Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) head coach Tyrone Nichols used a rotation that featured four freshmen, two juniors and a sophomore in 2013-14.
It was no secret that Nichols' young Trailblazers were talented, but not many expected a 29-4 record with wins over state powers Bishop Montgomery (Torrance), Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) and Chino Hills along the way.
This year, Sierra Canyon won't be sneaking up on anybody. Led by the fearsome foursome of
Ira Lee,
Remy Martin,
Devearl Ramsey and
Cody Riley, the Trailblazers could become a prominent storyline in high school basketball over the next few years.
See the entire preseason national Top 25After playing all 33 games in the Golden State a year ago, the prestigious private school will spread its wings with appearances at the City of Palms Classic in Florida and Hoophall Classic West in Arizona.
Guard Devearl Ramsey
Photo by Heston Quan
"We knew that this would be the year we turned the national light on, so to speak," Nichols said. "We set it up this way on purpose so that by the time they get to their junior and senior years, nothing would take them by surprise. We are jumping into the deep end and we plan on swimming."
Though underclassmen will still dominate the roster, there's a wealth of high-level basketball experience to draw on. The aforementioned quartet all held their own on Nike's cutthroat EYBL circuit over the summer.
Riley, a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward, was the MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year in 2013-14 while Lee joined him on the Freshman All-American team.
View gallery of Sierra Canyon preseason photo shootRamsey, a lightning quick 5-10 point guard, took his game abroad each of the past two summers. He helped USA Basketball capture gold at the 2013 FIBA Americas U-16 Championship in Uruguay and the 2014 FIBA U-17 World Championship in Dubai.
Martin, another speedy guard, will be a major addition to the program after sitting out last season.
Sierra Canyon's last five years:2013-14 – 29-4, Southern Section Division IV regional semifinalist
2012-13 – 17-11
2011-12 – 14-15
2010-11 – 27-6
2009-10 – 23-9
