Week III: Updated ratings and top player performances

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   LAGUNA NIGUEL – Week III of the boys’ basketball season wrapped Saturday night.

Although there is  some high-quality tournament (notably, at St. John Bosco) and “showcase” (ditto, at Beverly Hills) action involving multiple members in the updated BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal ratings, it’s a “calm before the (hoops) storm” kind of deal this week.

Three events (the Dec. 18-21 Tarkanian Classic; the Dec. 26-30 Classic at Damien; and the Jan. 2-4 HoopHall West/Tournament of Champions in Arizona), along with the Mission and Trinity League competition, will largely dictate what shape and look the CIF Southern Section Open and Division I (and, maybe II) playoff fields take when the computer spits them out in February.

The first of those (held at Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas) has a Platinum Division bracket that includes the No.’s 3, 4, 5, 11, 23 and 25 teams in the updated SoCal pecking order.

And it’s possible that 3 (Roosevelt) could be playing 5 (Redondo) and 4 (Notre Dame) might be matched against Nevada’s best team (Bishop Gorman) or one of Utah’s most gifted teams (Layton Christian, with three college-bound seniors) during the Platinum semifinals in the Orleans Arena on the night of Dec. 20.

Top-ranked St. John Bosco held off No. 11 St. Pius X/St. Matthias Saturday night, 85-77, behind the career-best, 41-point effort of Elzie Harrington (pictured).

The Braves were without 2023-24’s SoCal Sophomore of the Year, Brandon McCoy, Jr., who is still recovering from a slight lower-leg injury suffered early in the Nov. 30 championship game of the tournament they played in Illinois.

If he’s still a no-go this week, his absence isn’t likely to impact the team’s efficiency until, perhaps, a possible Friday night semifinal vs. No. 7 La Mirada and/or a Saturday game with Long Beach Poly (13) or Damien (16).

 

The updated BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal team ratings, pared to a Top 25 from the Preseason Top 70:

 

School/Record/Preseason Rating

1. Saint John Bosco/5-0/No. 1

This week: The Braves open their tournament Monday (4:30 p.m.) against L.A. Fremont.

2. Harvard-Westlake/7-0/2

This week: The Wolverines play host to No. 13 Long Beach Poly Tuesday night before heading to Lehi (UT) for a couple of weekend tilts vs. solid comp.

3. Roosevelt/5-0/3

This week: Opens Big VIII League play Tuesday night (6 o’clock, at Norco), then face No. 24 (and dynamic guard Jason Crowe, Jr.) Friday night (8) at Beverly Hills High.

4. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame/6-0/4

This week: The Knights should cruise to 9-zip this week before venturing to Las Vegas.

5. Redondo Union/6-0/7

This week: No game scheduled but faces Peninsula on the road in Bay League opener on Dec. 16 before heading to the Tarkanian Classic.

6. Sierra Canyon/7-1/10

This week: What a schedule – home to Blair Tuesday night, in New York City to face Long Island Lutheran Friday night and in Las Vegas (Park MGM Dolby Live Theatre) for a game with Coronado. Modern day high school hoops, to the nth degree.

7. La Mirada/7-1/6

This week: Open at St. John Bosco Tuesday afternoon vs. Legacy of South Gate (2).

8. JSerra/6-2/8

This week: The Lions get St. Paul (Tuesday) and Westchester (Wednesday) at Beverly Hills High.

9. Santa Margarita/5-0/13

This week: NorCal-bound for Concord, where the Chris Vontoure/De La Salle Tournament could mean a clash with the host – possibly that region’s  best team – in the Saturday night finale.

10. Heritage Christian/7-0/14

This week: Games with a team from Australia at home Monday night, then to Oxnard Pacifica High to face Moorpark (Friday) and Bakersfield Centennial (Saturday).

11. Saint Pius X-Saint Matthias/5-2/11

This week: Two tough road ones this week – Del Rey League contest at No. 20 St. Anthony (Tuesday) and clash with No. 18 Los Alamitos Friday. Both are set to tip at 7 p.m.

12. Mira Costa/10-0/34

This week: Plays host to No. 16 Riverside Poly Tuesday night in what should be its toughest game until a couple of days after Christmas at the La Canada St. Francis tourney.

13. Long Beach Poly/4-2/24

This week: Along with the St. John Bosco tourney, the Jackrabbits travel to the San Fernando Valley to take on No. 2 Harvard-Westlake Tuesday night.

14. Windward/5-1/18

This week: The Wildcats should  win three of their next four games (starting with Monday night at home vs. King/Drew.) The one Likely L in that mix? The opponent that awaits them on a Dec. 17 trek to Studio City – No. 2 HW.

15. Riverside Poly/6-3/33

This week: No. 12 (Mira Costa) on the road Tuesday wraps quite the five-day slate (beating No. 16 Damien Friday night and losing to No. 3 Roosevelt the next day at Redondo).

16. Damien/8-2/5

This week: The Spartans pack five games in six days this week, four of those at St. John Bosco, with possible games with No. 13 Long Beach Poly on Friday and No. 1 (SJB) or 7 (La Mirada) on Saturday.

17. Mater Dei/3-2/9

This week: Barring the unforeseen, the Monarchs seem on track for four wins in the San Juan Hills Invitational this week, starting with Dana Hills on Wednesday.

18. Los Alamitos/4-2/12

This week: After a Tuesday night (6:30) game at Cerritos, the Griffins’ ambitious non-league schedule continues Friday night (7) at home against No. 11 Saint Pius X/Saint Matthias.

19. Crespi/7-3/16

This week: Alijah Arenas-led Chatsworth is the comp at home Friday night (7).

20. Saint Anthony/4-0/32

This week: Del Rey League play begins at home Tuesday (7) vs. No. 11 Saint Pius X/Saint Matthias.

21. La Habra/10-1/31

This week: At Huntington Beach (Tuesday) and then a Saturday clash with Rolling Hills Prep.

22. Anaheim Canyon/3-2/17

This week: The unofficial (I guess) top seed in the North Orange County Championships faces Norta Vista Monday (6) at Sonora.

23. Campbell Hall/5-0/27

This week: With a 30.8 ppg winning margin, the Isaiah Johnson-led Vikings are off until Dec. 18 and their Tarkanian Classic opener (Coronado of Henderson, NV).

24. Inglewood/7-0/23

This week: That’s an “on-the-court record” for The Crowe Crew, not reflecting forfeits to Mayfair and Long Beach Jordan. I’ve a hunch there will be a lot of digital cameras at Beverly Hills when the Sentinels face No. 3 Roosevelt Friday night (8).

25. Corona Centennial/1-6/15

This week: Four of those losses have come to the No.’s 5, 11, 13 and 18 teams listed above, the others to quality Texas foes in the Lone Star State.

Honorable Mention: (alpha) Bishop Montgomery; Chatsworth; Brentwood; Crean Lutheran; Etiwanda; Leuzinger; Mayfair; Rancho Christian; Rancho Cucamonga; Rolling Hills Prep; St. Bernard; St. Francis; St. Monica and Westchester.

 

Top Performances from Week III (Dec. 2-7)

(Based strictly on the games I watched in person)

Most Outstanding Player

*Nikolas Khamenia/Harvard-Westlake – because I watched him three times, and Brayden Burries just once.

 

25 more who were also very good!

Seniors

*Brayden Burries/Roosevelt

*B.J. Davis-Ray/JSerra

*Gavin Hightower/Sierra Canyon

*Boden Howell/Meridian, ID, Owyhee

*Hudson Mayes/Redondo Union

*Brayden Miner/Redondo Union

*Chris Nwuli/Sierra Canyon

*Joshua Palmer/St. Bernard

*Jovani Ruff/Long Beach Poly

*Dillan Shaw/Heritage Christian

*Tae Simmons/Heritage Christian

*Myles Walker/Roosevelt

*Issac Williamson/Roosevelt

*Tounde Yessoufou/St. Joseph

Juniors

*Taj Ariza/Westchester

*Dominique Bentho/Harvard-Westlake

*Jrob Croy/Riverside Poly

*Cameron Holmes/Goodyear, AZ, Millennium

*Josiah Johnson/Mayfair

*S.J. Madison/Redondo Union

*Julius Price/St. Joseph

*Joe Sterling/Harvard-Westlake

Sophomores

*Mahamadou Diop/San Gabriel Academy

*Terron Williams/Bishop Montgomery

Freshmen

*Jace Jones/Leuzinger