Sherman Oaks Notre Dame may have missed the CIFSS Open Division playoffs but it surely wasn’t because of the recent play of small forward Zach White. The No. 24 player in the state in the talented 2026 class is pictured with his father Russell White, who entered his senior season at Encino Crespi in 1988 as not only the top football player in the Hot 100 but also the most publicized player in state history up to that point. Photo: Dinos Trigonis.
Our boys basketball coverage for Gold Club VIPs continues with a look at the state’s top college prospects in each class. The sophomore class (2026) has been a bumper crop so far and could one day rate among the state’s best all-time classes. We expand our 2026 rankings from 25 to 65 for this installment with eight newcomers to the original 25 positions and plenty of talented D1 prospects from 26 to 65. The Cal-Hi Sports Top 65 will be updated at the close of this school year in early summer 2024.
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NEW HOT 100 FOR CLASS OF 2024 | NEW HOT 100 FOR CLASS OF 2025
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The first 2026 Cal-Hi Sports Top 65 for the 2023-24 school year is based on evaluations from non-viewing showcases since August, various fall leagues and the current high school season prior to the playoffs. These rankings are based on college potential, not high school performance, although the baseline of where we begin with each prospect begins with high school basketball.
We’ll follow this report by introducing the Class of 2027 with an initial Top 25. In the coming months, we’ll continue publishing our archived Hot 100s as part of the most comprehensive California state player rankings you’ll find on the internet that you can sort through using the easy-to-use dropdown menu below. We’ll continue to roll out more enhanced features on the Hot 100 players where you’ll be able to search through our vast profiles and evaluations. We’ll highlight California’s individual players — past, present, and future — better than it’s ever been done before.
The previous rankings in the 2026 post-summer Top 65 refers to the player’s position in the previous list we published in June 2023 after the high school season and spring evaluation period in conjunction with the Hoop Scoop, our partner for boys basketball national player rankings. We expand from 65 to 100 players when sophomores enter their junior season and expand from 25 to 65 when freshmen enter 10th grade.
