Mr. Basketball State Player of the Year Brayden Burries of Eastvale Roosevelt holds CIF Open Division state title trophy (left) and scores on a dunk during the game vs S.F. Archbishop Riordan. Photos: Sam Stringer / Cal-Hi Sports.
There was plenty of competition, but it’s not a surprising choice for Mr. Basketball, as Brayden Burries’ accomplishments for CIF Open Division state champ Eastvale Roosevelt were incredible and deserve individual recognition. Today, one of the nation’s best guards headed to Arizona is awarded California’s most prestigious, long-running individual honor.
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When a player as talented as 6-foot-5 Brayden Burries is as motivated as he was during his senior campaign for Roosevelt of Eastvale, special results can happen. For Burries, the team results he helped produce were expected to be spectacular, and they were. It just so happens he took his game to the next level with some help along the way from some close friends on the Roosevelt basketball team.
The results yielded two season-long accomplished goals: the first a CIF Southern Section title in the open division and the second the CIF’s ultimate prize, an Open Division state title as the best team in the state of California. For Cal-Hi Sports, we quite frankly expected Roosevelt to be a terrific team led by Burries, starting them out preseason No. 1 in the state. As for Burries, his individual dominance was more impressive than perhaps anticipated, and the ending will be remembered for a long time.
For the 2024-25 season, California Mr. Basketball basically came down to Burries and another individual who accumulated just as much or even more individual accolades — St. Joseph of Santa Maria senior Tounde Yessoufou. He broke the Cal-Hi Sports state record for career scoring.
When looking over both of their resumes, however, it’s clear Burries’ combination of team and individual success makes him hard to beat out. Head-to-head matchups are also a critical component of the evaluation process, and unfortunately for Yessoufou the CIF essentially took away a possible head-to-head matchup between himself and Burries by putting St. Joseph in the South Regional bracket instead of the North, which it had the power to do.
California Mr. Basketball Brayden Burries is on the prowl to score some of the 44 points he had during CIF Open Division state final in March vs Archbishop Riordan. Photo: Sam Stringer / Cal-Hi Sports.
Still, for leading his team to meet all of its season goals, and for doing it in statistically dominant fashion, today Burries has been honored as California Mr. Basketball State Player of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports.
“Yes, I expected to win everything we played in because it was our last year and we had no other option but to win,” Brayden told Cal-Hi Sports. “I would say I was very locked in to the point I didn’t know/or care if we played Tounde or not. I was focused on winning every game, one game at a time.”
To put this announcement in perspective, Burries was so dominant on his way to leading Roosevelt to its first CIF open state crown, he edged out Yessoufou, the new state career scoring king. The power guard had a terrific season in his own right, scoring 28.1 ppg in leading St. Joe’s to a 31-2 mark and the state’s No. 4 ranking. Yessoufou finished with 3,659 career points. Not to be outdone, Burries averaged 29.6 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 3.3 apg and 2.9 spg for a 35-2 club that, of course, finished No. 1 in the state.
Burries started his career at Riverside Poly and scored 554 points (19.1 ppg) as a freshman. He and Roosevelt teammate Issac Williamson, himself a prime all-state candidate, had to sit out their sophomore campaign at Roosevelt because of administrative issues and Burries came back to score 868 points as a junior when he averaged 24.8 ppg, was a Mr. Basketball finalist and named State Junior Player of the Year. This season he scored 1,092 points, the No. 2 all-time single season mark for Inland Empire players behind the 1,155 points scored by all-stater Lou Kelly of San Bernardino Cajon in 1997, to finish with 2,516 career points.
“I did expect Brayden to dominate the competition this year,” three-time state champion Steven Singleton said about the best player he’s ever coached at Roosevelt. “The work he put in, in the off-season and throughout the whole year, and coming in with such a focus on getting back to where we were the year before, really had him locked in and focused on being the best player in the state.”
Obviously it was more than just numbers that allowed Burries to earn the state’s most prestigious individual honor. He helped his team reach its main goals, winning the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas before taking The Classic at Damien right after Christmas. Burries was named Most Valuable Player at Tark after Roosevelt defeated then state No. 4 Notre Dame as the power guard scored 26 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out three assists. The Mustangs then defeated Bellflower St. John Bosco at The Classic in a state No. 1 vs. No. 2 affair in overtime, 56-55, as Burries was named the event’s MVP for the second consecutive season after posting 24 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the victory.
For the fourth time in six years, the Mr. Baseball honoree is the best player on the team that finished No. 1 in the state. All of them hail from the CIF Southern Section, and in fact, this is the 10th consecutive season the Mr. Basketball winner hails from the largest CIF section. The 2015 honoree was Ivan Rabb of Oakland Bishop O’Dowd, who led NorCal to the region’s only CIF open crown.
This is what Brayden looked like as a freshman four years ago during 2021-22 season at Poly of Riverside. Photo: Nothing But Net Magazine.
Ironically, Burries’ toughest competition for this year’s honor was a player (Yessoufou) from a CIF section that we always consider NorCal for rankings and individual honors (Central Section) even though his team (St. Joseph) was once in the CIF Southern Section and played in the SoCal open playoffs.
There is some prevailing thought that it would have been mouth-watering to have witnessed the state’s all-time leading scorer go up against the best player on the best team in California in the CIF open title game at the Golden One Center on March 15, but the CIF Central Section D1 champs were placed in the Southern open regional playoffs against a gauntlet of good CIF Southern Section teams that had already played a combination of games against each other. There was a good opportunity for the CIF to place St. Joseph in the North, but taking the easier route was done and San Francisco Riordan was left as the heavy favorite for whomever emerged from the South gauntlet. That’s why you have to give Notre Dame and its star junior Tyran Stokes plenty of credit because the Knights went to Santa Maria and downed St. Joseph, 66-64, despite 38 points from Yessoufou.
Notre Dame’s season and Stokes’ dominant play at times is what makes Burries’ candidacy even that much more impressive. Sure, Roosevelt didn’t get to play St. Joseph, but there is no guarantee that team would have defeated Riordan in the NorCals and Burries still had to get by Notre Dame two more times in state No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups after beating the Knights at Tark. The second game came in the CIF Southern Section open title game, as Burries had 19 points in the Mustangs’ 74-67 victory in which the power guard had 17 in the second half.
It was the Burries’ final two games that put him over the top for this honor, as he saved his best for last. The L.A. Times Player of the Year and two-time Player of the Year by the Riverside Press-Enterprise met up with Notre Dame for yet another No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the state matchup in the SoCal open final. That’s where Burries refused to lose, following up his 30-point performance in the SoCal open semifinal win over two-time CIF open champ Harvard-Westlake with huge plays down the stretch to knock off Notre Dame for the third time, 79-76. The best player in Roosevelt’s history made 9-of-11 free throws, including five in the final 45 seconds, and nailed six 3-pointers, including the final one with 1:11 remaining that gave the Mustangs a 70-68 lead they would not relinquish. Roosevelt needed his 16 fourth quarter points, and 37 overall, to advance to the CIF open title game against Riordan.
After the CIF open title game, it wasn’t a case if Burries had locked up the state’s highest honor, it was more of how he stacked up against some of the best individual performers to ever play in a CIF State final and his place among the all-time greats in Riverside County history.
In Roosevelt’s dominant 80-60 win over Riordan, Burries’ performance was quickly compared to those of other Mr. Basketball winners. Only 1989 honoree Tracy Murray has scored more points (64) in a state title game than Burries scored vs. Riordan (44). It tied him for second all-time with another talented all-state player, Alijah Arenas of Chatsworth, who scored his 44 points in a D4 loss. Burries scored more points by a winning player in any CIF state final game ever and his point output is easily the top mark at the open level.
Combine that with his 12 rebounds, three bocks and two steals and you had Cal-Hi Sports wondering if Burries’ performance topped those of two-time Mr. Basketball winners and future NBA players Jason Kidd (Alameda St. Joseph) and John Williams (L.A. Crenshaw) and if it qualified as the best by any individual for a winning team in nearly 50 years of modern CIF state title games.
Brayden was asked to pose with longtime friends Myles Walker (middle) and Issac Williamson after the CIF Open Division state title game press conference. Photo: Mark Tennis / Cal-Hi Sports.
That’s how good Burries was this season.
“His shot making ability was unlike any player we’ve faced,” said Riordan head coach Joey Curtin. “He has a pro ready game and obviously has a knack for playing his best in the biggest moments.”
As far as the pros, Burries will likely hear his name called for the NBA Draft after one season at Arizona, which he committed to on Wednesday morning at Roosevelt on national television. USC, Alabama and Tennessee also were in contention. At UofA, he will join forces with Koa Peat, another top prospect from the Class of 2025 from Perry High of Gilbert, Ariz., who committed to the Wildcats two weeks ago. Sierra Canyon’s Bryce James also will be playing for the Wildcats.
As far as greats from Riverside County to earn Mr. Basketball honors, Riverside King’s Kawhi Leonard will be the benchmark. Williams was so dominant he was named Mr. Basketball as a junior in 1983 over a skinny wing from Riverside Poly named Reggie Miller. As a prep. Burries is certainly on par with Leonard and the two most recent honorees from the county, Corona Centennial’s Donovan Dent (now UCLA) in 2022 and Jared McCain (now Philadelphia 76ers) in 2023.
What makes this honor even more special is that Brayden was able to lead his teammates and friends since elementary school, Williamson and Myles Walker (who started at Riverside J.W. North), to the pinnacle of California high school basketball. With Burries playing his all-round game, Williamson providing good defense and timely shot making and Walker serving as the floor general, Roosevelt did not lose to another CIF team. That was also a factor in Burries beating out Yessoufou, Stokes and any other talented player he went up against.
“Winning state with Issac, Myles and my teammates was great because I got to win it for my hometown, the I.E.,” Burries said. “I could’ve went to a different school or prep school but I didn’t. I wanted to stay loyal to my team and coaches.”
Singleton sure thought it made a difference.
“I really think our chemistry had a huge role in the success that we had this year, especially with Brayden, Issac and Myles playing together for such a long time,” Singleton said. “And being so comfortable with each other really helped when it came to getting all the other guys onto the same page also. This is probably one of the tightest and closest groups that I have coached in my 10 years as head coach at Roosevelt. They really enjoy playing together, but also hanging out off the court.”
MR. BASKETBALL STATE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
ALL-TIME LIST
Note: All selections by Cal-Hi Sports; All-time list before 1978 compiled by our founder, the late Nelson Tennis, based on research.
Mr. Basketball Trent Perry played with UCLA during the 2024-25 season. Photo: Willie Eashman / Cal-Hi Sports.
2025 – Brayden Burries,
Eastvale Roosevelt, 6-5 Sr.
2024 – Trent Perry,
Studio City Harvard-Westlake, 6-4 Sr.
2023 – Jared McCain, Corona Centennial, 6-3 Sr.
2022 – Donovan Dent, Corona Centennial, 6-3 Sr.
2021 – Amari Bailey, Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, 6-5 Jr.
2020 – Brandon Boston Jr.,
Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, 6-8
2019 – Onyeka Okongwu, Chino Hills, 6-9
2018 – Onyeka Okongwu, Chino Hills, 6-9 Jr.
2017 – Ethan Thompson,
Torrance Bishop Montgomery, 6-4
2016 – Lonzo Ball, Chino Hills, 6-6
2015 – Ivan Rabb, Oakland Bishop O’Dowd, 6-10
2014 – Stanley Johnson, Santa Ana Mater Dei, 6-6
2013 – Aaron Gordon, San Jose Archbishop Mitty, 6-8
2012 – Aaron Gordon,
San Jose Archbishop Mitty, 6-8 Jr.
2011 – Ryan Anderson, Long Beach Poly, 6-8
2010 – Allen Crabbe, Los Angeles Price, 6-6
2009 – Kawhi Leonard,
Riverside Martin Luther King, 6-7
2008 – Jrue Holiday,
North Hollywood Campbell Hall, 6-3
2007 – Taylor King, Santa Ana Mater Dei, 6-8
2006 – Chase Budinger, Carlsbad La Costa Canyon, 6-8
2005 – Amir Johnson, L.A. Westchester, 6-10
2004 – DeMarcus Nelson, Sacramento Sheldon, 6-3
2003 – Trevor Ariza, L.A. Westchester, 6-8
2002 – Hassan Adams, L.A. Westchester, 6-4
2001 – Tyson Chandler, Compton Dominguez, 7-1
2000 – Tyson Chandler, Compton Dominguez, 7-0 Jr.
1999 – Casey Jacobsen, Glendora, 6-6
1998 – Tayshaun Prince, Compton Dominguez, 6-8
1997 – Baron Davis, Santa Monica Crossroads, 6-2
1996 – Corey Benjamin, Fontana, 6-6
1995 – Paul Pierce, Inglewood, 6-7
1994 – Jelani Gardner, Bellflower St. John Bosco, 6-6
1993 – Charles O’Bannon, Lakewood Artesia, 6-7
1992 – Jason Kidd, Alameda St. Joseph, 6-4
1991 – Jason Kidd, Alameda St. Joseph, 6-4 Jr.
1990 – Ed O’Bannon, Lakewood Artesia, 6-9
1989 – Tracy Murray, Glendora, 6-8
1988 – Chris Mills, L.A. Fairfax, 6-7
1987 – LeRon Ellis, Santa Ana Mater Dei, 6-11
1986 – Scott Williams, Hacienda Heights Wilson, 6-10
1985 – Tom Lewis, Santa Ana Mater Dei, 6-7
1984 – John Williams, L.A. Crenshaw, 6-8
1983 – John Williams, L.A. Crenshaw, 6-7 Jr.
1982 – Tony Jackson, Oakland Bishop O’Dowd, 6-4
1981 – Dwayne Polee, L.A. Manual Arts, 6-5
1980 – Ralph Jackson, Inglewood, 6-3
1979 – Darren Daye, Granada Hills Kennedy, 6-7
1978 – Greg Goorjian, Crescenta Valley, 6-2
1977 – Cliff Robinson, Oakland Castlemont, 6-7
1976 – Rich Branning, Huntington Beach Marina, 6-2
1975 – Bill Cartwright, Elk Grove, 7-1
1974 – Bill Cartwright, Elk Grove, 7-0 Jr.
1973 – Marques Johnson, L.A. Crenshaw, 6-5
1972 – Cliff Pondexter, Fresno San Joaquin Memorial, 6-7 Jr.
1971 – Roscoe Pondexter, Fresno San Joaquin Memorial, 6-6
1970 – Bill Walton, La Mesa Helix, 6-10
1969 – Keith Wilkes, Ventura, 6-5 Jr.
1968 – Paul Westphal, Redondo Beach Aviation, 6-2
1967 – Curtis Rowe, L.A. Fremont, 6-6
1966 – Dennis Awtrey, San Jose Blackford, 6-9
1965 – Bob Portman, S.F. St. Ignatius, 6-5
1964 – Russ Critchfield, Salinas, 5-10
1963 – Edgar Lacey, L.A. Jefferson, 6-6
1962 – Joe Ellis, Oakland McClymonds, 6-5
1961 – Gail Goodrich, L.A. Poly, 5-11
1960 – Paul Silas, Oakland McClymonds, 6-6
1959 – Steve Gray, S.F. Washington, 6-4
1958 – Billy McGill, L.A. Jefferson, 6-9
1957 – Tom Meschery, S.F. Lowell, 6-5
1956 – Fred LaCour, S.F. St. Ignatius, 6-4
1955 – Fred LaCour, S.F. St. Ignatius, 6-4 Jr.
1954 – Willie Davis, Alameda, 5-11
1953 – Bill Bond, Long Beach St. Anthony, 6-1
1952 – Willie Naulls, San Pedro, 6-5
1951 – Ken Sears, Watsonville, 6-7
1950 – Don Bragg, S.F. Galileo, 6-3
Note: List extends back to 1905 in the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book and Almanac.
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
