San Clement PG Bryan Blake
ROCKLIN, Calif. — Court 1 at the Hardwood Palace was jammed, encircled by fans three and four rows deep, hoping to get a glimpse at one of the most ballyhooed 14-year-olds in California, if not the nation.
Clovis West incoming 6-foot-1 freshman Omar Muhammad did not disappoint. He scored early, in the middle and especially late. He even made a spectacular block, spiking the ball off the backboard on a near breakaway, drawing plenty of groans and cheers.
But as good Muhammad was, Granada incoming senior Brandon Hahn drew the biggest rave review Saturday during the second day of the Boys Cali Live 26 showcase.
The 6-foot-7 senior, one of five Bay Area Players of the Year in 2025-26 as selected by the San Francisco Chronicle, was simply spectacular, scoring 44 points in an entertaining 61-59 victory.
Hard to pin down a position and even harder to stop, the chiseled 218-pound Hahn scored in a variety of ways: driving hoops, putbacks, midrange jumpers, a slew of free throws and even a trio of three-pointers, the final one with less than two minutes left gave the Matadors a seven-point lead. It was just enough cushion to come away with a positive vibe after dropping a 62-56 game earlier in the day to undefeated Liberty-Brentwood (3-0).
Three-game play ended in the 44 pools on Saturday, with one-game cross-pool championship games taking place on Sunday.
It’s all part of the 176-team scholastic event that allows college coaches to scout players from many of the top teams in California, and scattered squads from Arizona, Nevada and Oregon.
Hahn, who averaged 24.5 points, 14.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals for the North Coast Section finalists Matadors (21-9) his junior season, said he never scored as much of 44 points in a game before. And definitely never scored 72% of his team’s points.
He did score 36 points and pull down 19 rebounds in the NCS Division 1 championship game to Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland in March.
“I just think I was patient on offense (Saturday),” he said. “I think my team found me. They found me running in transition. I followed up some stuff. I just credit my team most because they’re the ones who found me.”
He’s the son of a coach — Bryan Han was Granada’s head coach in the early 2000s and is an assistant now — and both his parents played college basketball: Bryan (6-foot-8) at Ohlone JC and Westmont and mom, Trisha (5-9) at Moorpark College and Cal State East Bay.
Despite all those genes, all that size, production and game, Hahn has not been bowled over with college offers. Many are talking to him at every level, trying to figure out how he’ll translate at the next level.
Hahn, also an All-League baseball pitcher, isn’t fretting that recruiters aren’t knocking down his door. That, of course, may change after Saturday’s performances. College coaches aren’t allowed to talk to players at any of the three venues, which includes Whitney and Rocklin High Schools.
But they can talk to his head coach Quaran Johnson, and make contact by phone or email. What kind of player and teammate will a college get in Hahn?
“I just think they’re going to get a hard worker,” Hahn said. “I try to outwork every body every day. I’m going to try to be my best teammate possible. I just love competing, so if they want me, then they’re going to get a competitor.”
Part of the Hahn’s development could be attributed to his AAU program Lakeshow that also includes incoming sophomore guard Quaran Johnson, the coach’s son. That is also where Muhammad trains.
“We’ve talked a couple times,” Hahn said. “I’ve seen him at a couple of Lakeshow workouts. He’s very good. I mean, he’s super fast. Our game plan was just to try to stay in front of him at all times. We knew he was going to get downhill.”
Muhammad said he enjoyed the game, but not the final score. Competing and mimicking the most competitive players — noting NBA superstar Anthony Edwards — is his top goal.
“I’ve been playing in front of a lot of people for a while now and it’s what I love most,” he said. “It’s all about playing hard and competing at the highest level. That’s what I want to do.”
Powerful in pink
San Clemente 2027 point guard Bryan Blake has always worn hot pink shoes. “I just like the bold pink color,” said the 6-1 standout. “Because it stands out.”
Just like Blake who has continued to excel even with a largely new lot of players and even after an 8 a.m. Saturday 62-55 loss to Campolindo-Moraga. He had 30 points in that game along with a 61-60 win over Redwood-Larkspur on Friday.
Immediately after the Campolindo defeat, the Tritons had to face host Rocklin and trailed by eight points late before Blake put it into overdrive, finishing with 25 points, six rebounds and four assists in a 70-57 victory.
“We lacked a lot of energy this morning,” Blake said after the victory over Rocklin.. “We started slow in this game too but we played better on defense and that led to some easy offense.”
Assistant coach Nick Pluimer, filling in for his son Landon whose wife is expecting a baby, said the Tritons simply got “ticked” after Rocklin sent down a couple of breakaway dunks leading to the late second-half lead. That chip plus getting 6-5 senior Gavin Pierce healthy after missing all of last season with a knee injury was a big part of San Clemente’s late 20-4 surge to end the game.
Mostly, Pluimer said, it was the leadership of Blake that keyed it all. Blake was the South Coast League MVP in the spring while averaging 18.0 points per game.
“Bryan is a gift,” said Pluimer, who has coached in Orange County for more than 40 years. “He’s a great shooter, a Division 1 (college) shooter. He’s a great leader. The guys all look up to him and he works tremendously hard. So it’s fun to have him on the team because everybody follows his lead.”
Last hurrah?
Livermore 6-6 2028 forward Amare Chandler announced after a landmark 2025-26 season for both him and the Cowboys, he would be leaving to attend Arizona prep school AZ Compass.
Evidently, it’s not quite official, because he’s playing for the Cowboys in Pool 12 play. In fact, he made the game-winning bucket in overtime to beat Jesuit-Carmichael 39-37, setting off a wild celebration.
This was nothing knew for Chandler, an All-Metro first-team performer who led the Cowboys to their first league win in 13 years (121 games) and later on to its first NCS playoff road victory ever. He averaged better than 20 points and eight rebounds per game. The Cowboys lost 11 seniors off an 18-man roster including four starters.
“It’s a great group,” said Livermore coach Mike Tripp after the win over Jesuit. He’ll enter his 41 season in 2026-27. “We’re obviously much better and a much different team with Amare.”
Irish Spring
Northern California power Riordan has had a string of International stars transfer in but 6-11 post Patrick O’Keefe is the first of Irish descendants.
The friendly, wide-eyed, thick-accented Newcastle native has only been playing basketball for four years, but has picked it up quickly. He first heard of Riordan’s program while playing in European leagues against Emmanuel Ahamefule, a native of the UK who joined the Crusaders last season.
Riordan operates an international boarding program that includes nearly 20 countries. Last year’s team that went 28-2 was led by 6-4 point guard Andrew Hilman, a native of Cameroon, and 6-8 post JP Pihtovs, from Latvia.
O’Keefe arrived in the U.S. in early June and plans to move in fully in August. He came off the bench during an opening 59-53 win Friday over San Joaquin Memorial.
Like most European players, O’Keefe appears quite skilled but still somewhat raw considering his only recent love and interest in the game. He’s the youngest of four children — he has a brother who is 6-8 — and none played basketball. His father is 6-6 and mother 5-10.
The biggest adjustment in playing American basketball, O’Keefe said, is the speed and the “physicality of the game. There are a lot more bigger guys and a bigger talent pool to choose from.”
He said the Crusaders have welcomed him “with open arms,” Though he can relate to fellow Irishman Rory McElroy for “coming up from nothing,” but he much more identifies with Minnesota Timberwolves guard C.J. Fulton, one if not the first Irishmen in the NBA in more than two decades.
O’Keefe said practicing with the Crusaders is a major challenge, especially tangling with the highly athletic, long and physical Ahamefule. “The intensity he plays out is amazing,” O’Keefe said. “I’ve only worked out with him a couple of times, but that physicality that he plays with just shows how much work he puts into the game.”
Results and championships
As expected Riordan moved into the Pool 9-10 championship game Saturday with wins over St. Francis-La Canada (67-60) and Moreau Catholic-Hayward (70-56). They’ll play Pool 10 winner Brentwood of the Southern Section 1:50 p.m. at Whitney High School. Brentwood, after a 62-61 defeated against Lincoln-Stockton on Friday, came back to win Pool 10 with wins over Oakland Tech (66-40) and Salesian-Richmond (76-67), spoiling a possible Northern California Open rematch.
More Sunday championship games:
* Pool 37-38: Campolindo vs. St. Francis-Mountain View at Rocklin (Court 1), 8 p.m.
* Pool 35-36: Pleasant Valley vs. Murrieta Valley at Hardwood Palace (Court 3), 9:10 a.m.
* Pool 5-6: San Marcos-San Diego vs. Santa Barbara at HP (Court 5), 9:10 a.m.
* Pool 7-8: Bakersfield Christian vs. Monte Vista at Whitney (Court 9), 9:10 a.m.
* Pool 15-16: Mira Costa vs. Campbell Hall at Rocklin HS (Court 1), 9:10 a.m.
* Pool 11-12: Liberty-Brentwood vs. TBD at HP (Court 1), 10:20 a.m..
* Pool 19-20: Palos Verdes vs. TBD at HP (Court 5), 10:20 a.m.
* Pool 33-34: Palo Alto vs. TBD at HP (Court 7), 10:20 a.m.
* Pool 39-40: University Prep vs. Sacred Heart Cathedral at HP (Court 1), 11:30 a.m.
* Pool 3-4: St. Mary’s-Albany vs. TBD at Whitney (Court 9), 11:30 a.m.
* Pool 23-24: Burlingame vs. TBD at HP (Court 1), 12:40 p.m.
* Pool 31-32: Glendora vs. Merced at HP (Court 5), 12:40 p.m.
* Pool 25-26: Casa Roble vs. Carlmont at HP (Court 1), 1:50 p.m.
* Pool 43-44: Oak Ridge vs. San Ramon Valley at HP (Court 5), 1:50 p.m.
* Pool 9-10: Riordan vs. Brentwood at Whitney (Court 9), 1:50 p.m.
* Pool 1-2: Southridge vs. TBD at Rocklin (Court 11), 1:50 p.m.
* Pool 21-22: Benicia vs. TBD at HP (Court 1), 3 p.m.
* Pool 41-42: Will C. Wood vs. James Logan at HP (Court 5), 3 p.m.
* Pool 27-28: California-San Ramon vs. Damonte Ranch at HP (Court 1), 4:10 p.m.
* Pool 29-30: Freedom-Oakley vs. Foothill-SoCal at HP (Court 5), 4:10 p.m.
* Pool 13-14: Chaminade vs. TBD at Whitney (Court 9), 4:10 p.m.
* Pool 17-18: Victory Christian vs. Hanford at Rocklin (Court 11), 4:10 p.m.
