CalHiSports All State Second and Third Teams

"Boys BB: All-State 2nd, 3rd Teams" -- Ronnie Flores/CalHiSports

The Nor Cal talents honored are:

2016 CAL-HI SPORTS ALL-STATE ELITE BOYS BASKETBALL TEAMS
SECOND TEAM OVERALL

F -­ Jordan Brown (Woodcreek, Roseville) 6-10 Soph.
Our State Sophomore of the Year makes his first appearance on the elite team and it likely won’t be his last. When we evaluated Woodcreek in its first game versus Newark Memorial, we knew the Timberwolves had lost a lot of weapons from a team that advanced to the NorCal D1 regional final and the sophomore big man would receive plenty of defensive attention. Despite those constant double teams and youth at more than one position, Brown still averaged 26.7 points and 15 rebounds per game for a 20-9 club that played solid competition. Brown was a first team all-metro selection by the Sacramento Bee and has a chance to go down as the area’s best big man since Bill Cartwright was the national player of the year at Elk Grove in 1975.

C ­- Robinson Idehen (Modesto Christian, Modesto) 6-10 Sr.
Despite a poor game at the wrong time versus De La Salle in the NorCal Open final, Idehen had a fantastic overall senior campaign. Idehen helped the Crusaders extend their Modesto Metro Conference winning streak to 156 games while leading them to their first Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title in 14 years by averaging 15.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocked shots. Athletically, he can do things around the rim no other NorCal player besides Manteca’s Kenny Wooten can, whether it’s blocking a shot out of his area or finishing high above the rim. He was the Modesto Bee co-Player of the Year along with teammate Christian Ellis (who was seriously considered for the Elite team), but was the MMC MVP by himself. NorCal’s top overall post prospect in his class, Idehen is still undecided about college but has multiple D1 offers.

G -­ Jaelen Ragsdale (Weston Ranch, Stockton) 6-0 Sr.
When considering our elite selections, it was evident Manteca’s Kenny Wooten made a strong final impression and would move up the charts. He has as much long-term potential as many of the first 10 selections, but he can’t be higher in the pecking order than Ragsdale. Ragsdale was named Player of the Year by the Stockton Record over Wooten and led his team to three victories over Manteca. He went for 34 points in the Cougars’ home win over Manteca and 22 in the third win over that team in the Sac-Joaquin Section D3 title game. For the season, the quick point guard averaged over 20 points per game after entering high school as a 5-foot-3 freshman. Similar to Shac Dawkins, he kept improving every season he was on the varsity. Headed to Cal-State Stanislaus, Ragsdale also was our D3 State Player of the Year.

F -­ Kenny Wooten (Manteca) 6-8 Sr.
This forward with less playing experience than a vast majority of the state’s elite players is also the most athletic. He didn’t play as a junior, but when he saw him in the fall of 2014 at the California Super Showcase we knew he had big-time potential. It all came together in his final game when he scored 24 points (missing two shots from the field), grabbed 18 rebounds and blocked 11 shots to lead the Buffaloes to the CIF Division III state title over Ayala of Chino Hills. He dominated the game from start to finish and showed why many believe the University of Nevada got itself a major steal if he ever enrolls there. If not, he’ll be a major recruit if he shores up his academics.  Wooten finished the season with averages of 14 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks and was first team all-area by the Stockton Record. He couldn’t be in front of Weston Ranch’s Jaelen Ragsdale on the all-state pecking order, so he lands with him on the second ten.

2016 CAL-HI SPORTS ALL-STATE ELITE BOYS BASKETBALL TEAMS
THIRD TEAM OVERALL

F ­- Jake Killingsworth (Serra, San Mateo) 6-5 Sr.
Sure, Killingsworth’s team didn’t beat St. Francis of Mountain View in the CIF Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs or in the West Catholic Athletic League, but he still was the WCAL Player of the Year and later led the Padres to the CIF Division II state title. Killingsworth, who moved to the Bay Area as a sophomore after starting out in Arkansas, averaged 15 points, 11 rebounds and three assists per game. He almost had a triple-double (12 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists) in Serra’s NorCal D2 win vs. El Cerrito and then had 15 points and 16 rebounds in the state final vs. LB Poly. Killingsworth, also named the San Jose Mercury-News Player of the Year, could have gone to a number of D1 colleges, but is headed to Columbia University of the Ivy League.

G ­- Damari Milstead (Moreau Catholic, Hayward) 6-2 Jr.
He came into his own this year to lead a talent-laden Moreau Catholic squad to the NorCal Open Division playoffs for the second consecutive season after it reached the D4 state title game when he was a freshman. Milstead continues to mature and grow physically and that complements his excellent feel for the game. Milstead got his season off on the right track when he alertly intercepted a loose pass in the backcourt against Sierra Canyon to set up the game-winning shot in the Mariners’ season opener and capped it off by scoring a career-high 35 points in their NCS D3 championship game win over Miramonte of Orinda. In between, the son of former Fremont of Oakland standout Jules Milstead averaged 18.8 points and was named first team all-East Bay and All-Metro by the San Francisco Chronicle.

F -­ Sayeed Pridgett (El Cerrito) 6-4 Sr.
Similar to Jonah Mathews, Pridgett is another player whose team lost a key cog or two but who still had a fantastic season. Pridgett is cut out to be a college off-guard, but he played a variety of positions for a Gauchos’ team that finished 22-14 after standout forward Carlos Johnson transferred to Findlay Prep in Nevada for his senior season. As Mathews did, Pridgett had a big-time scoring performance in a section title game, leading El Cerrito to a 70-59 win over Newark Memorial in the NCS D2 title game by scoring 34 points. Pridgett averaged 21.9 points in Tri-County Rock Athletic League games and is one of the most versatile scorers in the state. Headed to Montana, Pridgett was first team All-East Bay and first team All-Metro by the San Francisco Chronicle.