California is an undisputed high school basketball hotbed. The Golden State produced 55 players who were on active NBA rosters during the 2021-22 season, including DeMar DeRozan, James Harden, Jrue Holiday, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Paul George, Klay Thompson and Russell Westbrook among many others.
The Golden State also produced the No. 2 team in high school basketball this year in
Centennial (Corona), which went 33-1 en route to its first state championship.
That led us to question where Centennial stacks up against the top teams in the state since the turn of the century. Evaluating resumes, national rankings and talent on the roster, we put together a list of the top teams in California since 2000. See the complete breakdown below.
Lonzo Ball, LaMelo Ball and LiAngelo Ball pose with the CIF Open Division state championship trophy.
File photo by David Steutel
Record: 35-0
National ranking: No. 1
Notable players: LaMelo Ball, LiAngelo Ball, Lonzo Ball, Onyeka Okongwu, Eli Scott
Rundown: One of the most exciting high school basketball teams of the 2000s, averaging 98 points and tying the state record with 18 100-point games. Lonzo Ball was the conductor of the lethal offensive attack, averaging 23.9 points, 11.5 assists and 11.3 rebounds to win National Player of the Year honors. The Huskies outscored postseason opponents by 29 points per contest over eight blowout wins.
Record: 35-0
National ranking: No. 1
Notable players: M.J. Cage, Stanley Johnson, Isaiah Juarez, La'vette Parker, Rex Pflueger
Rundown: Legendary head coach Gary McKnight, who became the fourth boys basketball coach to capture 1,200 career wins in 2022, captured the only national championship of his illustrious career. The Monarchs went unbeaten for the first time since 1985, led by Johnson who earned MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors after averaging 25 points, eight rebounds and 3.6 assists during his senior campaign.
Record: 34-2
National ranking: No. 1
Notable players: Keith Brooks, Tyson Chandler, Micah McKinney, Darius Sanders
Rundown: The Dons kicked off the new millennium with a mythical national championship after defeating previously unbeaten Newark Memorial (Newark) to win the CIF Division II title. Junior center Chandler led the way with 19 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in the title game triumph. Dominguez suffered two setbacks against Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and Clovis West (Fresno).
Record: 32-2
National ranking: No. 5
Notable players: Hassan Adams, Trevor Ariza, Brandon Bowman, Ashanti Cook, Brandon Heath
Rundown: With a starting lineup composed of five Division I commits and depth off the bench, the Comets captured their first of two consecutive Division I state championships led by 2002 California Mr. Basketball Adams and 2003 California Mr. Basketball Ariza. Adams led the way with a game-high 24 points while Heath chipped in 20 in Westchester's 80-75 victory over Oakland Tech (Oakland).
Record: 33-1
National ranking: No. 5
Notable players: Derek Glasser, James Harden, Shawntell Norman, Jason Pruitt, Malik Story
Rundown: Behind junior Harden, who averaged 18.9 points and eight rebounds, the Pioneers finished unbeaten against in-state competition with their only loss coming against Hughes (Cincinnati) by one point. Artesia blew past St. Mary's (Stockton) 60-41 in the Division III state title game led by Harden (21), Story (12) and Glasser (11).
Record: 33-1
National ranking: No. 2
Notable players: Donovan Dent, Ramsey Huff, Aaron McBride, Jared McCain, Devin Williams
Rundown: Following a 75-70 loss to eventual national champion Duncanville on Nov. 26, the Huskies reeled off 30 consecutive victories to capture the program's first CIF Open Division state title. MaxPreps California Player of the Year Dent and second team MaxPreps Junior All-America selection Jared McCain were the catalysts for the cohesive group
7. Westchester, 2009-10
Record: 32-3
National ranking: No. 8
Notable players: Denzel Douglas, Kareem Jamar, Jordin Mayes, Reggie Murphy, Dwayne Polee Jr.
Rundown: Longtime head coach Ed Azzam was honored with MaxPreps National Coach of the Year honors in 2010 after leading a strong core to back-to-back state championships with a 67-5 record during that span and consecutive top 10 finished in the national rankings. Despite suffering three losses, the Comets went 7-3 against ranked opponents and had quality wins over Mater Dei, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.).
8. Mater Dei, 2002-03
Record: 34-2
National ranking: No. 3
Notable players: Mike Gerrity, Marcel Jones, Harrison Schaen, D.J. Strawberry, Wesley Washington
Rundown: Led by a pair of high-major seniors in the backcourt of Strawberry and Washington, the Monarchs captured their fifth state championship under McKnight in 2003. McKnight won eight state titles in 14 seasons from 2001 through 2014, but this team was one of his best. Although the Monarchs lost to eventual national champions St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) 64-58, they held senior LeBron James to 8-of-24 shooting.
9. Westchester, 2004-05
Record: 25-3
National ranking: No. 2
Notable players: Amir Johnson, Marcus Johnson, Jerard Moret, Will Powers, Ray Reese
Rundown: This group demonstrated how lethal it could be in the third quarter of the state title game when they went on a 17-0 run behind their high pressure man-to-man defense to extend the lead to 19 points in an eventual 66-45 victory over Serra (Gardena) in the Division I title game. Amir Johnson led the way with 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks.
10. Westchester, 2002-03
Record: 32-3
National ranking: No. 5
Notable players: Trevor Ariza, Bobby Brown, Marcus Johnson, Jonathan Toliver
Rundown: Defeated Oakland Tech (Oakland) in the Division I state title game for the second consecutive season, winning 73-63 behind 30 points from 2003 California Player of the Year Ariza — thoroughly outplaying McDonald's All-American selection Leon Powe, who had 16 points in the title game. The Comets notably allowed senior LeBron James to explode for a career-high 52 points in a loss to St. Vincent St. Mary (Akron, Ohio).
