For high school boys basketball fans — and followers of the college and pro ranks alike — there is so much to look forward to at Boys Cali Live 2026 which gets underway in five days in Rocklin, Calif.
No one player among the nearly 2,000 on 176 high school teams — primarily from California — will draw more attention than St. Francis-La Canada incoming junior Yann Kamagate.
At 7 feet, 1 inches and 235 pounds, he’s hard to miss.
Make no mistake, the native of West Africa, is not just all arms, legs and braun. He’s been compared at his early stage to Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard.
That’s some company to keep and projection to live up to.
“He’s a uniquely gifted player,” said former college coach and current scout/event operator Gerry Frietas. “He has size, length and athleticism. He is highly active with a motor that never stops running. And he’s a nightmare matchup who impacts the game in a big way at both ends of the floor.”
He’s ranked the No. 5 prospect overall in the country for the Class of 2028 by ESPN. 247Sports has him ranked No. 4 nationally and the No. 1 center in the country and player overall in California.
Right now he has 15 college offers, according to 247Sports: Alabama, Arizona, Baylor, Cal, Houston, Kansas, Nebraska, North Carolina, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt, Washington and Creighton.
“I can’t recall the last time I’ve seen a player of his size in his high school class in the West with his strength, power, explosiveness and speed,” said Frank Burlison, a longtime writer and scout and is a member of McDonald's All-American game selection committee. “He has those qualities that I saw in the likes of Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard at the same stage.”
Compton Magic AAU program leader Etop Udo-Ema has helped mentor the likes of Evan Mobley, Onyeka Okongwu and Bruce Branch. None have anything on Kamagate, Udo-Ema says.
About Boys Cali Live 26
This is California’s exclusive NCAA certified Scholastic Live Event June 26-28 at Hardwood Palace in Rocklin, along with local high schools, Whitney and Rocklin. Some 176 teams, many of the best in California along with some from Oregon, Arizona and Nevada, will compete in pool play with more than 150 college coaches on hand.
Unlike AAU events, where club teams participate, these are high school teams, allowed to fine tune and polish their squads under the “scholastic” umbrella, meaning it is sanctioned by the NFHS/CIF.
St. Francis will be part of Pool 9 and 10, along with SoCal power Brentwood, along with Central Section’s San Joaquin Memorial, Sac-Joaquin Section stalwarts Lincoln-Stockton and Bay Area top teams Oakland Tech, Riordan, Moreau Catholic-Hayward and Salesian.
Check back to Vype for previews leading up to the event, along with live updates, action photography and video player interviews throughout the three-day event.
