The CIF-SS boys and girls basketball playoff pairings were released Saturday and the first postseason games will be played this week.

So Monday morning seemed like a good time to check in with reporters Steve Fryer and Dan Albano to get their reactions, insights and a few early predictions.

Here is what Fryer had to say about boys basketball and Albano about girls basketball:

What is your initial reaction to the first basketball playoff pairings done using computer rankings?

Steve Fryer (boys basketball): The rankings are fine. They are not perfect. Some teams are ranked too high, some are ranked too low – and that can be said, too, about the Orange County boys and girls basketball rankings we put together every week.

Among the oddities of the computer-based playoff selections of this high school sports year … the Cypress football team went 1-9 overall and 0-5 in the Empire League during the regular season yet qualified for the playoffs; the Cypress boys basketball team went 18-10 overall and 4-4 in league and missed the playoffs.

Cypress’ Ryan Gov (1) starts his drive to the basket past La Habra’s Acen Jimenez (24) during a boys basketball game between La Habra High and Cypress High in a Crestview League contest onTuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at Cypress High School.(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)

Dan Albano (girls basketball): I have mixed feelings. Six teams ranked in the Orange County Top 10 appeared well-placed in Division 1. The Open Division looked pretty good overall but I spotted some areas of concern. Sage Hill doesn’t feel like an Open Division team based on a late-season loss to Rialto and a 17-point defeat against Fairmont Prep. I understand someone has to take that eighth and final spot in the Open but I rank Sage Hill fourth in Orange County. In another change I would have liked in the Open Division, Mater Dei probably should have been seeded No. 2 based on its strength of schedule and 26-2 record. The Monarchs’ only losses are to Ontario Christian and Archbishop Mitty. I believe the Sage Hill and Mater Dei issues spotlight the need for more of a human touch.

Do you expect the schools to insist on any changes to the system next season?

Fryer: Member schools voted overwhelmingly to approve the proposal that brought the system in CIF Southern Section basketball. So, they are the ones who can change it.

Boys basketball coaches have uniformly said that strength of schedule carries too much weight, which pushed the top leagues like the Trinity and the Mission leagues into the higher levels of CIF-SS boys basketball. That is the most-criticized element of the system. Now, can coaches and the CIF-SS basketball advisory committee convince the Colley Royalty rankings people to deemphasize strength of schedule for the 2025-26 season, or will they push for a group other than Colley Royalty to produce next season’s rankings?

Albano: Yes, based on the number of complaints from coaches and athletic directors this winter, I expect some changes. I believe the system should weigh head-to-head results more. Let’s go back to Rialto. The Knights beat Sage Hill (Open) and Crean Lutheran (Division 1) each by double digits but were ranked well-below those county teams. I also feel coaches need more insight on the system in terms of setting their nonleague schedules. Take the case of Canyon. The Comanches played in the tough Crestview League with three Division 1 automatic qualifiers but couldn’t land an at-large bid as a reigning section champion.

Canyon head coach Sara Brown instructs her players during the second half of the CIF Southern Section Division 4AA girls basketball championship against Rancho Cucamonga at Toyota Arena in Ontario on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Is there an ‘at-large’ team that you were happy to see get into the playoffs?

Fryer: Yes, Newport Harbor. That’s a good team from a good league, the third-best league in Orange County boys basketball after 1. Trinity League and 2. Crestview League.

Albano: Huntington Beach in Division 3AA. Coach Russ McClurg’s squad finished fifth in the competitive Sunset League and showed progress toward the end of the regular season. In the second round of league, the Oilers defeated tri-champion Corona del Mar by 16 points.

Give us the name of a player you look forward to watching in the playoffs?

Fryer: Brandon Benjamin, Canyon senior forward. He might be Orange County’s best boys basketball player; there are sound arguments that the title belongs to junior guards Kaiden Bailey at Santa Margarita and Luke Barnett at Mater Dei. Benjamin definitely is county boys basketball’s most valuable player when it comes to what a player provides to his team … and yes, Bailey and Barnett are in the MVP discussion, too.

Albano: Buena Park’s Gloria Barrera. The uncommitted senior leads Orange County in scoring with a 29.8 average and faces a major test in the first round against St. Joseph in Division 2AA. St. Joseph features former Buena Park standouts Bella Harmon and Alana White, so I’m interested to see how Barrera and her teammates respond to the challenge.

Is there a potential ‘surprise team’ out there that our readers should pay attention to?

Fryer: Capistrano Valley Christian. The Eagles are 24-4 and rolled to an 8-0 record in a league that is not one of the more prominent ones around, the Academy League, and they played only four Orange County opponents so they are a mystery. CVC coach Jon Bahnsen is a veteran of playoff basketball and has a strong team led by 6-2 senior guard Michael Ahern, who is averaging 25 points and six rebounds a game. They have a tough first-round game at home against Kennedy, which also is 24-4 overall and went 8-0 in the Orange Coast League.

Albano: Watch out for San Juan Hills and Beckman in Division 2AA. The Stallions and Patriots each played strong schedules and could make a run.

San Juan Hills forward Anna Shreeve, center, fights to reach a rebound against JSerra in a non-league girls basketball game in San Juan Capistrano on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Your top two picks to win a CIF-SS title?

Fryer: Fairmont Prep in Division 2AA. The talent is there, and the talent is healthy after not being healthy for most of the season. The Huskies have a strong inside game with 6-10 juniors David Abisogun and Bith Jack, and 6-3 junior guard Leroy Davis is a good outside shooter.

Tustin in Division 3AA. Having an experienced senior point guard is a huge plus in playoff basketball, and the Tillers have that with four-year letterman Ethan Contreras at the position. Yuri Klines and Moe Hernandez have been consistent contributors, too, and Coach Ringo Bossenmeyer is among the best in the business. A concern is that Tustin has not played many close games in recent weeks, and the playoffs will provide some of those.

Albano: San Clemente and Savanna. The Tritons win Division 1 while the top-seeded Rebels take Division 4AA.

Give us a ‘longshot’ pick to win a CIF-SS title?

Fryer: Mater Dei in Division 1. This is among the least-talented rosters in Gary McKnight’s 43 seasons as coach. They lost two of last season’s All-Orange starting forwards in the offseason when senior Brandon Benjamin returned to Canyon and junior Brannon Martinsen transferred to JSerra, and All-County senior guard Owen Verna is injured and has been unable to play, leaving All-County junior guard Luke Barnett to try to do too much, i.e. forcing shots.

Still, they have wins over Trinity League co-champions Santa Margarita and St. John Bosco. This already has been one of the stronger coaching jobs by McKnight and company. Those guys know how to prepare for and coach in big games, and maybe they can figure out a way to lead the Monarchs to a 25th CIF-SS boys basketball championship.

Mater Dei guard Luke Barnett, left, takes a shot over Santa Margarita guard Rodney Westmoreland in a Trinity League boys basketball game in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Albano: Mater Dei in the Open Division. Yes, the Monarchs lost Kaeli Wynn to a season-ending knee injury but they’re well-coached, deep and play hard. Also watch out for senior Addison Deal in the Open. The Iowa signee missed the playoffs last season with an ankle injury and could carry the Monarchs further that expected.

Three weeks from now, after the CIF-SS finals, you will be: A: ready for more basketball (state/regional playoffs); B: ready for baseball/softball season; C: ready for a nap

Fryer: All of the above! I’m not a fan of post-Southern Section football – more than 12 games is too much tackle football for guys under 20 years old. But for some sports like basketball and volleyball, it’s OK. Regional play sometimes gives excellent teams a second chance at the glory they might not have attained in Southern Section play.

Albano: As hopefully our readers know, I’m a big fan of the regional playoffs. I believe it’s the best postseason event run by the CIF State. All the top schools participate and the gyms are loud as teams push to reach the state finals. The state playoffs in football and some of the regional tournaments are sometimes a bit lacking in energy but for the most part, the basketball regional playoffs deliver exciting games.

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