Remember these names: High Desert high school boys basketball players to watch this season
The boys basketball season is in full swing with the start of league action just around the corner.
There are a handful of local squads that have looked sharp early on, from the Mojave River League, to the Desert Sky League and even in the Agape League.
Three teams, in no particular order, are the perennial top squads in the High Desert — Oak Hills, Hesperia and Adelanto.
Last season, Oak Hills ended 18-12 overall, and 10-0 in league play for a second-straight MRL title.
The Bulldogs beat Campbell Hall 77-76 in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 2AA playoffs and then lost 80-63 to King in the second round.
Isaiah Sharky highlights the list of returning players for Oak Hills. Sharky, a six-foot-five senior, has been a varsity captain the last three seasons.
The Bulldogs lost Kenneth Brown, last season’s MRL Player of the Year, as well as four other key players, including Marquell Harriel.
Oak Hills is a young team with five sophomores and two freshmen on the varsity squad. The Bulldogs will depend on quickness and athleticism.
Hesperia is poised to make a run at the league title with a strong core of returners, led by Jessie Martinez and Mark Jones.
Martinez is a 6-foot-6 forward who was named to the All-MRL and All-CIF-Southern Section Division 3AA first teams as a junior last year, while Jones is a 6-foot-3 guard back for his junior season after being named to the All-MRL First Team.
The Scorpions ended last year 20-11 overall and finished second place in the MRL standings at 7-3. In the playoffs, Hesperia beat Citrus Valley 60-52 and then Santa Monica 63-50 before losing 66-41 to St. Pius/St. Matthias in the quarterfinals.
Apple Valley is also equipped to make a run for the MRL title. The Sun Devils ended 17-12 overall and finished third in the league standings at 6-4, and nearly beat Hesperia in one of two meetings. Apple Valley made a run to the CIF-SS Division 5AA quarterfinals.
Jeremiah Wilkerson is the top returner for the team after averaging 10.9 points per game as a sophomore last year. He will be instrumental in replacing Michael Dominguez, who averaged 17.8 points per game and was named to the All-MRL and All-CIF-SS Div. 5AA first teams last year.
Meanwhile, in the Desert Sky League, Adelanto appears to be the clear-cut favorite at repeating as league champion. The Saints graduated top playmakers in Kenyon Crittenden and Jordan Malveaux, who earned the DSL Player of the Year award.
Joshua Mayers, listed at 6-foot-7, is the top returner for the Saints, who are expecting big seasons from O’Shaun Rodriguez, Armagio Fonderina and Kimo Brown Jr., who are all underclassmen.
The DSL is full of other playmakers at other schools including Victor Valley’s Isaiah Butler and Barstow’s Johntae Drisdom.
In the Cross Valley League, a pair of seniors return for their squads looking to make deep postseason runs again. A year after reaching the CIF-SS Div. 5A title game, the Silver Knights lost in the second round of the Div. 4A playoffs.
The Patriots made a run to the CIF-SS Div. 5A quarterfinals last season.
Riverside Prep, which beat out Hesperia Christian for the league title last season, returns Raoul Churchill, who averaged 7.8 points a game last year on a talent-loaded squad.
For Hesperia Christian, three-sport star athlete Arlan Koester returns for his senior year after averaging 13.6 points and 9.6 rebounds a game last year.
In the Agape League, Silver Valley is well-equipped to repeat as league champion with a trio of key returners in Damien Grundy, a junior, and seniors Jaden Sassone and Jaylen Walker. The three all averaged double-figures in points last season, with Grundy leading the way at 14.6 points a game, while Sassone was at 13.7 points a game, and followed behind by Walker’s 12.9 points a game.
With league play just a couple of weeks away, here’s a list of boys basketball players to watch across the High Desert this season, broken down by leagues.
Mojave River League
2022-23 standings: 1. Oak Hills (10-0), 2. Hesperia (7-3), 3. Apple Valley (6-4), 4. Burroughs (5-5), 5. Serrano (1-9), 6. Sultana (1-9).
Apple Valley — Cy Ziske, sophomore; Damian Byrd, sophomore; Holden Franke, senior; Jeremiah Wilkerson, junior; Trey Germany, sophomore.
Hesperia — Anggulio Guerra Del Valle, senior; Antony Newman Gomez, senior; Don Henry, senior; Jessie Martinez, senior; Mark Jones, junior; Nolan Newman Gomez, sophomore; Tarron Grim, senior.
Oak Hills — Hunter Wilcox, junior; Isaiah Sharkey, senior; Jeremiah Lark, sophomore; Mar Landry, freshman; Moises Rios, sophomore.
Serrano — Jhasi Edgerson, senior; Kyu Kim, junior; Trevor Meacham, senior.
Sultana — Israel Waller, senior; Jacere Waller, senior; Tayon Duhart, senior.
Desert Sky League
2022-23 standings: 1. Adelanto (8-0), 2. Silverado (6-2), 3. Barstow (3-5), 4. Victor Valley (3-5), 5. Granite Hills (1-7).
Adelanto — Armagio Fronderina, junior; Joshua Mayers, senior; Kimo Brown Jr., sophomore; O’Shaun Rodriguez, junior.
Barstow — Johntae Drisdom, junior; Joseph Ruesga, sophomore; Quesey Gaoa, senior; Jayden Childs, sophomore.
Silverado — Gabriel Picazo, junior; Jarmarri Tharpe, junior; Javon Burton, senior; Malaki Ishe, junior.
Victor Valley — Isaiah Butler, junior; Isaiah Amador, senior; Laeton Butler, sophomore.
Cross Valley League
2022-23 standings: 1. Riverside Prep (12-0), 2. Hesperia Christian (9-3), 3. Big Bear (6-6), 4. Academy for Academic Excellence (6-6), 5. Cobalt Institute of Math & Science Academy (5-7), 6. University Prep (2-10), 7. Excelsior (2-11).
Academy for Academic Excellence — Ethan Spidle, junior; Landon Holden, senior; Nathan Watts, senior; Robby Poulsen, senior.
Hesperia Christian — Arlan Koester, senior; Ethan Flores, junior; Jackson Lake, freshman; Dylan Alfonzo, junior.
Riverside Prep — Jake Duran, junior; James Macey, junior; Marrion Brown, senior; Raoul Churchill, senior.
Agape League
2022-23 standings: 1. Silver Valley (10-0), 2. Academy of Careers & Exploration (7-3), 3. Victor Valley Christian (6-4), 4. Lucerne Valley (5-5), 5. Summit Leadership ((2-8), 6. PAL Academy (0-10).
Academy of Careers & Exploration — Preston Marshall, senior; Rayden Rego, senior.
Excelsior — Jevon Gordon Jr., sophomore; Zion Hawthorne, junior.
Lucerne Valley — Christian Barajas, sophomore; Derrick Tyler, senior; Valentin Garibay, junior.
Silver Valley — Damien Grundy, junior; Jaden Sassone, senior; Jasean Phillips, junior; Jaylen Walker, senior; Judah Caldwell, freshman
CIF-Southern Section Playoff Divisions
Division 2A — Adelanto, Oak Hills, Silverado
Division 3AA — Hesperia
Division 4AA — Riverside Prep, Victor Valley
Division 4A — Apple Valley, Hesperia Christian
Division 5AA — Barstow, Granite Hills, Silver Valley, Sultana
Division 5A — Academy for Academic Excellence, Academy of Careers & Exploration, Apple Valley Christian, Cobalt Institute of Math & Science Academy, Excelsior, Serrano, University Prep, Victor Valley Christian
Daily Press reporter Jose Quintero may be reached at 760-951-6274 or JQuintero@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @J0seQuintero, and on Instagram at @VVDailyPress_Sports.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: High Desert boys basketball: Players to watch for the 2023-24 season
