LA Daily News boys basketball top 15 rankings, Jan. 6
DAILY NEWS BOYS BASKETBALL TOP 15 RANKINGS, JAN. 5, 2026:
1. Sierra Canyon (13-1): Trailblazers won the Les Schwab Invitational with a win over Columbus (FL) in Portland, Ore. before beating St. Mary’s (AZ) at Hoophall West. Now, it’s Mission League time with St. Francis and Notre Dame this week.
2. Notre Dame (12-4): The Knights have Josiah Nance back in the lineup. Big game at Sierra Canyon Friday night at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
3. Harvard-Westlake (17-2): Pierce Thompson and Dom Bentho are playing very well at the most pivotal time of the year. League games against Chaminade and Crespi this week – both on the road.
4. Crespi (13-6): Celts had a great holiday tournament stretch, but then came back down to earth in a loss to a very good La Mirada team last week. Celts take on Alemany and Harvard-Westlake this week.
5. St. Francis (16-2): The Golden Knights are hitting a scary stride. Cherif Millogo is putting up video game numbers ahead of a big week in the Mission League against Sierra Canyon Wednesday.
6. Thousand Oaks (16-0): The Lancers are the only unbeaten team in the rankings, but that could change against an also-surging Oaks Christian on Friday at home in a Marmonte League showdown.
7. Campbell Hall (8-8): The Vikings have a 6-foot-10 center in Kyle Sanders eligible, and he’s making a huge difference. Case in point: a win over Arcadia last week. Sanders is only a sophomore. Big league game against Windward Tuesday.
8. Village Christian (11-5): Freshman Will Conroy Jr. is averaging 27.3 points per game and will lead the Crusaders into Tuesday’s rivalry league game at Heritage Christian.
9. Chaminade (18-1): Eagles have racked up plenty of wins, but has it prepared them for Mission League play? We’ll find out. Harvard-Westlake and Loyola on the slate this week.
10. Knight (13-3): No signs of Knight slowing down in 2026. But Eastside and Quartz Hill might put up a challenge in league play.
11. Heritage Christian (8-2): Eli Simmons is turning into a go-to player for the Warriors. He can elevate his status with a big win over Village Christian Tuesday night.
12. Golden Valley (12-6): The Grizzlies are 3-0 in the Foothill League, including win over West Ranch. The games against Saugus (Friday) and Valencia (Jan. 13) will be indicators of how that league will shake out.
13. Oaks Christian (15-3): The Lions can fly up these rankings with a win over Thousand Oaks Friday. Tall task for a team led by a pair of underclassmen.
14. Westlake (12-6): The Warriors are projected to be one cut below Thousand Oaks and Oaks Christian in the Marmonte League. In that second cut is also Calabasas, who they play Friday.
15. Legacy Christian (12-7): Lions are a freelance team with no league, so their one-off games against Mira Costa, Palisades and Loyola will be big for their playoff ranking.