Four weeks of high school basketball playoffs are now in their final days, with regional finals on Tuesday and the state championships set for Friday and Saturday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Let’s examine some revelations:
Junior guard Zaire Rasshan of Damien is coach Mike LeDuc’s next great three-point shooting machine. Left open, his three-point attempts almost always go in. He doesn’t throw up wild shots. He’s smart and instinctive and at 6 foot 3, he has room to develop is ability to drive. He has set a school record with 114 threes this season.
Do you think Drew Anderson was happy after making all 11 shots and sending Santa Margarita into a Saturday game with Sierra Canyon? Photo by Nick Koza. pic.twitter.com/xo8wDsYSyG
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 5, 2026 Drew Anderson of Santa Margarita has made himself lots of money. He signed with Oregon State, but with the school dismissing its coach, he’s likely to re-open his recruitment and the NIL deals will be plentiful after he made all 11 of his shots, including four three-pointers, in a win over Redondo Union. He’s 6-10 and seemingly getting better each game. He’ll need to get stronger on defense, but he’s become one of the 10 best players in Southern California. 
Sierra Canyon boys coach Andre Chevalier holds Southern Section Open Division plaque after win over Harvard-Westlake.
(Steve Galluzzo)
Andre Chevalier is the best coach of all-star teams you can find. The veteran Sierra Canyon coach has done this before, taking in multiple transfers and getting them to play as a unit, but this is his best coaching job yet for a 28-1 team going nine deep and convincing his many star players to distribute the ball. Heck, even in the NBA, some coaches can’t get players to pass, so that’s not an easy achievement.
The orthodox Jewish school Shalhevet enjoyed a terrific season even though their longtime coach, Ryan Coleman, left for Milken. Returnee Sam Jacobson closed out a fabulous four-year run.
First-year coach Austin Loeb guided Crean Lutheran to a Division 1 championship and has thrust himself into coach of the year consideration. He inherited a team with lots of talent but is another who figured out how to blend in a talented 6-11 center with a group of hungry guards to play as a team.
If any photo reveals the intensity of two All-Americans, it’s this one from late in the game, where Jerzy Robinson (left) of Sierra Canyon and Kaleena Smith of Ontario Christian battled in the Open Division final.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
A healthy Jerzy Robinson was good as ever. The Sierra Canyon senior headed to South Carolina is a bulldozer on the court. There are few girls who can stop her inside without fouling. But she’s also an elite defender, showing her intensity and determination while guarding Ontario Christian’s Kaleena Smith. When Robinson and Smith were on the same court together, it was like watching two future WNBA players go at it.
OJ Popoola of Palisades has made major contributions after transferring with his twin brother from Detroit.
(Nick Koza)
Reports of City Section boys basketball’s demise were premature. Palisades, Birmingham and Sylmar have made it to regional finals in Division II, III and V, respectively. Yes, none are in the highest division such as the days when Fairfax, Westchester and Taft were powers with coaches Harvey Kitani, Ed Azzam and Derrick Taylor. But there’s ways to get better and the right placement still allows City teams to have state success.
It’s not good for high school basketball or fan engagement that the same teams play over and over.
This is one of those seasons after nearly four months, no single player has separated himself as the boys’ basketball player of the year. There’s been lots of exceptional seasons, but the competition remains alive in its final week.
Amalia Holguin of Sage Hill.
Sage Hill’s upset win over Sierra Canyon on Saturday night in girls basketball is one of the biggest upsets in state history. Of course, any team with Amalia Holguin on it has a chance. The Texas commit scored 26 points and gets to face Ontario Christian in a rematch on Tuesday.