High School

Section 7 basketball: Stock risers from CIF Southern Section

Crespi 2027 guard Isaiah Barnes showed he's ready to step into a bigger role for the Celts after a big weekend at Section 7 in Arizona

Tarek Fattal

Isaiah Barnes of Encino Crespi had a promising weekend at Section 7 in Glendale, Ariz. in June of 2024.
Isaiah Barnes of Encino Crespi had a promising weekend at Section 7 in Glendale, Ariz. in June of 2024. / Nick Arriagada

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - The CIF Southern Section was well represented in the 2024 edition of Section 7, which is touted as the best high school basketball event in the country each summer due to the trimmings it provides.

More than 160 schools compete, including the best programs from the West Coast. High-profile college coaches come from all over the country to recruit. Kansas' Bill Self, Kentucky's Mark Pope, UCLA's Mick Cronin and new USC coach Eric Musselman were in attendance.

And best of all, the event gives a unique scene of 12 basketball courts inside State Farm Stadium, home of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals.

Aerial view of Section 7 basketball courts at State Farm Stadium.
Aerial view of Section 7 basketball courts at State Farm Stadium. / Section 7

Each team plays four games and hopes to win their respective bracket final on Sunday. Seven Southern Section teams reached bracket finals, and four teams were crowned champions: Crespi, Rolling Hills Prep, St. Anthony and St. Pius.

After the three-day event, here are players that rose their stock in the eyes of recruiters, evaluators, media, and their own coaches.

LOOK OUT FOR: Top performers and 5 takeaways coming soon ...

STOCK RISERS

(Alphabetical order - Names, School, Grad Year, Position, Listed HT)

Isaiah Barnes, Crespi (2027) G | 6'2

After just one year at the varsity level, it's obvious Barnes has adjusted to the speed of the game. In four games, he averaged 11 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in a what looked like a second-option role to senior forward Peyton White. His best stat of the weekend was low turnover count, committing just four in four games.

Barnes showed versatility. In game 1 and 2, he scored 14 and 20 points, respectively. In game 3, he scored just three points but had eight assists and nine rebounds. The Celts went 4-0 to win the Mayo Clinic bracket with a win over Anaheim Canyon, 65-56.

DeLan Grant, St. Francis (2026) G | 6'3

DeLan Grant has a college-ready body before his junior season and displayed an overall game over the weekend. He might be the best defender on this list. He defended every opposition from quick guards to big men, like St. Pius' Douglas Langford.

Grant averaged 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 rebound per game.

Josh Irving, Pasadena (2026) C | 6'10

Irving began to pick up more buzz after the Classic at Damien in December. The long, wiry big man had a good weekend that will likely turn into more college interest. He averaged 13.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He notched a 23 and 12 game on Friday, including 13 (of 16) free throws. College coaches will like that.

He also had four blocks in each of the last two games of the weekend.

Kayleb Kearse, St. Pius (2026) G | 5'10

Kearse is new to St. Pius, a transfer from Gardena Serra High. He could end up being St. Pius leading scorer this upcoming season with most teams zeroing in on forward Douglas Langford most nights.

Kearse is a spark plug-type point guard that adds pace to the Warriors. He averaged 18.3 points per game at Section 7, including 23 points on 10 of 12 shooting from the free throw line, in the championship game. For as much as Kearse handles it and how fast he plays, his 2.0 turnovers per game is something coach Donte Archie can live with.

Jayshawn Kibble, St. Anthony (2026) G | 6'0

Kibble is a new addition from the City Section's King/Drew, which won the Open Division crown in March. Kibble adds a scoring flair to St. Anthony after scoring in double figures in three of the weekend's games.

St. Anthony won the AZ Family bracket. Kibble had nine points and seven rebounds in the final.

Chris Komin, St. John Bosco (2025) G | 6'2

Komin had a stellar weekend - maybe the best of any Southern Section player, period. The crafty guard took advantage of the absence of teammate Brandon McCoy by showing what he's capable of when he has more of the ball.

Komin scored 27 points in the team's Friday win over Rainier Beach with five 3-pointers and 11 (of 12) free throws. He also had three steals.

Hudson Mayes, Redondo Union (2025) G | 6'5

Across all facets, Mayes is the team's best player. The big-bodied guard averaged 15 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game at Section 7; and did it in a top bracket against teams like Archbishop Riordan and Bishop Gorman.

In fact, that's when Mayes played his best. He notched 18 points and seven rebounds against Riordan, and 16 points and five rebounds against Gorman. With Mayes, SJ Madison and Chris Sanders, Reggie Morris' club will be on the Southern Section Open Division watchlist in 2024-25.

Trent Minter, Los Alamitos (2025) F | 6'7

Los Alamitos is expected to have a big year in 2024-25, and Minter has something to do with that. The senior forward averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. including a 20-point, seven-rebound performance in a narrow loss to Notre Dame Sherman Oaks.

Josh Palmer, St. Bernard (2025) G | 6'4

Palmer had a stellar weekend that puts rest to questions about St. Bernard's capabilities after coach Tony Bland left for the college ranks. St. Bernard got 20 points and nine rebounds per game from the senior-to-be that helped the club reach the AZ Athletics bracket final.

Palmer had 13 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Ranch, a 25-point game in a win over Canyon View, and notched double-double (13p, 11r) in the final against Clovis West in a 75-67 defeat.

Kawika Suter, Rolling Hills Prep (2026) F | 6'7

Suter saved his best for last, pouring in 28 points on 12 of 14 shooting in the team's bracket final victory over Campbell Hall. Suter was 2 for 2 from downtown and also grabbed six rebounds.

The Harvey Kitani-coached wing averaged 12.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game at Section 7.

Published |Modified
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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