Ryan Doane (left) starts off on top of our initial 2028 Top 25. He’s pictured here with 2025 Hot 100 teammate Janre Elouna-Eyenga, who is headed to UNC-Charlotte. Doane has stepped up in recent Trinity League games for the Lions. Photo: Ronnie Flores.
Our boys basketball coverage for Gold Club VIPs continues with a first look at the state’s top ninth-graders. The freshman (2028) class has an excellent talent level and some are already making an impact on state ranked clubs, but it’s still too early to tell how it will stack up to the terrific 2025 and 2026 classes. Some in this group are already mature and it’s important to keep that in mind when projecting future success, especially for post players who often develop later. There is also a solid crop of players eager to break into this list once it expands to a Top 65.
Related: California’s Top 8th Graders Since 1982 | NEW HOT 100 FOR CLASS OF 2025 | NEW HOT 100 FOR CLASS OF 2026 | NEW TOP 65 FOR CLASS OF 2027
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The first Class of 2028 Cal-Hi Sports Top 25 for the 2024-25 school year in boys hoops is based on evaluations from this past summer’s NCAA viewing periods, non-viewing showcases since August, middle school events over the past year and the current high school season through the MLK Day showcases.
The baseline of where we begin with each prospect begins with high school basketball, so keep that in mind when you view the initial rankings for the 2028 class because they have played less than a season of regulation varsity basketball. These rankings will expand as we see more varsity games the rest of this season through the CIF state finals and will change over time as players develop and new ones emerge in the next six months. Cal-Hi Sports realizes some talented ninth graders sit behind talented upperclassmen, while a select few remain in junior high this school year. We also realize not every 2028 prospect participated in showcase events the past six months, in last summer’s NCAA viewing periods or with their high school team this season and we might not have yet had an opportunity to evaluate them. That’s why we limit this list to 25 players.
