All-State Boys BB 2023: First Team

B.J. Davis of Modesto Christian (left) stepped up in a big way after the transfer of another player at the start of the season. At right, Dougherty Valley standout Ryan Beasley is shown scoring during team’s big win over San Ysidro in December at Torrey Pines tourney. Photos: Samantha Schmidt / Manteca Bulletin & LocalToday.News.

Mr. Basketball State Player of the Year Jared McCain of CIF Southern Section Open Division champ Centennial of Corona and our brand new named NorCal Player of the Year B.J. Davis of Modesto Christian headline the 44th annual Cal-Hi Sports all-state boys basketball teams. Go inside to see why these 10 have finished their careers as First Team Overall honorees out of the thousands who played across the state in 2022-23.

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2023 CAL-HI SPORTS ALL-STATE
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FIRST TEAM OVERALL

G – Ryan Beasley (Dougherty Valley, San Ramon) 5-11 Sr.
This sweet shooting guard is a repeat selection, as he moves up from third team a year ago when he led the Wildcats to the CIF North Coast Section title game. He actually averaged less points than he did last season (30.6 ppg), but his other numbers were fairly identical on a team that was much better this time around with another 20 ppg scorer (Connor Sevilla) and had similar numbers in other main categories. Dougherty Valley not only captured the rugged East Bay Athletic League title, it won the NCS Open Division crown and finished ranked No. 11 in the state with a 27-4 mark. Beasley concluded his stellar career by averaging 24.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.3 spg (all team highs), including 36 points in a season-ending loss to eventual NorCal open champ St. Joseph of Santa Maria in the regional semifinals. Beasley also had 42 points when he willed the Wildcats back from a 27-point deficit to defeat San Ramon Valley of Danville in the EBAL semifinals. His terrific season is reflected in his local honors as well, as Beasley was named overall player of the year by the San Francisco Chronicle and the Bay Area News Group. Headed to USF, Beasley’s terrific numbers don’t do justice on the impact he had on winning and the two-time EBAL Player of the Year was considered heavily for NorCal Player of the Year honors.

G – B.J. Davis (Modesto Christian) 6-1 Sr.
Similar to Ryan Beasley, Davis moves up from third team as a repeat selection. The difference between the two is the Crusaders lost a returning first team all-stater after the season started to transfer, so Davis had to step up his offensive production in order for his team to remain one of the state’s best and did so. Davis became the focal point of defenses, so his shooting percentages slightly dipped with the increased volume, but it still didn’t take away from his dynamic play-making ability or overall impact. In fact, the team jelled behind Davis’ play, as he shot 46 percent from the field, 44 percent from 3-point land and 84 percent from the line. He wasn’t able to turn in his third consecutive “50/40/90” campaign, but he did lead the Crusaders to yet another NorCal open title game appearance, where they fell to St. Joseph of Santa Maria. He did score 26 points in that game and had 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the regional semifinal victory over De La Salle. When the Crusaders defeated St. Joe’s earlier in the season, Davis led his team to victory with 19-fourth quarter points and 38 total in a one-point win. For the season, the Modesto Bee Player of the Year averaged 19.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.6 apg and 1.9 spg for a team that finished No. 10 in the state and faced national-level competition. He’s also been added in our archives as the season’s NorCal Player of the Year, the program’s second honoree after Chuck Hayes in 2000-01, and played a big hand in this program reaching the CIF open title game in his junior year and going 15-0 as a sophomore in which he did hit the 50/40/90 mark. That summer of 2021 right after the season, we told many college coaches how special Davis could be and San Diego State seems to be the perfect fit where he could replace former all-state star Lamont Butler, whether it’s next season or in 2024-25.

Jurian Dixon repeated as the CIF San Diego Section Player of the Year. Photo: Aaron Burgin / @FullTimeHoops1.

G – Jurian Dixon
(St. Augustine, San Diego) 6-4 Sr.
For the second consecutive year this powerful guard is the best player on the best team in San Diego County. Dixon also improved his overall game, despite his ppg dropping from 22.8 to 18.2 from his junior season, and it’s amazing to us that even in this era of the transfer portal more colleges weren’t quick to offer him. Dixon can finish powerfully around the rim and has expanded his range and perimeter skill each of the past two seasons. After last season’s team finished ranked No. 15 in the state, Dixon led Saints to a 28-5 overall record and No. 5 state ranking while going wire-to-wire as the San Diego Section’s No. 1 team. In addition to his scoring prowess, Dixon averaged 6.1 rpg and 2.9 apg while leading Saints to the SoCal open semifinals. Dixon went for 31 points in the big win over West Ranch of Valencia and had 18 points when his team easily downed Montgomery to claim its second consecutive section crown. He moves up from the second team after being named Player of the Year in the Western League, by the San Diego Union-Tribune and by Aaron Burgin, who runs the San Diego-based Full Time Hoops scouting service, for the second consecutive year.

F – Brady Dunlap (Harvard-Westlake, Studio City) 6-8 Sr.
Dunlap moves up from the third team even though he didn’t make the 10-man L.A. Times All-Star squad this season as he did last season. Harvard-Westlake was the most well-rounded team in the state and it’s not easy to separate individual honors for its starting five. This year, Notre Dame and Centennial both have two first team selections so it’s a sound call to have Dunlap join his teammate Trent Perry on first team. Last season, Dunlap was on the overall all-state team with leading scorer Cam Thrower, but this time around he was the Wolverines’ top marksman (17 ppg) while also contributing five rebounds per game and shooting 47 percent from the field. One of the state’s toughest matchups each night out because of his ability to play inside-out, Dunlap closed strong, scoring 18 points in the SoCal open semifinal win over St. John Bosco, 19 points in the regional final victory over Corona Centennial and a team-high 18 points in the CIF open title game win over St. Joseph. All-region by the L.A. Daily News for the second straight season, Dunlap is also a three-time all-Mission League choice. He’s still deciding between Nebraska, North Carolina, Penn State, St. John’s and Villanova for college.

Caleb Foster already has been named L.A. Daily News Player of the Year and will play next at Duke. Photo: Samuel Stringer.

G – Caleb Foster
(Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks) 6-3 Sr.
This North Carolina native wasted no time making an impact in California after two terrific seasons at powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. Foster followed up on an All-American Underclass season by leading Notre Dame to a CIF D1 state crown and a FAB 50 National Ranking. The Knights did have some up-and-downs, but Foster came through in the big games, going for 28 points in the D1 regional final victory over Mission League foe Sierra Canyon and 33 points in the state final vs. Granada of Livermore, the latter a CIF championship game D1 record. In four victories over Sierra Canyon, Foster averaged 20.5 ppg and for the season averaged 21.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 3.9 apg and 1.2 spg. Evaluating many Notre Dame games in person, Foster’s strength, skill level and explosiveness was just too much for nearly any guard in the country to handle. On top of that, he kept defenders honest by shooting 38 percent from 3-point range. Not only was he the state’s most explosive guard, his talent level turned heads and he’ll return to his home base to play for Duke. Foster is considered the Mr. Basketball runner-up to Jared McCain, who will join him in Durham. Foster not only was named to the all-CIFSS open division and 10-man L.A. Times All-Star Team, he was also named Player of the Year by the L.A. Daily News.

F – Aaron McBride (Centennial, Corona) 6-8 Sr.
Centennial coach Josh Giles gave McBride the ultimate compliment by saying he’s the most irreplaceable player the program has ever had in his 20-year coaching career. McBride has been a four-year contributor and three-year starter on teams that won three consecutive CIF Southern Section Open Division titles. McBride made California’s individual play of the year when he jumped a passing lane vs. St. John Bosco at the Honda Center, took two dribbles from half court and slammed home the winning dunk as time expired to give the Huskies their third consecutive section title. That was just one of the many hustle or team-oriented plays that don’t necessarily show up in the stat sheet that McBride did more than any other player in the state. On top of that, he was quite productive in the major categories that do matter, averaging 13.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 3.0 apg and 1.3 bpg while shooting 61.3 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from 3-point range and 84.1 percent from the line for the state’s No. 2 team. McBride not only earned first team all-CIFSS honors, he was also named to the L.A. times All-Star team and earned high praise from long-time SoCal scout Frank Burlison, who felt he was the senior of the year in the Southland. LMU also thought highly of McBride for a long time, and the excellent student will be joining the Lions’ program in the fall.

G – Jared McCain (Centennial, Corona) 6-3 Sr.
Not only does McCain join Dusty Stromer as the only two repeat first team selections, McCain was actually a Mr. Basketball finalist two years in a row. Last season, McCain was named the State Junior Player of the Year while teammate Donovan Dent was named Mr. Basketball, L.A. Times Player of the Year and Inland Player of the Year by the Press Enterprise. This season, those honors, plus state Open/D1 Player of the Year, went to the social media star with a thirst for competition and a off-court routine that allowed him to maximize his potential as a high school player. McCain felt he should have been a three-time Elite team selection, but even though it ended up being twice he’s still ends up as one of the most highly-decorated players in Riverside County history. After closing out his senior season averaging 18 ppg, seven rpg and four apg, McCain becomes our third ever Mr. Basketball selection headed to Duke, joining Taylor King (2007) and DeMarcus Nelson (2004).

There are some who think sophomore Tounde Yessoufou of St. Joseph (Santa Maria) was the most talented player in the state even ahead of all juniors and sophomores. Photo: Mark Tennis / Cal-Hi Sports.

G – Trent Perry
(Harvard-Westlake, Studio City) 6-4 Jr.
This happy-go-lucky player with an infectious attitude and big-play ability came into his own this season and on the state’s top team, the results are leading to some big-time individual recognition. On the ultimate team where the sum of the parts are greater than the individual pieces, the individuals are darn good, too, and Perry is getting the most accolades. He was named Mission League Player of the Year over four other Elite team selections and came up big when Harvard-Westlake needed him the most. Perry had 25 points in the monster win over defending open champ Corona Centennial in the SoCal open final and went for 16 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and two steals in the CIF open title game win over St. Joseph of Santa Maria. The assist mark set a all-time record and summed up his improvement as a point guard this season. He’s always been a excellent defender and clutch performer. Perry was named all-area by the L.A. Daily News, all Southland by the L.A. Times and has already been named as our State Junior of the Year.

F – Dusty Stromer (Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks) 6-7 Sr.
A repeat first team selection, Stromer had a terrific season in teaming with fellow first team selection Caleb Foster to form a formidable 1-2 punch. Even though he didn’t repeat some of his local honors (such as L.A. Daily News Player of the Year and Mission League MVP), Stromer was one of the state’s most versatile talents despite his numbers being slightly down from his junior campaign. Stromer played all over the floor and helped the Knights to the CIF D1 title by averaging 17.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.2 apg and 1.2 spg. Even more than his numbers, Stromer was lauded for his defensive effort all over the court and the ability to be a primary scorer or facilitator. A repeat selection to the L.A. Times All-Star Team and all-CIFSS open division team, Stromer gutted out a back injury to help Notre Dame close its season on a strong note and secure the state title after excelling against one of the nation’s toughest regular season schedules. Stromer is headed to Gonzaga.

F – Tounde Yessoufou (St. Joseph, Santa Maria) 6-5 Soph.
It wasn’t hard to pick this Benin native as the state’s top 10th-grader after leading the Knights to the CIF open title game. In fact, Yessoufou was seriously considered for NorCal Player of the Year honors along with first teamer Ryan Beasley and B.J. Davis. Although we haven’t had a sophomore earn regional POY honors in the CIF state championship era (1981 to present) and Santa Maria is not geographically what most would consider NorCal, St. Joe’s is part of the CIF Central Section, which we always consider North for honors. Yessoufou is that good, too, as he expanded his game to become a 3-point threat while still dominating foes with his strength and explosiveness. Yessoufou led his team to the CIF Central Section D1 title while the team went unbeaten vs. in-section foes and finished ranked No. 9 in the state. A two-time Mountain League MVP, this powerful wing finished his campaign averaging 27.7 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 2.9 apg, 3.7 spg and 1.3 bpg.

Note: Co-founder Mark Tennis contributed to this report.

Ronnie Flores is the managing editor of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at ronlocc1977@yahoo.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores