“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.
