Top 30 SoCal team ratings plus Top 12 players

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LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – Four weeks into the boys’ basketball season, Southern California’s pre-season “Best of the Best” teams – Centennial, Harvard-Westlake, and Bishop Montgomery – have looked every bit locked in as the state’s best three teams.

They’re a combined 24-1, with that loss the one Centennial suffered in Texas on the home-court of the top-ranked “non-prep school” team in the country, Duncanville, 59-57, on Nov. 26.

Centennial and the Wolverines have also played reasonably challenging schedules so far.

That hasn’t been the case for Bishop Montgomery but should change when Doug Mitchell’s squad heads to San Luis Obispo for the Mission Prep Christmas Classic, whose field will also include the likes of St. Joseph, Richmond Salesian, and Moreno Valley Rancho Verde.

Also impacting the pecking order of my updated Top 30 will be the most prestigious and competitive tournaments in the west, “pre-Christmas” with the Dec. 19-22 Tarkanian Classic and “post-Christmas” with the Dec. 26-30 Classic at Damien.

From the updated BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal team ratings, No.’s 4 (West Ranch), 5 (St. Bernard) and 9 (Mater Dei) are in the National (top) bracket at Tarkanian and will open next Monday at the Orleans Hotel Arena, with the Dec. 20-22 games set for Bishop Gorman.

No.’s 10 (Rancho Christian), 11 (JSerra) and 15 (Santa Margarita) are playing in other divisions at the Tarkanian Classic and will open play on Monday at Bishop Gorman.

Bracket play in the Silver, Bronze, Green and Iron divisions of the Classic at Damien begin on Dec. 26, with the Platinum, Gold and Diamond divisions tipping off on Dec. 27.

Thirteen members of the SoCal Top 30 are part of the 112-team Classic at Damien field, including West Ranch, St. Bernard, No. 6 (Notre Dame), Rancho Christian, No. 12 (Canyon), Santa Margarita and No. 18 (Narbonne) in the Platinum Division.

Heading my “All-Southland, Top 12” player selections for the first season is Marcus Adams Jr. (pictured) of Narbonne.

The selections are not based upon “college potential” or how I rate them as “prospects” – just strictly on how they played when I watched them, notably in how they led their teams to wins.

 

 

 

All-Southern California Team “Month 1”

(Regardless of Class/limit one player per team)

*Marcus Adams Jr.                 Harbor City Narbonne

Brandon Benjamin                  Anaheim Canyon

Kade Bonam                           Bellflower St. John Bosco

Xavier Edmonds                      Torrance Bishop Montgomery

Gavin Hightower                     L.A. Windward

Aaron McBride                        Corona Centennial

Jazz Gardner                           Valencia West Ranch

Julien Gomez                          La Mirada

Trent Perry                              Studio City Harvard-Westlake

Tyrone Riley                            St. Pius/St. Matthias

Tyler Rolison                           Playa del Rey St. Bernard

Dusty Stromer                         Sherman Oaks Notre Dame

*Most Outstanding Player

 

 

SoCal Top 30

(Results as of Dec. 10)

1. Corona Centennial (CIF SS D-1) 6-1

Next: Saturday, vs. Winter Haven (FL), Ft. Myers (FL) Tournament.

2. Studio City Harvard-Westlake (D-1) 10-0

Next up: Tuesday, vs. Granada Hills Charter School.

3. Torrance Bishop Montgomery (D-1) 8-0

Next up: Saturday, vs. San Marcos, Mission Prep Christmas Classic

4. Valencia West Ranch (D-1) 7-0

Next up: Friday, at No. 16 Village Christian

5. Playa del Rey St. Bernard (D-1) 8-0

Next up: Monday, vs. Morningside

6. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (D-1) 7-2

Next up: Dec. 20, at San Diego San Ysidro

7. Bellflower St. John Bosco (D-1) 9-0

Next up: Saturday, vs. Sprague (OR), Salem (OR) Capitol City Classic

8. Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (D-1) 6-1

Next up: Monday, vs. New York Christ the King

9. Santa Ana Mater Dei (D-1) 3-1

Next up: Tuesday, vs. Capistrano Valley Christian

10. Temecula Rancho Christian (2-A) 3-3

Next up: Saturday, at Henderson (NV) Liberty

11. San Juan Capistrano JSerra (D-1) 8-0

Next up: Dec. 19, Tarkanian Classic, at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman

12. Anaheim Canyon (D-1) 10-1

Next up: Wednesday, vs. Cypress

13. RSM Tesoro (2-AA) 11-2

Next up: Dec. 22, vs. Cypress

14. La Mirada (2-A) 9-4

Next up: Wednesday, at St. Paul

15. RSM Santa Margarita (D-1) 8-1

Next up: Friday, vs. Murrieta Valley

16. Sun Valley Village Christian (D-1) 9-1

Next up: Friday, vs. No. 4 West Ranch

17. Downey St. Pius X/St. Matthias (3-AA) 7-2

Next up: Monday, vs. Blair

18. Harbor City Narbonne (L.A. City D-1) 3-2

Next up: Friday, vs. Carson

19. Windward (2-AA) 6-3

Next up: Tuesday, at Venice

20. Beverly Hills (2-AA) 8-1

Next up: Tuesday, vs. Hawthorne

21. Rancho Cucamonga (2-AA) 12-1

Next up: Dec. 27, Classic at Damien, vs. San Ramon Valley

22. Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (D-1) 10-0

Next up: Monday, vs. Culver City

23. Etiwanda (D-1) 9-1

Next up: Dec. 27, Classic at Damien, vs. Sacramento Inderkum

24. Eastvale Roosevelt (D-1) 6-2

Next up: Monday, Tarkanian Classic

25. La Canada St. Francis (D-1) 10-2

Next up: Friday, at La Canada

26. Oxnard (2-AA) 9-0

Next up: Tuesday, at Oxnard Pacifica

27. Encino Crespi (2-AA) 10-1

Next up: Saturday, vs. Oak Park

28. Whittier La Serna (3-AA) 7-3

Next up: Monday, vs. La Habra

29. TO Oaks Christian (4-A) 10-0

Next up: Friday, vs. Simi Valley Royal

30. Brentwood School (D-1) 10-1

Next up: Dec. 19, Tarkanian Classic