Corona Centennial vs. De La Salle finishes off monster lineup at 16th annual NorCal Tip-Off Classic

For the second time in two days, an announcement of teams — and pairings — revealed for a big Northern California one-day event that features several state powers

West Coast scout Gerry Freitas watches a lot of basketball. Endlessly. The former college assistant at St. Mary’s, Colorado, USC and UC Davis, is a regular at every major boys basketball event in the region.

It gives him a heads up when selecting teams for his NorCal Tip-Off Classic held annually in the latter part of November to, yes, tip off the high school season in California.

He said his 16th event — scheduled Nov. 25 at Dublin High School — likely features his best field ever from top to bottom. It's a wide range to look at.

A nine-game slate will start at 8 a.m., featuring Head-Royce of Oakland vs. defending NorCal Division 4 champion Half Moon Bay. It finishes off with an epic clash of state powers: 2022 state Open champion Corona Centennial against three-time state champion De La Salle of Concord.

The lineup was announced Wednesday a day after De La Salle announced the teams to its 26th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Classic, presented by SBLive Sports.

Centennial lost a boatload of talent to graduation but return UCLA-bound shooting guard Eric Freeny and added the state’s No. 1 2024 prospect Carter Bryant, a 6-foot-8 point forward who transferred from Sage Hill. He’s headed to Arizona.

Eric Freeny scored a career-high 34 points in a 90-64 win over Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) in the final game of the two-day Nike Extravaganza at Mater Dei in January. Photo: Nick Koza

The Spartans counter with one of the nation’s top incoming juniors in two-year starter Alec Blair, a wiry, skilled 6-7 forward who also happens to be a top baseball prospect.

Here’s a look at all eight games with college or big-name prospects for each team.

Game 1: 8 a.m., Head-Royce (Oakland) vs Half Moon Bay — Andre Iguodala, a 6-foot-6 incoming junior and son of former NBA great by the same name is the biggest draw for Head-Royce (28-5 a year ago) but 6-7 senior Marcel Pierre-Louis might be their best player. Jayden Hutchins, a fluid 6-8 senior forward, led the Cougars (21-11) to the state-title game and getting Division I attention. Point guard Gio Garduno-Martin had an outstanding freshman season.

Game 2: 9:30 a.m., Ygnacio Valley (Concord) vs Lincoln (Stockton) — Evan McKnight, a 6-10 senior, and Antonio Kellogg Jr., whose dad starred at UConn, leads Ygnacio Valley (21-7 last season). Incoming senior wing Anthony Moore, Quentin Thompson, a 6-4 senior shooting guard, and Zeke Davis, a transfer from Modesto Christian, are big-time for Lincoln (25-5). Junior 5-10 guard Donez Lindsey is another standout when healthy.

Game 3: 11 a.m., Dublin vs St. Ignatius (San Francisco) — The younger brother of Courtney Anderson — now at Colorado — Cameron Anderson, a 6-7 sophomore, is opening a lot of eyes for Dublin (18-12) as is Jalen Stokes, a 6-5 junior wing. Three St. Ignatius freshmen made splashes last season, including highly sought-after Raymond Whitley, a 6-3 guard, along with Steele LaBagh. The third, Caeden Hutcherson, has transferred to Mitty. St. Ignatius was 14-14 last season.

Game 4: 12:30 p.m., Pinole Valley vs Weston Ranch (Stockton) — Zion Wilburn, a 6-6 wing, has offers from Montana State, Robert Morris and USF, to lead the Spartans (28-7). Dominique Trotter, a 6-3 forward, and John Chapple, a 6-1 point guard are other top players. The team’s third-leading scorer Jordy McKenzie (13.0 ppg) transferred to Riordan. For Weston Ranch (23-11), Richard Banks averaged 13.3 points last year, and he should be helped greatly by El Camino transfer Mateen Rafiq, the Sac-Joaquin Section’s leading scorer last season at 26.9 per game.

Game 5: 2 p.m., Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco) vs Roosevelt (Eastvale) — Hold on to your hats when these squads get it going in what Freitas thinks could be the game of the day. Besides getting McKenzie, Riordan (23-7) also got back 6-8 wing Zion Sensley, a top 100 national 2024 recruit who played for the Crusaders as a freshman before transferring to Prolific Prep for two seasons. Other players with high- or mid-major D1 attention include: Kaia Berridge, Steven Emeneke (a 6-10 transfer from Priory-Woodside), John Tofi Jr. (a transfer from Sheldon-Sacramento), Nathan Tshamala, Jasir Rencher and Alex Kuminga, the younger brother of Golden State Warriors standout Jonathan Kuminga. “That’s a lot of depth,” Freitas said. But Roosevelt, which has cleaned up over Southern California foes this summer, has potentially five D1 players, according to Freitas, including senior guard Darnez Slater, the Mustangs’ leading scorer last season at 19.6 per game. Other top players include Corona Centennial transfer Kevin (Tochi) Anigbogu, a 6-9 senior, 5-10 point guard Myles Walker, and a pair of ultra talented junior transfers from Riverside Poly, 6-4 Brayden Burries and 5-11 Isaac Williamson. Freitas said Burries has a chance to be a pro — a sentiment he doesn't share often at this stage. “I watched Roosevelt beat a very good St. Bernard’s team by 54 points at California Live,” Freitas said. “You’d be hard pressed to find a better starting five anywhere right now.”

Jasir Rencher (4) sends down a dunk versus Jesuit-Carmichael in January at the De La Salle MLK Jr. Classic, presented by SBLive Sports. Photo: Ralph Thompson / Photo: Ralph Thompson

Game 6: 3:30 p.m., Vanden (Fairfield) vs Clovis West (Fresno) — Tyler Thompson, ranked the state’s No. 19 top recruit for the Class of 2024, leads Vanden (25-11) which also boasts 6-7 Ahsan Huff and 6-6 Luka Radovanovic. Clovis West (30-4), coached by former NBA assistant and Pepperdine head coach Vance Walberg, might not have any D1 prospects, but Jackson Young (6-2), Marshall Sanders (6-0), Zach Chauhan (6-3), Michael Espinoza (5-11) and DJ Stickman (6-1) might all be college athletes.

Game 7: 5:15 p.m., San Ramon Valley (Danville) vs Capital Christian (Sacramento) — San Ramon Valley returns all but four from last year’s 26-8 team, led by 6-7 Will Ambidge, 6-3 Luke Isaak, 6-5 Seamus Deely, 6-3 Thomas Conley and point guard Mason Thomas. Watch out for Capital Christian (20-9) with the return of junior guard Gavin Sykes (13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds per game) along with a very deep roster that includes college prospects Jaylen Valdez, Myles Wiggins, Mohammed Kamara and Marcellas Jackson. “I think they’ll be the best team in Sacramento)," Freitas said.

Game 8: 7 p.m., Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) vs Branson (Ross) — Mitty (22-6) has looked strong during the summer at California Live and Section 7 tournaments, led by rising standout Gavin Ripp, a 6-8 power forward who has earned offers from Davis, Cal Poly and UCSD. Riverside-commit Tyler Jones and Portuguese team member Nathan D’abreu Noronha are other top players. Branson (28-4) boasts two of Northern California’s top players in Jase Butler, a 6-5 do-everything guard, and 6-0 foot junior point guard Semetri Carr.

CARTER BRYANT ARE YOU KIDDING ME⁉️👀🤮 (@carterdbryant) pic.twitter.com/NOHYqmG2r1

— The Hoop Spill (@TheHoopSpill) July 16, 2023

Game 9: 8:30 p.m., De La Salle (Concord) vs Centennial (Corona) — Besides Blair, guards Arshawn Salkhi, Ibrahim Monawar and Leo Ricketts are top prospects. In Byant and Freeny, the Huskies may have the best 1-2 tandem in the state. They have much more, including sophomores Isaiah ("Slim") Rogers and Justice Griffith. Great matchup of coaches in De La Salle’s Marcus Schroeder, a former associated head coach at St. Mary’s College, and Josh Giles. 

De La Salle's Leo Ricketts dominated in a win over previously unbeaten West Linn (Ore.) in January's MLK Jr. Classic, presented by SBLive Sports.  / Dennis Lee, SBLive Sports