1. Pinewood: Returning two of the best players in California ( Astrom and Jump) Pinewood plays a style that makes them almost impossible to guard in a four quarter basketball game. Upcoming guard Una Jovanovic is one of the most underrated players in the bay area and will be a college basketball player before her time is up at pinewood. Size does not even phase this group and the three point shot is the ultimate equalizer. I trust Doc to get the most out of these girls yet again this year.
2. Mitty: The balance of power between Pinewood and Mitty is fascinating. Mitty having the best player on the court no matter what gym they walk into in the country is a massive advantage. They also have a great JV pipeline to pull from to replace an outstanding senior class. I also hear there are some transfers coming in......... Pinewood/Mitty if they are to meet is must see basketball this year.
3. Salesian: Angel Jackson is a matchup nightmare for any team in the country. I watched their game against Pinewood last year. Edwards and Jackson were dominate and Pinewood could not get a shot to fall outside of their big 3. Salesian plays a tough grind it out physical style and it will take a 3 point shooting barrage to beat them this year. 1/26 Mark your calendar for the rematch.
GRAND CANYON GAP
4. C-Let: With an incredible amount of size and speed C-Let can hang with any of the teams mentioned above. ( Beating them is a different story) I am interested to see how the new coach does. I thought Elgin had them playing extremely hard and ran some great action in the half court. They did lose a great floor general in Walton who I thought was incredible under pressure in the D-1 Championship game at Saint Mary's last year.
5. Cardinal Newman: Seen these girls play a few times now. They are one of my favorite teams in Norcal. Anya will play high level D-1 basketball when she is done at CN. They will space you out and shoot a ton of 3's. They play a similar style to pinewood and will never stop running on you. If you want to beat them you better be in good shape. Anya creates a lot of easy looks for her teammates with dribble penetration and they have the shooters to knock down looks at a high percentage. Monica is a great coach and their 5 out offense is a bear to defend.
6. Heritage: One of my favorite teams in Nor-cal. If you do not have at least 1 or 2 really good guards you do not stand a chance of beating heritage. They apply pressure from the tip until the buzzer sounds. Rob has done an incredible job with this group. They had C let on the ropes last year. Sweeney will go toe to toe with any guard in Nor cal.
7. Saint Mary's: Amaya Oliver is a stud and should have a great season. Tom has proven he can coach any group and I still think they have potential to make a great run this year. However, I do view them as major underdogs against any of the teams mentioned above. They played very sloppy in their matchup with pinewood last year but you can see their potential when they finally figured it out in that game. I am interested to see if they are athletic enough this year to do a lot of the pressing and traps that they liked to run last year against top competition.
8. Bishop O dowd: I am not going to freak out over their opening game loss. They are returning a ton of talent and Love is a D-1 guard. They gave Miramonte a ton of problems in their championship game last year with their fast pace and athletes. I really like their coach as well.
9. Antelope: Antelopes sophomore guard this year is going to be special ( Harriel) . I may be jumping the gun on this team but I really liked what I saw in their matchup with bear creek last year. They are returning their core and I trust the coach to develop them into a contender. They play at an extremely fast pace and shoot a ton of 3's.
10. Miramonte: Kelly will have these girls ready against anyone. Losing Claire Steele is going to hurt but they will still be a great team this year. MM does not look the part in terms of size but they are deep with girls that understand basketball and winning is a part of that programs culture. I don't think they win NCS this year but I respect this program a lot think they can overcome not having steele this year. Mastrov will make a huge jump this year hopefully.
11. Saint Joseph Notre Dame: I might be really underrating this group. The Lepolo Sisters and the Mastora sisters are both a must watch for everyone this year. They have incredible speed and guard play on this team. Well coached and battle tested team. This is my sleeper to make it into the open division this year. They are a quick basketball team that won't beat themselves.
12. Bear Creek: Very fun team that plays as fast as anyone in Norcal. They have a great sophmore point guard ( Mya Blake) who is incredibly gifted and has a feel for the game you can't teach. Ever since Mathews took over they have been a tough out against anyone. They will press you from the Tip and try to capitalize off your mistakes. They also have a great rim running Big ( Lewis) who does a lot of dirty work that does not appear in the stat sheet. Returning their core I can't wait to watch the rematch against Antelope.
13. Sac: People forget that this team was a ridiculous buzzer beater away from upsetting pleasant valley in the opening round of the state playoffs. I do not know a ton about this team and won't pretend like I do but a lot of people like them this year so I am going to slot them in right behind the top few teams in Sacramento. The one thing I do know from some film is that Walters can Ball and Advent is not too far behind her. Having two really good players should take them deep this season.
14. McClatchy: Their Guard play is also a must watch for everyone at least once this year. Lowry is special and can compete with anyone 1 on 1. I have only seen this team play on tape but I believe they have the talent to move into the top 8 to 10 before the season is over. They play in a poor league which may be part of the reason they struggle come playoff time. Credit to their coach they do play some tough non league games.
15. SHCP: I don't think anyone can doubt this coach anymore. Russell seems to be in it come money time every year regardless of who is on his team. Yes they did graduate a ton of seniors but out of respect this team deserves a slot in the top 20 until proven otherwise. What a run last year and it was fun to watch them play in the state title game. They seem to play with joy and I will keep my eye on them this year.
16. Saint Francis: Love the new coach at the helm over there. High energy and get the girls to play hard. They have a talented roster and play against great competition all year. Their Saint Mary's bound post Mia grizelj has a lot of work to do but if Sami can unlock her potential they could be a really hard team to beat this year.
17. San Ramon Valley: These girls have risen rather quickly. They have a stud point guard (Gerhart) and a ton of young talent coming up. They can shoot the lights out of the ball and play at a very fast pace. Very fun team to watch when they are clicking on all cylinders.
18. Eastside College Prep: Losing their best player will hurt but they have a lot of returning talent and should still be a top 20 team. Haven't seen them play so I don't have a ton of analysis on these girls.
19. Oakland: Beating Bishop o dowd earns you the right to be welcomed into the top 20. They have some gifted guards as well that will obviously go toe to toe with the best of them. Oakland flew under the radar much of last year after having a very good season and returning some gifted athletes. Let's see how they build on this.
20. Folsom: Losing Forbes is going to hurt this program. She was so special. I still think they have enough talent to hang in the top 20. They have a few solid bigs that with the right scheme and pace can really dictate a basketball game. They obviously will not be in the convo for open again this year but they will surprise a few people who think they will fall off the map.
That's my 2 cents. Just trying to promote Women's basketball the best I can. Goodluck to every team this year!
2. Mitty: The balance of power between Pinewood and Mitty is fascinating. Mitty having the best player on the court no matter what gym they walk into in the country is a massive advantage. They also have a great JV pipeline to pull from to replace an outstanding senior class. I also hear there are some transfers coming in......... Pinewood/Mitty if they are to meet is must see basketball this year.
3. Salesian: Angel Jackson is a matchup nightmare for any team in the country. I watched their game against Pinewood last year. Edwards and Jackson were dominate and Pinewood could not get a shot to fall outside of their big 3. Salesian plays a tough grind it out physical style and it will take a 3 point shooting barrage to beat them this year. 1/26 Mark your calendar for the rematch.
GRAND CANYON GAP
4. C-Let: With an incredible amount of size and speed C-Let can hang with any of the teams mentioned above. ( Beating them is a different story) I am interested to see how the new coach does. I thought Elgin had them playing extremely hard and ran some great action in the half court. They did lose a great floor general in Walton who I thought was incredible under pressure in the D-1 Championship game at Saint Mary's last year.
5. Cardinal Newman: Seen these girls play a few times now. They are one of my favorite teams in Norcal. Anya will play high level D-1 basketball when she is done at CN. They will space you out and shoot a ton of 3's. They play a similar style to pinewood and will never stop running on you. If you want to beat them you better be in good shape. Anya creates a lot of easy looks for her teammates with dribble penetration and they have the shooters to knock down looks at a high percentage. Monica is a great coach and their 5 out offense is a bear to defend.
6. Heritage: One of my favorite teams in Nor-cal. If you do not have at least 1 or 2 really good guards you do not stand a chance of beating heritage. They apply pressure from the tip until the buzzer sounds. Rob has done an incredible job with this group. They had C let on the ropes last year. Sweeney will go toe to toe with any guard in Nor cal.
7. Saint Mary's: Amaya Oliver is a stud and should have a great season. Tom has proven he can coach any group and I still think they have potential to make a great run this year. However, I do view them as major underdogs against any of the teams mentioned above. They played very sloppy in their matchup with pinewood last year but you can see their potential when they finally figured it out in that game. I am interested to see if they are athletic enough this year to do a lot of the pressing and traps that they liked to run last year against top competition.
8. Bishop O dowd: I am not going to freak out over their opening game loss. They are returning a ton of talent and Love is a D-1 guard. They gave Miramonte a ton of problems in their championship game last year with their fast pace and athletes. I really like their coach as well.
9. Antelope: Antelopes sophomore guard this year is going to be special ( Harriel) . I may be jumping the gun on this team but I really liked what I saw in their matchup with bear creek last year. They are returning their core and I trust the coach to develop them into a contender. They play at an extremely fast pace and shoot a ton of 3's.
10. Miramonte: Kelly will have these girls ready against anyone. Losing Claire Steele is going to hurt but they will still be a great team this year. MM does not look the part in terms of size but they are deep with girls that understand basketball and winning is a part of that programs culture. I don't think they win NCS this year but I respect this program a lot think they can overcome not having steele this year. Mastrov will make a huge jump this year hopefully.
11. Saint Joseph Notre Dame: I might be really underrating this group. The Lepolo Sisters and the Mastora sisters are both a must watch for everyone this year. They have incredible speed and guard play on this team. Well coached and battle tested team. This is my sleeper to make it into the open division this year. They are a quick basketball team that won't beat themselves.
12. Bear Creek: Very fun team that plays as fast as anyone in Norcal. They have a great sophmore point guard ( Mya Blake) who is incredibly gifted and has a feel for the game you can't teach. Ever since Mathews took over they have been a tough out against anyone. They will press you from the Tip and try to capitalize off your mistakes. They also have a great rim running Big ( Lewis) who does a lot of dirty work that does not appear in the stat sheet. Returning their core I can't wait to watch the rematch against Antelope.
13. Sac: People forget that this team was a ridiculous buzzer beater away from upsetting pleasant valley in the opening round of the state playoffs. I do not know a ton about this team and won't pretend like I do but a lot of people like them this year so I am going to slot them in right behind the top few teams in Sacramento. The one thing I do know from some film is that Walters can Ball and Advent is not too far behind her. Having two really good players should take them deep this season.
14. McClatchy: Their Guard play is also a must watch for everyone at least once this year. Lowry is special and can compete with anyone 1 on 1. I have only seen this team play on tape but I believe they have the talent to move into the top 8 to 10 before the season is over. They play in a poor league which may be part of the reason they struggle come playoff time. Credit to their coach they do play some tough non league games.
15. SHCP: I don't think anyone can doubt this coach anymore. Russell seems to be in it come money time every year regardless of who is on his team. Yes they did graduate a ton of seniors but out of respect this team deserves a slot in the top 20 until proven otherwise. What a run last year and it was fun to watch them play in the state title game. They seem to play with joy and I will keep my eye on them this year.
16. Saint Francis: Love the new coach at the helm over there. High energy and get the girls to play hard. They have a talented roster and play against great competition all year. Their Saint Mary's bound post Mia grizelj has a lot of work to do but if Sami can unlock her potential they could be a really hard team to beat this year.
17. San Ramon Valley: These girls have risen rather quickly. They have a stud point guard (Gerhart) and a ton of young talent coming up. They can shoot the lights out of the ball and play at a very fast pace. Very fun team to watch when they are clicking on all cylinders.
18. Eastside College Prep: Losing their best player will hurt but they have a lot of returning talent and should still be a top 20 team. Haven't seen them play so I don't have a ton of analysis on these girls.
19. Oakland: Beating Bishop o dowd earns you the right to be welcomed into the top 20. They have some gifted guards as well that will obviously go toe to toe with the best of them. Oakland flew under the radar much of last year after having a very good season and returning some gifted athletes. Let's see how they build on this.
20. Folsom: Losing Forbes is going to hurt this program. She was so special. I still think they have enough talent to hang in the top 20. They have a few solid bigs that with the right scheme and pace can really dictate a basketball game. They obviously will not be in the convo for open again this year but they will surprise a few people who think they will fall off the map.
That's my 2 cents. Just trying to promote Women's basketball the best I can. Goodluck to every team this year!
