Christian Collins, St. John Bosco win California Live title without Brandon McCoy

Contributor
Lance Smith
Christian Collins, St. John Bosco win California Live title without Brandon McCoy image

Cheryl Evans/The Arizona Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn

It's time for yet another year of St. John Bosco contending for a league, section, state, and perhaps national high school boys basketball title.

The Braves, which won a Division I state title in 2023-24, were already in the picture for all of the above last season, which they finished ranked 39th in the nation despite a few incredibly close losses down the stretch. And despite graduating star guards Elzie Harrington (San Diego State) and Chris Komin (NAU), there's a chance they're even better in 2025-26.

St. John Bosco is already off to a great start this summer, first making the Section 7 (Cache AI bracket) semifinals and then winning California Live's Aussie Basketball Travelers bracket at the end of June. And it did that without arguably its top player, Brandon McCoy Jr., who's ranked third in the Class of 2026 and currently playing for Team USA's U19 team at just 17 years old.

Last week at Cali Live, the Braves pulled out four progressively closer wins to claim a bracket title led by another top-five 2026 recruit, 5-star power forward Christian Collins. They won 64-50 against Cathedral Catholic, 55-45 against La Habra, 53-49 against Basha (AZ), and 45-42 in the finals over Crespi, which entered on a seven-game tear after winning Section 7's Crest Insurance Group bracket.

Collins, who stands 6-8 to 6-9, went for 20 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists in Bosco's opener and 13 points, 18 rebounds, and four blocks in the finals.

Additionally, St. John Bosco got strong contributions from three rising seniors who were impact role players last season in 6-foot-6 wing Max Ellis, 6-foot-1 point guard Gavin Dean-Moss, and 6-foot-7 forward Dominic Perfetti. Tariq "Ty" Iscandari, a 6-foot-5 wing and senior transfer from Corona Centennial, had 14 points with four three-pointers in the title game.

To top things off, the Braves also just added a third 5-star recruit in the Class of 2026 and possible McDonald's All-American in Tajh Ariza, son of Trevor Ariza.

So, imagine what this team can do with a full season of everyone it brought to Section 7 and California Live plus McCoy and Ariza. Collins, McCoy, and Ariza could plausibly form the clear-cut best trio in high school basketball next season with complementary skill sets, and they have a formidable supporting cast as well. This could easily prove to be St. John Bosco's strongest team ever, and the last two weekends of June were a great indication for Braves fans.

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