California
Top 25 California high school boys basketball preseason rankings (11/17/2024)
The season started Monday. We didn’t peak. These are out a couple days late, but promise, all were picked before any of the Southern Section squads got underway.
It’s hard to bet against the two-time defending Open Division champion Harvard-Westlake Wolverines, especially with the return of perhaps the state’s best two-way player in Nik Khamenia, a 6-8 power forward headed to Duke, and the addition of super shooter Joe Sterling.
Plus they have arguably the state’s best coach in David Rebibo. That’s a mouthful.
But St. John Bosco is simply that good, blessed with a trio of players that no one can match. Most of the rest of the state tips off next week. Until then, here’s a look at the state’s Top 25 with a lot of input from SBLive’s Tarek Fattal.
Note: Only teams that play for a CIF State California title were considered for this rankings, thus eliminating Prolific Prep of Napa Christian, which can and will play for both a mythical national title. On Tuesday, the Crew defeated the No. 1 team in the SBLive preseason national rankings.
Brandon McCoy, Elzie Harrington and Christian Collins make up arguable the best trio in California. Very talented group with an elite coach in Matt Dunn.Collins is expected to be eligible immediately after valid change of residence.
Nik Khamenia and new transfer Joe Sterling will be a savvy pair of experienced players bringing along a bevy of high-talented underclassmen under the guidance of David Rebibo. The Wolverines are the two-time defending CIF Open Division champions.
Brayden Burries, Issac Williamson, Myles Walker and Dominic Copenhagen make up a cohesive unit that reached the Open Division finals and CIF State Open regional final.
Tyran Stokes is nursing a wrist injury that could sideline him for the first few weeks of the season, but Lino Mark, Zach White and Caleb Ogbu can handle the heavy lifting until Stokes returns. With Stokes, the Knights will see themselves nationally ranked by various outlets.
The headliner of course is Baylor-bound and fourth-year starter Tounde Yessoufou, who is nearing 3,000 career points at a 29.0 per game clip to go along with 11.0, 2.8 steals and 1.7 blocks per outing in his career. But the Knights also boasts 4-star guard Julius Price, another four-year starter with offers to Minnesota and Washington. Other starters Gunner Morinini and Abdoul also return.
The defending Northern California Open champion graduated a ton but return Elias Obenah, Yale-bound Alvin Loving and two-sport standout Carlton Perrilliat among a host of others in an attempt to duplicate a nearly perfect season of sharing. Not a single Pride player averaged even 10 points per game last season.
The Crusaders were slated a few slots higher until it was learned Cal-bound guard Semetri Carr, who played with the Crusaders during an impressive June live period, decided to transfer from Branson-Ross to Redwood-Larkspur, his hometown public school. The Crusaders, the NorCal Open runner-up and two-time Central Coast Section Open champ, return loads of D1 talent, including 6-5 wing Jasir Rencher (Texas A&M commit), 6-9 post Steve Emenek, 4-star junior guard Andrew Hilman, Ryder Bush, along with transfers Kirby Seals (Santa Cruz), D.J. Armstrong (Branson). Watch out for 6-9 frontliner J.P. Phitvos.
The Lions will compete to win the Trinity League and are destined for the Open Division with returners Jarne Eyenga and Godschoice Eboigbodin, new transfers Brannon Martinsen (Mater Dei) and BJ Davis Ray (Duncanville), and rising sophomore Earl Bryson.
What a front line with Oklahoma-bound Alec Blair, a 6-6 senior who can play and defend anywhere, and 6-7 bangers David Balogun and Braddock Kjellevig. The pressure will be on the backcourt but returning starter Ibrahim Monawar, a 6-2 junior, back the Spartans sould be able to run with anyone.
The Eagles have a trio that should win them 20-plus games alone in Dallas Washington, Brayden Kyman and Drew Anderson. Newcomer Kaiden Bailey, who scored 30 points per game last year for Calvary Chapel gives SM a dynamic, superstar element in the backcourt.
Nothing new in Chatsworth. An influx of transfers (yet again) highlighted by Maximo Adams, Chris Nwuli and Gavin Hightower join returners Bryce Cofield, Bryce James and Jayden Alexander.
The Monarchs return guards Owen Verna and Luke Barnett. Forward Blake Davidson and junior Malloy Smith will be expected to play bigger roles this upcoming season. Evan Willis is a 6-foot-7 freshman wing to keep an eye out for.
Gavin Sykes, a 6-4 senior, and Stanford-bound Myles Jones came in late last season, beat De La Salle at NorCals and was edged barely by Salesian. Sykes and Jones return as does super sophomore Elijah Payne, Ryan Atkins (6-7) and Mason Brown. Coach Bruce Fantazia, one of the best in NorCal, will also coach Modesto Junior College this season.
The best from the San Diego Section, the Aztecs return their four leading scorers in J.J. Sanchez (19.8 points per game), Devin Hamilton (13.2), Xair Mendez (12.4) and Alek Sanchez (8.8). They don’t just score in bunches, they play so well together, and last year were in super synch. A year more in tune, there’s no reason to think they can’t get to 30 wins.
The NorCal Division 1 champion last season returns UC Irvine commit Luke Isaak to go along with Mason Thomas, Elliot Conley and Thomas Coney. Big teams might give the Wolves trouble, but with such strong guard play, helped by newcomer Tyler Smith, the Wolves could put together a 30-win season.
Redondo has a big three in Hudson Mayes, SJ Madison and Chris Sanders. Coach Reggie Morris will also have newcomer Chace Holly, a junior transfer from Lynwood, at his disposal.
Julien ‘Manu’ Gomez will be the senior leader, but the star is sophomore Gene Roebuck, who’s carrying offers to Kansas, UCLA and Cal. MJ Smith and King Riley will fill roles nicely. La Mirada has added some size, too, with Santiago Lopez (6-7) and Mayfair transfer Daquan Idemudia (6-5).
Nate Garcia is finally a senior. The 7-foot, All-CIF big man will be accompanied by Eli Gardner, Elijah Smith, Jacob Allen and sophomore Ziaire Rasshan. Spartans return nine of their top 10 players from last season. That’s a recipe for success under Mike LeDuc, who’s in his 45th season coaching.
Jason Crowe and his son Jason Crowe Jr. are now at Inglewood, along with three more impact transfers in Parker Jefferson (from Texas), David Conerly (Westchester) and Dwayne Boston Jr.
With more than 2,100 career points, Jake Hall has led the Lancers to 78 victories including last year’s sparkling 30-3 record when he gave up his scoring (18.9 per game) for the good of the team. Three junior guards — Briggs Young, Trenton Mehl and Jayden Garner — should help the Lancers to another 25- to 30-win season.
Forward Douglas Langford will be the leading force for St. Pius as he enters his senior season. Returner Omari Cuffe, Kayleb Kearse (Serra), Dayvion Gates and Jaden Erami (Bosco Tech) make for a good Donte Archie-led squad.
The Warriors return a dynamic duo that rivals anyone in SoCal when it comes to athleticism and length: Tae Simmons and Dillan Shaw. Sophomores Max Hackney and Dominc Loehle are primed for breakout seasons.
The Griffins are a savvy, veteran bunch led by returnrs Trent Minter, Wesley Trevino, Liam Gray, Tyler Lopez and Samori Guyness. All seniors and a junior (Lopez). Los Alamitos likes to play fast.
Coming off a 26-5 season, Pasadena possesses one of the biggest stock risers in SoCal in 6-foot-10 junior forward Josh Irving. Bulldogs return 11 players from last season.
The defending state Division 2 champions return the San Francisco Chronicle’s 2023-24 Player of the Year Ardarius Grayson, a 6-foot do-everything guard who did everything in the state finals: 20 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, five steals. Some transfers should help with those who graduated. Xan Meyer-Plettner (8.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and Saddiq Alarbesh (9.1 ppg) should have even a bigger role.
California
California tech leaders challenge progressive policies as billionaires, businesses flee: report
Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., criticized California’s ‘devastating’ proposed wealth tax and how it will affect the state’s residents on ‘The Evening Edit.’
A group of tech industry leaders and self-described “radical centrists” are vowing to push back on left-leaning policies in California that are causing an exodus among wealthy entrepreneurs and businesses from the Golden State.
The New York Post reported that the group held an event attended by about 350 people in Mountain View, California, that featured elected officials, including San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, tech industry leaders and hundreds of attendees who want to challenge the progressive tilt of the state’s policies.
The meeting comes as several prominent wealthy entrepreneurs have left California to avoid a proposed 5% one-time wealth tax on billionaires who were California residents at the start of this year, with the tax due next year. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Oracle founder Larry Ellison and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel are among those who have moved assets or relocated from California.
Business leaders who are spearheading the group urged those in attendance not to give up on California by leaving and instead push back on left-leaning policies by electing more moderate politicians.
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Y Combinator CEO and founder Garry Tan launched “Garry’s List” to educate voters about California politics. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Some people have decided to leave our state as some kind of heroic thing. Like, ‘I’m going to Florida,’” Ripple Chairman Chris Larsen said at the event, according to the Post’s report. “That is not brave. That’s surrender. So, let’s get involved. Let’s take back our state.”
Larsen said the group needs to “fight on par with the unions when they’re proposing stupid job-killing ideas like the San Francisco CEO tax.”
He also called out Democratic politicians who are competing to become the party’s nominee for California governor, including former Democratic presidential primary candidate Tom Steyer, Rep. Eric Swalwell and former Rep. Katie Porter for supporting the union-backed CEO tax.
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Policies such as the San Francisco CEO tax and a proposed wealth tax targeting billionaires have sparked pushback from California centrists. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
He said it’s “really disappointing,” and it reflects the pressure that labor unions have put on the state’s elected officials. Larsen added that while the group isn’t anti-union, it aims to balance labor’s ability to influence elected officials.
Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan hosted the event after he launched “Garry’s List” last month to serve as a “citizen’s union” to support centrist candidates in California who are supportive of policies to improve the state’s schools and addressing issues related to housing and public safety.
Tan criticized Steyer, saying he’s attempting to “buy the governor’s mansion to raise your taxes,” and praised Mahan as the “next governor of California.”
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The hotly contested Democratic primary to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom will be a flashpoint for the brewing battle between centrists and progressives. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The Post’s report noted that Garry’s List is focusing on voter education efforts through a blog Tan writes with the assistance of AI. Tan launched the site criticizing anti-growth policies, wealth taxes and a strike by San Francisco teachers.
Garry’s List is one of several groups that have been formed in an effort to stem the leftward lurch of California’s politics.
A group called Grow California was created by Larsen and Tim Draper, which will spend about $40 million to support “pragmatic” candidates focused on addressing issues like the cost of living.
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Another group called Building a Better California was launched by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, venture capitalist Michael Moritz and other tech leaders. It has raised over $45 million to help advance initiatives to reform tax policy and spur development.
While we may lose an hour of sleep this coming weekend, one clock store in California is gearing up for one of its busiest times of the year: daylight savings.
It’s the House of Clocks, the largest clock company in Northern California, which was recently celebrating 55 years of business.
It’s a place frozen in time. Just visit the store’s 240-year-old grandfather clock. It’s got plenty of stories to tell, dating back to 1780.
“This is the oldest piece we have right now,” clocksmith Joey Hohn said.
The House of Clocks is on the outskirts of Downtown Lodi in San Joaquin County.
“We have new, we have vintage, we have antique,” co-owner Sandy Hohn shared. “Honestly, it feels like not a day goes by that we don’t get a phone call or an email of somebody wanting to sell something for 100 different reasons.”
The clock store has been with the Hohn family for three generations. It’s all thanks to one family heirloom.
“When the first war started, [my grandparents] left everything and had to move,” Joey Hohn explained. “After the Second World War, my grandpa was stationed in Germany. They went back to the house that had been abandoned and the neighbor who they left the property to said, ‘As far as I’m concerned, everything in the house is still yours.’ They went back and got this, so this is my great-great-grandparents’ clock.”
You can find just about anything in the House of Clocks, from old grandfather clocks to clocks that can fit in the palm of your hand.
What you can’t find anywhere else is the Hohns’ love for Lodi.
“We’ve made so many friends over the years out of customers,” Sandy Hohn said. “Friends that are just wonderful, that love collecting, and we keep them repaired for their families, which is awesome. They have sentimental value that’s passed down.”
That same love for the city and their community runs in the family.
“We had a customer that wanted to repaint their dial,” Joey Hohn explained. “We told them no because it was her father’s who had passed away. Every time he went to wind the clock, he placed his thumb in the same spot. When we told her that smudge there on the dial was her father, she said, ‘Back away, don’t you dare.’ It was just a good memory we have.”
While you can’t turn back time, what we can do is keep memories alive and treasure the present moment.
“There’s so many personalities,” Sandy Hohn said. “We just try to find a good home for them.”
California
Signs of spring blooming at Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve after wet, warm winter
It’s beginning to look a lot like spring!
The warm and wet weather this winter has led to the start of a dazzling super bloom at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve.
“We had an unseasonably warm winter as well, so there’s actually a lot of growth,” said Callista Turney with California State Parks. “We’re having early wildflowers that are already at the park. So if you look at the poppy live cam, it shows a lot of orange already.”
The rain has helped the early blooms, but it’s actually the heat that accelerated the growth of the flowers.
“It will actually speed up the growth of the plants, so some of them were already blooming and that’s going to cause those blossoms to accelerate faster towards seed production. And the blossoms that are in the process of being formed, those are going to open up soon as well.”
We also sometimes see great super blooms in Death Valley National Park, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Joshua Tree and the Mojave National Preserve.
“It’s definitely a rare occurrence because we don’t always have the right conditions. It’s gotta be the weather, the wind, the rain, all coming together,” said Katie Tilford, Director of Development and Communications with the Theodore Payne Foundation.
If it continues to stay unseasonably warm, we’ll see a shorter bloom. The key to a longer season is milder weather.
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