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35 players to watch in California (CIF) State Division 1 boys basketball playoffs

St. Bernard, the No. 4 seed in the Southern region, is led by senior point guard Jason Hart Jr., a Long Beast State signee.

The brackets for the 2022 California (CIF) State boys basketball playoffs have been finalized. First-round matchups for Divisions 1-5 start Tuesday, March 1.

Ahead of first round games beginning in the state playoffs, we're taking a look at the top players to watch in every Division.

Here's a closer look at the top 35 players in Division 1.

(Lead photo by Nick Koza)

TOP 35 PLAYERS IN CIF STATE DIVISION 1 PLAYOFFS

(The players are listed in alphabetical order by region.)

SOUTHERN REGION

Tyler Bey - Fairfax - Senior small forward

tyler-bey-fairfax

Bey scored a team high 21 points to lead Fairfax to an LA City Section Open Division championship over King/Drew last week. The Lions won 76-64.

Christian Brown - La Costa Canyon - Junior small forward

Christian Brown La Costa Canyon

Brown scored 34 points in a win over San Ysidro earlier this season. 

Jaayden Bush - St. Anthony - Senior shooting guard

Jaayden-Bush-St.-Anthony

Bush is a very talented scorer. He put in 25 points in St. Anthony's 66-64 loss to St. Bernard in the Division 1 Southern Section semifinals. 

Darius Carr - St. Bernard - Junior shooting guard

Darius-Carr-St.-Bernard-1

Carr has received scholarship offers from Cal, Long Beach State and Loyola Marymount. 

Rob Diaz - JSerra - Senior shooting guard

Rob-Diaz-JSerra-basketball

Diaz had an impressive Southern Section playoff run for the Lions. He scored 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting in a 60-44 Division 1 semifinal win over St. John Bosco

Christian Estrada - St. John Bosco - Senior center

christian estrada bosco

Estrada anchors St. John Bosco in the paint on offense and defense. He was one of the main factors behind the Braves advancing to the Division 1 Southern Section playoffs and qualifying for state.

Martin Flores - San Ysidro - Senior power forward

CIF San Diego Section Boys Open Division Championship February 26, 2022. St. Augustine vs San Ysidro. Photo-Justin Fine 70

Flores scored 25 points in San Ysidro's 81-76 loss St. Augustine in the San Diego Section Open Division championship game last week. 

Jason Hart Jr. - St. Bernard - Senior point guard

Jason-Hart-St.-Bernard-1

Hart exploded for 28 points in the Vikings' 71-58 Division 1 Southern Section championship win over JSerra. He's a Long Beach State signee. 

Koat Keat - Crean Lutheran - Senior power forward

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Keat is a UC Santa Barbara signee. He scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a Southern Section Open defeat to Damien last month. 

Otto Landrum - Torrey Pines - Senior center

Otto Landrum Torrey Pines

Landrum is a Boston University signee. 

Jaden Lebel - Cathedral Catholic - Senior shooting guard

Jaden Lebel Cathedral Catholic

Lebel averages 18.9 points per game for Cathedral Catholic. 

Sebastian Medina - San Ysidro - Senior point guard

CIF San Diego Section Boys Open Division Championship February 26, 2022. St. Augustine vs San Ysidro. Photo-Justin Fine 67

Medina scored 23 points in San Ysidro's 81-76 loss St. Augustine in the San Diego Section Open Division championship game last week. 

Vyctorius Miller - Crean Lutheran - Sophomore point guard

Vyctorius-Miller-Crean-Lutheran

Miller has received scholarship offers from UCLA, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, Georgetown, Wake Forest, and Arizona State. 

Elijah Price - St. Anthony - Senior power forward

Elijah-Price-St.-Anthony-1

Look for Price to sign with a Big West school before his senior year is over. The senior scored 22 points in a Southern Section playoff loss to St. Bernard last week. 

Jovani Ruff - Long Beach Poly - Freshman small forward

Jovani-Ruff-Long-Beach-Poly-1

Ruff is one of the top freshmen in the country. He scored 18 points in the Jackrabbits' playoff win over Crespi last month. 

Ben Shtolzberg - Notre Dame - Senior point guard

Ben-Shtolzberg-Notre-Dame

Shtolzberg is a Creighton signee. He led Notre Dame to a share of the Mission League title this season. 

RJ Smith - Damien - Senior point guard

RJ-Smith-Damien

Smith is a Colorado signee. The senior led Damien back from a 35-17 deficit to beat Crean Lutheran 64-59 in the Southern Section Open Division playoffs last month. 

Dusty Stromer - Notre Dame - Junior shooting guard

Dusty-Stromer-Notre-Dame

Stromer has received scholarship offers from Gonzaga, Arizona and Illinois, among other top programs. 

Christian Watson - Long Beach Poly - Senior point guard

Christian Watson - Long Beach Poly

Long Beach Poly has won 16 of 18 games since Watson returned to the court after spraining his ankle early in the year. 

Justin and Jayden White - Mission Hills - Senior small forwards

Jayden White

Jayden White

Mission Hills' twin duo of Justin and Jayden White are forces to be reckoned with. Expect both to be named All-CIF San Diego selections at the end of the season. 

Noah Williams - Village Christian - Sophomore small forward

Williams scored 14 points in Village Christian's 78-69 win over Long Beach Poly in the Division 2AA Southern Section championship game. 

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NORTHERN REGION

Courtney Anderson - Dublin - Junior small forward

Anderson is one of the top players in Northern California. He scored 21 points in a win over San Ramon Valley earlier this season. 

Ryan Beasley – Dougherty Valley – Junior point guard

Beasley is averaging 30 points, seven rebounds, and four assists per game this season.

Aiden Braccia – Sacred Heart Prep – Senior point guard

Braccia is averaging 18 points per game for the Gators and recently surpassed the 1,000-career point mark.

Rishod Brown - Sacramento Grant - Senior small forward

Brown scored 19 points in Grant's 65-58 Division 2 Sac-Joaquin Section championship win over Granite Bay. 

Miles Byrd – Lincoln (Stockton) – Senior shooting guard

Miles Byrd Lincoln

Byrd is committed to San Diego State. He scored 27 points in a Division 1 Central Section loss to Sheldon last month. 

Derrick Claxton - Inderkum - Senior shooting guard

Claxton is averaging 21.9 points and eight rebounds per game this season. 

Kevin Gad - Granada - Senior small forward

Gad scored 24 points in a loss to De La Salle earlier this season. 

Jojo Hunter - San Joaquin Memorial - Senior shooting guard

JoJo-hunter

Hunter is a Fresno State signee and one of the top scorers in the state. He scored 49 points in a Central Section Open Division win over Clovis North last week. 

Garret Keyhani - Serra San Mateo - Senior power forward

Keyhani broke his hand but still played in Serra's playoff games this season. He somehow scored 16 points in an Open Division loss to Archbishop Mitty on Feb. 21. 

Jake King - Clayton Valley Charter - Junior small forward

King led Clayton Valley to the school's first ever North Coast Section championship last week as the Ugly Eagles took down Dougherty Valley 76-71 to win Division 1. 

Ben Murphy - Miramonte - Senior point guard

Murphy has led Miramonte to a 24-5 record. When he's on, the Matadors are tough to beat. 

Brycen Shackelford - Folsom - Senior small forward

Shackelford does a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs. He's a consistent double-digit scorer who can play above the rim. 

John Squire - St. Ignatius - Junior center

Squire scored 14 points to lead St. Ignatius in their Central Coast Section Open Division loss to Archbishop Mitty last week.