NorCal Tip Off Classic Preview
The 16th Annual NorCal Tip Off Classic will take place on Saturday at Dublin High School in a marquee event to help kick off the first month of high school basketball.
Here are 10 things I’m watching for at the Classic.
1. The guard duo at Branson High School. We have been fortunate in this region to have some fun backcourts to watch in recent memory and this Branson group needs to be added to the list. Will Illinois bound Jase Butler and fast rising junior guard Semetri Carr be able to help the Bulls reach the Open Division?
2. Capital Christian comes into the season as the highest ranked team in the Sacramento area, but will the Cougars end the season there? They are off to a good start with a win over Grant and are led by junior guard Jaylen Valdez and a good group of returners.
3. Vanden seniors Tyler Thompson (Montana) and Ahsan Huff are well known talents by this point of their prep careers as they look to help lead the Vikings on another section and NorCal run. The Vikings are known to schedule tough in the first month and will get tested on Saturday against Clovis West.
4. How good can Riordan be? This is one of the big questions entering the season with a roster loaded with talent and an established head coach in Joey Curtin. The Crusaders have many new faces this year, but also a familiar one in Zion Sensley (St. Mary’s), who returns to the San Francisco program after two years at Prolific Prep.
5. In total, the WCAL will have four teams in action this weekend. Mitty is highly regarded with a pair of Division I signees in Tyler Jones (UC Riverside) and Gavin Ripp (San Diego). St. Ignatius is looking to grow with its young core and Bellarmine will try to break back into the upper echelon in Northern California.
6. De La Salle junior Alec Blair might be the most impactful player in the region and the Spartans boast a deep roster. They take on one of the top teams in the state in Centennial-Corona as they look to win their first section title since 2020 and first NorCal title since 2016.
7. One of the most intriguing players to watch is Ygnacio Valley senior post Evan McKnight, who could become a priority late signee with a big senior season. The 6-foot-10 McKnight currently checks in at No. 20.
8. At least half of the Top 10 in the 2025 class rankings will be in action at the Tip Off Classic including Blair, Carr and Riordan’s Jasir Renchar.
9. Looking at all 18 teams, there are 11 Division I signees slated to play including Darnez Slater of Roosevelt. Junior Brayden Burries of Roosevelt should also be one of the top players on hand.
10. 12 of the Top 20 teams in the NCP rankings will be at Dublin High School on Saturday. Results from here could have an impact down the road in terms of NorCal seedings especially in the top divisions.
Game 1: 8:00 AM Head-Royce (Oakland) vs Bellarmine (San Jose)
Game 2: 9:30 AM Ygnacio Valley (Concord) vs Lincoln (Stockton)
Game 3: 11:00 AM Dublin vs St. Ignatius (San Francisco)
Game 4: 12:30 PM Weston Ranch (Stockton) vs Bakersfield Christian
Game 5: 2:00 PM Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco) vs Roosevelt (Eastvale)
Game 6: 3:30 PM Vanden (Fairfield) vs Clovis West (Fresno)
Game 7: 5:15 PM San Ramon Valley (Danville) vs Capital Christian (Sacramento)
Game 8: 7:00 PM Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) vs Branson (Ross)
Game 9: 8:30 PM De La Salle (Concord) vs Centennial (Corona)