LAGUNA NIGUEL – The Harvard-Westlake High boys’ basketball team wrapped up the 2023-24 season the same way the Wolverines started it – sitting atop the BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Top 30 rankings.
Coach David Rebibo and his squad (picture, courtesy of Greg Stein, of them celebrating their State Open championship victory over Richmond of Salesian in Sacramento Saturday night) stumbled twice to Mission League foes Notre Dame and Sierra canyon over three nights in January.
But the Wolverines made all the required adjustments and closed with 10 consecutive wins to pick up Mission and CIF Southern Section Open titles, as well as a second consecutive State Open crown to finish 33-3.
Rebibo’s Trent Perry-, Robert Hinton and Christian Horry-led senior class closed their four-year varsity careers at 108-15 (including the 17-6 finish in the “Covid-adjusted, spring season” of 2020-21).
The Wolverines were 15-2 against the rest of the Top 30 field, including the respective 54-47 and 63-59 wins over No. 2 Roosevelt in the SS Open and Southern Regional title games.
Can Rebibo’s program repeat as the CIF SS Open champion – and win an unprecedented third consecutive State Open crown in 2024-25?
As rosters (non-seniors) currently stand, Roosevelt (led by Brayden Burries and fellow juniors Isaac Williamson and Myles Walker) and No. 3 St. John Bosco (with the superb duo of junior Elzie Harrington and sophomore Brandon McCoy Jr., who led their team to a State D-I championship Saturday night, will go into the season as the co-favorites to be SoCal’s best.
But, in this era of high school hoops, what are the chances that the rosters of many of the best programs in Southern California will be locked in until the first day of class, or even the opening of the season?
Rhetorical question . . .
That conceded, the team Rebibo puts on the floor next season should be in the hunt for any of the three championships the Wolverines bagged in the past month.
Nikolas Khamenia is one of the Top 5 – at least – prospects in the western Class of 2025, and 6-foot-8 Dominique Bentho showed significant improvement after starting in the post as a sophomore.
Junior forward Isaiah Carroll and sophomore guard Amir Jones seem likely to become starters after being key reserves all season.
And freshmen Cole Holden and Pierre Thompson – standouts on the program’s 25-3 junior varsity team – will compete in the spring, summer and fall for a backcourt starting slot with Jones, while another improving 6-8 sophomore, Barron Linnekens, will also challenge for expanding playing time.
Consider this, too:
To the best of my recollection, no Western-based high school coach has been hired to take over an NCAA Division I program in 40 years, since Ron Palmer was hired by Long Beach State after his Long Beach Poly squad won the 1984 State D-I championship.
But if it is ever going to happen again, then Rebibo is the guy.
Rebibo, who didn’t turn 40 until last October, has a 333-129 record as a varsity coach (he got his first job, at El Camino Real, at 23) and, after being hired in 2016, he’s led three Harvard-Westlake teams to state titles.
And he’s got two years as a Division I assistant – 2014-16, at the University of San Francisco – on his resume, too.
If any of the “experts” running those search firms that the likes of Long Beach State, Pepperdine, Cal Poly/SLO and the University of Pacific are employing to recommend candidates have done their research, they’re calling Rebibo to see if he is interested.
Final 2023-24 SoCal Top 30
School/Record/Pre-season Rating
- Harvard-Westlake 33-3/1
Wrap: CIF SS Open and State Open champion.
Vs. Top 30: 15-2.
- Roosevelt 31-4/5
Wrap: CIF SS Open and Regional Open runner-up.
Vs. Top 30: 8-4.
- Saint John Bosco 28-7/2
Wrap: CIF SS Open 1-2 and State D-I champion.
Vs. Top 30: 10-5.
- Saint Pius X/Saint Matthias 24-7/13
Wrap: CIF SS Open 2-1 and Regional Open loss at Carlsbad.
Vs. Top 30: 8-5.
- Mater Dei 29-6/3
Wrap: CIF SS Open 0-3 and Regional D-I runner-up.
Vs. Top 30: 10-5.
- Notre Dame 31-4/9
Wrap: CIF SS D-1 champion and Regional D-I semifinal.
Vs. Top 30: 10-3.
- Sierra Canyon 26-4/10
Wrap: CIF SS Open 2-1 and Regional Open loss to St. Joseph.
Vs. Top 30: 9-2.
- Windward 29-5/7
Wrap: CIF SS D-1 runner-up and Regional D-1 quarterfinal loss at SJB.
Vs. Top 30: 9-4.
- Damien 28-6/6
Wrap: CIF SS D-1 semifinal and Regional D-1 semifinal loss at SJB.
Vs. Top 30: 6-5.
- JSerra 25-7/18
Wrap: CIF SS Open 1-2 and Regional D-1 loss to RHP.
Vs. Top 30: 7-6.
- Redondo 25-6/17
Wrap: CIF SS D-1 semifinal and Regional D-I quarterfinal loss at Damien.
Vs. Top 30: 7-4.
- Centennial 21-14/4
Wrap: CIF SS Open 0-3 and Regional D-1 quarterfinal loss at Mater Dei.
Vs. Top 30: 5-5.
- Etiwanda 25-6/20
Wrap: CIF SS D-1 quarterfinal loss at Redondo.
Vs. Top 30: 7-5.
- Los Alamitos 24-6/22
Wrap: CIF SS D-1 quarterfinal loss at Windward.
Vs. Top 30: 1-4.
- La Mirada 21-8/19
Wrap: CIF SS D-1 second-round loss to St. Bernard.
Vs. Top 30: 3-4.
- West Ranch 21-9/16
Wrap: CIF SS D-1 second-round loss at Santa Margarita.
Vs. Top 30: 3-3.
- Santa Margarita 19-11/14
Wrap: CIF SS D-1 quarterfinal loss at Notre Dame.
Vs. Top 30: 1-9.
- Saint Anthony 25-8/ur
Wrap: CIF SS 2-AA champion and Regional D-I first-round loss at Mater Dei.
Vs. Top 30: 5-4.
- Rolling Hills Prep 27-7/ur
Wrap: CIF SS 2-AA runner-up and Regional D-1 second-round loss at Notre Dame.
Vs. Top 30: 3-3.
- Heritage Christian 26-10/12
Wrap: CIF SS 2-AA semifinal loss to RHP and Regional D-II final loss to Bakersfield Centennial.
Vs. Top 30: 1-4.
- Crespi 24-8/24
Wrap: CIF SS D-2AA second-round loss at Great Oak.
Vs. Top 30: 4-5.
- Saint Bernard 15-12/15
Wrap: CIF SS D-1 quarterfinal loss at Damien.
Vs. Top 30: 1-7.
- Saint Francis 20-11/ur
Wrap: CIF SS D-1 second-round loss at Windward.
Vs. Top 30: 1-6.
- Rancho Cucamonga 18-11/25
Wrap: CIF SS D-1 first-round loss at Canyon.
Vs. Top 30: 1-8.
- Foothill 21-9/28
Wrap: CIF SS D-1 second-round loss at Redondo.
Vs. Top 30: 3-6.
- Campbell Hall 13-17/8
Wrap: CIF SS D-2AA quarterfinal loss at St. Anthony.
Vs. Top 30: 2-8.
- Alemany 25-15/ur
Wrap: CIF SS D-3A champion and State D-III champion.
Vs. Top 30: 0-7.
- Culver City 19-9/ur
Wrap: CIF SS D-AA quarterfinal loss to RHP.
Vs. Top 30: 0-3.
- Rancho Verde 25-5/ur
Wrap: CIF SS D-1 second-round loss at Etiwanda.
Vs. Top 30: 0-1.
- Anaheim Canyon 22-8/29
Wrap: CIF SS D-1 second-round loss at Los Alamitos.
Vs. Top 30: 2-6.
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