2024 Holiday Classic Tip Off Night

San Marcos leaned heavily on their underclassmen last season, leading to a 26-win campaign. Their two leading scorers from last season, Jalen Williams and Richie Ramirez, both return for a team that brings back 50 points per game.

Host Torrey Pines reached the Open Division playoffs for the 11th time last season, falling to La Jolla Country Day. This year’s Falcons will be led by experienced guard Cody Shen and junior wing Tevaris Green, who’s poised to be one of the section’s breakout performers. Green averaged 25 points/game during October's Border League in Las Vegas.

Mission Bay captured the CIF Division 1 title last season before ending their year in round two of the CIF State playoffs. Head Coach Marshawn Cherry brings a group led by Caleb Newton, Pablo Balderas and Clay Grebing that has eyes an Open Division playoff berth for the first time since 2022.

Rancho Buena Vista reached their second CIF Division 2 title under head coach Aaron Abrams last season but fell short to University City. The Longhorns return three of their top four scorers from last year’s group led by standout junior guard CJ Aldrich, who earned All-CIF honors after averaging 22 points, five rebounds and four assists per game. 

La Jolla Country Day Head Coach Patrick Casey led the Torreys to 23 wins and an Open Division semifinal berth in his first season a year ago. The Torreys return more than 80 percent of their points from last season led by 2023-24 All-CIF guard Chris Carrillo.

Carlsbad took home their first Open Division title last season and lost by one point to eventual state champion Harvard-Westlake in the Southern California regional semifinals. Reigning San Diego Section Player of the Year Jake Hall (UC San Diego commit) leads the way for the Lancers, having already surpassed the 2,100-point mark for his career.

Temecula Valley played their best basketball at the right time last season, beating Northview to capture the Southern Section Division 4A title, their first in school history. Sophomore guard Jeremiah Profit, ranked 23rd nationally by On3, is back for year two after averaging 20 points per game as a freshman.

Montgomery has made their way to consecutive Open Division championship games but has fallen short in each attempt. The Aztecs return four All-CIF selections in twins JJ and Alek Sanchez plus guard Xair Mendez and wing Devin Hamilton. They’ll open the 2024-25 season as one of the favorites to reach the San Diego Section Open Division title game.