A cameraman and his assistant, carrying a growth microphone, stored following 6-foot-6 sophomore guard Alijah Arenas of Chatsworth Excessive across the fitness center at Crossroads, treating the 16-year-old as if he had been starring in a actuality TV program. The one factor lacking was a make-up artist carrying face powder.
“He doesn’t care about this filming stuff,” coach Dax Grooms stated. “He simply needs to play basketball.”
On this period of TikTok, Instagram and SnapChat, prime teenage basketball gamers are a lot in demand, and Southern California is loaded with excellent gamers from the category of 2026 receiving the celeb therapy.
In addition to Arenas, there’s Lynwood’s Jason Crowe Jr., St. Bernard’s Tajh Ariza, St. John Bosco’s Brandon McCoy, Gardena Serra’s Maximo Adams, Crean Lutheran’s Kaiden Bailey, Mater Dei’s Brannon Martinsen and Redondo Union’s SJ Madison.
Many have develop into good buddies from competing in opposition to one another or taking part in collectively on membership groups and at camps. They’re fierce rivals on the court docket, then fist-bump, hang around and textual content one another off the court docket.
“All of us just about stay the identical lives,” McCoy stated. “We simply chuckle about it.”
Arenas and Ariza have NBA ties by way of their fathers, Gilbert and Trevor, former gamers who present as much as their video games, supply help and recommendation, and sometimes get autograph requests. Like their sons.
An instance of the media scrutiny following members of the category of 2026, resembling Alijah Arenas of Chatsworth.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Occasions)
Alijah by no means will get to really feel comfy, as a result of his sister, Izela, is a star guard at Sierra Canyon who wakes up at 4 a.m. to observe and swears she will beat Alijah in a recreation of 1 on one. “He performs no protection,” she stated.
These are motivation phrases within the Arenas household.
“I’m at all times at his video games. I’m at all times screaming for him,” Izela stated.
Lynwood sophomore Jason Crowe Jr. averaged 34 factors a recreation as a freshman.
(Nick Koza)
Arenas is so productive as an offensive participant that he’s more likely to lead the Metropolis Part in scoring. His group hasn’t been the most effective within the Metropolis, however his father, who starred throughout his highschool days at Grant Excessive, needs him to learn to cope with double groups, study to be a pacesetter and study what to do when issues get tough. And Chatsworth could be ok to be an Open Division group this season within the wide-open Metropolis Part.
“There’s solely a lot power in his physique,” Grooms stated about expectations for Arenas.
LaMelo Ball pulls up for a shot throughout his highschool days at Chino Hills when he began as a freshman.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Occasions)
Like LaMelo Ball when he was a younger participant at Chino Hills, Arenas’ offensive expertise generates pleasure and someday he’ll be the all-around participant that may propel his recreation to greater and higher issues.
“Taking part in at USA basketball is massive for me,” he stated. “All the highest prospects are there. It’s enjoyable. We actually get to compete and get at it. That’s the place I’ve to point out off my abilities, taking part in protection, effort, speaking, every little thing I’m not comfy of doing. They push me, so then I take it again and work on it. I really feel my effort controls how I’m going to play.”
Brandon McCoy of St. John Bosco taking part in in opposition to Corona Centennial as a freshman final season.
(Nick Koza)
Watching the category of 2026 develop bodily, mentally and emotionally goes to be one of many intriguing story strains for this season and past. Endurance is required however there are such a lot of eyes and cameras on the gamers that it’s going to check their understanding of what it takes to be actually good in basketball and keep centered on long-term objectives.
Mentioned Martinsen: “Dwelling in California, you could have so many cameras, so many camps, so many video games. On prime of that, we’ve all grown up with one another. If you’ve been taking part in in opposition to one another since fifth grade, you’re trying to see who’s going to explode, who’s going to develop just a few inches.”
Crowe averaged 34 factors for Lynwood as a freshman. Martinsen averaged 12.4. McCoy averaged 8.5 factors in 15 video games after shifting from Northern California and is far stronger now. Bailey was a scoring machine for Crean Lutheran. Ariza has continued to develop and get stronger. Adams, the youthful brother of former Narbonne star Marcus Adams, begins anew at Serra. Madison is studying from coach Reggie Morris Jr., who tutored Russell Westbrook at Leuzinger.
Arenas appears prepared for the double and triple groups coming
“My dad threw me into conditions like that taking part in with older youngsters and adults,” he stated.
So far as groups, Harvard-Westlake, the defending Open Division state champion, goes to face competitors from St. John Bosco, Corona Centennial, Eastvale Roosevelt and Mater Dei.
Within the Metropolis Part, the expertise stage has dropped significantly after current teaching modifications at Taft, Fairfax and Westchester, the dominant applications for years. Palisades had 9 gamers switch to the college within the offseason. After a Metropolis Part investigation, a number of had been declared ineligible and the top coach is now not operating this system.
It’s parity time within the Metropolis Part, which isn’t essentially unhealthy. Birmingham and King/Drew, aided by steady teaching staffs, might be the groups to beat.
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