Central Section, CA – As the postseason looms less than a month away, some things are shaping up as predicted and other things are different from what we have become accustomed to the past five years or so. The Knights of St. Joseph are rolling through league play and Bakersfield Christian continues its near dominance of basketball in the South Valley. Those are the patterns the basketball community has become used to seeing happen. The competitiveness of the TRAC League is something that has not been the norm in recent years, as Clovis West has two TRAC losses going into the second round of league play, Buchanan defeated Clovis North on the road but lost to Central of Fresno, and Clovis East is looking to knock one of those three off to get out of the middle of the pack.
St. Joseph has asserted its dominance as the heavy odds on favorite to win the D1 Section Title, but there now seems to be more debate about who that next team truly is? I have stated throughout the year that there were 3 teams at the top and a gap between those 3 and everyone else. However, with Buchanan winning at Clovis North and San Joaquin Memorial continuing to stockpile wins, is there now a clear cut top 4? Bakersfield Christian has been playing some great basketball of late and, despite the youthful roster after seniors Gabe Gutierrez and Drew Minnear, the Eagles have been getting big contributions from its sophore core and that adds size and depth that can hang with the likes of Buchanan and the Clovis directional schools. Or could it be that the Broncos had an off game, as it was missing junior Elias Gish to sickness, and if it wins out will have a top 2 seed and home court advantage throughout the D1 Section playoffs,
There is a lot left to unfold as team’s head into their second round of league play and all these storylines will be settled. The one thing that seems to be constant for the remainder of the regular season is that St. Joseph will be really tough to beat, as it has earned some huge wins this season and are a complete team on both ends of the court. Below are my updated Top 15 Team Rankings. Included in this article is the team’s current ranking, its previous ranking in parentheses, the school’s name and location, the team’s records, and a brief explanation of why I have placed each team in the spot they are in. I will update this list one more time at the end of the regular season before the final team rankings.
1. (1) St. Joseph Knights (Santa Maria CA) (22-1)
The Knights continue to have a stranglehold on the top spot in these team rankings, and have earned multiple impressive wins since the last round of these rankings to bolster its already impressive resume of wins this season. The Knights traveled to Fresno and took down Section foe Clovis West back on January 8th by a score of 96-67. On the 18th of this month, St. Joseph traveled to Massachusetts for the illustrious Hoophall Classic and earned a win over Holy Innocents Episcopal of Georgia, 61 to 57. A cross country flight and two days later, the Knights defeated Modesto Christian at the 27th Annual De La Salle MLK Classic. Saturday, January 25th, the Knights defeated the defending NorCal Open Division Champs in Salesian of Richmond, and #9 ranked team in California, 76-67 at the Crush in the Valley Showcase. In the process of all these wins, the Knights’ standout senior and Baylor-commit Tounde Yessoufou has become the Central Section’s all-time leading scorer, and is now the 2nd all-time leading scorer in California boys basketball history. What has impressed me the most has been the focus on winning and playing great team basketball on both ends, as well as highlighting Yessoufou’s accomplishments in the process. The last real test for the Knights will be against Weston Ranch of Stockton on February 1st, but I do not see the Knights stumbling in any game down the stretch of the regular season.
2. (3) San Joaquin Memorial Panthers (Fresno CA) (20-4)
The Panthers move up one spot and come in at #2 in these updated team rankings. I moved the Panthers ahead of Clovis North after it suffered its first TRAC loss to Buchanan last Tuesday. I kept San Joaquin ahead of Buchanan as well based on a few factors. The Panthers have a larger margin of victory over Clovis West, the common opponent, and the win over Monterey Trail is better than any win the Bears have earned this season. Another reason I kept the Panthers ahead of Buchanan was the Bears loss to Central of Fresno, which is not a horrible loss but worse than any loss San Joaquin has suffered this season. The Panthers have earned wins of late over Sanger, Roosevelt of Fresno, and Fresno Chirstian, all by at least 20 points. San Joaquin has only CMAC opponents left to play and next Friday’s match-up against Bullard of Fresno could be one last test before the postseason. On paper, as I stated in my preseason team rankings, the Panthers have the best roster to compete with the mighty Knights of St. Joseph, with size, depth, scorers, shooters, and continued improvement on the defensive end, led by seniors Julius Olanrewaju and Abram Pots, as well as the emergence of junior Parker Spees.
3. (4) Buchanan Bears (Clovis CA) (20-3)
The Bears also moved up one spot after earning a quality win over Clovis North in TRAC play, which was the first loss the Broncos suffered to a Central Section team all season, by a score of 66-58 at the Stables Center. I do acknowledge that standout junior Elias Gish was out due to being sick, but to go on the road and pull out a win in that gym is worthy of moving Buchanan up a spot and past the Broncos. The Bears have also defeated Clovis West twice, once in league play, and Clovis East this past Friday, 66-53. The Bears have only TRAC opponents left on its schedule, but if it can win out it would capture a TRAC title and a top 3 seed for the playoffs. However, Buchanan still has another game against Clovis West, which will be tough to beat 3 times in a season, as well as a rematch with the Broncos, who will be seeking revenge with a fully loaded roster. Also, the rematch game against Central will be huge, as the Grizzlies are the only team to defeat Buchanan in league play. But the Bears have been steady and consistent all season and the play of senior lead guard Conner Sheets has been elite this season and when he heats up, not many can contain him.
4. (2) Clovis North Broncos (Fresno CA) (19-5)
The Broncos have played one of the toughest schedules of any team in the Central Section, and have earned some big time wins over teams like Santa Barbara, San Ramon Valley, Bullard of Fresno, Clovis West, and Vanden as of Saturday at the Crush in the Valley Showcase. I was hesitant to move the Broncos down at all when I first heard Gish was not available for the Buchanan game, but given it was at Clovis North and how this team has rallied against quality opponents time and again against bigger odds, I decided to reward Buchanan for the win. I also felt justified moving the Panthers ahead, as San Joaquin has won 10 of its last 11 and is playing some quality team basketball at the moment. Having said all that, I would favor the Broncos to win out in league play, which would give it the outright TRAC title given Buchanan’s loss to Central. The rematch game with Bears will be a big one on February 7th at Buchanan’s gym. Clovis North has only league games remaining. Senior Lukas Jones and junior McKae Amundsen both had impressive weeks, and overall seasons to lead the Broncos, along with junior Elias Gish.
5. (7) Bakersfield Christian Eagles (CA) (17-7)
Moving up two spots and rounding out the top 5 is the Eagles of Bakersfield Christian. The Eagles have been hot of late and have had some impressive wins in the process, highlighted by the win over Bullard at the Edison MLK Super Saturday Showcase on January 18th. The Eagles have also earned wins over Bakersfield High and Frontier of Bakersfield, and have won 8 of its last 9 games. The Eagles have been led by some big time showings from recent Concordia of Irvine commit Gabe Gutierrez, but what has to be most encouraging for Bakersfield Christian has been the play of its core sophomore group, led by Jeremias Killerbrew, Taiwo Daramola, and Caiden Jackson. With Gutierrez coming back from being sick, the sophomore trio dominated Centennial of Bakersfield this past Saturday in a cross SYL game and provided the Eagles with the depth needed for a postseason run. Bakersfield Christian only has league opponents left with the rematch game against Bakersfield High set for February 4th.
6. (5) Clovis West Golden Eagles (Fresno CA) (10-14)
Moving down one spot is Clovis West. Has the Central Section become accustomed to the Golden Eagles being a top 3 seed every year, the answer is obviously yes. But when you look at the schedule Clovis West has played this year, it is as tough as anyones in the Section other than St. Joseph and maybe Clovis North. They have played Santa Margarita, De La Salle, Salesian, Inglewood, St. Joseph (only D1 team to put them on the regular season schedule outside of league), Monterey Trail, Inderkum, Parish Episcopal of Texas, as well as Clovis North and Buchanan in league. The Golden Eagles lost to league rival Clovis North this past Friday, giving Clovis West its 2nd league loss and likely taking them out of the race for a league title, but they could also just as easily win out and win league. Its two losses are to Buchanan and Clovis North, both of which it will play again before the season is over. Fresno-State commit DJ Stickman has been sensational this season, as well as junior Jace Kellogg asserting himself as one of the top lead guards in his class.
7. (6) Clovis East Timberwolves (CA) (16-7)
The Timberwolves move down one spot in this updated list of team rankings. Since the last round of these team rankings, the Timberwolves have played .500 basketball, earning wins over league opponents Clovis, Central, and Redwood of Visalia in the annual Pagmeter Showcase at Fresno Christian on Saturday the 18th. Despite these wins, the T-Wolves have gone 0-3 in the first round of league play against the TRAC top squads in Buchanan, Clovis North, and Clovis West. Furthermore, there has been some shake-up with the Clovis East roster that has changed the dynamics of the team and it needs to adjust quickly in order to earn wins over the teams ahead of Clovis East in league play. I have always stated that head to head wins matter in these team rankings, and I acknowledge that Clovis East did beat Bakersfield Christian, but this was early in the season. The Eagles are playing their best basketball of the season, while the T-Wolves are in the process of regrouping for the 2nd round of league play. Clovis East does control its own destiny, as is the case with the other top teams in the TRAC, but need to get a win over one of those teams to help itself out for playoff seeding for the Section D1 playoffs. Freshman Tristan Beechler has continued to show why he is one of the top freshmen in the Section, as well as solid play from senior Brayden Fowler.
8. (8) Bullard Knights (Fresno CA) (14-9)
The Knights hold steady at the #8 spot in these updated team rankings. The Knights season seemed to be headed in the wrong direction after the injury to standout junior Ja’Vance Coleman, as the team would lose 5 of its 7 games without Coleman in the line-up. What was anticipated as a 4-6 week injury, Coleman was back in the line-up Friday, January 17th in a win against Fresno High. Since Coleman’s return, the Knights have won three of its last four games, with its only loss coming at the hands of Bakersfield Christian at the Edison MLK Super Saturday Showcase on January 18th. Although the Knights did lose to Roosevelt during the period where Coleman was out, the reality is the team is that much better with Ja’Vance in the line-up, as fellow standout junior Dalen Felder, senior James Miranda, junior Sean Smith-Sharkey, and others players are able to fall into their true roles. Felder has been cooking of late as well, putting up 20+ points on a nightly basis and was key in keeping things afloat until Coleman was able to return. Bullard has only league games left and a huge test Friday, January 31st at home against one of the Section’s top teams in San Joaquin Memorial. The Knights defeated the Panthers twice in CMAC play last year and the Panthers want that revenge, but the Knights have the firepower to make this one intriguing.
9. (11) North Bakersfield Stars (CA) (20-5)
The Stars move up two spots and crack the top 10 of these team rankings for the first time this season. North Bakersfield was on a 12-game winning streak before falling to St. Pius of Downey in a game the Stars added at the last minute and was one of the top teams in SoCal last season. The Stars got a one-point win over league rival South Bakersfield, 44-43 on January 17th, as well as a key win over Frontier of Bakersfield in a SYL cross-league game. North Bakersfield earned a win over Enochs of Modesto in the Edison MLK Super Saturday Showcase on the 18th of January. Although the Stars did lose to the Drillers early in the season by 2 points, Bakersfiels’s loss to Redwood of Visalia, despite certain reasons I will detail below, is the reason I decided to move the Drillers out of the top 10. Also, North Bakersfield has been playing great team ball and if it can earn a win over South Bakersfield in the SYL-Mountain rematch, likely for 1st place, it should end up the top seed in the D3 Section Playoffs. The Stars have been led by standout sophomore lead guard Ethan Saenz, and a solid group of seniors.
10. (14) Central Grizzlies (Fresno CA) (16-8)
The Grizzlies move up four spots and crack the top 10 for the first time in a few years at the #10 spot in these updated team rankings. The Grizzlies had a rough one last season, and I will admit I have been skeptical of moving Central up but with the win over Buchanan in league play, the Bears only TRAC loss, as well a nice win over Corcoran and standout Javon Bragg at the Pagmeter Showcase at Fresno Christian I feel the team has earned at top 10 spot. Central has had trouble with the Clovis directional schools in league so far but have imposed its will on Clovis High. Central did only lose to Clovis West by 7 points at the Eagles Nest, but would have to get some league wins in order to move up in the next round of these team rankings.
11. (15) Fresno Christian Eagles (CA) (17-5)
The Eagles move up four spots to #11 and have won 7 of its last 8 games, with the only loss coming to San Joaquin Memorial at the Pagmeter Showcase at its own gym. The Eagles have earned wins over Kingsburg and Sunnyside early in the month of January, and have been running through league play seeking to get the top seed in the D4 Section Playoffs. The Eagles have depth, size, guard play, and can shoot that make it hard for other teams at that level to match. The league game against Sierra of Tollhouse on Tuesday will likely be its last test of the season before playoffs.
12. (10) Bakersfield Drillers (CA) (16-8)
Moving down two spots and coming in at #12 is the Drillers of Bakersfield High. The Drillers gave Bakersfield Christian a run for its money back on January 16th at home, but lost a tough one to Redwood of Visalia in the Edison MLK Super Saturday Showcase. Taking nothing away from Redwood’s win, it was a bad loss for the Drillers, who were without its head coach and top assistant coach, which took its toll in the 2nd half of the game. The Drillers have won pretty easily against the rest of its league opponents in the SYL-Valley and has a rematch game with Bakersfield Christian on February 4th, which if it were to win would give Bakersfield a tie with the Eagles for the league title. The Drillers also got a cross SYL win over Centennial without its top scorer, junior Kade Johnson. The Drillers have had a much improved season and have the athleticism to make games interesting with most teams in the Section.
13. (HM) Frontier Titans (Bakersfield CA) (12-12)
The Titans have had some ups and downs this season but have been trending upward over the past two weeks. Frontier remains undefeated in SYL-River play but have had some close calls against Liberty and Centennial, which should make the second round of league play intriguing. The Titans also got a big overtime win over Hoover of Fresno at the Edison MLK Super Saturday Classic and senior Zach Garnett has become the schools all-time leading scorer currently at 1,360 points and counting. If the Titans can run the tables in league, it will help bolster their seed in what seems to be a D2 Section Playoff spotting for Frontier.
14. (NR) Roosevelt Rough Riders (Fresno CA) (15-8)
The Rough Riders make it back into these team rankings, as Roosevelt was in my preseason top 15 rankings, and come in at #14. Roosevelt has been cooking as of late, winning 8 of its last 9 games and the only loss came at the hands of San Joaquin Memorial. In that span, the Rough Riders have earned some important wins over Sanger, Sunnyside, Hoover, and the big one over Bullard of Fresno on January 15th, 77 to 75. Roosevelt is currently in first place of the CMAC 2 League and should it win out, the Rough Riders could earn a decent Section D2 seed. Hard to predict with the insanity that is the computer rankings used to set the playoff picture, but Roosevelt has the pieces and scorers to make a run in the postseason.
15. (HM) San Luis Obispo Tigers (CA) (17-5)
Rounding out the top 15 and making its debut on this list for the first time this season is the SLO Tigers, who have been stacking up the wins this season. The Tigers got a quality win over league and San Luis rivals Mission Prep on January 17th, but then lost to Atascadero, who also defeated Mission Prep in the same week. The Tigers have been led by junior Logan Missler and if it wins out in league play, outside of St. Joseph, then San Luis would earn the #2 seed in the CC-Mountain League and could end up with a good seeding for the playoffs.
Honorable Mention
Corcoran Panthers (CA) (17-6)
Hanford Bullpups (CA) (15-7)
Kingsburg Vikings (CA) (12-11)
Mission College Prep Royals (San Luis Obispo CA) (17-6)
Sanger Apaches (CA) (15-8)
Tulare Western Mustangs (CA) (15-8)
