CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL REPORT
Published on February 6, 2005

by Dinos Trigonis, the foremost authority on high school basketball in California, President of PangosBasketball, California Editor of the HoopScoopOnline.com; Editor & Publisher of  the Full Court Press Scouting Service and Full Court Press Web Site; and the events director of the Pangos Dream Classic, FullCourtPress All-West Camp, & FullCourtPressFall Hoops Classic; and the head coach of the Belmont Shore Club Team.

Editor's Note:  Trigonis' list of the top 302 seniors, 271 juniors, 206 sophomores, 104 freshmen, 19 8th graders, and 19 7th graders,  can be found by clicking below on Trigonis Ranks Em:  The Top Players in California.

CALIFORNIA'S SENIOR CLASS IS GOOD, JUNIOR CLASS HAS NOT LIVED UP TO ITS POTENTIAL, SOPHOMORE & FRESHMEN CLASSES HAVE A CHANCE TO BE GREAT, BUT IT'S THE 8TH GRADERS THAT GET US EXCITED
by Clark Francis, Editor and Publisher of the HOOP SCOOP

                    The headline sums it all up pretty well.  However, if you don't believe that the Class of 2009 in Southern California has a chance to be really special, obviously you haven't seen the four-page article about 6'4 Demetrius Walker from Fontana (Middle School) CA recently in Sports Illustrated and you haven't been reading the HOOP SCOOP, which has Walker ranked #1, 6'7 Aaron Moore from Riverside, CA ranked #5, 6'3 Terran Carter from Chatsworth (Middle School) CA ranked #19, 6'2 Roberto Nelson from Santa Barbara, CA ranked #24, 6'0 Justin Hawkins from Los Angeles (Lutheran) CA ranked #28, 6'1 Rome Draper from Fontana (Middle School) CA ranked #39, and 5'9 Gary Franklin from Los Angeles, CA ranked #42 nationally on our list of the Top 8th Graders.   And the story gets even more interesting when one finds out that Walker, Moore Carter, Nelson, Draper, Franklin, and 5'9 G.J. Vilarino from Texas via Phoenix, AZ, who is ranked #4 nationally on our list of the Top 8th Graders, are all expected to enroll next fall at Fontana (H.S.) CA, which no doubt will emerge into a powerhouse team capable of rivaling the traditional basketball powers in Southern California, like Los Angeles (Westchester) CA and Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, for national prominence.  And, if that weren't enough, all of these players will continue playing for Team California, which already is one of the powerhouse club team programs in this age group, for years to come.  Yes, it looks like Joe Keller, who runs the adidas Phenom Camp and is architect behind all this, will have three of the top five players in the class and most of the top talent in the Class of 2009 under his direction for a long time. 
                    The Class of 2008, which features 6'5 Frosh Demar DeRozan from Compton (H.S.) CA, 5'10 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'4 Frosh Malik Story from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'2 Frosh Oscar Bellfield from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'9 Frosh Auri Allen from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, 6'10 Frosh Jeffree Withey from San Diego (Horizon) CA, 6'0 Frosh Chris Solomon from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'8 Frosh Jaime Serna from Mission Viejo (Capistrano Valley) CA, 6'7 Frosh Jin Soo Kim from Van Nuys (Montclair Prep) CA, 5'10 Frosh Larry Drew from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'5 Frosh Drew Gordon from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA, 6'3 Frosh Chris Jones from Newark (Memorial) CA, 5'10 Frosh Jason Pruitt from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 5'9 Frosh Percy Miller from Los Angeles (Windward) CA, 6'3 Frosh Quamaine Crymes from Los Angeles (View Park) CA, 5'9 Frosh Nathan Garth from Sacramento (Capital Christian) CA, 6'4 Frosh Zack Zaragosa from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, 6'4 Frosh Frank Otis from Oakland (McClymonds) CA, and 6'2 Frosh Matt Busch from San Leandro (H.S.) CA, not only is extremely loaded, but it also has even more depth and it's extremely diverse in terms of what schools all of the top players are attending (Bellfield and Larry Drew are the only two players who are attending the same high school. 
                    But this where Trigonis and I will have to agree to disagree.  I'm talking about Allen being ranked #5 in the state, but only #185 on our list of the Top Freshmen Nationally.  And Trigonis is right, if you're ranking the players based on primarily on potential, because Allen literally is a man among boys and, if he ever gets into shape, could be as good as anybody in the class.  However, I'm a lot closer to being right right now, because Allen, who has trouble running up and down the court more than a couple of times in a row, because he's so out of shape, was no better than the 7th best player on his AAU team, behind Jennings, Story, Derozan, Zaragosa, Miller, Serna, and Bellfield, when I saw him in the 14-Under AAU Nationals last summer.  We also will have to agree to disagree about Drew Gordon, Frank Otis, and Matt Busch, who are ranked #20, #106, and #130 nationally by us, but #11, #18, and #31, respectively, by Trigonis.  I saw all three of these guy play on the Oakland Soldiers in the AAU Nationals last summer, but I'm not sure if Trigonis has actually seen them play or whether he is relying on second hand information.  However, it's really not all that important right now, because we've still got three years to get it right.  Remember, ranking players at a young age is a great starting point, but in the grand scheme of things will have no impact on the important things, like whether a player gets a college scholarship, makes the McDonald's All-American Game, or enters the NBA Draft early. 
                    The Class of 2007, which features 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'6 Soph Omondi Amoke from Oxnard (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Soph Tyrone Shelly from San Diego (Crawford) CA, 6'5 Soph Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA, 6'6 Jamelle Horne from San Diego (Hoover) CA, 6'1 Soph Jesse Woodard from Compton (Centennial) CA, 5'9 Soph JayDee Luster from San Diego (Hoover) CA, 6'2 Soph Jordan Block from Claremont (H.S.) CA, 6'7 Soph Tim Shelton from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'6 Soph Darshawn McClellan from Fresno (Edison) CA, 6'4 Soph Quinton Watkins from Compton (Dominuez) CA, 6'6 Soph Pierce Brooks from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'6 Soph Chase Stanback from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'7 Soph Kenton Walker from San Diego (Scripps Ranch) CA, 6'9 Soph Clint Amberry from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, 7'0 Soph Alex Jacobson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'5 Soph Drew Viney from Villa Park (H.S.) CA, 5'10  Soph Ja'Shon Hampton from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, and 6'4 Soph Kieran Ramsey from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, isn't a good as either the Class of 2008 or the Class of 2009.  But, if some things happen, like Brooks grows, Amberry and Jacobson come close to reaching their potential, and Viney plays like he did when he scored 30 points against Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA yesterday in the NIKE Extravaganza, then it could be scary how good this class could become.   And, unlike the 8th Graders and Freshmen in California, this is a late developing class, as is evident by the fact that I have yet to see three of the top five players in the class (Amoke, Kelly, and Horne).  We also find it interesting that three of the top seven players (Kelly, Horne, and Luster) and four of the top 15 players (Kelly, Horne, Luster, and Walker) in the sophomore class are from San Diego, CA. 
                    In sharp contrast, the Class of 2006 is top heavy with players from the Central and Northern parts of the state, as 6'11 Soph Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'11 Soph Robin Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'3 Soph Trevon Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) CA are three of the top six players in the junior class and the two Lopez's, Willis, 6'7 Soph Kevin Galloway from Sacramento (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Soph Derrick Jasper from Paso Robles (H.S.) CA, and 6'6 Soph Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA are six of the top 14 players in the state's junior class.  And, just like Keller is attempting to do with most of the top 8th Graders, Darren Matsubara already has a powerhouse on his hands, because the Lopez twins, Willis, Jasper, and Pondexter all  played for the Fresno-based EBO/EA Sports Team that won the adidas Super 64 Tournament in Las Vegas, NV last summer and the Lopez twins, Pondexter, and 6'7 Soph Tim Shelton, who has transferred from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA to Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA and will eligible to play next season, all are currently at Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA.  However, with the exception of 6'9 Jr James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, who is ranked #23 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'9 Jr Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, the junior class in Southern California lacks both the depth and the usual number of quality players that makes this normally one of the most talent rich areas of the nation.  And, the fact that only seven of the top 15 juniors in the state - Keefe, Stephenson, 6'3 Jr Tyree Thompson from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'7 Jr Blake Wallace from Anaheim (Servite) CA, 6'4 Jr Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 6'6 Jr Jervaughn Johnson from Compton (Centennial) CA, and 6'5 Jr Josh Guillory from Lynwood (H.S.) CA - are from the Los Angeles area simply reinforces this point even further. 
                    Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis ranks 6'7 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA as the #1 player in the senior class in California, ahead of 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'10 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'5 Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA, and 6'6 Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA.  Trigonis argues that Boykin is averaging 24.2 ppg and 12.7 rpg (including a triple performance - 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists against Los Angeles Hamilton) for a nationally ranked high school team on which is the only senior starter.  Trigonis also points out that Boykin was the 2004 California State Junior of the Year  when he lead his Fairfax squad to its first ever California state title.  He also led his Belmont Shore club team to a 17-4 record in games played in 2004 and a #18 national AAU team ranking by Scouthoops.com's Jeff Goodman.  Other accomplishments include a 2004 Las Vegas Easter Classic title (earning MVP in the process), wins over such elite club teams as the Illinois Warriors (and Kansas-bound Julian Wright), Houston Hoops (and Arizona-bound Fendi Onobun), Team Breakdown (2004 Las Vegas Big Time Finalists), and Arizona Magic (led by Arizona's top underclassmen Christian Polk and Jerryd Bayless).  Even in the few losses, Boykin was terrific, scoring 33 points in an overtime defeat by Team Texas (led by Texas-bound C.J. Miles) and having 23 points and 11 rebounds against Friends of Hoops-Seattle led by three likely McDonald's All-Americans (Jon Brockman, Martell Webster, and Micah Downs).  Boykin also had a 41-piont performance in last fall's Full Court Press Fall Showcase.  But, once again, we will have to agree to disagree, because I've got Amir Johnson ranked #9, Boykin ranked #25, Jefferson ranked #27, Marcus Johnson ranked #29, and Harvey raked #32 nationally in the senior class.  However, I do agree with Trigonis about Boykin being an excellent college player.  Did you know that some scouting services and web sites on the West Coast don't even rank Boykin among their top 100 seniors nationally and they still don't think he's a high Division I player, despite the fact he signed last fall with Duke?  As for Amir Johnson, a number of people on the West Coast are starting to tell us that there is no way he's going to end up at the University of Louisville next year, because he's now recovered from the injury that has sidelined him the first part of the season and, as a result, will probably enter his name into the NBA Draft this spring.  As a matter of fact, a week ago Johnson was named the USA Today's High School Player-of-the-Week and the word out of Los Angeles, CA is that he played great yesterday at the NIKE Extravaganza. 
                    The Class of 2005 also has a lot of depth, as Boykin to Duke, Jefferson to UNLV, Amir Johnson to Louisville, Marcus Johnson to Connecticut, Harvey to Louisville, 6'0 Darren Collison from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA to UCLA, 6'11 Jordan Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA to California, 6'4 Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA to Arizona State, 5'10 Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA to Louisville, 6'6 Dior Lowhorn from Berkeley (St. Mary's) CA to Texas Tech, 6'5 D'Andre Bell from Los Angeles (Palisades) CA to Georgia Tech, 6'3 Anthony Goods from Corona (Centennial) CA to Stanford, 6'9 Jeff Pendergraph from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA to Arizona State, and 6'5 Mike Roll from Aliso Viejo (Aliso Niguel) CA to UCLA, have all signed with high Division I schools; 6'4 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA will likely go the prep school route; 6'8 Diamon Simpson from Hayward (H.S.) CA is one of the best combo forwards still available; and 6'6 Larry Gurganious from Berkeley (St. Mary's) CA to Gonzaga, 5'9 Richie Williams from Steele Canyon (Spring Valley) CA to San Diego State, 6'11 Brett Hoerner from Fullerton (H.S.) CA to San Diego State, 6'8 Chris Oakes from Oakland (McClymonds) CA to Pepperdine, 6'4 Ed White from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA to Yale, 6'5 Kyle Spain from Newark (Memorial) CA to San Diego State, 6'7 Ian O'Leary from Woodland (Christian) CA to St. Mary's, 6'2 James Powell from Glendora (H.S.) CA to UC-Santa Barbara, 6'5 Joe Ford from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA to Pacific, 6'0 Drew Schiller from Burlingame (H.S.) CA to San Francisco, 6'4 Marcus Carter from Claremont (H.S.) CA to Portland, 6'4 Jerard Moret from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA to Cal State-Fullerton, 6'7 Titus Shelton from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA to Cal Poly-San Lius Obispo, 5'10 Drew Housman from Calabasas (H.S.) CA to Harvard, 6'6 Jarell Lake from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA to Cal State-Fullerton, 6'4 Jason Hill from Reseda (Cleveland) CA to Cal State-Northridge, 6'9 Charles Carter from Pasadena (Muir) CA to Northern Colorado, 6'5 Alex Okafor from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA to Princeton, and 6'7 Tommy McMahon from San Mateo (Serra) CA to Pennsylvania are all steals for the schools at the level which they signed.