The Orange County boys basketball preview for the 2025-26 season that officially begins Monday, Nov. 17.
The Eagles are ready to soar.
Santa Margarita’s boys basketball team is No. 1 in the Orange County preseason rankings. The Eagles’ roster includes three players who signed this week with NCAA Division i programs.
Point guard Kaden Bailey, a 6-2 senior who was All-Orange County first team a year ago, signed with Georgia Tech. All-County second-team forward Brayden Kyman, who is 6-7, signed with Washington State, and Drew Anderson, a 6-9 forward, signed with Oregon State.
Four returning Eagles were All-Trinity League selections last season. Bailey was a league co-MVP. Kyman was all-league first team, and Anderson and senior guard Rodney Westmoreland were all-league second team.
Jackson Bradley, a 6-9 forward, and 6-3 guard Jacob Sears are seniors who were reserves last season. They will get much more playing time this season and could emerge as starters.
Justin Bell, in his seventh season as the Eagles’ coach, likes his team’s attitude as much as its talent. The Eagles have practices that start at 6 a.m. a couple of times a week.
“These guys love each other,” Bell said. “And I think it’s genuine. On and off the court they care for each other and they want success for each other.
“They still need to pound the pavement and work on the details. They have good work habits at practice every day.”
NOTES
• Brannon Martinsen, an All-Orange County player at JSerra last season and at Mater Dei before that, transferred to Sierra Canyon, which also has former St. John Bosco standout Brandon McCoy on its roster. Another player who left Orange County basketball is junior guard Demarcus Henry, brother of Mater Dei football star Chris Henry Jr. Demarcus Henry left Mater Dei after an All-Trinity League season last year to enroll at Compass Prep in Arizona. …
• Mater Dei 6-6 senior guard Malloy Smith, poised for a breakout season, is the son of former NBA star and current ESPN NBA analyst Kenny Smith. Malloy Smith has offers from Cal, Cal State Northridge and Portland State. …
• The Trinity League will have a postseason tournament, very much like the college conference tournaments. The Trinity League tournament will have a say in which league teams qualify for the CIF Southern Section playoffs. …
• Among the tournaments that start the season Monday is the 32-team Rumble On The Hill at Fullerton, La Habra, Sunny Hills and Troy high schools. Among the teams playing in it are O.C. top 10 teams Canyon and JSerra. …
• Another season-opening tournament Monday is the Louis Macias Tournament at Santa Ana High. It is an all-Orange County event that includes county top 10 team San Clemente. …
• The Tustin Holiday Classic at Tustin High has been renamed the Ringo Bossenmeyer Tustin Holiday Classic in honor of the school’s longtime boys basketball coach. Bossenmeyer retired from coaching after this past season. The eight-team tournament is Dec. 26-30 and also has Beckman, Servite and Tesoro in it. …
• Many of Orange County’s top teams will play in the Tarkanian Classic, Dec. 19-23 in Las Vegas, including JSerra, Mater Dei and Santa Margarita. …
• Crean Lutheran will play in the top division of Damien’s tournament, The Classic, that runs Dec. 26-30 at Damien High and surrounding schools. The tournament’s No. 3 division, the Gold Division, has O.C. schools Canyon, Fairmont Prep, La Habra and Los Alamitos. …
• The CIF-SS playoffs begin Feb. 11. The season concludes with the CIF State finals on March 13-14.
PRESEASON TOP 10 TEAMS
1. Santa Margarita: The Eagles, 23-9 last season, bring back several outstanding players, including All-Orange County first-team point guard Kaden Bailey, who was the Trinity League player of the year last season as a junior. They also return junior forward Brayden Kyman, who was All-County second team last season. Seniors Drew Anderson and Rodney Westmoreland were All-Trinity League second team last season.
2. Mater Dei: Luke Barnett, a 6-4 senior guard who signed with Kansas, is Orange County’s best outside shooter and was All-County first team last season. Also returning is 6-6 senior guard Malloy Smith, who improved as last season progressed. The Monarchs added a couple of transfers who are likely to contribute, including 6-8 junior forward Zain Majeed from IMG Academy in Florida and 6-3 junior guard Richie Ramirez from San Marcos of San Diego County.
3. Crean Lutheran: The Saints have a new coach, Austin Loeb, who was promoted from assistant coach soon after Nate Klitzing left to became the coach at Orange Lutheran. Among the many returnees is 6-7 senior Jacob Majok, who was All-County first team last season and signed with UC Riverside. There is additional height with 6-8 senior Will Monydeng and 6-11 Charack Mpyi, who signed with Minnesota. Junior guard Caden Jones was All-County fourth team last year and is an elite athlete – he is the starting quarterback for Crean — and junior guard Hunter Caplan was All-Crestview League first team last season.
4. JSerra: The Lions have one of Orange County’s most prominent transfers, Jaden Bailes, who is a 6-2 senior guard. He was All-CIF San Diego Section last season. Returnees from last season’s team include junior forward Godschoice Eboigbodin, junior guard Earl Bryson, who was All-Trinity League second team last season, and sophomore forward Ryan Doane.
5. Corona del Mar: The Sea Kings are the consensus choice among Orange County coaches surveyed as the county’s best public school team. Corona del Mar’s returnees include 6-3 junior guard Maxwell Scot, who averaged 18 points a game last season and was All-County third team. Senior guard Oliver Nakra was All-Sunset League first team last season and is an excellent shooter, and senior point guard Luke Mirhashemi is a four-year varsity starter.
6. Fairmont Prep: Last year’s CIF-SS Division 2AA champions bring back 2AA player of the year David Abisogun, who also was All-County first team when he averaged 21 points and 14 rebounds a game. Other returnees are senior guard Ryan Guo and 6-9 senior forward Bith Jack.
7. La Habra: Two-time All-County point guard Acen Jimenez, who committed to Dartmouth, leads the Highlanders. Another returnee is 6-5 junior forward Javier Nash. Two freshmen guards, Derek Soloway and Aaron Wilson, will contribute.
8. San Clemente: It’s a new-look Tritons team, with zero returning starters but the talent is there from last season’s group of reserves and players who shined in the lower levels. Desi Gutierrez, a 6-6 senior forward, and 6-8 senior center Braedon Baggs will move into starting roles and 5-10 junior guard Bryan Blake could be a big scorer.
9. Los Alamitos: The Griffins have one returning player who was a key contributor to last season’s CIF-SS Division 1 championship team, Tyler Lopez is a 6-5 senior forward who has committed to Division II Jessup University. Isaiah Williamson, a 6-4 sophomore guard, was on junior varsity a year ago, but he will be relied on for scoring punch. Los Alamitos will continue to substitute players in and out in large quantities.
10. Canyon: Two-time county player of the year Brandon Benjamin is gone, as are his 30 points a game, but Canyon has enough good players to continue its success and its torrid style of play. Among the returnees is 6-7 senior forward Pierce Haugen, who averaged four points and four rebounds a game last season, and senior guard Rami Awad, who also averaged four points a game.
TOP 10 PLAYERS TO WATCH
David Abisogun, Fairmont Prep, F, Sr.: Abisogun, 6-9, was CIF-SS 2AA player of the year last season, San Joaquin League player of the year and All-Orange County first team. He committed to Texas State.
Jaden Bailes, JSerra, G, Sr.: Bailes, 6-2, was All-CIF San Diego Section first team last season at St. Augustine. Bailes has offers from Cal, Long Beach State, Pepperdine and many others.
Kaiden Bailey, Santa Margarita, G, Sr.: He was All-Orange County first team and Trinity League player of the year last season, and he was named to the All-CIF Open Division team. Bailey signed with Georgia Tech.
Luke Barnett, Mater Dei, G, Sr.: Orange County’s best shooter. Barnett was All-Orange County first team last season when he averaged 21 points a game and made 94 3-pointers in 31 games. Barnett signed with Kansas.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Ryan Gov, Cypress, G, Sr.: The ultra-quick point guard was All-Orange County second team last season and All-Crestview League first team last season.
Acen Jimenez, La Habra, Sr., G: He was All-Orange County first team last season and All-Crestview League. An elite point guard, Jimenez signed with Dartmouth.
Derick Johnson, Edison, G, Sr.: Johnson, a 6-3 point guard, was All-Orange County second team and All-Sunset League first team last season.
Brayden Kyman, Santa Margarita, F, Sr.: Kyman, 6-7, was All-Trinity League first team and All-County second team last season. He signed with Washington State.
Jacob Majok, Crean Lutheran, F, Sr.: Majok, 6-7, was All-Orange County first team last season. A UC Riverside signee, he also was a Crestview League co-MVP with county player of the year Brandon Benjamin of Canyon
Maxwell Scott, Corona del Mar, G, Jr.: He was All-Orange County third team last season, and an All-O.C. first-team selection as a freshman. He averaged 19 points a game last year.