#In the original monarch took it like a champ

[scullcrusher101xd]

when season 5 and you gotta move houses

[ibestofthewestblog]

Team Profile:

Sierra Canyon Trailblazers

CIF-Southern Section 

Coach: Andre Chevalier

Last season: 32-3 (CIF Open Division State Champions)

Cassius Stanley after Sierra Canyon dismantled University School (Florida) in the Les Schwab Invitational Final, a team that included Duke’s Vernon Carey and FSU commit Scottie Barnes

The Skinny:

The ESPN High School Showcase released their roster of games they will be spotlighting this season, as ESPN will be the home of games between top ranked teams across the country.  Upon release of the schedule, one can clearly see that the showcase favors one program over others: the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers.  The school in Chatsworth, California show up a whopping fifteen times on the showcase, which in itself is clearly a record since the series has been developed.  This is due in part of the Trailblazer’s history to accumulate superteams even in the wake of graduation.  In 2017-2018 it was the trio of Cassius Stanley, KJ Martin, & Scotty Pippen, Jr and this season calls for the ridiculous combination of Ziaire Williams, BJ Boston, Shy Odom, Bronny James Jr., & Zaire Wade.  Ziaire Williams & BJ Boston are atop of the ESPN 100 rankings for top ranked seniors as they are supported by the already stacked cast at Sierra Canyon.  They return TCU bound Terren Frank, super sophomore Amari Bailey, & big man from China, Harold Yu.  On paper, the Blazers look like the a top-ten team in the nation but this season they will be tested as they play a national schedule, competing against top competition with little rest in between tournaments and showcases.

ESPN High School Showcase Games:

11/21 vs. Montgomery (California) ESPN3

11/22 vs. St. Augustine (California) ESPN3

11/23 vs. Cathedral Catholic (California) ESPN3

12/7 at Millenium (Arizona) ESPN3

12/14 vs. St. Vincent St. Mary (Ohio) ESPN3

1/03 vs. No. 4 The Patrick School (New Jersey) ESPN2

1/04 at No. 20 Minehaha Academy (Minnesota) ESPN3

1/11 vs. No. 18 Rancho Christian ESPN3

1/18 vs. Dominican (Wisconsin) ESPN3

1/20 vs. No. 12 Paul VI (Virginia) ESPNU

1/28 at Campbell Hall (California) ESPN3

1/31 at Brentwood School (California) ESPN3

2/04 at Paraclete (California) ESPN3

2/07 vs. Gil St. Bernard’s (New Jersey) ESPN3

2/08 No. 9 Long Island Lutheran (New York) ESPN3

Potential Line-up:

Big bodied Harold Yu will make big strides this season

BJ Boston - high-flying all American opted to transfer from Norcross (Georgia) in search of spotlight and hardware.  Played for Nike EYBL AOT (Athletes of Tomorrow) alongside multitalented point guard Sharife Cooper (McEachern HS, Georgia).  Committed to Kentucky.  Working on tool-box as far as outside game goes, will have a Cassius Stanley like impact.

Ziaire Williams - perhaps the most polished of the group as he showcases the true ability to score from all three levels.  Transferred Notre Dame HS (Sherman Oaks, California).  Played for Nike EYBL Oakland Soldiers and stole the show last spring as he showed all high majors on why he should be considered on the list.  Early to tell, but looks to be the alpha dog for Sierra Canyon early in the season and down the stretch.

Amari Bailey - sophomore originally from Chicago plays hard on every possession, very fluid and hard-working athlete that skies from nowhere on possessions to rebound, block shots, and dunk it on unsuspecting defenders.  Crafty ball-handler that has a variety of moves down the lane.  Can knock down the open jumper.  Add this with the fact that he is only a sophomore and you have a truly scary player over the years.  Played for Nike EYBL Mac Irvin 15U (Chicago, Illinois) last spring.

Terren Frank - Terren is a name that not all are familiar with, for he plays more of a six man role, but is capable of anything on the court.  He is a stretch four, as he can knock down shots from anywhere on the floor as well as has handy moves inside the post.  He has faced injuries in the past two years, but when he was on the floor he was effective as ever.  Overall team player that will do anything to win.  Was a part of the Nike EYBL Finalists Team Why Not.

Harold Yu - big and imposing center originally from China, Yu transferred last season in hopes of getting Division 1 exposure.  He got way more than he bargained for, as he picked up an offer from Cal in his first week playing, got an CIF Open Division State ring, amongst other accolades.  The 7’2” big man is a physical specimen, has a nice touch for a big man, and looks to continue to develop and learn the game as a junior.

How Will They Be Tested:

St. Augustine’s Chibuzo Agbo was a mere freshman when they took down Sierra Canyon in the 2017 CIF Open Division Playoffs

The Trailblazers waste no time at all and begin the season on ESPN, as their games during the San Diego Tip-Off Challenge will be shown on television 11/22-11/24.  There, they will meet Montgomery, St. Augustine & Cathedral Catholic, all San Diego teams.  St. Augustine is an interesting match-up, as the two teams matched up last year in a blowout for Sierra Canyon.  However, interestingly enough, the last time Sierra Canyon lost in the CIF Open Division State Playoffs was to St. Augustine, when they had Marvin Bagley and Cody Riley.  St. Augustine is a tough team led by Coach Mike Haupt, who has a reputation for putting together tough teams and getting the most out of his players.  St. Augustine is led by Texas Tech commit Chibuzo Agbo and Luke Haupt, whom played for Team Why Not.  On another side note, Cathedral Catholic defeated Sierra Canyon in the year before that in the 2016 CIF State Open Division Playoffs, that year they were led by Brandon McCoy (Wisconsin Herd).  San Diego teams have proved difficult for the Trailblazer, so they will be tested right off the bat.

On 12/14 on what is a truly engaging match-up, the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers will meet LeBron James’ alma mater, St. Vincent St. Mary’s (OH) in the Hoophall Classic.  In the 2002-2003 season, LeBron James led the Irish to a national title where his own games were nationally televised on ESPN.  In a truly coming of age tale, Bronny James Jr. will play against his father’s school on ESPN.  

On 12/18, they will travel to Las Vegas for the Tarkanian Classic, where they will play more out-of-state talent.

12/26, they will see a homecoming trip where they will in the Damien Classic in a field that includes Rancho Christian, whom they will surely be seeing a few times in the season.

1/03 they will play The Patrick School (New Jersey), alma mater of NBA superstar Kyrie Irving.  St. Patrick is headed by top 2021 player Jonathan Kuminga, who is being recruited by virtually every school in the school.  This game will be on big-time television on ESPN2.

1/04 will pit them against Minehaha (Minnesota) which has the talented tandem of Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren.  Jalen Suggs is ranked as the sixth best prospect in the class of 2020 according to ESPN and is ranked within the ESPN 300 as a dual-threat quarterback as well.  Chet Holmgren is a versatile 7-footer that can dribble like a guard and take it down the middle and jam it on a defender.  Both played on the Underamour Association for Team Sizzle. 

Who Will Stop Them in State?

California has traditionally been amongst the tougher states to claim a state title, as one has to place well in their city championships to claim a good seed in State, not only win their region, but play the Socal/Norcal winner in the State Title game.  More often than not, the Southern California teams claim the title, as there are generally more talented teams in the SoCal area.  Teams that will give Sierra Canyon trouble down the road as State comes include:

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) - every season you hear about the Monarchs, as they are led by veteran coach Mary McKnight, whom is no stranger to winning himself.  His accolades include one national title, eleven State titles, sixteen SoCal regional championships, and 23 CIF-Southern Section titles.  This season, Mater Dei hosts a slew of talented, headlined by Devin Askew (Kentucky commit) & big man Wilhelm Breidenbach.  Askew is a silky smooth guard with deft balling handling skills, a perfect shot, as well a bulldog demeanor on the court.  Breidenback is a blue collar post who has shown range and ability to rebound and matches Askew’s fire on the court.  The two were a tandem on the Nike EYBL Team Why Not team that made it to the finals.

Rancho Christian (Temecula, California) - the Eagles are led by number one prospect in the country, Evan Mobley, who will join his brother at USC next season.  Evan Mobley is truly a video game character, while at 7-feet he can handle the ball, shoot, cut, just like a guard.  Now, his confidence and skills are at a peak and he is dunking on opponents at will.  This season he looks to win Gatorade Player of the Year as well as cap off his senior season with a State title.  Played for the Adidas Gauntlet Compton Magic, arguably the best program currently in AAU hoops.  Alongside Mobley, the Eagles costar Gonzaga commit Dominick Harris who is pound for pound one of the best players in California.  Harris is listed at 6’4” but can sky for dunks in addition to his overall ability to simple score anywhere on the court.  Look for Rancho Christian to duke it out several times with Sierra Canyon this season.  In fact, they have a date with the Trailblazers on 1/11 as a part of the ESPN High School showcase.

Why They Won’t Make It?

Although Sierra Canyon is not only returning CIF Open Division champs, but in fact back to back Open Division Champs (first time since the introduction of Open Division), they will face stiff competition not only in-state but out of state as well.  With everybody in the country knowing who the Trailblazers are, they will be on their tip-toes to try to put a dent to their name.  This team will be tested physically, emotionally, spiritually as they will play the best individual and team talent with little to no rest.  Although they will mature on the road and as the season progresses, the true question is how well can you mesh a team together for the short-term goal.  

Sierra Canyon has a history of melting teams together as for the 2017-2018 season Bagley skitched on for a ride and Cassius joined for the 2018-2019 season on the route to two State titles.  However, as history shows, there is never a dominant team in California that competes and dominates at the highest level for more than a year or two.  It even took Chino Hills several tries and it didn’t come together until Lonzo’s senior season with Lamelo skipping a grade to enroll earlier along with the other Division 1 talent surrounding them.  Also, the Trailblazers may suffer from too much depth, often times a team with too many all-star players can crash and burn due to little chemistry on the court.  In fact, there are rumors surfacing that with the surplus of talent on this team, they will go with a rolling line-up throughout the entirety of the season, experimenting with line-ups and rotations.  However, questions still stand for the Blazers this season.  Can Sierra Canyon deliver upon the pressures they put on themselves?  Is this the new formula for high school basketball, putting together an on the run team filled with five-star transfers?  Only time will tell.

Enjoy The Show:

Before the season began, Sierra Canyon has already put on a show for the country to follow.  With the blockbuster transfers coming in an alarming rate, the arrival of Bronny James, their own midnight madness, and all of the social media hype surrounding them.  But they are shown to be human, as they lost a fall season league game to Dreamcity Christian, a prep team led by five-star MarJon Beauchamp.  But that says something in itself that their fall season consists of opponents from prep schools, as they played Hillcrest Prep (Arizona) as well.  Right as Sierra Canyon puts together rosters nobody has seen before, with the trio of Bagley, Cody Riley, & Remy Martin, they reload to the tune of Stanley, Martin, and Pippen.  Now they have mixed the theme of five-star talents and sons of NBA players once again as the hoist together talents from all across the country in Boston and Odom.  Add in the cameras, light, and action in the form of the ESPN coverage and you have one of the most highly speculated high school basketball seasons in recently memory, perhaps ever.  Now we will have to see, as whether they deliver on their hype and mania in the form of a State championships, and perhaps number one national spot.  Stay tuned.