Langford-led squad heads No.’s 11-20 in SoCal

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LAGUNA NIGUEL – Onto the next 10 . . .

No.’s 11 thru 20 of the BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal preseason boys Top 70 consists of 10 teams that are capable of landing into the Top 10 before the end of December.

That group includes three programs that played in either the CIF Southern Section (Saint Pius X/Saint Mathias and Corona Centennial) or L.A. City (Westchester) Open Division playoffs last season.

Three others (Heritage Christian, Windward and Rolling Hills Prep) also played in Southern Regional competition.

*The SPX/SM Warriors suffered significant losses to graduation (including all-CIF SS Open choice Tyrone Riley, starting at the University of San Francisco) and transfer (guard Tariq Bridges to Millikan).

But Coach Donte Archie, who returns 6-foot-8, Harvard University-bound Douglas Langford (pictured) picked up seven gifted transfers and could have an even deeper squad that a year ago once they are all eligible to play by Dec. 27.

*Another program gaining a hefty batch of transfers is Westchester, the most significant of those being a player whose father played four seasons with the Comets before going to UCLA and then onto a successful NBA career.

Tajh Ariza, who played two seasons at St. Bernard, could follow in Father Trevor’s footsteps with high-level achievement via City titles and Player of the Year honors.

*Another transfer of note is Brandon Benjamin, who returned to the Canyon program he had a ton of success with over two years (he was Orange County Player Of the Year as a sophomore) before spending his junior season at Mater Dei.

*Windward finished No. 8 in the final BurlisonOnBasketball ratings last spring.

And the Wildcats might have found themselves in the 5-8 range in the 2024-35 preseason Top 70 if they hadn’t lost point guard-deluxe Gavin Hightower to Sierra Canyon in the summer.

*Seven of the following 10 teams are set to play in the Dec. 26-30 Classic at Damien, meaning that 35 of the 60 Top 70 teams unveiled so far will be playing in the west’s best post-Christmas tournament.

 

SoCal Preseason Top 70

No.’s 11-20

11. Saint Pius X/Saint Mathias

Coach: Donte Archie.

’23-24: 24-7/CIF SS Open 2-1/Regional Open 1^st rd.

Briefly: Another key returning senior for the Warriors is guard Saul Anaya while 6-5 Omari Cuffe is one of the underrated sophomores in SoCal. Guard Jaden Erami was a two-time, all-CIF SS selection at Bosco Tech, and Kaleb Kearse started at PG as a freshman and sophomore at Inglewood.

12. Santa Margarita

Coach: Justin Bell.

’23-24: 19-11/CIF SS D-1 quarterfinals.

Briefly: The Eagles return four players who started consistently or played “starters minutes” in senior forward Dallas Washington (Long Beach State) and juniors Brayden Kyman (Washington State), Drew Anderson and Rodney Westmoreland III. And junior guard Kaiden Bailey (Crean Lutheran and Calvary Baptist) was a pick transfer pick-up in September.

13. Los Alamitos

Coach: Nate Berger.

’23-24: 24-6/CIF SS D-1 quarterfinals.

Briefly: The Griffins return every key player from a team that lost via buzzer-beating jumpers to Mater Dei (Luke Barnett) and Windward (Gavin Hightower)  – the latter in the Southern Section playoffs – in the final three weeks of the season. Trent Minter, Wes Trevino and Liam Gray are three year-starters. And Tyler Lopez is a junior whose name college coaches should bookmark.

14. Heritage Christian

Coach: Paul Tait.

’23-24: 26-10/CIF SS D-2AA semifinals/Regional D-II final.

Briefly: The Warriors lost starting guards to transfer (Josiah Nance/Sherman Oaks Notre Dame) and Roman Fisher/L.A. Premier). But Tae Simmons (San Diego State) and Dillan Shaw (Saint Mary’s) are a potent pair of forwards, Max Hackney and Dominic Lohele quality sophomores and freshman Eli Simmons a near-clone of his brother at the same age.

15. Corona Centennial

Coach: Josh Giles.

’23-24: 21-14/CIF SS Open 0-3/Regional D-I 2^nd rd.

Briefly: With no key seniors and multiple quality freshmen and sophomores supporting an Isaiah Rogers– and C.J. Richardson-led junior class, the Huskies are likely a season away from returning to the Open Division playoffs. But it’s foolhardy, at best, to underestimate a Josh Giles-coached club.

16. Crespi

Coach: Derek Fisher.

’23-24: 24-8/CIF SS D-2AA 2^nd rd.

Briefly: The Celtics were on the receiving end of one of the more stunning upsets of the Southern Section playoffs. But, with Nevada-bound forward Peyton White, junior Malakai Perrantes, and sophomores Carter and Isaiah Barnes, and Nickon Daei still in uniform, their playoff run should be much deeper in 2025.

17. Anaheim Canyon

Coach: Nate Harrison.

’23-24: 22-8/CIF SS D-1 2^nd rd.

Briefly: The return of Brandon Benjamin not only gives Coach Harrison one of the best seniors in SoCal but also gives the Comanches legit aspirations for the program’s first Southern Section crown in 10 years. Staf Yilmazturk, Noah Kim and Jordan Garcia are a nifty backcourt trio.

18. Windward

Coach: D.J. Gay.

’23-24: 29-5/CIF SS D-1 runner-up; Regional D-I 2^nd rd.

Briefly: The loss of Gavin Hightower means the Wildcats will be without a player whose quickness, ball-handling and ability to make plays on the dribble was unique to a squad with a lot of interchangeable pieces last season. Jordan Hampton, Louis Bond and J.J. Harris like-sized seniors (6-5ish) with versatile skill sets.

19. Rolling Hills Prep

Coach: Harvey Kitani.

’23-24: 27-7/CIF SS D-2AA runner-up/Regional D-I 2^nd rd.

Briefly: Every key player returns from the team that lost to St. Anthony by six points in a Southern Section title game and upset JSerra in a road regional in their next game. Junior Kawika Suter and sophomore Nick Welch, Jr. form a dandy pair of posts. And Mateo Trujillo is one of the better “under-the-radar” guards in the SoCal senior class.

20. Westchester

Coach: DeWitt Cotton.

’23-24: 20-9/CIF L.A. City Open 1^st rd./Regional D-III 2^nd rd.

Briefly: Along with Tajh Ariza, the Comets have another quality transfer from St. Bernard in sophomore guard Gary Ferguson. Two other transfers of note are juniors Ty Ingram (San Diego Cathedral Catholic) and Jordan Ballard (Sherman Oaks Notre Dame). Forward Khaeden Grady-Asher and guard Dillon Chelsea were all-City last season.

Next up: No.’s 1-10.

Previous:

No.’s 21-30: 21. San Clemente; 22. Rancho Cucamonga; 23. Inglewood; 24. Long Beach Poly; 25. Crean Lutheran; 26. Etiwanda; 27. Campbell Hall; 28. Chatsworth; 29. Village Christian; 30. Rancho Christian.

No.’s 31-50: 31. La Habra; 32. St. Anthony; 33. Riverside Poly; 34. Mira Costa; 35. Oak Hills; 36. Washington Prep; 37. Newport Pacifica Christian; 38. Foothill; 39. Fairmont Prep; 40. San Juan Hills; 41. Bishop Montgomery; 42. Corona del Mar; 43. St. Bernard; 44. Crossroads; 45. Rancho Verde; 46. Murrieta Valley; 47. San Gabriel Academy; 48. Pasadena; 49. Temecula Valley; 50. Arcadia.

Honorable Mention: (alpha) Brentwood; Culver City; Cypress; Gahr; Great Oak; King/Drew; Knight; Leuzinger; Loyola; Marina; Mayfair; Millikan; Orange Lutheran; Palos Verdes; Sage Hill; Santa Barbara; St. Francis; St. Paul; St. Monica and Vista Murietta.