CIF State Basketball Championship schedule
Friday
1:30 p.m. - D-IV boys, Campbell Hall (North Hollywood) 30-5 vs. St. Mary’s (Berkeley) 33-1.
3:30 p.m. – D-IV girls, La Jolla Country Day 26-5 vs. St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo) 29-5
5:30 p.m. – D-II girls, Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach) 28-6 vs. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 22-11
8 p.m. – D-II boys, Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 34-1 vs. Mitty (San Jose) 32-1
Saturday
9:30 a.m. – D-V girls, Mission Prep (San Luis Obispo) 27-4 vs. Branson (Ross) 28-7
11:15 a.m. – D-V boys, Renaissance Academy (La Canada) 27-3 vs. Branson (Ross) 31-3
1 p.m. – D-III girls, Magnolia (Anaheim) 27-6 vs. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 32-0
2:45 p.m. – D-III boys, Santa Margarita 29-5 vs. Sacramento 30-3
6 p.m. – D-I girls, Long Beach Poly 28-2 vs. Berkeley 30-3
8 p.m. – D-I boys, Dominguez (Compton) 32-3 vs. McClymonds (Oakland) 31-0
By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Here’s 50 reasons why you should be frothing for the 2008 California Interscholastic Federation State Basketball championships today and Saturday at Arco Arena.
Five at a time.
TOP MALE ATTRACTIONS
1. Jrue Holiday (Campbell Hall) – Think Dwayne Wade with high basketball IQ. Ambidextrous. Defensive stopper. Slasher. Powerful. Graceful. In short, his coach Terry Kelly calls Holiday “the ultimate winner.” To beat a very talented St. Mary’s squad I have a feeling the 6-3 off-guard headed to UCLA might have to pull a Lebron or Kobe and actually improve his already per-game averages of 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.5 blocks per game.
2. Jordan Hamilton (Dominguez) – The do-everything 6-7 small forward has compacted and refined all his massive skills to become one of the top five juniors in the country. As quick and athletic and deep as Dominguez is, Hamilton has carried them to this point. Earlier in the year he was compared to Wesley Person for his quick trigger. I liken him now more to a prep version of Tracy McGrady.
3. Drew Gordon (Mitty) – A true joy to watch not only for his speed, high hops, monster dunks and shot blocking, but the 6-9 senior headed to UCLA is a live wire and ultimate competitor. After sitting out several games with a right foot injury, he broke his left foot trying to come back early in early January. By all indications – even reports from coaches three weeks ago - it was a season-ending injury. But like Willis Reed, Gordon made a dramatic and unexpected entrance into a first-round regional game 10 days ago and after a dominating 20-point, nine-rebound, five-block performance in the regional final on Saturday, he seems well prepared to battle the many big bodies of Mater Dei in a rematch of last year’s D-II final, a 69-64 Mitty overtime defeat. Gordon could have understandably rested his fragile feet to protect a precious and promising future, but the fire in him opted to go for glory with his teammates.
4. Travis Wear (Mater Dei) – A 6-10 kid with multiple skills, a soft touch and high basketball IQ has already committed to North Carolina.
5. David Wear (Mater Dei) - A 6-10 kid with multiple skills, a soft touch and high basketball IQ has already committed to North Carolina. Hey, how about that, the same review as the last kid. How about that, they're twins. By the way, both brothers said after the regional finals they were truly happy Gordon was back. They sincerely wanted to play Mitty at full strength. Class acts and in their quiet ways, quite the competitors themselves.
THE NEXT FIVE
6. Klay Thompson (Santa Margarita) – I just love the 6-6 senior’s all-around game. The son of former NBA top pick Mychael Thompson and Washington State-signee can handle the ball, dish, drive, shoot the 3-pointer and block shots. A complete package.
7. Collin Chiverton (Mitty) – It’s hard to believe Pepperdine declined its original offer to the 6-6 shooting guard who can get to the rim or fire home 3-point rainbows. Reports are the Waves witnessed him struggle at an AAU event and passed. St. Mary’s, which has crept into the national rankings this year, snagged him. He’s at times spectacular and much like teammate Gordon, animated and competitive.
8. Chase Tapley (Sacramento) – A versatile and high-scoring (21.6 ppg) 6-3, 180-pound guard who has all the skills necessary to rally a home-town crowd and "chase" down a possible upset victory.
9. Will Brew (St. Mary’s) – A lighting rod 6-3 senior guard who was offered rides by most Pac-10 schools but inked with mid-major UC Santa Barbara because he can contribute in a big way right away. He was the Big West Conference's top 2008 recruit. He’s got plenty of hops and offensive game but his strength is on the defensive end, the same place his pops by the same name was a four-time All-Conference defensive team member at Oregon State.
10. Chris Brew (St. Mary’s) – A lightning rod 6-3 junior guard just slightly more athletic than his brother Will. Also passed up Pac-10 offers to verbally commit at Santa Barbara. Relentless to the rim.
FIVE MORE
11. Damon Powell (McClymonds) – He’s on few national recruiting charts yet, but the high-flying 6-6 junior is an ESPN highlight reel in himself. Coaches estimated he’s had more than 60 ally-oop dunks this year. Game is still raw but his star power is well done.
12. Frank Otis (McClymonds) – The chiseled 6-6 senior headed to SMU has been a man among boys since he started as a freshman. Great inside game and class act win or lose.
13. Dallas Rutherford (Campbell Hall) – Lost in Holiday’s hoopla, the 6-2 forward fills every hole that Holiday can not. Excellent scorer, shooter, passer. A true unsung hero, but not under-appreciated by Kelly.
14. Bryce Cartwright (Dominguez) – The 6-1 guard is a blur and has rapidly gained control of the point in the Dons’ frantic attack. He’s a definite college sleeper.
15. Oliver McNally (Branson) – Smooth, more athletic than you think and picture perfect form. The 6-3 combo guard passed up Big West offers to go to the Ivy League and Harvard. The ultimate leader and floor general, he’s led Branson to two straight Division V state titles.
FINAL FIVE
16. Zack Zaragoza (Santa Margarita) – If you like shooters, you’ll love Zaragoza, a flat-out specialist. At 6-5 he can shoot over just about any guard and his form is a thing of beauty. He hasn’t signed yet, but he’ll make some college team in need of instant offense very happy.
17. Jaime Serna (Santa Margarita) – The Santa Barbara-bound 6-8 senior forward is a load and gives his team the perfect low block presence to finish Thompson’s drives and compliments Zargoza’s outside game.
18. Dominique Lee (St. Mary’s) – Only a sophomore watch out for this high-flying, long-limbed 6-4 forward. He does a lot of the dirty work for the Panthers now, but often while defenses key on the Brew brothers, Lee snaps up a 20 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Another highlight reel kid.
19. James Johnson (Campbell Hall) – The only other sophomore on this list, the 6-6 post is already a polished commodity, who averages 14.5 points, 9.2 rebounds a 2.4 blocks per game. If he grows any he’ll be a major Division I prospect.
20. Anthony Stover (Renaissance Academy) – If you like shot blockers, only Gordon is better doing it than the 6-10 junior who owns the tournament's most unique statistic: he averages more blocks per game (7.4) than rebounds (6.8).
TOP FEMALE ATTRACTIONS
1. Jasmine Dixon (Long Beach Poly) – The 6-foot senior hopes to head off to Rutgers with a third straight Division I title, something done only once before. On a balanced, deep nationally-ranked team she doesn’t need to score much (only 13 ppg). But when it gets to crunch time, like the last two state title games, the Jackrabbits know where to go. Dixon, who does most of her work in the paint, combined for 41 points and 27 rebounds in those two wins. She had 23 points and 20 rebounds in just 20 foul-plagued minutes last week in an overtime win over No. 8 nationally Narbonne.
2. Jazmine Jackson (Sacred Heart Cathedral) – The silky smooth 5-10 senior and Loyola-Marymount-signee has led her squad to back-to-back state titles as well. Though her top-ranked team in the country is balanced and deep, Jackson always seems to make the big plays on both ends of the court or at the line.
3. Mikay Maly-Karros (Mira Costa) – Another LMU signee, the 6-2 Maly-Karros is the averaging 18.1 points and a whopping 16.0 rebounds per game. In fact, according to an Los Angeles Times article this week, the step daughter of former major leaguer Eric Karros is the Southern Section career rebound leader with 1,806 surpassing prep female legends Lisa Leslie and Cheryl Miller. Pretty fair company. She gets all those rebounds largely by sheer determination. It doesn’t come without a price. The quote of the week appeared in a Los Angeles Times feature this week: “I have bruises and floor burns all over my legs,” she said. “and it stinks because I really love to wear dresses.”
4. Tierra Rogers (Sacred Heart Cathedral) – The 5-9 small forward is considered one of the top juniors in the country. No matter how she might struggle during a game, she always seems to make big plays and shots down the stretch, like last week when she hit the game-winning bucket in a 46-45 win over St. Mary’s (Stockton) in a battle of the top 5 teams in the country. Rogers is trying to finish out a trying season that included the horrific murder of her father during halftime of one of her games just two months ago. SEE STORY.
5. Janae Fulcher (La Jolla Country Day) – The heady and talented Arizona State-bound 6-3 post is averaging 17.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. In a terrific feature by San Diego Union-Tribune scribe Steve Brand this week, LJCD coach Terri Bamford said Fulcher has come a long way: "As a freshman she had that left-handed hook and that was about it. Now she'll read the double-team and either step through it and make the shot or just pass it. ... She is so skilled. The thing about Janae is, she finishes. ... She is our dominant force."
NEXT FIVE
6. Alex Cowling (St. Patrick-St. Vincent) – Yet a third LMU-bound player - wow how good are they going to be in the years to come - the 5-10 Cowling plays a lot like Dixon but she’s a couple inches shorter. She’s carried St. Patrick on her back to two straight Northern California titles while averaging much more than 20 points per game. She's terrific in the Bruins' fullcourt press, scoring lots of steals and layups. Like Dixon, extremely determined in the paint.
7. Monique Oliver (Long Beach Poly) – The 6-3 junior transfer from Las Vegas would be a superstar on any other team but with Dixon and other “supporting” players, Oliver picks her spots to dominate like in last week’s regional final.
8. Megan Richardson (Mira Costa) – Savvy, fearless and the consummate team-leader, Richardson controls the game with the ball while Maly-Karros controls the paint. The Fullerton State-bound guard is averaging 17.6 points and 4.1 assists per game.
9. Jhakia McDonald (Magnolia) – She’s only 5-6 but McDonald is a force on both ends of the court. The Arizona-bound guard is averaging 12.8 points per game but when her team needs her most - like in last week's 40-39 regional final win over favored Muir - she comes up large. With her team struggling offensively, she was the only Sentinel in double-figures with 19 points.
10. KiKi Moore (Sacred Heart Cathedral) – The 5-9 junior never changes expression, but she constantly changes gears as the nation’s top-ranked teams’ starting point guard. Even though she'll make neck-snapping plays, she always under control and always seems to make the right decision.
FIVE MORE
11. Jazmine Perkins (Berkeley) – The Washington State-bound guard is great in the open court (16.8 ppg) and even better near a microphone. She had reporters bowing following her 28-point outburst in last week’s regional championship win. (See below).
12. Dominique Conners (La Jolla Country Day) – The 5-10 University of San Diego-bound guard is averaging 14.3 points per game and came up huge in the regional championship win over defending state champion Marlborough (Los Angeles) with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
13. Rachael Bilney (Branson) – With her twin Samantha out for most of the year with a knee injury, Rachael helped carry Branson much of the year with a 17.3 scoring average including 24 in the regional final. She and her sister are going to the University of Richmond.
14. April Cook (Long Beach Poly) – The 5-8 senior point guard earned a full ride to Washington State without putting up big numbers. But that’s status quo for Long Beach Poly, which just wins baby.
15. Hannah Stephens (Mitty) – When college players and All-State guards Danielle Robinson and Kassandra McAlister graduated last June, the 5-7 point guard was expected to fill in. The first-team All-WCAL senior who is headed to Utah led the team in scoring at 13.5 per game and back to the state title game where they expect to defend it against Mira Costa.
TOP 5 MATCHUPS
1. Mater Dei vs. Mitty boys. Teams ranked No. 7 and 19 in the country by MaxPreps but most rankings have them both in the top 10. A rematch of last year’s game, a 69-64 Mater Dei overtime win. Gordon’s quick return. Great chemistry, balance and size on both sides. A huge showdown.
2. Dominguez vs. McClymonds boys. No. 2 vs. No. 6 in the country. Though higher ranked teams, McClymonds tends to lock down teams and play at a lower pace, so this may be more strategic game than Mater Dei-Mitty. But still worth waiting through nine other games to see.
3. Campbell Hall vs. St. Mary’s boys. Up and down with an emphasis on up, this is a great way to rev up the festivities.
4. Santa Margarita vs. Sacramento boys. Yep, another boys tussle. What makes this so interesting is hometown angle. Three years ago, local team Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) absolutely shocked nationally-ranked Mater Dei in the D-II finals. Of course that Oak Ridge team had Ryan Anderson, a possible first-round NBA pick now with Cal. The Dragons are hoping the hometown fans bring similar energy and fortune.
5. Magnolia vs. Sacred Heart Cathedral girls. On paper, this could be the biggest blowout considering Sacred Heart is No. 1 in the country and Magnolia barely made it out of section. But that’s the intrigue. Magnolia coach Michael Anderson knows how to keep a game close and he’s got an experienced bunch that includes three college players. I expect this one to go down to the wire.
TOP MASCOTS
1. Jackrabbits (Long Beach Poly) – Can get confusing playing the YellowJACKets.
2. Torreys (La Jolla Country Day) – A true California team named after a pine tree. Al Gore has to be rooting for the Torreys.
3. Dragons (Sacramento) – A prehistoric creature aptly represents the second-oldest school West of the Mississippi (founded in 1856).
4. Bulls (Branson) – One “clever” colleague wondered if female teams at Branson are named the "Cows." Funny guy.
5. Monarchs (Mitty and Mater Dei) – Not particularly catchy and a bit autocratical for my taste but when two Monarchs play each other then it wins by popular demand.
BEST STATE PREVIEW NEWSPAPER READS OF THE WEEK
1. San Francisco Chronicle feature on Mitty’s Chiverton by David Keifer.
2. Los Angeles Times feature on Holiday by Eric Sondheimer.
3. Contra Costa Times feature on Berkeley’s Perkins by Richardo Sanchez.
4. Los Angeles Times feature on Maly-Karros by Anthony Stitt.
5. Orange County Register feature on Mater Dei’s cohesion by Adam Maya.
Got any other list ideas? E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.
Read hoop-to-hoop action about all 10 games from the state championships with commentary, quips and quotes at MaxPreps.com. See constant updates all weekend from senior writers Kevin Askeland and yours truly.
Watch the Division I and II games at your local Fox Sports Network outlet.
See CIF State boys basketball preview. CLICK HERE. See CIF State girls basketball preview. CLICK HERE.
