Updated team ratings and mid-season player honors

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LAGUNA NIGUEL – Harvard-Westlake, despite suffering its first loss to Miami Columbus Saturday night on a closing seconds rebound shot, maintains the top spot in the first 2024 version of the 2023-24 BurlisonOnBasketball Top 30 SoCal team ratings.

The 2023 State Open Division champion Wolverines, who open Mission League play Friday night at Alemany, also have the BurlisonOnBasketball top senior for the 2023 portion of the season in USC-bound guard Trent Perry.

The No.’s 2 and 3 teams in the Top 30, Eastvale Roosevelt and St. John Bosco, met in Saturday night’s Classic at Damien Platinum championship game with the Mustangs prevailing, 68-65.

They are led by the respective top junior and sophomore at this point of the season in Brayden Burries and Brandon McCoy Jr.

There are what could prove to be significant league openers this week, relative to who ultimate win league titles and land in the CIF Southern Section’s eight-squad Open Division playoff field.

The Trinity League has three of those, when St. john Bosco visits San Juan Capistrano Wednesday night to take on No. 4 JSerra, and JSerra will be in Santa Ana Friday night in search of the program’s first-ever win over No. 6 Mater Dei.

And, Saturday night, St. John Bosco will be the “home” team for its Trinity matchup with Mater Dei which will be played in the Crypto Arena (aka “Staples Center”) at 6 o’clock as one of the five games in the Catholic Coastal Classic.

There will be at least seven “multi-game” events this weekend, including those at Long Beach Cabrillo Friday and Lynwood Saturday (Real Run), Redondo (Take Flight), Catholic Coastal Classic (Crypto Arena), Santiago Canyon College (SoCal Showdown), Cerritos College (Guillory Invitational), BSN (Newport Pacifica Christian) and Sonora and Sunny Hills (Challenge for Choice).

More on those events later in the week.

But, for now, my “top players” selections – based upon how they played when I watched them, and how they contributed to their teams’ successes, not how I rate them as “college prospects” – and updated team ratings . . .

Senior for 2023

Trent Perry (Harvard-Westlake)

Next: Mercy Miller (Sherman Oaks Notre Dame) and Justin Pippen (Sierra Canyon)

Junior for 2023

Brayden Burries (Eastvale Roosevelt)

Next: Nikolas Khamenia (Harvard-Westlake) and Kade Bonam (St. John Bosco)

Sophomore for 2023

Brandon McCoy Jr. (St. John Bosco)

Next: Jason Crowe Jr. (Lynwood) and Brannon Martinsen (Mater Dei)

Freshman for 2023

Gene Roebuck (La Mirada)

Next: Mahamadou Diop (San Gabriel Academy) and Chris Sanders (Redondo)

 

 

 

Updated Top 30

(results of Dec. 30, 2023)

Team/Record/Previous Ranking

1. Harvard-Westlake/15-1/1

Next Up: Friday, at Alemany, 7 p.m.; Saturday, vs. No. 23 Heritage Christian, at Redondo, 5:30 p.m.

2. Eastvale Roosevelt/16-1/5

Next Up: Friday, vs. Oakland Park (FL) Northeastern, at Long Beach Cabrillo, 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, vs. Santa Maria St. Joseph, at Redondo, 7 p.m.

3. Saint John Bosco/13-2/2

Next Up: Wednesday, at No. 4 JSerra, 7 p.m.; Friday, vs. Servite, 7 p.m.; Saturday, vs. No. 6 Mater Dei, at Crypto Arena, 6 p.m.

4. JSerra/15-1/4

Next Up: Wednesday, vs. No. 3 Saint John Bosco, 7 p.m.; Friday, at No. 6 Mater Dei, 7 p.m.

5. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame/15-0/6

Next Up: Wednesday, vs. Loyola, 7 p.m.; Saturday, vs. Concord De La Salle, at Crypto Arena, 7:30 p.m.

6. Mater Dei/14-1/7

Next Up: Wednesday, at Orange Lutheran, 7 p.m.; Friday, vs. No. 4 JSerra, 7 p.m.; Saturday, vs. No. 3 Saint John Bosco, at Crypto Arena, 6 p.m.

7. Saint Pius X-Saint Matthias/10-3/3

Next Up: Wednesday, at No. 30 Saint Anthony, 7 p.m.; Friday, vs. St. Paul, 7 p.m.; Saturday, vs. No. 8 Sierra Canyon, Cerritos College, 7 p.m.

8. Sierra Canyon/14-1/8

Next Up: Wednesday, vs. Pilibos, 7 p.m.; Friday, at Chaminade, 7 p.m.; Saturday, vs. No. 7 Saint Pius X-Saint Matthias, Cerritos College, 7 p.m.

9. Damien/12-3/12

Next Up: Friday, vs. Upland, 6:30 p.m.

10. Corona Centennial/12-7/10

Next Up: Saturday, vs. Campbell Hall, at Lynwood, 6 p.m.

11. Etiwanda/14-1/11

Next Up: Friday, vs. Chino Hills, 6:30; Saturday, vs. No. 18 West Ranch, at Santiago Canyon College, 7:30 p.m.

12. Windward/13-3/16

Next Up: Friday, at Viewpoint, 6 p.m.; Saturday, vs. No. 24 Foothill, at Santiago Canyon College, 3:45 p.m.

13. La Mirada/11-7/9

Next Up: Wednesday, vs. Lynwood, 7 p.m.; Friday, at Mayfair, 7 p.m.; Saturday, vs. No. 19 Rancho Cucamonga, Santiago Canyon College, 12:30 p.m.

14. Los Alamitos/14-3/14

Next Up: Wednesday, vs. Laguna Beach, 7 p.m.; Friday, at Marina, 7 p.m.

15. Redondo Union/11-4/13

Next Up: Friday, at Palos Verdes, 7 p.m.; Saturday, vs. Crean Lutheran, 8:30 p.m.

16. Crespi/17-2/15

Next Up: Friday, vs. Saint Francis, 7 p.m.; Saturday, vs. No. 22 Anaheim Canyon, 7 p.m.

17. Santa Margarita/13-4/18

Next Up: Wednesday, at Servite, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, vs. Orange Lutheran, 7:30 p.m.

18. West Ranch/10-6/25

Next Up: Friday, at Hart, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, vs. No. 11 Etiwanda, at Santiago Canyon College, 8:30 p.m.

19. Rancho Cucamonga/11-5/20

Next Up: Friday, at Los Osos, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, vs. No. 13 La Mirada, Santiago Canyon College, 12:30 p.m.

20. Mira Costa/12-5/17

Next Up: Friday, at Culver City, 7 p.m.

21. Riverside Poly/12-6/21

Next Up: Wednesday, vs. Elsinore, 6 p.m.; Friday, at JW North, 6 p.m.; Saturday, vs. Bosco Tech, at Redondo, 5 p.m.

22. Anaheim Canyon/10-4/24

Next Up: Wednesday, vs. El Dorado, 7 p.m.; Friday, at Brea-Olinda, 7 p.m.; Saturday, vs. No. 16 Crespi, at Santiago Canyon College, 7 p.m.

23. Heritage Christian/10-7/19

Next Up: Tuesday, vs. Valley Christian, 7 p.m.; Friday, at Whittier Christian, 7 p.m.; Saturday, vs. No. 1 Harvard-Westlake, at Redondo, 5:30 p.m.

24. Foothill/10-6/23

Next Up: Wednesday, at El Modena, 7 p.m.; Friday, vs. Esperanza, 7 p.m.; Saturday, vs. No. 12 Windward, at Santiago Canyon College, 3:45 p.m.

25. Brentwood/10-6/UR

Next Up: Wednesday, vs. Viewpoint, 7 p.m.; Friday, at Crossroads, 7 p.m; Saturday, vs. Oakland Park (FL) Northeastern, at Lynwood, noon.

26. Rancho Verde/15-2/28

Next Up: Wednesday, at JW North, 6 p.m.; Saturday, vs. Valencia, at Santiago Canyon College, 11 a.m.

27. Campbell Hall/4-11/26

Next Up: Wednesday, vs. Crossroads, 7 p.m.; Saturday, vs. No. 10 Corona Centennial, at Lynwood, 6 p.m.

28. Saint Bernard/6-6/27

Next Up: Wednesday, at Serra, 7 p.m.; Friday, vs. No. 30 Saint Anthony, 7 p.m.; Saturday, vs. Fresno San Joaquin Memorial, at Crypto Arena, 1:30 p.m.

29. Vista Murrieta/17-1/UR

Next Up: Tuesday, vs. Temecula Valley, 7 p.m.; Friday, vs. Great Oak, 7 p.m.

30. Saint Anthony/12-3/29

Next Up: Wednesday, vs. No. 7 Saint Pius X-St. Matthias, 7 p.m.; Friday, at No. 28 Saint Bernard, 7 p.m.; Saturday, vs. King/Drew, at Lynwood, 4:30 p.m.