LAGUNA NIGUEL – The Bellflower St. John Bosco High boys’ basketball program made the 2022-23 the best in the eight-year stint of Coach Matt Dunn.
The Braves finished 26-7 and was the outright champion in the Trinity League – marking the first time that a Mater Dei team hasn’t at least shared a league title since 1988.
They played in the CIF Southern Section’s Open Division championship game for the first time, losing on a buzzer-beating dunk by Aaron McBride of three-time Open-winning Corona Centennial at the Honda Center.
They were the No. 2 seed in the State Southern Open Regional, losing to eventual state champion Harvard-Westlake in a semifinal.
And the linchpin to all of that on-court success?
Say hello to the BurlisonOnBasketball, 2022-23 Southern California Sophomore of the Year, Elzie Harrington.
Harrington (pictured) was on his way to a superb freshman campaign before a severe foot early in January of 2022 forced him to miss the rest of the season.
But he was healthy – and always approaching sensational – during the entirety of this season while averaging 15.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.8 steals per game.
Which player – or players – will be make up Harrington’s strongest competition for top junior honors in Southern California a year from now?
The rest of the five-player, first-team selections (see below) are the obvious answers.
But don’t forget about Brayden Burries and Issac Williamson, so outstanding as 2021-22 freshmen at Riverside Poly but now at Roosevelt in Eastvale, where they were ineligible to play as sophomores.
Each was terrific during the two-week, Pangos Best of SoCal Spring League that wrapped up Monday night at McBride High in Long Beach.
The 6-foot-4 Burries shared Most Outstanding Player of the league honors with Class of 2026 standout guard Kaiden Bailey (Irvine Crean Lutheran).
My Top 30 (broken down by groups of five) all-SoCal Sophomore selections follow.
Be aware:
- Each team’s selections are listed backcourt (BC/guards) or frontcourt (FC/forwards, posts, or “wings”), and listed alphabetically.
- Players were only eligible if they started most of the season.
- And these choices were based upon on-court performances – not “college” or “long-term (professional)” If the latter were the cases, these selections would have a significantly different look.
BurlisonOnBasketball 2022-23 All-Sophomore Selections
First Team
BC Julien Gomez La Mirada 6-2
BC Elzie Harrington Bellflower St. John Bosco 6-4
FC Tae Simmons Northridge Heritage Christian 6-6
FC Brandon Benjamin Anaheim Canyon 6-5
FC Nikolas Khamenia Studio City Harvard-Westlake 6-8
Sophomore of the Year: Harrington.
Second Team
BC Aaron Glass Rancho Cucamonga 6-2
BC Gavin Hightower L.A. Windward 6-1
FC Nate Garcia La Verne Damien 6-11
FC Douglas Langford Downey Pius X/St. Matthias 6-7
FC Trent MacLean Thousand Oaks 6-9
Third Team
BC Hudson Mayes Redondo Beach Redondo 6-3
BC McKel Shedrick Riverside Hillcrest 6-2
BC E.J. Spillman Newport Pacifica Christian 6-4
FC John Gazzaniga Orange Lutheran 6-7
FC Jovani Ruff Long Beach Poly 6-4
Fourth Team
BC Keshrey Smith Jr. Pasadena Blair 6-1
BC Myles Walker Riverside JW North 5-9
FC Preston Ezewiro Manhattan Beach Mira Costa 6-7
FC Peyton White Encino Crespi 6-6
FC Bourgeois Tshilobo San Gabriel Academy 6-8
Fifth Team
BC Collin Haugh Dana Point Dana Hills 5-11
BC Osami Maciel Santa Fe Springs St. Paul 6-0
FC Mazi Mosley La Canada St. Francis 6-5
FC Dillan Shaw Northridge Heritage Christian 6-5
FC E.J. Vernon Santa Monica Crossroads School 6-5
Sixth Team
BC Jaden Erami Rosemead Bosco Tech 6-2
BC Caleb Versher Playa del Rey St. Bernard 6-3
FC Kade Bonam Bellflower St. John Bosco 6-7
FC Joshua Garland Lawndale Leuzinger 6-4
FC Jeremiah Hampton L.A. Windward 6-4
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.