A peek at the best Sacramento-area big men talents: Eakins, Cartwright, Manning, more
If the big man in the middle is your thing for Sacramento-area high school basketball over the last, oh, 60 years or so, then this list is for you.
No short guys allowed. This is a peek at the all-time big-man talents, 6-foot-9 or longer. These are guys who led their high school teams to success, who continued in college and, for some, right on into the NBA. Why the list? Why not? It also includes the best big of the region today in Ponderosa High School’s 6-10 Aaron Bliss, who leads The Bee’s No. 2-ranked team and the only unbeaten team in the state.
Jim Eakins, 6-foot-11, Encina, 1964: State Player of the Year and key figure for prep teams that went 46-2; played at BYU and logged 10 ABA/NBA seasons, winning two ABA titles.
Darnell Hillman, 6-9, Johnson, 1968: A leaper since birth who fancied his big hair, Hillman ranks as perhaps this region’s greatest dunker, including winning such events in the ABA/NBA.
Mike Mann, 6-10, Burbank, 1969: A rim protector and inside scorer as a prep, Mann led Stanford in rebounding and battled beasts such as Bill Walton of UCLA.
Neal McCoy, 7-0, Johnson, 1969: A prolific scorer as a prep and dominating at the rim, averaging 20.1 rebounds, McCoy led Fresno State one year in scoring and rebounding.
Mark Wehrle, 6-10, Jesuit, 1969: Prep All-American, academic star and Bee Player of the Year keyed Jesuit’s first great team and played at Rice, where he starred before injuries.
Steve Lackey, 7-0, Del Campo, 1969: Averaged 24.6 points and 17 rebounds as an interior monster and set a state record for a 16-for-16 effort; played at BYU and Cal.
Bill Cartwright, 7-0, Elk Grove, 1975: Still the area’s all-time prep great; set regional scoring marks, averaged a 38.8 points as a senior, led San Francisco to a national No. 1 ranking, was a first-rounder and won three NBA titles.
Scott Thompson, 6-11, Mesa Verde, 1983: Averaged 29.7 points, excelled as a four-year starter at San Diego, where he set career rebounding records, and was drafted in the NBA by Washington.
David Astle, 6-9, Del Campo, 1986: Averaged 21.5 points and 11 rebounds as a interior banger and logged four seasons at BYU.
Rich Manning, 6-10, Center, 1988: Grew into his body and then dominated, averaging 29.5 points and 13.5 rebounds; played at Syracuse, finished at Washington and reached the NBA.
David Crouse, 6-11, Cordova, 1992: Led the region in rebounding and blocked shots and was a top interior defender at USC before playing professionally overseas.
Michael “Yogi” Stewart, 6-10, Kennedy, 1993: Prep dunking star and rim protector who set blocked-shot marks at Cal and played in the NBA from 1997-2005.
Ryan Anderson, 6-10, Oak Ridge, 2005: Driving force behind CIF State winner who starred at Cal and was a first-round pick of the Nets and played 10 NBA seasons.
Brendan Lane, 6-10, Rocklin, 2009: Powered Rocklin to the CIF state finals, played at UCLA and Pepperdine and professionally overseas.
Eric Stuteville, 6-10, Casa Roble, 2013: Averaged 21.7 points and 13 rebounds then set Sacramento State records for games played and became the first center in school history to score 1,000 points.
D.J. Wilson, 6-10, Capital Christian, 2014: Powered Capital’s greatest teams, going 80-15, went to Michigan, became an NBA first round in 2017 with Milwaukee, where he still plays.
Marquese Chriss, 6-9, Pleasant Grove, 2015: Late bloomer led PG to CIF State championship, starred at Washington and was an NBA first-round pick in 2016. Now with Dallas.
Mason Forbes, 6-9, Folsom, 2018: Even taller with his high hair, he forever goes by “Fro,” including now at Harvard after his four-year varsity prep tour as an ace defender.
Jordan Brown, 6-11, Woodcreek, 2017: Deemed the best regional big since Cartwright, Brown led the Timberwolves to the CIF State finals, averaging 26 points and 16 rebounds; now playing at Louisiana.
Aaron Bliss, 6-10, Ponderosa, 2022: The latest and greatest looks the part for state’s lone unbeaten team; recruiting interest includes Stanford.
This story was originally published February 4, 2022 at 5:00 AM.