High School

Jared McCain becomes first NBA 1st-rounder out of Corona Centennial, taken No. 16 by 76ers

Jared McCain was the No. 15 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft Wednesday night, marking history for Corona Centennial High.

Tarek Fattal

Dec 10, 2022; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Centennial High School guard Jared McCain (24) against Bishop Gorman High School during the HoopHall West basketball tournament at Chaparral High School. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2022; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Centennial High School guard Jared McCain (24) against Bishop Gorman High School during the HoopHall West basketball tournament at Chaparral High School. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The man doesn't miss.

Jared McCain became the first player to be drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft from California's Corona Centennial High Wednesday night when he was selected No. 16 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2024 draft.

Ike Anigbogu was the program's first NBA Draft selection in 2017 when he was taken by the Indiana Pacers in the second round (47th overall).

Before starring at Duke as a freshman where McCain started all 36 games and averaged 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, he was a standout at Centennial and is well-regarded as one of the best high school basketball players to come out of California in the last five years.

The SoCal native helped the Huskies win three straight CIF Southern Section Open Division championships (2021, '22, '23) and a CIF State Open Division title in 2022.

McCain was named Gatorade California Player of the Year two straight years (2022, '23) while being regarded as a 5-star prospect on Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports. The sharpshooting guard averaged 16.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and four assists per game as a junior before notching 17.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, four assists, and 1.5 steals per game as a senior.

He went on to be named California Mr. Basketball in 2023 and was named a McDonald's All-American.

JARED MCCAIN VS. BRONNY JAMES

When in high school, Jared McCain and Bronny James faced off when McCain was with Centennial and James was with Sierra Canyon.

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Tarek Fattal, SBLive Sports
TAREK FATTAL

Tarek Fattal has been covering high school sports since 2015 in Southern California and primarily in Los Angeles, covering notable athletes such as Bronny James, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Alyssa Thompson. He was with the LA Daily News for eight years, which included being the beat reporter for the UCLA men's basketball team. Tarek can be seen on TV regularly on CBS/KCAL as a sports analyst with Jim Hill.

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