LAGUNA NIGUEL – Deprived of his sophomore season, Brayden Burries was determined to make the most of his 2023-24 junior campaign.
And that he did – to the nth degree.
Burries (pictured, courtesy that fabulous media renaissance man, Greg Stein) is the BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Junior of the Year after averaging 28 points per while helping propel Eastvale Roosevelt to a 31-4 finish this past season.
Two of those losses came to CIF Southern Section and State Open champion Harvard-Westlake, in the sectional and regional finals.
Coach Steve Singleton’s team finished second behind the Wolverines in the BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Top 30.
With Burries and fellow all-SoCal Junior selections Myles Walker and Issac Williamson set to return, the Mustangs could find themselves atop the 2024-25 preseason ratings.
Burries was the Most Outstanding Player in the Platinum Division of the Dec. 27-30 Classic at Damien after leading his team to consecutive wins over Branson (Northern Open Division regional), Meridian Owyhee (Idaho state champion), Damien (CIF SS D-1 and Southern Regional D-I semifinals) and St. John Bosco (State D-I champion).
“The thing that stood out in practice last year (when he was ineligible after transferring from Riverside Poly, where he played as a freshman),” said Singleton, “was how competitive he is.
“Even in practice, he doesn’t like to lose (in any drill or scrimmage).”
The multi-skilled Burries averaged 24.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.7 steals per game, while shooting 55 percent from the field (including 37 percent behind the arc).
“He’s a great rebounder and high IQ offensive player, not just as a scorer but as a passer,” added Singleton.
“The next steps for him are become a more ‘vocal’ leader – he’s more of a ‘lead by example’-type now – and a more consistent defender.
“If he can do those things, he’ll be unstoppable next season.”
Among the players Burries edged for Player of the Year status are Elzie Harrington of St. John Bosco (the 2022-23 SoCal Sophomore of the Year) and Nikolas Khamenia of Harvard Westlake (first-team, all-SoCal Sophomore a year ago).
As a reminder, these selections are based upon on-court performance this past season (and how they impacted teams’ success), NOT “college potential” or “how I rate them as prospects.”
Player of the Year
Brayden Burries/6-5/Roosevelt
First Team
Nate Garcia/7-0/Damien
Elzie Harrington/6-6/St. John Bosco
Gavin Hightower/6-1/Windward
Nikolas Khamenia/6-8/Harvard-Westlake
Lino Mark/6-4/Sherman Oaks Notre Dame
Second Team
Brandon Benjamin/6-5/Mater Dei
Aaron Glass/6-3/Rancho Cucamonga
Mazi Mosley/6-5/St. Francis
Dillan Shaw/6-7/Heritage Christian
Tae Simmons/6-7/Heritage Christian
Third Team
Kade Bonam/6-7/St. John Bosco
Hudson Mayes/6-5/Redondo Union
Jovani Ruff/6-5/Long Beach Poly
Myles Walker/5-9/Eastvale Roosevelt
Issac Williamson/6-2/Eastvale Roosevelt
Fourth Team
Bryce Cofield/6-5/Sierra Canyon
Julien Gomez/6-3/La Mirada
Jeremiah Hampton/6-4/Windward
Douglas Langford/6-8/St. Pius X/St. Matthias
Dallas Washington/6-8/Santa Margarita
Fifth Team
J.J. Harris/6-6/Windward
DeMarco Johnson/6-3/Santa Margarita
Isaiah Johnson/6-0/Campbell Hall
Trent Minter/6-5/Los Alamitos
Peyton White/6-6/Crespi
Sixth Team
E.J. Vernon/6-7/Crossroads
Jaden Emani/6-1/Bosco Tech
Trent MacLean/6-9/Thousand Oaks
Antranik Balian/6-2/Pilibos
Donald Thompson/6-3/King-Drew
Seventh Team
Blake Davidson/6-9/Mater Dei
E.J. Spillman/6-4/Newport Pacifica Christian
Mateo Trujillo/6-2/Rolling Hills Prep
Taj Unuakhalu/6-8/Chatsworth
Luke Zuffelato/6-5/Santa Barbara
Eighth Team
Zion Booker/6-6/Etiwanda
Jacob DeArmas/6-4/Mira Costa
Chris Holland/6-4/Riverside Poly
Grayson Sinek/6-2/La Habra
Jaylen Smoot/6-3/Rancho Christian
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