SportStars Magazine Reveals Its Preseason NorCal Top 5 For Both Boys And Girls Basketball

photo credit: Dennis Lee

photo credit: Dennis Lee

SportStars Magazine will be releasing its 10th Annual Basketball Preview on Nov. 15. Below are the Top 5 teams from its NorCal Preseason Top 20 Boys and Girls Rankings.

To view the entire rankings and regional preview editions for both the Sac-Joaquin and Bay Area, be sure to visit SportStarsMag.com on the 15th.

All records are from 2018-19.

BOYS

1. Sheldon-Sacramento (24-11)

With back-to-back CIF Northern California Open Division titles and SportStars’ reigning NorCal Player of the Year Marcus Bagley, returning to the starting lineup,  the Huskies are a pretty easy choice to open the year at No. 1. There’s much more returning to the floor than just the Arizona State-bound Bagley. Senior guards Xavion Brown and Xavier Brown are both back, as are senior posts Pierce Davis and Darren Tobias. Junior point guard Yaru Harvey will be one to watch, too.

2. Salesian-Richmond (31-1)

The Pride was 31-0 when its season ended in a loss to CIF Open Division semifinal loss to Modesto Christian. The doggedly consistent McClanahan Twins (Jaden and Jovan) graduated, but almost the entire rest of the roster returns. That includes last season’s leading scorer, Shane Bell, along with fellow seniors Tyler Brinkman and Tejon Sawyer. Junior Demarshay Johnson Jr, sophomore Austin Johnson and freshman Courtney Anderson Jr. will all have impacts as well.

3. Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (18-9)

Last season’s West Catholic Athletic League Player of the Year, Devan Sapp, moved to the East Coast. However, the Monarchs may still boast the best true backcourt in the Bay Area with senior Marcus Greene and Pepperdine-bound junior Mike Mitchell. Sapp’s exit will also be softened by incoming Stuart Hall-S.F. transfer Nigel Burris.

4. Weston Ranch-Stockton (31-2)

Last year’s coming out party looks like it may have been just a warm-up for Cougars. Senior All-NorCal first-teamer Gavin Wilburn combines with juniors Donjae Lindsey and Mi’Son Coilton to comprise a daunting triple threat. The team also gains more inside firepower with the arrival of 6-foot-6 San Leandro transfer Jordahn Johnson.

5. De La Salle-Concord (29-4)

While the Spartans are going to need to fill the leadership void left by graduating seniors Thomas Gregorios and Tim Kostolansky, there’s no shortage of talent remaining on the roster. The Spartans have one of the best young tandems in all of NorCal with sophomore wings Chris Bunch and Jeremiah Dargan.

GIRLS

1. Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (25-3)

Yes, it’s a cliché, but Archbishop Mitty does not rebuild — it just reloads. Usually, losing the top player in the nation to Stanford (Haley Jones), the top returner (Hunter Hernandez) to an ACL, and the third-leading scorer (Anna McNicholas, along with three other seniors) to graduation means a serious step back. But Sue Phillips has at least five Division I players and a program built to just keep on keepin’ on.

2. St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda (22-8)

Shawn Hipol has taken the Pilots to five NCS title games in his five years there, and even though two starters graduated, the 10 returners — including Sophie Nilsson, who missed last year with an ACL— are more than enough to keep St. Joseph Notre Dame in the hunt for a third NCS championship.

3. St. Mary’s-Stockton (22-9)

Led by 6-2 Amaya Oliver, St. Mary’s famed and ferocious press will destroy the masses and worry the elite, and the mix of experience (four seniors) and young talent (watch out for those freshman guards) will keep the Rams in the mix for the NorCal Open title. And St. Mary’s, as usual, will play one of the toughest out-of-area schedules around.

4. Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland (24-10)

Malik McCord, like Sue Phillips at Archbishop Mitty, never seems to be fazed by the gaps left by graduation, and even though some key components have moved on, Amaya Bonner and Kennedy Johnson anchor yet another loaded O’Dowd roster. And don’t worry about early losses — McCord designs his schedule to test the Dragons so they’ll play better in the postseason.

5. Miramonte-Orinda (28-4)

The Matadors haven’t been able to get past Bishop O’Dowd the last two years, but with athletic junior Mia Mastrov and sharpshooters Erin Tarasow and Becca Welsh, Miramonte’s high-octane offense may have enough firepower to get the job done this time around. But rebounding will be an issue.