Top players and teams to watch at the 2021 Classic at Damien boys high school basketball tournament

The Classic at Damien, known as the premier post-Christmas boys high school basketball tournament in the west, will tip off on Monday with over 70 teams (the number will be finalized Sunday night) competing across six divisions. Top teams will compete in the Platinum and Gold Divisions with the remainder of teams playing in the Diamond, Silver, Bronze and Green Division fields.

COVID-19 has already led to ten teams dropping out of the event, but Classic at Damien officials still plan to have 44 games per day at seven different school sites.

SBLive Power 25 No. 22 Corona Centennial (Corona, Calif.) headlines the Platinum Division field in the Classic. Their main challengers will include tournament host Damien (La Verne, Calif.), one of only four undefeated teams in the field, St. Bernard (Playa del Rey, Calif.), Etiwanda (Calif.), Heritage Christian (Northridge, Calif.) and Riverside Poly (Riverside, Calif.).

In the Gold Division, undefeated Rolling Hills Prep (San Pedro, Calif.), Crean Lutheran (Irvine, Calif.) and Colony (Ontario, Calif.) are all contenders to win the tournament championship along with San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno, Calif.).

PLAYERS TO WATCH

GRoddie Anderson - Fountain Valley - Senior

Anderson is committed to UC San Diego. He's averaging 20.5 points per game this year.

GJimmy Baker - Etiwanda - Junior

Baker started on last season's CIF State Open Division champion Etiwanda team as a sophomore.

G/FTyler Bey - Fairfax - Senior

Bey transferred in to Fairfax from Philadelphia this offseason. He's received scholarship offers from Temple, Nebraska, Drexel, Virginia Tech and ECU.

FKade Bonam - St. John Bosco - Freshman

Bonam is one of the top freshmen in California high school basketball.

G/FCarter Bryant - Fountain Valley - Sophomore

Bryant is showing why he'll be a national recruit at the tail end of his high school career so far this year after battling an injury as a freshman. Bryant had a double-double in a loss to Capistrano Valley Christian earlier this season.

GDarius Carr - St. Bernard - Junior

Carr has received a handful of scholarship offers. He impressed last week at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas and was named MVP at the Westchester Tournament earlier this season.

FBryce Cofield - West Ranch - Freshman

Cofield is a major contributor for West Ranch in his first season with the Wildcats. He threw down a monster dunk in a defeat to Sierra Canyon earlier this year.

GDonovan Dent - Corona Centennial - Senior

Dent was named the Open Division Player of the Year in the CIF Southern Section last season. He's committed to New Mexico and is one of the most underrated players nationally in the 2022 class.

FChristian Estrada - St. John Bosco - Senior

Estrada is a bruiser who plays hard on both ends. He scored 21 points in a win over Dos Pueblos earlier this season.

FJames Evans - West Ranch - Sophomore

Evans scored 28 points in a loss to Faith Family (Texas) at the Tarkanian Classic last week.

CJazz Gardner - Los Altos - Junior

Gardner is a 7-footer and national recruit in the 2023 class.

GBenny Gealer - Rolling Hills Prep - Senior

Gealer is committed to Stanford. Earlier this season he was named MVP of the Pac-Shores Tournament at Redondo Union High School.

GBarrington Hargress - Heritage Christian - Senior

Hargress put in 26 points in Heritage Christian's 54-52 win over St. Joseph earlier this season.

GElzie Harrington - St. John Bosco - Freshman

Harrington is another top freshman for St. John Bosco. He's a consistent double digit scorer for the Braves.

FJaden Henley - Colony - Senior

Henley is committed to Minnesota. He was named MVP of the San Gabriel Valley Classic earlier this year and has been a big reason why the Titans are 11-0.

GJojo Hunter - San Joaquin Memorial - Senior

Hunter is committed to Fresno State. He's one of the top scorers in the Classic.

FKoat Keat - Crean Lutheran - Senior

Keat is committed to UC Santa Barbara. He helped lead Crean Lutheran to a Nike Division championship at the Tarkanian Classic last week.

FKenny Manzi - Rolling Hills Prep - Junior

Manzi was a major contributor in Rolling Hills Prep's CIF Southern Section 2-AA championship run last season.

FAaron McBride - Corona Centennial - Junior

McBride helped lead the Huskies to a CIF Southern Section Open Division championship win a year ago. Earlier this season, he scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in an 85-59 win over Notre Dame Sherman Oaks.

GJared McCain - Corona Centennial - Junior

McCain is one of the top juniors nationally in the 2023 class. He averaged 27 points per game in Corona Centennial's two wins in the Hoophall Central Classic earlier this season.

FAndrew Meadow - West Ranch - Junior

Meadow has received five scholarship offers. He's a consistent 20-point scorer for the Wildcats who shoots very well.

GVyctorius Miller - Crean Lutheran - Sophomore

Miller was offered by Syracuse University last week after leading Crean Lutheran to a Nike Division title in the Tarkanian Classic. Miller was named MVP following the championship game.

GMalik Moore - Heritage Christian - Senior

Moore is committed to Pepperdine.

FJimmy Oladokun - Damien - Junior

Oladokun has developed into one of the better big men in Southern California high school basketball. He made the St. John Bosco All-Tournament team earlier this year.

GTyler Rolison - St. Bernard - Junior

Rolison scored 37 points in a St. Bernard win over Fairmont Prep in November.

FJovani Ruff - Long Beach Poly - Freshman

Like Bonam and Harrington, Ruff is another top freshman in the Classic.

GBen Shtolzberg - Notre Dame Sherman Oaks - Senior

Shtolzberg is committed to Creighton.

GRJ Smith - Damien - Senior

Smith is committed to Colorado. He was named MVP of the St. John Bosco tournament earlier this season after Damien won the championship.

FDusty Stromer - Notre Dame Sherman Oaks - Junior

Stromer has received scholarship offers from UCLA, California and Illinois, among other schools. He's a top 2023 prospect.

GChance Stephens - Riverside Poly - Senior

Stephens is committed to the University of Rhode Island. He's one of the top shooters in California high school basketball.

GChristian Watson - Long Beach Poly - Senior

Watson has battled an injury to start his senior year. He's the brother of UCLA freshman Peyton Watson. Christian has received scholarship offers from Washington and Long Beach State.

FQuinton Webb - Etiwanda - Senior

Webb is a fantastic athlete known for his vicious dunks. He's committed to New Mexico.

GMac West - Capistrano Valley Christian - Senior

West is another one of the top scorers in the Classic. He scored 35 points in a win over Mission Viejo earlier this season.

FCurtis Williams - Etiwanda - Junior

Williams has received a scholarship offer from Portland State. He was named the Inland Valley Tournament MVP earlier this month.

FDevin Williams - Corona Centennial - Junior

Williams has received scholarship offers from George Mason and Loyola Marymount. In last season's 80-72 CIF Southern Section Open Division championship win over Sierra Canyon, he scored 12 points.

GSpivey Word - Damien - Senior

In Damien head coach Mike LeDuc's 1,000th career victory last week, Word scored 32 points.