High school basketball rankings: Sierra Canyon tops Preseason California MaxPreps Top 25

Top-ranked Trailblazers are favorites to capture fourth straight state championship.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Jordan Divens

By Jordan Divens

Nov 12, 2021, 1:00pm

Sierra Canyon junior Amari Bailey scores 35 in 70-54 win over Windward.

Five-star UCLA commit Amari Bailey scores 35 8,880 views 1:24

The 2021-22 high school basketball season in California tips off this week and MaxPreps has your look at the state's top teams. Coming off a 16-2 campaign last spring, Sierra Canyon owns the No. 1 spot in our preseason rankings.

The Trailblazers also open atop the national rankings behind reigning California Player of the Year Amari Bailey, four-star junior Bronny James, four-star Nebraska commit Ramel Lloyd Jr. and an elite crop of incoming transfers headlined by five-star sophomore guard Isaiah Elohim, four-star USC commit Kijani Wright, 6-foot-9 Tim Rudovskiy and the possibility of top 100 junior Mike Price (eligibility pending).

Sierra Canyon won CIF Open Division titles in 2018 and 2019 before being declared co-champions in 2020 after COVID-19 forced an abrupt end to the season prior to the state championship game.

There were no state playoffs last season as the Trailblazers fell in the CIF Southern Section title game to Centennial (Corona) 80-72 and lost to Etiwanda in the Southern California Open Division Regional semifinals.

No state champions have been crowned in California since 2019.