Jared McCain hoists trophy plus net during awards ceremony for the CIF Open Division state champions after their victory over Modesto Christian. Photo: Nick Koza.
Centennial of Corona gains this spot on this all-time list that goes back more than 100 years for the second straight year. Of course, this time it’s after the Huskies essentially won it on the court in Sacramento.
Note: We hope you enjoy this free post o CalHiSports.com. Upcoming final state rankings and some of our all-state teams will be for Gold Club members only. To become a member of our Gold Club so you can check out all of our boys basketball content, including player rankings in each class, please CLICK HERE.
(Managing editor Ronnie Flores contributed to this article)
Comparisons to the last great public school team to win the CIF Open Division state championship are inevitable but it may be more important just to look at the accomplishments of the 2021-22 Corona Centennial basketball team going 33-1 and finishing as State Team of the Year for a second straight season standing in its own limelight.
The Huskies capped their run atop the state with last Saturday’s 59-50 win over Modesto Christian to win their first CIF Open Division state title. They are now officially the State Team of the Year, which before the era of the Open Division did not always go to the winner of the CIF’s highest division.
Going back to back on top of the state is not unusual and comes on the heels of Sierra Canyon doing it three times in a row for 2018 to 2020. But it’s worth noting that as a public school doing it, the Huskies join an elite group that includes Los Angeles Westchester for 2009-10 and Lakewood Artesia for 2006-07 (with James Harden).
Centennial did not gain its first of the two State Team of the Year selections after winning a CIF regional or state crown, but the Huskies did win the CIF Southern Section Open Division title. They skipped the 2021 SoCal regional playoffs in favor of participating in an event in front of hundreds of college coaches.
“After we beat Sierra Canyon last year, we weren’t going to regionals because there was no state or NorCal playoffs,” said head coach Josh Giles during last Saturday’s press conference. “I thought it was important for my guys to go to Section 7 because it was in their best interests. I thought we had a good enough team to win the CIF state open, but I did not think we’d be 33-1. It would be hard to ever have a team as good as this one, chemistry-wise.”
That last great public school team to be State Team of the Year may be difficult for any teams public or private to be compared to for a long, long time. That would be Chino Hills (35-0) for 2016. That team not only was No. 1 in California but also was No. 1 for the nation. Those Huskies also already have the distinction of having three future NBA top six draft picks as starters. Sure, two of them were freshmen at the time, but Lonzo Ball was a senior. Freshmen Onyeka Okongwu & La’Melo Ball were the ninth graders.
“It’s an amazing honor,” Giles texted on Monday of joining the all-time state list. “I’m just so happy for this group of guys. They work harder than anyone and their commitment to playing the game the right way was just amazing to be around.”
Centennial will be losing senior starters Donovan Dent and Ramsey Huff next season, but returns juniors Jared McCain and Aaron McBride plus sophomore Devin Williams.
“I couldn’t be happier from Ramsey and Donnie,” Giles said in his text. “The way that Donnie finished the state championship game was so fitting. He did what winners do: he was at his best when his best was needed.”
Cal-Hi Sports Boys Basketball
State Teams of the Year All-Time List
Centennial head coach Josh Giles directs his club during 2021 CIF Southern Section Open Division championship. Photo: Nick Koza.
2022 – Corona Centennial (33-1)
2021 – Corona Centennial (21-2)
2020 – Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (30-4)
2019 – Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (32-3)
2018 – Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (27-4)
2017 – Torrance Bishop Montgomery (31-2)
2016 – Chino Hills (35-0)
2015 – Oakland Bishop O’Dowd (28-4)
2014 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (35-0)
2013 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-2)
2012 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-2)
2011 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (32-3)
2010 – Los Angeles Westchester (32-3)
2009 – Los Angeles Westchester (35-2)
2008 – Oakland McClymonds (32-0)
2007 – Lakewood Artesia (33-2)
2006 – Lakewood Artesia (32-1)
2005 – Los Angeles Westchester (25-3)
2004 – Los Angeles Westchester (23-2)
2003 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-2)
2002 – Los Angeles Westchester (32-2)
2001 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (33-2)
2000 – Compton Dominguez (35-2)
1999 – Compton Dominguez (32-3)
1998 – Los Angeles Westchester (29-3)
1997 – North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake (35-1)
1996 – Compton Dominguez (34-2)
1995 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (36-1)
1994 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (29-2)
1993 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (26-2)
1992 – Alameda St. Joseph (32-3)
1991 – Alameda St. Joseph (31-3)
1990 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-1)
1989 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (25-2)
1988 – Los Angeles Manual Arts (27-3)
1987 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (31-1)
1986 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (25-2)
1985 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (24-0)
1984 – Long Beach Poly (31-2)
1983 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (27-2)
1982 – Carson (26-2)
1981 – Long Beach Poly (26-2)
1980 – Inglewood (29-0)
1979 – Los Angeles Verbum Dei (28-1)
1978 – Pasadena (26-2)
1977 – Oakland Fremont (25-1)
1976 – Long Beach Poly (30-1)
1975 – Elk Grove (27-5)
1974 – Los Angeles Verbum Dei (30-2)
1973 – Los Angeles Verbum Dei (29-2)
1972 – Los Angeles Verbum Dei (30-1)
1971 – Los Angeles Verbum Dei (29-2)
1970 – Berkeley (32-0)
1969 – Compton (30-0)
1968 – Compton (32-0)
1967 – Los Angeles Fremont (16-2)
1966 – Los Angeles Jordan (18-0)
1965 – Long Beach Poly (29-3)
1964 – Long Beach Poly (32-1)
1963 – Oakland McClymonds (19-3)
1962 – Oakland McClymonds (23-0)
1961 – Compton (28-3)
1960 – Oakland McClymonds (22-0)
1959 – Oakland McClymonds (22-0)
1958 – Oakland McClymonds (21-0)
1957 – San Francisco Poly (28-1)
1956 – El Cerrito (31-1)
1955 – Alhambra (27-2)
1954 – San Francisco St. Ignatius (26-2)
1953 – Los Angeles Loyola (34-2)
1952 – Compton (32-0)
1951 – Los Angeles Jefferson (27-0)
1950 – Chico (15-3)
1949 – Los Angeles Washington (21-0)
1948 – San Francisco Lincoln (29-2)
1947 – Los Angeles Mt. Carmel (34-2)
1946 – Stockton (20-2)
1945 – San Diego Hoover (16-1)
1944 – Alameda (15-1)
1943 – San Francisco St. Ignatius (14-0)
1942 – Palo Alto (18-0)
1941 – Glendale Hoover (21-1)
1940 – Long Beach Poly (22-2)
1939 – San Francisco Lowell (17-3)
1938 – Whittier (24-3)
1937 – San Francisco Lowell (17-3)
1936 – San Diego (14-1)
1935 – Santa Barbara (14-1)
1934 – Santa Barbara (16-1)
1933 – Stockton (16-2)
1932 – San Francisco Lowell (18-3)
1931 – Whittier (25-1)
1930 – Palo Alto (13-0)
Note: List continues back to 1903 in Cal-Hi Sports Record Book & Almanac. All selections prior to 1975 made retroactively based on research by our founder, the late Nelson Tennis.
Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
