California's best high school basketball players competing for CIF State championship

See which 5-star and 4-star recruits are still alive in the CIF State tournament.

Roosevelt's Brayden Burries (left) and Tyran Stokes are still competing for a CIF State championship this postseason. / Greg Fiore

The CIF State high school basketball playoffs will begin this week after the sectional playoffs crowned their champions over the weekend.

It's win-or-go-home time, and some of the country's best players are still battling for a chance to lift the almighty state championship trophy on March 14-15 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

• CIF STATE BASKETBALL BRACKETS

From the Open Division down through Division V, the top players from multiple sections including the Southern, City, San Diego and Central sections are still leading their teams.

Here's a look at which players are still competing and what they've accomplished this season

1. Brayden Burries, Roosevelt, Sr.

Burries led the Mustangs to an Open Division victory over Notre Dame on Saturday with 19 points. The McDonald's All-American guard is averaging 30 points per game this season.

Roosevelt received a bye and is the No. 1 seed in the CIF State Open Division SoCal regional playoffs.

2. Tyran Stokes, Notre Dame, Jr.

Stokes had 21 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in the Open Division final. Despite the loss, Stokes looked every bit like the No. 1 junior in the country.

Notre Dame will take on Montgomery of San Diego in the first round of the CIF State Open Division playoffs.

3. Nik Khamenia, Harvard-Westlake, Sr. (Duke)

The Duke commit was one win away from returning to the CIF-SS Open Division final for a third straight year. Despite the loss, a chance to reach the CIF State Open Division title game is still intact.

Harvard-Westlake will take on St. John Bosco in the first round of the CIF State Open Division.

4. Alijah Arenas, Chatsworth, Sr. (USC)

The McDonald's All-American had 33 points in the City Section Open Division final, but lost to Westchester. Now, the Chancellors will attempt to get back to the CIF State final in Division II. Chatsworth was the runner-up in Division IV in 2024.

5. Tounde Yessoufou, St. Joseph, Sr. (Baylor)

McDonald's All-American is the new all-time leading scorer in California, and he boosted his legacy by winning the CIF Central Section Division 1 crown over the weekend. Now, St. Joseph will have to fight through the southern bracket if it wants a chance at the CIF State Open Division crown.

6. Tajh Ariza, Westchester, Jr.

Ariza tallied 19 points and eight rebounds in the City Section Open Division final to defeat Chatsworth. The Comets will now be the No. 2 seed in the Division II CIF State playoffs and will host La Jolla Country Day.

7. Brandon McCoy, St. John Bosco, Jr.

McCoy is touted as the No. 1 guard in the 2026 class, but has not been playing his best ball as of late. Against, Roosevelt in the team's final pool-play game he had just five points.

8. Alec Blair, De La Salle, Sr. (Oklahoma)

De La Salle won the North Coast Section Open Division over Salesian 59-42 and received the No. 2 seed in the CIF State Open Division Northern California bracket.

9. Jasir Rencher, Archbishop Riordan, Sr. (Texas A&M)

Rencher led Riordan to the Central Coast Open Division title which earned them the No. 1 seed in the North where it will wait for the winner of Salesian and Modesto Christian.

10. JJ Sanchez, San Diego Montgomery, Sr.

Sanchez led Montgomery to a San Diego Section Open Division championship with a win over Carlsbad, but now the Aztecs face the biggest test of the year when they travel to Notre Dame Sherman Oaks Wednesday night.

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STARS STILL PLAYING

Christian Collins, St. John Bosco Jr., OPEN

Maximo Adams, Sierra Canyon, Jr., DIVISION I

Hudson Mayes, Redondo Union, Sr. (Central Michigan), DIVISION I

Isaiah Rogers, Corona Centennial, Jr., DIVISION I

Elzie Harrington, St. John Bosco, Sr. (USC), OPEN

Zach White, Notre Dame, Jr., OPEN

BJ Davis-Ray, JSerra, Sr., DIVISION I

Kaiden Bailey, Santa Margarita, Jr., DIVISION I

Issac Williamson, Roosevelt, Sr. (New Mexico), OPEN

Luke Zuffelato, Santa Barbara, Sr. (UC Santa Barbara), DIVISION I

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