(Los Angeles, CA), West Ranch United States. Guess you didnt understand the Weve Seen part of it. 5. However, we are certain that total has long since been surpassed. The best high school basketball teams of all time had some of the game's greatest players. Walter "Chipper" Bentley Theus seemed destined for greatness while starring at Inglewood High, just blocks from the famous Great Western Forum (as it was formerly known). Woody Sauldsberry 8. Catalyst in making the Dons a national program sported 123-14 record and was never mentally beat by anyone. 25. For my last spot it was between the Big O and Ivan Rabb of Bishop ODowd. Follow your favorite high school teams and players, Explore and purchase photos of your local teams, See top plays & highlights of the best high school sports, The Sacramento Bee on Folsom High School's challenge in the CIF State Division II championship game, The Sacramento Bee on what makes the Pleasant Grove girls basketball team's journey to the CIF State Division I title game so historic, The Sacramento Bee on the CIF State Open Division title games, and twocoaches this weekend who tasted mixed championship game moments as players, McDonald's All Americans in the 2014 Sweet 16, High school boys basketball Top 25 composite rankings, McDonald's All Americans state by state numbers, NCAA Tournament 2014: High school teammates who will play with and against each other in Sweet 16, MaxPreps final Southern California Top 25 high school basketball rankings, Northern California boys face daunting task against Southern California. 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Kings equal impressive franchise mark, blow out Warriors to force Game 7, Ime Udoka addresses suspension at Rockets press conference, The 'Most points in an NBA playoff game' quiz, Kraken stun defending champion Avs in Game 7, Steph Curry puts on record-setting Game 7 show in win, Playoff Butler shows out in Game 1 win over Knicks, Phillies manager provides update on Harper's return, MLB implements unusual rule to avoid pitch clock violations, Former Giants wonder if Rodgers can handle NY media, Brooks fined for dodging media, has no regrets over LeBron comments, Zac Taylor on Joe Mixon: 'His future is here with the team'. Born into a family of basketball players, Ball has attracted the attention of sports outlets since his playing career in high school. Hes Seen (As HS Talents) 1. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 6. Billy "The Hill" McGill (Los Angeles, CA), Narbonne Paul Pierce (Inglewood) 95 Are there better players among Cali's Elite 24? By the time he had graduated, Davis was California's Mr. Basketball, first-team Parade All-American, the Gatorade National Player of the Year and a McDonald's All-American. 21 retired by Dominguez in January 2023. California has produced a number of Basketball Players who have made it big. He returned for the 1967-68 campaign, but quit the team shortly after being benched against Houston during the "Game of the Century" at the Astrodome. 32 was retired the same night as Prince's jersey. WebTotal number of sports 19. The offense wasnt in his game yet, but he was a phenomenal defender/shot blocker and we were blown away how he handled everything he went through in his junior year. Then it was off to the NBA, where he was a two-time All-Star (1981, '82) with the Chicago Bulls. He led Sequoia to the Tournament of Champions before there was a state tournament in 1967 and went on to play for Cal and the Warriors. Stacy Augmon (Muir, Pasadena) 86 Each year the California Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best high school boys basketball player in the U.S. state of California. The college basketball blue bloods are the most elite teams in college basketball. The girls, Asha Thomas and Aisia Robertson, were so good that they were starters with the Rabb and Austin for the Montera Middle School 8th grade boys basketball team. Johnson perfected his craft at Joe Weakley's Run, Shoot and Dunk League, when it was still played at Denker Park, against the likes of Jerry "Money" Chambers, Walter Ned and James "Arkansas Red" Allen. 7. Don McLean (Simi Valley) 88 By Scott Watkins. Will Weir 1 team that season, which also saw Adams earn McDonald's All-American honors. Newhouse may never get over his exclusion of 5-8 dunking guard Joe Gardere, who once scored 51 points for McClymonds in 1956. Wun "The Shot" Versher Complete package of talent, skill and the burning desire to win, with results. Prepping in the shadows of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum at Manual Arts, Polee was California's Mr. Basketball and a third-team ParadeAll-American in 1981. 34. Harold "Baby Jordan" Miner, Inglewood (Inglewood) '89 Players used to come at me and beat the hell out of me, Silas told Grantland.com. One of the few players who was an all-star in the ABA and NBA, Caldwell led Fremont to back-to-back city titles and was the city player of the year in 1960, pumping in 24.8 ppg. Stevie Thompson (Crenshaw, Los Angeles) 86 10 of 10. WhatIs The Best Team In The NBA Right Now? (Riverside, CA), Notre Dame Stanley Johnson (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) 14 The best part about writing up a list of the best players to have been seen in a long period of time is that the only debate is with ones own memory. The panel of 20 voters included former players, former and current high school and college coaches, and members of the media. Miner could score with finesse and dunk with breath-taking power. 10. Another South Central product, Davis prepped at Crossroads, the prominent private high school in Santa Monica. Tayshaun Prince (Dominguez, Compton) 98 Perhaps the least-known player on Cali's Elite 24 list, Works' basketball career is a bit of a mystery. NBA & ABA Players Who Attended High School in California Show/Hide Locations List. Beats out a few at the bottom of this list because his defense complimented his offense so well. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. "He was such a physical presencea guard couldn't play him on the perimeter," said former Banning all-state guard Eric Cooper Sr. "It would be like a two guard matching up with LeBron James." Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Robin "Syk Wit It" Kennedy, Lynwood Aventist (Lynwood) '92 His overall athleticism was obvious during his prep days, and opened the door for a successful run at UCLA, where he was twice selected a first-team All-PCC performer and consensus All-American. 34 retired. Eldridge Hudson (Carson) 82 California's answer to Jackie Jackson, Hillman is one of the game's greatest leapers on all levels. Outfielder Cody Nowlin was the teams top all-state player (he batted .417), but sophomore Chris Patrick had the best batting average at .463. After three quarters of the 1992 D1 state final, Jason had outscored the other team by himself and that team was Mater Dei (Santa Ana). Some others that perhaps could have been on either list: Hassan Adams (Westchester, Los Angeles) 03` Though his numbers were slightly down as a senior (27.5 ppg, 6.5 apg), Farmar was still among the country's best, and earned McDonald's All-American and second-team ParadeAll-American honors. He even lit up UNLV for 50 and another school for 81. Lew Alcindor, Power Memorial, Manhattan, NY. No player has dominated there quite like him. 22. Murray earned McDonald's All-American honors and then went on to star at UCLA , where he was a two-time, first-team All-Pac-10 performer, before embarking on a 12-season NBA career. Some states did not have any definitive sources, but we did the best we could to find the all-time leader. Who was the Coasts best girls basketball player during the 2022-23 season? Paul dont count. 99. Aaron Gordon (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose) 13 There wasn't much Adams couldn't do on the basketball court. Chris Ford (Woodland Hills, CA), Salesian (Torrance, CA), Pacifica Christian I called up some buddies of mine to get their list, and were going to be talking about it for a while., Vic Tafur is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Meteorologist Gerry Daz provides a timeline-centered outlook for Mays upcoming weather patterns across California, along with some insights into High-flying Jason Kidd (in air) led St. Joseph-Alameda to state championships in 1991 and 92. MaxPreps is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. In the ABA or on the playground, Hillman is remembered just as much for his prodigious dunks as his Afro. "He could have played in the NBA, he was unguardable," Bokosky added. (Beaumont, CA), Dublin Naming the 24 best playground legends from the Golden State didn't seem so difficult at first. Luckett holds the state record for non-prep school Clifford Allen The 6-foot-11 Rabb also doesnt get into foul trouble and can make free throws. Jason Kidd tops list of Bay Areas all-time basketball team Paul had a terrific senior year and left no doubt he was the best player on the West Coast. Those that saw him play, or played against him, still marvel at just how good he was individually. 2. Many of our panelists had a hard time deciding on 10 players, and several re-voted a time or two before the story went to press. A four-time NBA All-Star, DeRozan has also been an important member of the United States national team, helping the team win gold medals at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. "He drove coaches nuts," said current Chapman College coach Mike Bokosky, who recruited Works to UC-Irvine out of LACC. O'Bannon never enjoyed extended success in the NBA, but the road getting there was pretty special. Vince "Chico" Langston Accolades. Thank You! Jason Kapono (Artesia, Lakewood) 99 "You got to remember, Westchester was one of the first L.A. City schools to have ninth-grade," said former Crenshaw standout Danny Griffin. 13. All rights reserved. Dwayne Polee, Sr., Manual Arts (Los Angeles) '81 has one of the most spectacular sites in the world, but its often Dynasty on the ropes? Max Whittaker/Prime / Special to The Chronicle. Raymond "Circus" King Brunner ran the point for 137 games at Dominguez, and the Dons won 123 of them. 14,123 people were at that game, but thousands more claim to have witnessed it. Harden wasn't a superstar in high school, but he was destined to be going forward. StubHub. A former Drew League MVP, Brunner also won L.A. NBA Summer Pro League honors in '05 and will tell you exactly what his status is as a Cali legend. This Drew League veteran is known nationwide and you can still catch him crossing over defenders up at Venice Beach in the summer. Follow your favorite high school teams and players, Explore and purchase photos of your local teams, See top plays & highlights of the best high school sports, Top 10 Basketball Plays of the Week // Week 2. Henry Johnson No Stais Boseman or Elden Campbell. 11. Teams beat him up with double and triple teams but they still couldnt stop him. [1] Many have gone on to play in the NBA. Bernard Ward 5. Stanley Johnson dominated Aaron Gordon in the State Final. He did see Crenshaws John Williams in the season before that. Silas, meanwhile, was just plain strong. 25. These lists feature the best college basketball programs, as well as some that are knocking on the door of earning college basketball blue blood status. DeMarcus Nelson (Sheldon, Sacramento) 04 Younger brother Charles almost made it onto my top 25 list as well. Davey Fortson (Farmington, MI), Taft Prince, the SEC Player of the Year at Kentucky in 2011, an NBA champion with Detroit in 2004 and an Olympic gold medalist from the 2008 Summer Games, had his No. Who is the best California Golden Bear ever? Saw him at least once in all four of his prep seasons and just so unique in his skills, body type and overall presence. Steve Thompson (Crenshaw, Los Angeles) 86 (Sudan, SUDA), St. Augustine A six-time NBA All-Star, Paul George has been an important player in the NBA for the last decade or so. The current record holder, however, is still a mystery. April 21, 2023 9:00 AM. 12. 11. (Dublin, CA), Archbishop Mitty His basketball IQ was off the charts by the eighth grade everybody knew who he was by then and he could win games without shooting the basketball.. A nasty dispute with management led to him being unofficially blackballed from the pros, but he was well respected by his pro playground peers such as Dr. J. Why? 1. 20. (Corona, CA), Sierra Canyon Fabian Nixon After playing at Cal State Los Angeles, Lewis was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers. But the more we talked to people in the know, the further we got from narrowing down the list. (Studio City, CA), Modesto Christian Abrupt closure of S.F. Adams then averaged 14.0 points on 49.9-percent shooting, 5.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.8 steals in four seasons at Arizona. Another candidate for the greatest high school player to come out of the city and Los Angeles County. Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. J.C. Gipson He went for 28 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists in the regional title game over archrival Banning. Also Verbum Dei greats such as Cliff Pruit and Kenny Fields should be added to your list. Freeman Williams, Manual Arts (Los Angeles) '74 Copyright 2023 YB Media, LLC. Vote now. The younger brother of two-time first-team All-Metro player Drew Gordon, the 6-foot-7 forward was best known for highlight-reel dunks that didnt tell the whole story. 19. He later also played for teams such as the Los Angeles Clippers. He teamed with Dorsey's Rickey "Tex" Walker to lead his RSDL team to a title game against a team filled with pros and led "The Shaw" to a two-year 32-0 on-court record before joining the Bruins. Charles Johnson Robinson also put in work on the playground and was the first-ever professional draft choice out of Long Beach State. 1 in the nation. Ryan Anderson (Oak Ridge, El Dorado Hills) 06 Ed OBannon (Artesia, Lakewood) 90 Steve "Show Time" Logan Considered the best high school guard in SoCal over the past 40 years, Lewis was the youngest player ever drafted and signed when he left Cal-St. LA after his sophomore season. Prince honed his exceptional two-way skills at Compton powerhouse Dominguez. During his junior season, Farmar averaged 28.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 4.5 steals. "Ray Lew" Raymond Lewis, Verbum Dei (Los Angeles) '71 8 retired by the Milwaukee Bucks. Darnell "Dr. Dunk" Hillman, Johnson (Sacramento, Calif.) '67 Chris Hernandez (Clovis West, Fresno) 01 High school basketball nears the end of the 2023 season, with many states already crowning champions. Russell couldnt even make the honorable mention list. We just want some real inglewood love. Jeremiah "Carnival" King We both saw that 1986 D1 state title team and loved what Stevie could do on the court. While Rabb made the Chronicles second-team, Buckner also played against another person on his ballot Kidd. In Sacramento, Lee is a legend for leading Kennedy to a 29-1 record as a senior and for his battles with Kevin Johnson, a future NBA guard one year his junior at Sacramento High. The legend of "Hook" first grew at Mack, where he teamed up with Antonio Davis in OAL battles with Skyline's Gary Payton and Greg Foster. Theus, also a head coach in college and the NBA, had his No. I State Player of the Year while averaging 29.4 ppg and shooting 41 percent from 3-point land. That ultimately proved to be his downfall when he wasn't selected in the 1987 NBA Draft. Taylor King was named Mr. Basketball over James. One of the nation's top high school players in a legendary class, Staggers is in a class by himself at Venice Beach. Rick Suter. Jrue Holiday (Campbell Hall, North Hollywood) 08 This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Killum grew up on the tough streets of Watts, but he won over teammates with his leadership and classmates with his wit. Dubbed "Baby Jordan" for his leaping and dunking ability, Miner was a true showman. A star in eighth grade. Four state titles in highest classification, he willed Monarchs to final one with skill and IQ. 1 Justices went 28-0, captured Class 2 state title and notched big wins over Columbus and Wheeler. Stories of his ability to sky to the top of the backboard are endless and nine years ago, Hillman was No. Find out where your Perhaps the best overall defender on this list, Prince was a four-time CIF Champion and helped Dominguez won back-to-back state titles in 1996 and '97. Kevin "Bean" Bradley This list is different than the top 50 we just did of the best football players weve seen in our more than 40 years of doing Cal-Hi Sports in various platforms. (Napa, CA), Centennial Taylor King beat him out for Mr. Basketball (career achievement), but Harden was as good an offensive playmaker as anyone to come down pike. Mike Brown Nathan Bittle Prolific Prep (Napa, CA) The late Johnson, on the other hand, was a 6-footer who made his living inside the paint. 11. James Harden (Artesia, Lakewood) 07 Payton was a near-miss on the first- and second-team ballots, as voters focused exclusively on high school accomplishments and not what players went on to do. Los Angeles County has produced some of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game. As could all of the players on the second team and the honorable mention list. Michael "The Exterminator" Tate Arkansas School for the Deaf (Little Rock), Devils Lake/North Dakota School for the Deaf, Top 50 high school quarterbacks of all time, Top 50 high school football dynasties of all time, Top 50 high school running backs of all time, Top 50 high school football defensive players of all time, Five most dominant high school athletes in New Jersey history, Five most dominant high school athletes in Michigan history, Five most dominant high school athletes in California history, Five most dominant high school athletes in Utah history. Like Pistol Pete, Ransom may have been a bit ahead of his time as a ball-handler and shot-maker, but he never forgot the object of the game: winning Gray wasn't always eligible to play for the Comets, but he capped his prep career with a 27-point, 16-rebound performance in a 4A city title win over Crenshaw. Hank Luisetti .. of Galieo High School and Stanford The five-time NBA All-Star is the son of former basketball player Mychal Thompson. 1 football player, D.J. 2. "Hook (Mitchell) passed the torch to me right on ESPN2," Brunner said. Jalen Green (San Joaquin Memorial, Fresno) 20 His legend had just begun. He was a better offensive player than Kidd who could hit three-pointers, but they didnt have them back then.. 6-8 / 190. In 1993, Walton was made an inductee tothe Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. (San Diego, CA), St. Bernard 24. The moment that's still talked about came during his team's victorious 1961 Los Angeles City championship, when Goodrich scored 29 points and broke his ankle in the process. He has played for numerous teams in his career, the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) being the latest. SMH DO BETTER!!!! Gene Ransom, Berkeley (Berkeley) '75 He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. That's what hoop gurus that watched Hudson play in high school. On the playground, "Ed Hud" adjusted his game by pounding opponents underneath, but he's never lost that feathery southpaw touch. Jermaine "Three Ring" king After being kicked off the team at Kentucky for allegedly taking payments from a booster, Mills landed at Arizona, where he was the Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1993. Stanley Johnson (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) 14 Some states, such as Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, etc., had state record books compiled by the state association. Interestingly, Polee's prep career started at the aforementioned Verbum Dei, before transferring to Manual Arts for his sophomore year. Eldridge "El Hud" Hudson, Carson (Carson) '82 14. I state title as a sophomore. High school basketball: Every national player of the year since 1922 From Chet Holmgren to Bobby Thompson, MaxPreps names each year's top player. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. While at Verbum Dei, he was a two-time state player of the year in two divisions. He attended six different schools in six years, ending up at UC-Irvine, where he did not finish the 1980-81 season. Johnson was born in Louisiana, but eventually moved to Los Angeles, where he was the first true superstar at mighty Crenshaw High School. (San Juan Capistrano, CA), Monterey Trail If this Elite 24 group was ranked based on high school dominance, Williams would be near the top. Williams of De La Salle. Didnt see Ricky. Klay Thompson (Santa Margarita, Rancho SM) 08 Paul Pierce (Inglewood) 95 Aaron Gordon (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose) 13 Zach "Chestnuts" Fray John Staggers (Crenshaw, Los Angeles) 88 MaxPreps. Baron "Too Easy" Davis Cant speak for Ronnie, but I saw Paul play. Teamed with Dane Suttle, Sr. to form one of the city's best backcourts ever. After his NBA career, Williams put in work in various summer pro leagues and won multiple Drew League titles. Essentially all of Goodrich's basketball success was contained to the Los Angeles area. A cinch Mr. Basketball pick if not for Lonzo Ball, the talented forward might be San Diegos best since Bill Walton. 2022: Consensus All-American (School's first-ever DB to do so) 2022: Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year 2022: Jim Thorpe Award finalist Johnson was all-city for the Pilots and finished at Arizona State, in between winning a JUCO national title at College of Southern Idaho, where locals still marvel at his legendary leaping feats. Who was the Coasts best girls basketball player during the 2022-23 season? 23. If we're ranking these prep players, Williams would likely top this list. Known as the Godfather to his playing peers, his impact on the court was just as great as arguably SoCals most explosive PG. Vernon "Schea" Cotton, St. John Bosco (Bellflower) '97 A street-court star, Lewis averaged 24 points and was a second-team ParadeAll-American at Verbum Dei, the Catholic school where he was known for his tremendous ball-handling abilities that helped it win three California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section titles (before the state champions were recognized). He led the Sentinels to Bay League championships in 1974 and '75, and averaged 28.5 points and 15.5 boards during his 1974-75 season, when Inglewood reached the semifinals of the 4A CIF state tournament. Photo: lsusports.net. follow. Both Ronnie and Mark do agree on one thing: Jason Kidd is the best player from California in the last 40 years. California has its fair share of all-time great leapers: Evric Gray (Bloomington), David Whitmore (St. Bernard), Corey Benjamin (Fontana) and Shaun Pennington (Hayward) come to mind among players not on the Elite 24 list and more recently, Dwayne Polee, Jr. (Westchester). Like Zo, Chandler won a FAB 50 title and his dominant play might be a bit overlooked because Dominguez blew teams away. (Moreno Valley, CA), Crossroads School There were so many great players out of Oakland alone, when you include the whole Bay Area, thats a serious list, former Skyline-Oakland guard and nine-time NBA All-Star Gary Payton said. The documentary "Raymond Lewis: L.A, Legend" chronicles his life. Just unbelievable to watch.. LeBron James, St. Vincent-St. Mary, Your email is never published nor shared. I thought Paul Pierce was better in high school than Ricky Price. Jason Kidd (St. Joseph, Alameda) 92. He didnt make it. Similar to "The Goat" in New York City, his legacy lives on because of the court named in his honor at Watts' 109th Street Recreation Center.

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