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Five Takeaways from CaliLive 2026 Day One
ROCKLIN, Calif. — Three sites. Eleven hours. Almost 2,000 high school basketball players. More than 150 college coaches. Countless fans, families, cars, bouncing balls, dunks, steals, whistles, turnovers, assists and buckets.
Here’s five quick observations/thoughts/highlights from the first day of the Boys Cali Live 2026 — a scholastic boys basketball summer event for college coaches to observe prep players — at Hardwood Palace, Whitney and Rocklin High Schools.
Find FRIDAY’S SCORES and SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE here.
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1. Good tip.
A longtime friend and colleague Ethan Kassel tipped us off that Burlingame — an upscale Peninsula school and community about 25 miles South of San Francisco — not only is an up-and-coming fun team to watch, under fourth-year coach David Lopez, but they have a real ringer in Lucca Maher, a versatile, highly-skilled 6-foot-5 wing from the Class of 2028.
He averaged a team-best 15.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last season.
Maher showed off all his skills, drilling 3-pointers, driving to the hoop, rebounding and passing during Burlingame’s 68-53 win over Bakersfield at the Hardwood Palace. The Panthers, who went 20-10 in 2025-26 and reached the NorCal Division 4 semifinals, play Christopher at 1:50 p.m. and Casa Grande at 4:10 p.m., Saturday, both at HP.
All championship games are Sunday after pool play is complete Saturday.
“Lucca is an incredible player," Lopez said. "He's been our leading scorer the last two seasons. He’s grown so much. As a freshman he knew how to get to the basket but he rounded out so much of his game. Now he can shoot it, but the thing I’m most proud about is his leadership and playmaking and ability to alleviate his teammates. He’s incredible.”
During an impromptu interview on Friday, his teammates showed their love for their energetic leader, who wants to pattern his game after Cooper Flagg, by cheering him on after every answer.
Asked to sell himself to any college coach who might be curious what kind of player they would get, Maher said: “I’m a winner. I’m aggressive. I’ll do whatever it takes to win. I can score the ball at will and I love getting to get my teammates open and the ball.”
He considers himself an extravert and loud and fun to be around, Asked to pick out just one teammate to exemplify what a great teammate is and Maher chose 2027 guard Ethan Philip. “He’s the most fun teammate to have around. Super selfless. Doesn’t care about scoring, he just wants to pass the ball to teammates. It helps to have a point guard of that caliber.”
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2. Bank Draw
Vivacious fifth-year Valley Christian-San Jose coach Colin Pfaff, by way of Windward High, West Valley College, University of Portland and Cal State Fullerton, said it wasn’t exactly how he drew it up, but Logan Jennings' 3-point buzzer-beater to defeat Oroville 49-47 was a “beautiful thing.” Down one, the play indeed was set up for Jennings, a 6-2 guard from the Class of 2028, but “It got out of sorts for one reason or another,” Pfaff said. “(Jennings) banked it in with a beautiful shot. It was a fun way to win a game.”
A video captured by West Coast Preps’ James Dalpino showed Valley Christian’s talented 6-9 post Teni Bamisebi, who dominated much of the game, flashing open down low. But Jennings simply ran out of time, stepped back from the left wing, letting fly his game winner that kissed high off the glass and into the hoop.
When asked to name an exemplary teammate after the game, the high energy Bamisebi, a transfer from West Catholic Athletic League rival Bellarmine, picked Jennings, though it wasn’t because he just came off a heroic game. “He’s a great teammate,” Bamisebi said. “All through the game, when it feels like I’m not doing something right, we huddle up and he tells me what to do. We have a real connection on the court. He knows when I’m going to pass him the ball. He knows when I’m going to roll to the basket. He’s a great teammate.”
Valley Christian (1-1) takes on South Bakersfield (1-1) in a 4:10 game Saturday at HP.
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3. Seeing Red
One of the more impressive teams Friday was San Ramon Valley-Danville, which breezed to Pool 43/44 wins over Valley Christian (68-52) and South Bakersfield (71-43) led by Tommy Ambidge, a 6-8 red head from the Class of 2027.
The Wolves, a perennial Bay Area power that won the 2015 state Division 1 title over Lonzo Ball and Chino Hills, had a rebuilding year in 2025-26, going just 11-15 despite outscoring opponents by a single point, 1,520-1,519. The Wolves had gone a combined 79-26 the previous three seasons but a young group learned on the fly against one of the region’s toughest schedules.
Ambidge put up a pair of double-doubles on Friday, and is rapidly rising up the recruiting charts. He should lead a big bounce back season for the Wolves, who likely will be playing with a collective chip on their shoulder. .
With so many college coaches on the premises, Ambidge was asked what he could offer if offered a scholarship: “I think I have a lot to offer. I’m great at rebounding and pushing the ball up the floor and versatile on defense. Off the court I like to think I’m likable and to hang out with teammates.” Asked to pick out a teammate and what makes them a good one, Ambidge chose 2027 guard Mike Rizkalli: “I’ve played basketball with him for about seven years. We’ve been playing together every step of the way. He’s great to be around. Lovable. He makes you laugh all the time.”
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4. Double take
The end of the bench is typically reserved for players who don’t spend a lot of time on the court, not Hall of Fame NBA players.
But there, at the end of the Campbell Hall basketball bench, was one of the greatest point guards in the history of the NBA, Chris Paul, who in 21 seasons of play saw considerable court time.
The 12-time NBA All-Star, who announced his retirement on social media in February after 21 seasons, two Olympic gold medals and as a member of NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, is an assistant coach for the Vikings who Friday won both their Pool 15/16 games at Whitney High School over Dougherty Valley, 86-65 and Oak Hills, 86-75.
Paul’s son, Chris Paul II, is a 6-foot-2, 160-pound guard from the Class of 2018, for the Vikings. He averaged 13.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists last season as a sophomore for Campbell Hall, which went 12-16.
The Vikings are scheduled to play Oakland High School 1:50 p.m. Saturday at Rocklin High School. Oakland went 1-1 on Friday, losing to Oak Hills (74-60) and beating Dougherty Valley (77-51).
According to the current Campbell Hall roster, CP3 is one of four assistants, joining Zechariah Dardaine, Caelan Jones and Grant Ledford. Brandon Clifford is the team’s head coach.
5. No go, no show
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The much anticipated final game at Whitney between Moreau Catholic and St. Francis-La Canada lost some luster with the absence of St. Francis 7-footers Yann Kamagate and Cherif Millogo.
The 7-1 Kamagate, a top 5 national recruit from the class of 2028, reported sprained his ankle during practice in the last week, Out of uniform, he was with the team Friday and shot some pregame three-pointers but only sat the bench during his team’s 62-57 loss to Moreau Catholic.
Millogo, a 7-3 post from the Class of 2027, was reportedly having VISA issues. Both he and Kamagate are from West Africa.
The Golden Knights still played tough with yet another big man, 6-10 incoming sophomore Hermann Kone, but Moreau, which beat both Salesian and Riordan, earlier this month, had too much Brendan Williams (6-11 2028 post), and incoming senior guards Isaiah Clendinen and Kareem Jackson Jr.
To get to the championship game, St. Francis will face a tall order on Saturday, playing Riordan at 6:30 p.m. and San Joaquin Memorial at 8:50 p.m. Moreau plays SJM at 6:30 p.m. and then Riordan at 8:50 p.m. All games are at Whitney.
CALI LIVE: 2026 Cali Live set to kickoff Friday; Top 20 Players to Watch
ROCKLIN, Calif. — A bastion of men’s college basketball coaches at all levels — Division 1-3, NAIA and Junior College — will converge at three different sites Friday-Sunday (June 26-29) to get a glimpse at close to 2,000 high school players.
Boys Cali Live 26, a once-a-year scholastic state event with some 176 high school teams competing, will be swarmed with more than 150 college coaches taking meticulous notes, evaluating which players will translate to the next level.
“One of the best parts of this, a little different than the AAU scene, is college coaches will see players in a true team setting,” said event coordinator Randy Bessolo, who doubles as coach for University-San Francisco and triples as president of the Bay Area Basketball Coaches Association (BABCA). CLICK HERE to see Bessolo’s story.
Here are 20 players at the top end that will surely attract Division 1 coaches. Many already carry multiple offers.
Either way, the players and coaches will flock over the three days of the event, hosted at three venues, the Harwood Palaces and local high schools, Rocklin and Whitney.
Most of the teams are from California, but the other top squads from Arizona, Nevada and Oregon will also participate.
California player rankings from Cal-Hi Sports’ Ronnie Flores for the Class of 2027, Class of 2028 and 2029, along with 247Sports California player rankings for the Class of 2027 2028.
CLICK HERE for the complete listing of teams and schedule
20 TOP PLAYERS TO WATCH AT BOYS CALI LIVE 2026
Emmanuel Ahamefule (Riordan, Pool 10)
A 6-foot-9 wing was originally from London, England, but transferred to the San Francisco power last season, when he sat out half the season. With great length, hops, shooting skills and toughness, Ahamefule will need to pick up the scoring slack left behind by graduates and now USF freshmen Andrew Hilman and -bound now freshmen Andrew Hill and JP Pihtovs.
D’Ari Bruce (Oakland, Pool 16)
The 6-5 freshman power forward made a huge impression on Oakland coach Orlando Watkins, who coached Dame Lillard at Oakland for two seasons in 2006-07 and 2007-08. Bruce, in fact, became the first freshman to ever win the Oakland Athletic League Player of the Year award as a ninth-grader by averaging 14.0 points and 6.6 rebounds for the 25-8 Wildcats.
Richard Daiwo Daramola (Bakersfield Christian, Pool 7)
The 6-9 senior power forward is No. 17 in the state for the Class of 2027 according to Flores. He carries seven college offers, according to 247Sports, including USF, New Mexico State, UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara.
Brandon Granger (St. Bernard, Pool 4)
A super fleet 5-9 point guard, Granger has offers from Nevada, Southern Utah, UCSD and Northern Illinois among others. As a sophomore in 2025, he averaged 14.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
Ethan Hill, A.J. Akoh (Brentwood, Pool 9)
Hill, a 6-6 power forward is No. 24 on Flores’ list for the Class of 2028. In 24 games as a freshman he averaged 8.4 and 5.5 rebounds per game and he upped that to 22.1 and 12.0 in 10 games last season. A definite riser. Akoh, a 6-foot senior point guard, averaged 16.7 points, 4.2 assists and 2.7 steals per game last season.
Asante Johnson, Tayshun Bozeman, NJ Gray (Salesian, Pool 10)
The defending NorCal Open Division champions return senior guard Johnson and junior guard Bozeman, while Gray, a 25-points-per-game scorer last year at Branson-Ross, has transferred over. This team will be fun to watch.
Austin Kirksey (Bishop Montgomery, Pool 7)
The 6-3 junior shooting guard can light it up as he showed in a 74-67 Camino Real League title win over Bishop Amat when he broke loose for a game-high 26 points.
Mar Landry (Oak Hills, Pool 16)
The 6-6 small forward is No. 16 on Flores’ list of top incoming seniors.
Camden McKinney (Dougherty Valley, Pool 15)
The 6-7 power forward is on the move again from Oakland Tech to Dougherty Valley after his freshman season at St. Mary’s-Albany.
Cherif Millogo, Yann Kamagate, Luke Paulus (St. Francis-La Canada, Pool 10)
Yes, this is one tall duo and a point guard supreme. Milliogo is a 7-2, 210-pound incoming senior, who is ranked the No. 48 player in the nation. He has 10 offers, including Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Nebraska and USC. Kamagate, a 7-foot, 230-pounder, is ranked even higher (No. 4 nationally), in the Class of 2028. Compared to a young Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard, Kamagate owns 16 offers, including Arizona, Baylor, California and Houston. Getting both the ball is the job of Paulus, the nephew of former Duke standout Greg Paulus. He’s a 5-10 point guard from the Class of 2028 who can also fill it up. Known as a tough, smart and crafty guard, Paulus averaged better than 19 points per game during January of last season. St. Francis plays in the rugged
Boss Mhoon (Riordan, Pool 10)
The state’s No. 6 ranked player from the Class of 2028, according to 247Sports, Mhoon is a recent transfer from The King’s Academy in Sunnyvale. The lean, strong and agile 6-5 small forward will make up for the loss of many key players from last year’s 28-2 squad that lost in the CIF NorCal Open Division final to Salesian. He averaged 13.4 points, 6-0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for the 26-5 Knights.
Ron Selleaze Jr. (San Lorenzo, Pool 2)
The versatile 6-3 senior point guard had quite a junior year after transferring from Salesian, averaging 25.0 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game as a junior, leading his team to a breakthrough 21-11 season. Selleaze is the son of longtime professional player in Mexico by the same name. .
Kyle Sanders (Campbell Hall, Pool 15)
Another big post with a high ceiling — no pun intended — the 6-10 incoming junior is No. 20 in Ronnie Flores’ Top California recruits for the Class of 2028. USC and Stanford have already offered him scholarship offers.
Kenneth “Tre” Simmons (Lincoln-Stockton, Pool 9)
The 6-4 small forward is No. 25 on the 2028 list by Flores after he averaged 14.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game last season as a sophomore.
Juleeyan Williams (Monterey Trail, Pool 18)
The 6-4 shooting guard just completed his freshman season and he did so with a bang, averaging 21.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game for the 14-14 Mustangs.