits the opposition to single shot possessions, has the length and timing to block/alert shots around the basket with the strides and agility to step out and alter shots on the perimeter, and has the footwork to stay in front of perimeter players on switches off screens. Offensively, Felix makes good decisions on the pick and roll action with good hands and timing on dives to the basket, has the handle to put the ball on the deck and attack from the top of the key, gets good lift on the mid-range jumper with the height to shoot over most defenders, is accurate with the 3-ball off the bounce or the catch, and has good post-moves and touch to score in the paint in a variety of ways. Felix runs the floor well to get ahead of the defense and is looking to be a major impact player as a freshman for the Cougars, trying to get back to relevance in the TRAC League this coming season.   2. Bernardo Jeronimo |6'4| CG (St. Joseph Knights-Santa Maria)   Coming in at #2 in this list of player rankings is Jeronimo; a crafty, lengthy, and skilled lead guard that can create his own offense, as well as make plays for others. I got my first look at Jeronimo at the 5th Annual Next Up Showcase in Visalia, CA, as he was one of the event's top scorers with games of 16 points and 21 points and 8 rebounds respectively. Jeronimo also had a solid showing at the Clovis West Fall Shootout in a win over Clovis North, as he would display his ability to impact the game in various ways. Jeronimo has solid handles to survey the floor, the court vision to find open teammates when attacking off the dribble or from the top of the key, and is a quality positional rebounder with the ability to push the pace of play or find players ahead of the defense in transition. Jeronimo uses the crossover, hesitation, and hard-pound dribble to get his defender off balance, keeps his dribble low and the ball close to his body when attacking down the lane, with creativity on the reverse, up-and-under, and Euro-step lay-ups in traffic at the basket. Jeronimo keeps relentless pressure on the defense, looks to create contact with his defender to use the spin-move to evade his opponent, has good body control in the air on shots within fifteen feet of the basket, is accurate with the jumper from the elbows or the baseline, and is a versatile defender that has active hands and good lateral quickness to lock up perimeter players and create turnovers. Jeronimo may not put up huge numbers this season, as the Knights have a loaded roster with depth, but he will be part of the core rotation and is one that the coaching staff is high on as one of the top prospects long-term.   3. Jermal Castro |6'5| WF (Clovis West Golden Eagles-Fresno)   Castro is a physical and athletic forward that makes dynamic plays on both ends of the court off of raw natural abilities and instincts, punches home some dazzling dunks, and comes it at #3 in this initial list of player rankings. I had seen Castro several times in the month of June with the Golden Eagles, and he showed signs of being an impact guy, but seemed to be a ways off from getting to that point. At the Clovis West Fall Shootout he looked much more polished, in sync with the pace of the game, and let the physical gifts lead his style of play, which are all reasons I placed him in the top 3 of this round of 2029 rankings, higher than I had him in my notes at the end of July. Castro has elite bounce, good timing and reaction to block/alter shots around the basket, the lateral quickness to step out and alter perimeter shots, relentlessly crashes the boards with nice touch on putbacks, has the court vision to find players up the court or cutting off the ball from the top of the key, and has active hands on defense to deflect passes, jump passing lanes, or rip the ball from opposing ball handlers on traps. Castro has enough handle to push the ball in the open court, as well as attack the basket from the top of the key, with the physical build to finish through contact. Castro is a key piece for Clovis West and will be in the rotation this coming season, but will be one of the focal points over the next four years.   4. Kiyan Wharry |5'11| PG (Bullard Knights-Fresno)   Wharry is a shifty lead guard with elite handles to break down the defense, makes good decisions with the ball in his hands, and comes in at #4 for the 2029 class. I had a chance to see Wharry several times at the Clovis West Fall Shootout and he impressed me a lot with his overall offensive skill-set and ability to defend opposing point guards, and went from a player I had not heard of to someone I felt needed to be in the top 5 of this initial round of player rankings for this class. Wharry keeps the ball on a string to find weaknesses in the defense, has a plethora of moves to shake his defender and get into the paint, weaves through traffic with good pace and body control, has the court vision to find players on the kick-out pass, as well as the creativity to score with the reverse or up-and-up lay-up. Wharry moves fluidly off the ball to get open looks off the catch, is accurate with the 3-ball, has soft touch on the floater down the lane, and is a tough on-ball defender with active hands and good instincts to poke the ball out and create steals. Wharry could be a great fit for the Knights at the point, which will allow senior Ja'Vance Coleman Jr. to play off the ball more often as a scorer.   5. [player_tooltip player_id='2956487' first='Jaedyn' last='Johnson'] |6'| CG (San Joaquin Memorial Panthers-Fresno)   Rounding out the top 5 is Johnson, a high-motor and athletic combo guard that impacts the game in countless ways, can score the ball, and is a solid on-ball defender. Johnson participated in the 5th Annual Next Up Showcase in late August and had an impressive showing, with games of 12 points and 8 rebounds, followed by a 16-point game. I saw Johnson again at the Clovis West Fall Shootout, and he showed he could be a factor for the upper-class heavy Panthers, as he was diving on the floor for loose balls, hitting threes off the catch, and being a disruptor on defense. Johnson has a strong handle on the ball, a great burst of speed off the bounce, the court vision to find teammates off the drive and kick-out pass or the body control to finish through contact at the basket. Johnson has good court awareness, moves well off the ball to get to the open spot for shots off the catch, is accurate with the 3-ball, is a good positional rebounder with the handle to push the pace of play, and the footspeed and hands to stay in front of his opponent and cause turnovers that lead to transition baskets. This year he is likely to be in the core rotation for the Panthers, but over the next four years could develop into one of the main guys by his junior season.

This is the initial round of these player rankings for the Class of 2029, as this list has been compiled over the past six months. This first round of 2029 player rankings were compiled looking at play in the month of June, over the Spring and Summer Club portions of the year, and most recently in team and individual events in the Fall portion of the basketball calendar, like our Next Up Showcase for example. This initial list includes 20 players from the class of 2029 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 20 freshman 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 a part 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, size, talent, and skill of this class so far could lead to some impactful moments as freshman on varsity, as well as 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 top 5 players from the 2029 graduation class, and will be followed by 3 more articles in waves of 5 players, the next being #6-#10. Given that many of these players are unknown or not well known beyond the Central Section as freshmen, I wanted to elaborate more on each player. 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 this article with the intriguing wing/forward from Clovis High, Roman Felix.