18th Annual NorCal Tip Off Classic Preview
Eight of the Top 10 teams in the NorCal Boys Basketball Preseason Top 20 are headed to Dublin High School to take part in the 18th Annual NorCal Tip Off Classic on November 29. Also in attendance will be state No. 14 La Miranda and No. 19 San Gabriel Academy, according to CalHiSports. BALLISLIFE.com also has Sunnyslope of Arizona at No. 11 in the West Region.
What are the storylines to watch for the season opening event?
1. Four seniors who are bound for Division I basketball will be in action with Riordan’s Andrew Hilman (San Francisco), Sunnyslope’s Rider Portela (Colorado), Folsom’s Joven Dulay (Idaho State) and Amador Valley’s Caden Krueger (San Jose State).
2. Available NorCal seniors to watch include Destiny Christian’s Myles Wiggins, Riordan’s JP Pihtovs, St. Ignatius’ Raymond Whitley and Vanden’s James Carraway.
3. The 2027 guard group in NorCal has shown promise over the past year and two of the best will be playing on Saturday with Branson’s NJ Gray and Amador Valley’s Jaylen Smith.
4. From the out of area programs, there are three outstanding 2027 prospects to see with San Gabriel Academy’s Mahamadou Diop, Sunnyslope’s Darius Wabbington and La Miranda’s Gene Roebuck. All three players are ranked in the Rivals Top 50 nationally.
5. The 2028 class has started to see players separate and there are a group of top prospects to know. King’s Academy guard Boss Mhoon leads the way followed by Moreau Catholic’s Brendan Williams, St. Ignatius’ Alex Moore, Lincoln-Stockton’s Tre Simmons, Folsom’s Parks Weaver and Riordan’s Jack Loevner.
6. The best NorCal matchup is St. Ignatius and Clayton Valley Charter in a Top 10 matchup. I already noted Whitley, but Clayton Valley Charter junior Zion Grissom is a fast riser in the 2027 class.
7. It is a year of transition for Modesto Christian, but that doesn’t mean a step back. Chris Teevan moves over to the sole head coaching spot and despite losing Gavin Sykes and Myles Jones, look for juniors Trevor Dickson and Elijah Payne to take bigger roles this season.
8. Cornerstone Christian is looking to step up in competition this year starting with a matchup against No. 3 Folsom. Juniors Ben Lukacs and James Perry Jr. are potential Division I prospects.
Game 1: 8:00 AM King’s Academy (Sunnyvale) vs Branson (Ross)
Game 2: 9:30 AM Bellarmine (San Jose) vs Lincoln (Stockton)
Game 3: 11:00 AM Dublin vs Modesto Christian
Game 4: 12:30 PM Cornerstone Christian (Antioch) vs Folsom
Game 5: 2:00 PM St. Ignatius (San Francisco) vs Clayton Valley (Concord)
Game 6: 3:30 PM Amador Valley (Pleasanton) vs Sunnyslope (Phoenix, AZ)
Game 7: 5:15 PM Moreau Catholic (Hayward) vs Vanden (Fairfield)
Game 8: 7:00 PM Destiny Christian (Sacramento) vs San Gabriel Academy
Game 9: 8:30 PM Riordan (San Francisco) vs La Mirada