Top 10 National Recruits Caleb Holt, Bruce Branch Iii, Christian Collins To Star At 10th Crush In The Valley

NAPA, Calif. — The ever entertaining Crush successful nan Valley Showcase returns to Napa Valley College this play arsenic does nan statement which primitively created it.

Prolific Prep, which aft 11 seasons moved from Napa to Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) past spring, is nan No. 1 squad successful nan High School On SI nationalist boys hoops computer and human rankings.

The Link, who characteristic 2 nationalist apical 10 2026 recruits successful 6-foot-5 defender Caleb Holt and 6-7 defender Bruce Branch III, return to California to play 3 games, including a Saturday tilt against nationalist No. 6 Bella Vista College Prep retired of Scottsdale (Ariz.), which feature's nan nationalist No. 21 elder enlistee successful Jaxon Richardson, a 6-6 mini forward.

Prolific Prep elder defender Bruce Branch III hopes to make his people astatine nan Crush successful nan Valley Showcase astatine Napa Valley College Jan. 23-25. / Photo by Jeff Klein

9 a.m. — Fortune Early College-Sacramento (11-5) vs. Fremont-Oakland (11-7)

10:45 a.m. — Brave Christian-Dublin (16-4) vs. Vanden-Fairfield (16-5)

12:30 p.m. — Clovis North (14-9) vs. Moreau Catholic-Hayward (16-3)

Moreau Catholic's Isaiah Clendinen (4) had 16 points successful Monday's triumph complete Palma. / Photo by Sam Stringer

2:15 p.m. — DNA Prep vs. Southeastern Prep (27-8)

4 p.m. — Riordan-San Francisco (14-1) vs. Modesto Christian (14-5)

6 p.m. — Bella Vista Academy (13-2) vs. Prolific Prep (21-3)

7:45 p.m. — Salesian-Richmond (18-2) vs. St. Joseph-Santa Maria (22-2)

Julius Price goes successful for an empatic slam dunk during his team's decisive triumph complete De La Salle astatine nan 28th MLK Classic connected Jan. 19, 2026 / Photo by Sam Stringer

9:30 p.m. — St. John Bosco-Bellflower (17-5) vs. St. Mary's-Berkeley (12-7)

MAJOR STAR POWER

Prolific Prep, coached by Ryan Bernadi, will apt boast nan first 2 picks of nan 2026 NBA Draft successful alums Darryn Peterson, a 6-6 constituent defender from Kansas, and BYU 6-9 guardant A.J. Dybantsa.

Peterson starred connected nan Link past season, not only starring nan Link to a 35-6 play and Chipotle National semifinal berth, but besides a 69-52 triumph complete Dream City Christian astatine nan aforesaid Crush successful nan Valley Showcase. Peterson had 27 points successful that crippled that was played astatine Contra Costa College successful San Pablo.

Prolific Prep's Darryn Peterson goes up for 2 of his game-high 27 points successful past season's triumph complete Dream City. / Photo: Greg Jungferman

Dybantsa was connected nan 2023-24 Prolific Prep squad earlier transferring to Utah Valley Prep. He played successful nan 2024 Crush successful nan Valley Showcase but was injured successful nan 3rd 4th and didn't return. Led by existent Washington Husky standout Zoom Diallo, nan Link won nan premier crippled of nan Crush successful nan Valley, 83-79. Remarkably, Tyran Stokes, nan No. 1 subordinate successful nan Class of 2026, was besides connected that Prolific Prep team. He's now astatine Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) aft his inferior play astatine Notre Dame Sherman Oaks.

The 2025-26 Link, 21-3 aft a 91-52 triumph complete DNA Prep (Calif.), are besides filled pinch loads of talent.

Holt, classed No. 4 by 247Sports, is up to 22 assemblage offers and according to 247Sports head of scouting Adam Finkelstein: "is physically imposing connected nan perimeter pinch a terrific operation of length, strength, athleticism, speed, and a wealthiness of intangibles. He’s competitive, plays hard, and imposes his will connected some ends of nan floor. He besides has bully perimeter size astatine 6-foot-5-plus pinch a 6-foot-9 wingspan." He appears to beryllium leaning toward Arizona aliases Houston, but don't count retired Kentucky aliases Arkansas.

Branch, classed No. 6, besides has 22 offers but his recruitment is each complete nan map. According to Finkelstein: "Branch is simply a large helping who is agelong and skilled pinch processing defender skills. His shooting is simply a legitimate, and still ascending, weapon. He leans backmost into his changeable much truthful than he does emergence up, but his merchandise is very fluid."

Bruce Branch III is agelong and truthful is his shooting range. / Photo by Jeff Klein

Other apical elder recruits for nan Link are Kansas-bound 6-9 halfway Davion Adkins and 6-9 powerfulness forward Alex Smith (Ohio State), classed No. 68 and 119 respectively by 247Sports. Teammate Nasir Anderson, a 6-4 constituent guard, is nan No. 8 nationalist enlistee from nan Class of 2027, and Draydne McDaniel, a 6-7 forward, is 1 of nan apical freshmen successful nan country.

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* The different biggest sanction successful nan showcase is St. John Bosco 6-8 powerfulness guardant Christian Collins, who doesn't play until nan last crippled of nan night, scheduled astatine 9:30 p.m. against St. Mary's-Albany. Collins is classed No. 9 successful in nan state and has 23 offers pinch USC, UCLA, Kentucky, Alabama and Arizona successful beardown contention.

St. John Bosco's Christian Collins goes complete 3 Eastvale Roosevelt players 12-30-2024. / Photo: Heston Quan

* More nationally classed players successful nan arena see (ranked by 247Sports): No. 27 PF Tony Bryant (Southeastern Prep, Missouri signee), No. 88 PG Julius Price (St. Joseph, Stanford); No. 99 CG Elias Obenyah (Salesian, Stanford).Other state-ranked:No. 15 CG Andrew Hilman (Riordan, USF); No. 16 C JP Pihtovs (Riordan); No. 28 SF Joustin Reyes (DNA Prep)

Stanford-signee Julius Price pinch 2 of his 16 points helping nan Knights to a 19-point triumph complete big De La Salle connected Monday astatine nan MLK Classic. / Photo by Sam Stringer

* Along pinch 3 apical 10 nationalist players, location are 4 apical 10 California teams successful action, pinch 2 of them squaring disconnected against 1 another: No. 6 St. Joseph versus Salesian successful a rematch of nan crippled played past season. St. Joseph won that won going away, 76-67 arsenic Price (16 points) and Gunner Morinini (4 three-pointers, 14 points) led a large second-half surge aft Salesian took a speedy lead successful nan 3rd quarter. Salesian's Obenyah and Carlton Perrilliat Jr. each carried Salesian pinch 20 points and lead nan Pride connected nan payback tour. It's very apt that St. Joseph will return to nan Northern California tourney — past play it was placed successful nan South — truthful this very good could find nan No. 1 seed successful astir six weeks.

Salesian elder Elias Obenyah goes up for 2 of his game-high 26 points during a 74-62 triumph complete Modesto Christian successful nan 28th MLK Classic astatine De La Salle connected Jan. 19, 2026 / Photo by Sam Stringer

* Salesian was primitively scheduled to play St. John Bosco, nevertheless erstwhile nan teams met astatine nan Damien Classic successful December, a 61-58 Salesian win, each parties agreed to move it up. St. Mary's, primitively expected to play St. Joseph, will now play Bosco.

* What gives nan Salesian-St. Joseph matchup immoderate other juice is that truth that each team's starring scorers — Price and Obenyah — will beryllium teammates adjacent play astatine Stanford.

* The different premier precocious schoolhouse crippled is Riordan versus Modesto Christian. This besides has immoderate important postseason ramifications arsenic some will apt beryllium picked for nan Northern California Open Division. Modesto Christian, led by inferior defender Trevor Dickson (20.8 points per game), has somewhat of a people to mounting having mislaid doubly to Riordan complete nan years, 82-51 successful 2020 and 55-41 successful 2019. Riordan, pinch a very long, heavy and talented bunch, would look to person excessively overmuch for nan very young Modesto Christian squad that boasts conscionable 1 elder (6-3 defender Cole Martin) to spell pinch 3 freshmen, 3 sophomores and 5 juniors. Riordan, nan defending NorCal Open Division, has won 10 consecutive since its only defeat, 53-40 to Crean Lutheran connected Dec. 11.

Riordan defender DJ Armstrong (1) dribbles done nan San Joaquin Memorial defense / Photo by Sam Stringer