Central Cali's Preseason Top 15 Team Rankings (1-5)

The high school season is hours away from tipping-off and we are set for an entertaining season of basketball in the Central Section. After watching players and teams in various platforms of basketball, whether it is high school team, club team, or individual events, all of these venues were taken into account in putting together this list of Central Section Preseason Top 15 Team Rankings. This article includes the following information: team name, its key players, its current preseason rankings, its final ranking from last season in parentheses, and last year's record. In this article, we take a look at the top 5 teams in these Central Cali Preseason Top 15 Team Rankings. This article will be followed by the a look at the teams that are on the bubble of the top 15, with the acknowledgement that there is not much separation between the #10-#20 teams in the Section.   1. (1) St. Joseph Knights (Santa Maria) (31-2)   Key Players: [player_tooltip player_id='1956462' first='Julius' last='Price'] (6'3 | PG | Sr.); [player_tooltip player_id='2436278' first='Malcolm' last='Price'] (6'2 | CG | Jr.); Williams Sacre (6'8 | WF | So.); Gunner Morinini (6'1 | SG | Sr.); [player_tooltip player_id='2436295' first='Godson' last='Eyita'] (6'9 | FC | Jr.); Elijah Ormond (6'7 | WF | Jr.); and Bernardo Jeronimo (6'4 | PG | Fr.)   The Knights of St. Joseph is coming off a successful season by most standards, although the coaching staff would likely argue anything less than a state title last year was a shortcoming, as it scored wins over some nationally ranked teams last season. St. Joes won its 3rd Central Section title in 6 years (1 Open Division and 2 Division 1 titles), as it would handedly take down Buchanan of Clovis. The Knights were slotted in the Southern Region of the state playoffs, always the tougher road, and would draw Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks and top ranked senior [player_tooltip player_id='1702934' first='Tyran' last='Stokes'] (now at Rainier Beach in Washington). St. Joes fell short despite a monster 40-point scoring performance from the state's all-time leading scorer in Tounde Yessoufou (currently at Baylor) and like that the magical season was over. Although the Knights will begin basketball without Yessoufou, who will likely hold the Section scoring title for years, St. Joes still has the most talented roster in the Section and starts the season off as the #10 team in CalHi's Preseason Top 50 State rankings, the highest ranked Central Section team. The Knights will be led by the Price brothers (senior Julius and junior Malcolm), a monster frontline led by sophomore Williams Sacre and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2436295' first='Godson' last='Eyita'], and sharp shooting senior Gunner Morinini, and are the favorites to win a consecutive D1 Section title this year. However, San Joaquin Memorial will have something to say about it, as these teams have played twice since June and split wins in those match-ups, as St. Joes won in a meeting at the California Scholastic Live tournament in June, and San Joaquin got the better of the Knights at the Clovis West Fall Shootout in September. The Knights are the deeper team with more next level talent on the roster and the winning pedigree is there, as most of the players on the roster were part of last year's title. The Knights play a rigorous schedule and will travel around the US, as well as overseas for a few events and will be the clear cut favorite to win its League for the 6th straight year.    2. (4) San Joaquin Memorial Panthers (Fresno) (25-7)   Key Players: [player_tooltip player_id='2830146' first='Parker' last='Spees'] (6'9 | WF | Sr.); Sajjin Sidhu (6'4 | CG | Sr.); [player_tooltip player_id='2932601' first='Ty' last='Schalk'] (6'2 | SG | Jr.); Dominick Olanrewaju (6'5 | WF | So.); [player_tooltip player_id='2932197' first='Jaxson' last='Silverstrom'] (6'1 | CG | Jr.); and [player_tooltip player_id='2956487' first='Jaedyn' last='Johnson'] (6'1 | CG | Fr.)   The Panthers start the season off at #2 and have made a strong case over the past four to five months to be the one of the favorites to make it to Selland Arena in late February, with wins over Sunnyslope of Arizona at the California Scholastic Live tournament, one of the nation's top 15 teams, and recently got a win over St. Joseph at the Clovis West Fall Shootout to even the score, as the Knights beat the Panthers at the June scholastic live tournament in SoCal. San Joaquin starts the season off ranked #21 by CalHi Sports in its preseason state rankings. The Panthers split the CMAC 1 League title with Bullard last season and had a short run in the Section and State playoffs, losing to the Section Champs in the semifinals of the Section Playoffs and a first round loss in the D1 state playoffs to San Ramon Valley. Although the Panthers are not as deep as it was last season on paper, the chemistry and positional fit of the players on this roster has led to some impressive wins and a group that seems locked in to making a run at a Section Title. San Joaquin will be led by senior [player_tooltip player_id='2830146' first='Parker' last='Spees'], recently committed to UC Irvine, who hit a huge 3-pointer to give the Panthers the win over Sunnyslope back in June. Sophomore Dom Olanrewaju is set to have a breakout season, as he is the top ranked player in the 2028 class in the Central Section, and will solidify the frontline for the Panthers. Senior guard Sajjin Sidhu has emerged as the team's primary ball handler but also one of its best scorers, along with sharp shooting junior [player_tooltip player_id='2932601' first='Ty' last='Schalk'], providing San Joaquin with one of the better scoring backcourts in the Section. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2956487' first='Jaedyn' last='Johnson'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2932197' first='Jaxson' last='Silverstrom'] will provide the utility play and do whatever is needed to help the Panthers win. Although the depth of the roster is not that of St. Joes, the style of play, team IQ, and overall talent of this San Joaquin team is why I have them at the second spot to start the season and see them as one of the favorites to play for a Section title.   3. (3) Bakersfield Christian Eagles (24-9)   Key Players: [player_tooltip player_id='2646533' first='Taiwo' last='Daramola'] (6'8 | F | Jr.); [player_tooltip player_id='2194700' first='Jeremias' last='Killebrew'] (6'5 | WG | Jr.); Braylen Smith (6'1 | CG | So.); Caiden Jackson (6'1 | CG | Jr.); and [player_tooltip player_id='3034823' first='Carter' last='Steinback'] (6'1 | SG | So.)   The Eagles had a strong finish to last season, as it would make a run to the Division 2 State semifinals before losing to Chatsworth by a score of 66 to 51. Bakersfield Christian won its 7th straight league title, not counting the Covid year, going undefeated and being led by one of the Section best players last year in two-time league MVP Gabe Gutierrez (currently at College of Sequoias). After graduating its backcourt from last year, both were co-league MVPs, most teams would have been looking to rebuild or even expect a down year, but the Eagles bring back a core group from last year outside of Gutierrez and it has looked impressive throughout the month of June and the Fall portion of the season. Most recently, Bakersfield Christian had an impressive win over Buchanan of Clovis, the team that knocked the Eagles out of the Section playoffs last year, and are the clear cut top team in the South Valley to start the year off. Bakersfield Christian starts the year off at #35 in the preseason CalHi state rankings. The Eagles will be led by juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2194700' first='Jeremias' last='Killebrew'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2646533' first='Taiwo' last='Daramola'] to hold down the frontline, and the emergence of sophomore Braylen Smith has been impressive, as he looks to be one of the best guards in the sophomore class throughout the Section. Despite not having any seniors in the core rotation, the talent, size, skill, and strength of schedule over the past four months is why I have the Eagles starting off at the #3 spot, and we will see where Bakersfield Christian stands, as it has arguably the toughest schedule in the Section and plays some of the Western region's top teams, if not nationally ranked.   4. (5) Clovis North Broncos (Fresno) (24-8)   Key Players: Elais Gish (6'7 | WG | Sr.); McKae Amundsen (5'10 | PG | Sr.); Jahlil Montgomery (6'2 | WG | Jr.); Landon Woodsford (6'2 | WF | Jr.); Miles Tucker (5'9 | SG | Jr.); and Titan Lawrence (6'4 | WF | Sr.)   The Broncos are coming off another successful season by most program standards, winning another TRAC title as co-league champs with Buchanan. However, the Broncos standards are higher than most, and, coming off a D1 Section title the year before, I know the coaching staff felt it could make it back to the title game. Despite the strong schedule and some impressive wins, Buchanan proved to be the hindrance Clovis North could not get past last year, as it would lose all 3 match-ups to the Bears, two in league and one in the semifinals of the D1 Section semifinals to prevent a return to the title game. Clovis North earned the #4 seed in the Division 1 State Regional playoffs, but fell to Liberty of Brentwood in the opening round. Despite the loss of co-league MVP Loukas Jones (now at Fresno Pacific), the Broncos return standout seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2977779' first='Elias' last='Gish'] and recent Idaho State commit McKae Amundsen, who have both been fantastic over the past 4 months of play. Juniors Jahlil Montgomery and senior Titan Lawrence provide a physical presence on both ends of the court, and junior Miles Tucker has emerged as one of the team's sharp shooters to space the floor. The Broncos start the season ranked #40 in the CalHi preseason team rankings. As per usual, Clovis North will play a rugged schedule and is set to play in some of the top events in California, and was placed in the top division of the prestigious Classic at Damien. The Broncos would be my odds on favorite to win the TRAC league this season, but there is a lot to be determined in a year that seems pretty wide open in league play. The winning culture that has been built at Clovis North, along with a chip on its shoulder from last season, is the reason I have the Broncos at the #4 spot to open up the season, as its senior leadership of its top two players make them a threat to get back to another Section title game.    5. (2) Buchanan Bears (Clovis) (27-6)   Key Players: [player_tooltip player_id='2915953' first='Rhead' last='Sweeney'] (6'4 | CG | So.); Brayden Harris (6'8 | FC | Sr.); Carter Finley (6'4 | WG | Sr.); Des Patton (5'9 | PG | Sr.); Luke DeManby (6'2 | CG | So.); and Jaiden Anderson (6'3 | WG | Sr.)   The Bears are coming off one of its best seasons in some years and were led by one of the best pure scorers in the Section in TRAC co-MVP Conner Sheets (currently at College of Idaho). Buchanan split the TRAC league with Clovis North, but defeated the Broncos both times in league play. It did fall to Central East of Fresno and Clovis West, which is why it tied with the Broncos for the league title. Buchanan would defeat Clovis North a third time in the Division 1 Section semifinals, after a scare from Bakersfield Christian in the opening round, and earned a spot in the championship game against the mighty Knights of St. Joseph. The Bears would lose to the Knights in the Section title game 54 to 33, and just had a hard time scoring against the stout defense of St. Joes. Buchanan earned the #2 seed in the D1 State playoffs, and after taking down Monterey Trail in the opening round, it would fall to St. Ignatius of San Francisco in a close one, 55 to 52 to end the magical season. Despite the departure of Sheets to college, the Bears still have a lot of size, depth, physicality, and have been led by standout sophomore, and sharp shooter, [player_tooltip player_id='2915953' first='Rhead' last='Sweeney'] and senior forward Brayden Harris, who holds down the interior, as well as a list of players that can chip in with scoring on any given night. The lack of having that seasoned go to guy in the clutch could hurt the Bears, but Buchanan is well coached, has a system in place that leads to wins, and has one of the premier emerging scoring guards in the Section in Sweeney. The Bears have been productive over the past 4 months and have had some strong showings this Fall, and I have them as one of the front-runners, along with Clovis North, to win the TRAC again.

The high school season is hours away from tipping-off and we are set for an entertaining season of basketball in the Central Section. After watching players and teams in various platforms of basketball, whether it is high school team, club team, or individual events, all of these venues were taken into account in putting together this list of Central Section Preseason Top 15 Team Rankings. This article includes the following information: team name, its key players, its current preseason rankings, its final ranking from last season in parentheses, and last year's record. In this article, we take a look at the top 5 teams in these Central Cali Preseason Top 15 Team Rankings. This article will be followed by the a look at the teams that are on the bubble of the top 15, with the acknowledgement that there is not much separation between the #10-#20 teams in the Section.