NCAA-approved California Live 23 in Roseville will showcase West’s best basketball talent
A slice of high school girls hoops heaven will play out over three days in Placer County this week, featuring the top Sacramento-area programs and players and others dotted across the state and Pacific Northwest.
The first Girls California Live 23 Tournament will include 100 teams and scores of players who are already being recruited by Division I programs in an event that is approved by the NCAA and the California Interscholastic Federation, the state’s governing body for prep sports.
The tournament will be held at the Roebbelen Center in Roseville with games played on 12 full-length courts. Games will start at 9 a.m. and stretch into the night beginning Thursday and ending Saturday.
Just over 50 years into Title IX, the law that mandates gender equity, this event comes as a refreshing boost for prep programs who want college coaches to see their players compete and to showcase how far their product has come. Among the college programs expected to send coaches to evaluate players: Cal, Pacific, Stanford, UCLA, USC and UConn.
“It’s a unique opportunity for girls to be noticed and for fans to see girls athletics in a great venue,” said Harold Abend, a decades-long girls sports enthusiast/reporter who is the co-tournament director of the event.
The Bee’s top-ranked teams will be competing, including Folsom, Antelope, McClatchy, Oak Ridge, Colfax, St. Francis, Monterey Trail and Whitney. The headliners outside the region include national powerhouse Mitty of San Jose.
Mitty’s stacked roster includes Morgan Cheli, a star guard who has given a verbal commitment to Connecticut. Folsom’s team includes 2023 Bee All-Metro Player of the Year Kamryn Mafua, a senior-to-be who has given a verbal pledge to Cal.
“To have this in your backyard, it’s huge,” St. Francis coach Brittany Woodard said.
Woodard is a member of the state’s Coaches Advisory Board. She added, “It’s nice to see Sacramento hosting something as big as this, and have girls compete at the highest level. This is a great opportunity for players to rise to the occasion, and do it in front of college coaches. It allows the girls to grow and compete. Tournaments like this really push your limits.”
Oak Ridge coach Steve White has helped send bus loads of players to the college ranks. He said, “Coaches are always interested to see how players interact with their teammates. And fans get to see how the elite athletes perform.”
Kim Summers, Chief Executive Officer of Placer Valley Tourism, said the event will generate more than $1 million in revenue for the immediate region, adding, “It’s a first-of-its kind that highlights the amazing skills of basketball players and also helps showcase Placer County and the Roebbelen Center. It’s a big win for everyone involved, from the high schools and their players to businesses in the community.”
Top Talents
A peek at some of the top players expected to compete:
Smari Bankhead, Windward-Los Angeles, F, 6-0, Jr.: Strong and agile, Bankhead is making up for lost time, having missed her junior season due to injury, and she has offers from Arizona, Fresno State, Ohio State and Mississippi State.
Nina Cain, McClatchy, G/F, 6-1, Jr.: A national recruit with offers from throughout the Pac-12 and well beyond, Cain is a 4.0 student who can do it all in high tops.
Morgan Cheli, Mitty-San Jose, 6-2, W, Sr.: The UConn commit is this event’s top talent and top recruit, able to score and defend.
Devin Cosgrif, Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland, 5-10, G, So.: She received an offer from UCLA while in the eighth grade and has offers from throughout the Pac-12 and also South Carolina, TCU and Florida.
Jhai Johnson, Oakland Tech, 5-9, G, So.: The daughter of longtime NFL quarterback Josh Johnson doesn’t just have game, she has hops. She was the only girl to dunk in the Oakland Athletic League Dunk Contest.
Kamryn Mafua, Folsom, 6-2, F, Sr.: Verbally committed to Cal, Mafua can dribble, drive, dish, shoot and defend for the top-ranked girls team in the Sacramento region.
Natalie Martinez, Piedmont, 5-7, G, Sr.: One of the top shooting guards in Northern California has offers from San Diego State, Cal Poly and throughout the Big Sky Conference.
Harper Peterson, Whitney, 6-3, F, Sr.: Versatile, skilled and driven, Peterson has offers from Cal, Duke, Colorado, Florida, Ohio State and scores of others.
Mahogany Chandler-Roberts, Banson Tech-Oregon, 6-2, G, Sr.: One of the top talents in Oregon, Chandler-Roberts is a superb defender with offers from Arizona State, Cal and Washington State.
Taj Roberts, La Jolla Country Day, 5-9, G, Sr.: One of the top combo guards in the state, Roberts has offers from Cal, UCLA, Kentucky, Arizona and Ohio State.
Sacramento-area ballers
Players from The Bee’s All-Metro Teams in the event:
Kaia Diederichs, Colfax, G, Jr.
Kendall Dykstra, Whitney, G, Jr.
Juliette James, Colfax, C, Jr.
Norret Lewis, McClachy, G, Jr.
Bria McGahan, St. Francis, G, Sr.
Sophia Mindermann Folsom, G, Jr.
Michelle Rice, Antelope, F, Sr.
Sammy Schuler, Whitney, F, Sr.
Ella Skrzyniaz, Vista del Lago, G, Jr.
Isabel Tan, Cosumnes Oaks, G, Sr.
Sydney Teoh, St. Francis, G, Jr.
Ella Uriarte, Folsom, G, Sr.
Sophia Williams, Oak Ridge, G, Jr.
Liv Yergensen, Oak Ridge, F, Jr.
