Top 7 Storylines Ahead of 2025-26 CIF Boys Basketball in Southern, City Sections

Missouri commit Jason Crowe Jr. could be California's new all-time leading scorer before January.

Jason Crowe Jr. (5) of Inglewood High needs less than 400 points to be California's all-time leading scorer. / Tarek Fattal

The best high school basketball in the country resides in Southern California. Sure, it's arguable, but when it comes to players, programs and coaches in the CIF Southern Section it's hard to find more talent from top to bottom.

The Los Angeles City Section isn't as talented as it once was with the takeover of private schools, but the section itself might carry the most history of any other state association in America.

As we head into the 2025-25 boys basketball season, here are the Top 8 storylines to keep tabs on from November to March when CIF State champions are crowned at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

1. WILL TRANSFER FRAY BE AS DRAMATIC AS FOOTBALL?

The sport of football has never made basketball coaches more nervous. The CIF Southern Section has been cracking down on transfers starting this fall. It created monster storylines this season from a 'Money Man' paying players to play to programs having to forfeit games due to competing with ineligible players.

The CIF has been more diligent in vetting paperwork for transfers. Dozens of high school football players throughout the Southland have been caught for violating severe bylaws that pertain to fradulent paper work.

That said, is CIF's proverbial transfer hammer going to come down on basketball players and programs this winter? Only time will tell. Stay tuned ...

2. CAN SIERRA CANYON DEAL WITH NO. 1 PRESSURE?

Talking about transfers ...

Sierra Canyon is the way-too-early team to beat this season after newcomers Brandon McCoy, Brannon Martinsen and DeLan Grant transferred in. Not to mention 4-star returner Maxi Adams, who just committed to North Carolina.

What bolsters Sierra Canyon's favoritism is the recent departure from top players at competing programs. Tajh Ariza left St. John Bosco and Tyran Stokes left Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks. In theory, that alone widens the gap for Sierra Canyon, on paper.

When it comes to the pressure, it's not new. The Trailblazers won back-to-back CIF State Open Division titles with Cassius Stanley, Kenyon Martin Jr. and Scotty Pippen Jr. in 2018 and 2019. They were likely to win a third straight in 2020 with Brandon Boston Jr. and Ziaire Williams, but the pandemic halted it all.

All the names listed above: transfers. This is familiar territory.

3. HOW MANY TEAMS GOOD ENOUGH FOR CIF-SS OPEN?

Reporters and pundits alike were beside themselves — melted on the ground — up in arms — losing sleep ... when the CIF Southern Section announced a 10-team field for the Open Division last year. The format was different for a change, forcing teams to compete for an automatic CIF State playoff berth instead of being awarded one for having a pulse.

The goal: Four guaranteed pool-play games and don't finish last in your pool. Yet, that was too cutthroat for the same reporters and pundits that advocate for a single-elimination playoff format. Got it.

That said, does the CIF do it again? Go back to 8 teams?

The way-too-early teams that appear to be Open Division-quality teams are Sierra Canyon, Santa Margarita, Notre Dame, Harvard-Westlake, JSerra, St. John Bosco, Redondo Union, Inglewood, and Crean Lutheran. But don't count out San Gabriel Academy, Fairmont Prep, La Mirada and Mater Dei to make their case.

4. LA CITY SECTION TEAMS VYING FOR OPEN TITLE

The way-too-early front runners for the LA City Section Open Division title are Palisades and Cleveland. Both teams were in the Open Division last year. This year, they're back and better.

Palisades has savvy point guard Jack Levey and 6-foot-10 center Julian Cunningham — both juniors. The Dolphins also add EJ and OJ Popoola, high-flying and dynamic junior wings.

Cleveland will return 6-foot-8 Sergine Deme and guard Sho Evans along with transfers TJ Wansa (from Alemany), Emmitt Claiborne (La Salle), Charlie Adams (St. Bonaventure) and Chasen Pejoro (St. Genevieve)

Others to keep an eye on: Taft, Birmingham, Fairfax, Washington Prep, Westchester, LA Jordan,

5. THE YEAR OF THE 'BIG MAN'

There seem to be an abnormal amount of big men this year, 6-foot-10 or taller. There's Cherif Millogo at St. Francis, who's 7-foot-3. Legacy Christian's Ender Berg is 7-feet. Village Christian's Aaro Salo is 6-foot-11. Palisades center Julian Cunningham is listed at 6-foot-10.

Campbell Hall sophomore Kyle Sanders is 6-foot-10. Pasadena center Josh Irving is 6-foot-10 and committed to Texas A&M. Crean Lutheran's
Chadrack Mpoyi is 6-foot-10 and committed to Minnesota. Mahamadou Diop of San Gabriel Academy is 6-foot-11.

Rolling Hills Prep's Nick Welch Jr. is one of the better big men in California at 6-foot-10.

6. JASON CROWE JR. TO BECOME ALL-TIME LEADING SCORER

Inglewood junior guard Jason Crowe Jr. scored 55 points in a narrow victory over Alijah Arenas at the 2024 Classic at Damien. / Greg Stein

It's just a matter of time. Jason Crowe Jr. of Inglewood will be California's all-time scoring leader by season's end. In fact, with the way Crowe scores, it could be wrapped up before the new year.

The Missouri commit sits at No. 6 all-time with 3,331 points. Tounde Yessoufou broke the record last year at Santa Maria St. Joseph and sits atop the list with 3,659 points. When Yessoufou (now at Baylor) broke it, DeMarcus Nelson had the top spot for more than 20 years when he broke the record in 2004.

The difference between Crowe's mark and the record is 328 points. It will take Crowe an average of 33 points per game to claim the record in 10 games. If he wants to do it in seven and say he did it in less than 100 games, he would need to average 47 points per game.

Yessoufou did it in 127 games. Crowe sits at 92 games played right now.

7. SOUTHERN SECTION'S TOP SENIORS

A quick list of the top seniors to keep an eye one this winter.

GUARDS	FORWARD/CENTERS
Brandon McCoy, Sierra Canyon	Christian Collins, St. John Bosco
Jason Crowe Jr., Inglewood (Mizzou)	Maxi Adams, Sierra Canyon (North Carolina)
Josiah Johnson, Mayfair	Josh Irving, Pasadena (Texas A&M)
Joe Sterling, Harvard-Westlake (Texas)	Brannon Martinsen, Sierra Canyon
Isaiah Rodgers, Centennial (Stanford)	Drew Anderson, Santa Margarita (Oregon St.)
Kaiden Bailey, Santa Margarita (Georgia Tech)	David Abisogun, Fairmont Prep
Luke Barnett, Mater Dei (Kansas)	Jonas Oware, Long Beach Poly (Yale)

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