Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) might be the single biggest winner of the past 10 days or so anywhere in high school basketball.
The top-ranked player in the Class of 2026, Tyran Stokes, still has one more year as a Knight. The uncommitted 5-star combo forward is one of just four 17-year-olds currently playing for a Team USA U19 squad consisting mostly of graduated seniors about to start college ball, such as AJ Dybantsa and Koa Peat.
But that's actually only the second biggest piece of the past week or so for the program.
Notre Dame pulled up to Section 7 in Arizona without Stokes – and 4-star junior guard Josiah Nance, who was at the ESPN Top 100 Camp – and still managed to win a title in a tough Huettner bracket against nationally-ranked competition. The Knights beat fellow reigning CIF-Southern Section Open Division playoff selection Santa Margarita 74-61 in the title game led by 34 points from 4-star junior point guard NaVorro Bowman Jr. and 28 from 3-star senior small forward Zach White.
Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) pulls away from Santa Margarita in final 4 minutes to capture @Section7Az Huettner 🏆, 74-61.
— Ronnie Flores (@RonMFlores) June 22, 2025
Great all-around effort by 2026 Zach White (28 pts) & a scintillating performance by 2027 pg NaVorro Bowman Jr. to lead the Blue Knights. #JuneLivePeriod pic.twitter.com/pcPlnKNLK9
Presenting your Section 7 Huettner Bracket Champions. Congratulations Notre Dame. 🏆#Section7 | #WhereTalentMeetsOpportunity pic.twitter.com/Twu9AX8ucb
— Section 7 (@Section7Az) June 22, 2025
Senior guard and three-point sniper Caleb Ogbu was another standout Knight throughout the weekend, and 6-foot-5 junior shooting guard Ilan Nikolav made his Notre Dame debut after transferring in from Bishop Gorman (NV).
Before facing Santa Margarita, Notre Dame beat both Democracy Prep (NV) and Riverside Poly (CA) by 30 points before edging out Corona Centennial (CA) in the semifinals. The rest of the bracket consisted of Etiwanda (CA), Modesto Christian (CA), Clovis North (CA), Jesuit (CA), Liberty (Peoria, AZ), Davis (UT), Ironwood (AZ), Mesa (AZ), Herriman (AZ), Mountain Pointe (AZ), and Eastside Catholic (WA).
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