Boys’ basketball rankings: League play tips off; Inderkum makes a case as the top team
The nonleague schedule for high school boys’ basketball started in November and ended Saturday, a stretch that included tournaments near and far, some on the local level and some on a national stage.
League play starts this week for most programs.
What we have learned so far is this: Top-ranked Sheldon is good again, but still finding itself amid a brutal early schedule. The team is untested against local competition as the Huskies have not played any area opponents. That changes this week with the opening of Delta League play with No. 5 Elk Grove coming for a visit Wednesday. The Delta also includes Jesuit, Pleasant Grove, Monterey Trail, Davis, Franklin and Cosumnes Oaks.
The Bee does not drop teams in rankings if they lose to out-of-area teams, which explains how Sheldon remains top-ranked despite seven losses. The losses came in big tournaments, some of them of the national variety.
Elk Grove is also quite good, anchored by four-year veterans in tough and skilled guard Ameere Britton and big-man-with-skills DaJon Lott. Sheldon has had a stranglehold on the Delta over the years, though Elk Grove likes its chances of taking league honors, as do Jesuit and Pleasant Grove, of course.
And Inderkum? Really good and working on becoming great. A lot of area coaches insist the Tigers are the top team around. They are 11-1, having beaten No. 4 Grant twice this season to win holiday tournaments, including last week’s Cordova Christmas Classic. Inderkum is led by star Derrick Claxton, a 6-foot-6 do-all guard/wing, and the 6-9 inside presence of Anthony The team is well-coached under Fred Wilson, who said before the last Grant meeting, “We’re finding out how good we can be. We can be great. It’s a great group.”
Grant coach Deonard Wilson agreed, saying the Tigers are tall, talented and determined, adding, “Excellent team. We haven’t figured them out yet.”
Grant and Inderkum play a nonleague game at Grant on Saturday night. The coaches are friends. The players know each other and respect each other. Games are spirited and fun. Inderkum is Division I and could run into Sheldon in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs next month (Grant is D-II). Inderkum is the favorite in a Capital Valley Conference that includes No. 9 Antelope, No. 18 Bella Vista and Roseville, among others.
And there’s No. 3 Ponderosa, off to its best start in decades at 13-0. The Bruins stand as Foothill Valley League favorites in a race that includes 12-2 Lincoln, 12-3 Placer, 10-5 Oakmont and 8-4 Rio Linda. Ponderosa coach Clark Woods has a Bee Player of the Year candidate in 6-9 skilled big Aaron Bliss, averaging 16.8 points, 15.5 rebounds and 5.3 blocked shots, and guards Nick Von Zboray (20.5 points) and Casen Chaney (17.2 points, 7.5 assists).
Grant and No. 6 Burbank are the Metropolitan Conference front runners, and they are longtime rivals. Both teams are guard-heavy.
No. 7 Whitney, No. 8 Folsom, No. 10 Oak Ridge and No. 20 Del Oro reside in the wide-open Sierra Foothill League that also includes Granite Bay and Rocklin. Whitney is 11-3 with its only local loss coming against Ponderosa, 62-56.
The Capital Athletic League includes Rio Americano, El Camino, Sacramento and Capital Christian, each of them ranked.
Coach Corn fun
Doug Cornelius wasn’t going to create a basketball tournament bearing his own name. Who does that?
But those who know the longtime charismatic and fun Yuba College men’s basketball coach hatched the idea, and it played out last week in the Coach Corn Classic to honor a man who has helped scores of players grow into scholarship players.
Cornelius has won more than 450 games and an armload of championships at Yuba College, and he’s a regular at high school games as a fan and recruiter. He was moved by the creation of the event and kept it in perspective.
“Hey, at least it’s not a memorial tournament,” Cornelius said.
Elk Grove beat Delta rival Franklin 46-27 in the Coach Corn finals as DaJon Lott went for 17 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks and three steals.
El Camino coach Mamo Rafiq and Oakmont coach Nathan Stephens, longtime pals of Cornelius, were the co-directors of the event.
“It was a cool event, a fun time,” Franklin coach Ken Manfredi said. “It’s the most difficult time to start a tournament with what’s going on with COVID, but this one worked. It was a great location, great facilities, really organized, good games, and in honor of a great guy and coach.”
Phil Oates honor
Phil Oates, the one-time Capital Christian basketball coach and longtime supporter of the program and about as nice of a man as anyone will ever meet, will be the man of the hour Friday for a gym dedication ceremony during a CAL game against Del Campo.
Oates is also a minority owner of the Kings, hoops to his gills, and a driving force behind the Oates Family Foundation that honors the legacy of his late father, Marvin “Buzz” Oates, an anchor in the region for decades.
Capital Christian hoops showcase
What a way to cap the week: The first Battle for NorCal Showcase at Capital Christian on Saturday.
The games: Center vs. El Camino at 11 a.m.; Weston Ranch vs. Cosumnes Oaks at 12:30 p.m.; Edison-Stockton vs. St. Mary’s-Albany at 2 p.m.; Elk Grove vs. Modesto Christian at 3:30 p.m; Folsom vs. Bakersfield Christian at 5 p.m.; Capital Christian vs. Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland at 6:30 p.m., and Salesian of Richmond vs. Sheldon at 8 p.m.
The Bee’s Top 20
Records entering Monday
1. Sheldon 6-7
2. Inderkum 11-1
3. Ponderosa 13-0
4. Grant 9-2
5. Elk Grove 10-3
6. Burbank 9-2
7. Whitney 11-3
8. Folsom 11-4
9. Antelope 13-2
10. Oak Ridge 11-5
11. Wood 13-3
12. Rio Americano 10-4
13. Jesuit 6-7
14. El Camino 9-4
15. Sacramento 6-4
16. Capital Christian 4-6
17. Pleasant Grove 12-4
18. Bella Vista 10-3
19. Lincoln 12-2
20. Del Oro 12-6
Bubble teams: (alphabetical order): Center 8-4; Granite Bay 9-7; Laguna Creek 8-4; Marysville 13-3, McClatchy 9-4; Oakmont 10-5; Placer 12-3; River Valley 6-5; Rocklin 9-7; Roseville 9-7; Union Mine 13-3; Vacaville 9-4.