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SimplyBasketball CIF 2023-24 Boys Basketball Preview

By Maximillian Espinoza

With the CIF 2023-24 Boy’s Basketball season only a few months away. Let’s take a look at some of the favorite NorCal high school basketball teams going into the 2023-24 CIF season.

One of the top teams expected to do well in the 2023-24 season is Archbishop Riordan, as last season Riordan finished with a 23-7 record and ranked 20th in the 2022-23 CIF rankings. Senior Zion Sensley, who is ranked 54th on ESPN top 100 and committed to St Mary’s College, looks to end his high school career with championship aspirations. Riordan will also be led by Junior Jasir Rencher, who currently has multiple D1 offers including Cal, Illinois, and Minnesota. Riordan also benefits from a talented off-season transfers coming in pool including Nes Emeneke and Ryder Bush from Woodside Priory School, Jordy McKenzie from Pinole Valley High School, and John Tofi Jr from Sheldon High School. This season Archbishop Riordan looks to make the NorCal Division 1 regional finals after being eliminated last season in the semi-finals by Granada High School 69-57.

Another  favorite teams going into the 2023-24 season is Archbishop Mitty. In the 2022-23 season, Archbishop Mitty finished with a 22-6 record and ranked 15th in the 2022-23 CIF rankings. This season Mitty will be led by seniors Gavin Ripp, who committed to the University of San Diego, and UC Riverside commit Tyler Jones. New St. Ignatius College Prep transfer Caden Hutcherson, one of the top NorCal players in the class of 2026, looks to solidify Mitty’s current and future rosters. Archbishop Mitty looks to rebound into contention form, as last year they were defeated by De La Salle 44-46 in the 2023 CIF Open Division playoffs. 

Another one of the favorite teams expected to succeed in the 2023-24 season is Salesian College Preparatory. Salesian finished off its 2022-23 season with a 26-9 record and ranked 22nd in the 2022-23 CIF rankings. Senior Amani Johnson and Junior Alvin Loving IV will look to build off their strong season last year. and one of the best kept secrets in Norcal Zander Jimenez will look to be a spark for the pride. Aaron Claytor, a senior who’s committed to the University of Hawaii, looks to lead Salesian to the CIF Division 1 State finals after being eliminated last season in the NorCal regional finals to Granada High School 60-47.

Another one of the favorites expected to have success in the 2023-24 season is De La Salle High School. De La Salle finished its 2022-23 season with a 22-9 record and ranked 32nd in the 2022-23 CIF rankings. Alec Blair, a Junior for De La Salle with D1 offers from Cal, Clemson, and Oklahoma, looks to help De La Salle turn into CIF Open Division contenders. Senior Leo Ricketts looks to provide veteran leadership and grit for guys like Sophomore Ibrahim Monawar to step up and contribute. De La Salle looks to rebound from its 56-57 defeat against Modesto Christian last season in the 2023 CIF Open Division playoffs. 

The final of the favorite teams entering the 2023-24 season is The Branson School. Last year, Branson finished the 2022-23 season with a 28-4 record and ranked 36th in the 2022-23 CIF rankings. Branson will be led by star Senior Jase Butler, who has over 20+ D1 offers from Illinois, San Francisco, UC Santa Barbara, etc. Junior Semetri Carr, who’s received multiple D1 offers from Washington, San Jose State, and The University of San Diego, also looks to help lead Branson to a Division 2 Championship, while Miles Keffee serves the role of Branson X-factor as the 6 '6 Guard is one of the most physical players in all of NorCal. This season Branson looks to break through the CIF Division 2 playoffs after last season’s 56-55 defeat against Weston Ranch High School.