SEASON PREVIEW
The 2014-15 Sierra Canyon varsity basketball team.
Photo by Heston Quan
Upstart Sierra Canyon will get a crack at two of the nation's storied high school basketball programs in DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) and Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.).
The DeMatha matchup will take place Jan. 2 at Hoophall West. The Trailblazers will play a second game at that event against defending Arizona state champ Corona del Sol (Tempe).
Oak Hill Academy will make the trek to Southern California for the Nike Extravaganza in early February, potentially setting up a late-season matchup with national implications for both teams.
Tournament time: Sandwiched around Christmas, the Trailblazers will participate in both the City of Palms Classic and the MaxPreps Holiday Classic.
Sierra Canyon will open at City of Palms against Kentucky state title favorite Trinity (Louisville). The winner of that matchup will face either Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.) or Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) in the quarterfinals.
Returning to Southern California for the MaxPreps Holiday Classic in Palm Springs, Nichols' squad will join Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), Moreau Catholic (Hayward, Calif.), Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.) and Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas) among others in a loaded bracket.
