Loaded 2026 California crop headlines 2023 Pangos All-West Frosh/Soph Camp, but talented imports help take camp to another level while 2027 class out West adds to depth. Brandon McCoy, an explosive point guard from St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) is named camp Most Outstanding Player

The 2023 Pangos Frosh/Soph Camp series got underway with the All-West version tipping off the first of four stops across the country this fall. Every year, a plethora of new faces emerge at the regional underclass-oriented camps that began 21 years ago in Southern California, but this year at McBride (Long Beach, Calif.) it was two well-known faces that rose as the cream of the All-West crop among 194 participants.

Brandon McCoy, a 6-foot-4 2026 (sophomore) point guard from St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), and Tyran Stokes, a 6-foot-8 power wing from Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) via Louisville, Ky., were not only camp teammates, but the two most dominant performers and best overall prospects in attendance. Both are well-known in recruiting circles and among fans who feverishly watch highlights on social media, but it's their all-around games that do the most talking.

McCoy is as vertically explosive a guard as there is in the West Region, regardless of class, and he's also one of the best instinctual on-ball defenders and likes to challenge shots at the rim. McCoy is progressing nicely as an outside shooter and play-maker even though St. John Bosco teammate, 2025 Elize Harrington, handles a majority of the point guard duties for the Braves' nationally-ranked outfit.

Stokes is a powerfully built forward who can over power smaller defenders by getting downhill to the rim or can take bigger defenders to the outside and beat them with a timely deep jumper or pull-up. Stokes is a matchup nightmare with his physically and skill level, which is just as unique as McCoy's blend of athleticism and nose for the basketball on the defensive end. The duo headlines an extremely deep and talented 2026 crop in the Golden State, which could go down as one of the state's top classes in the last 50 years. The class is already top-shelf, but if you add and count A.J. Dybantsa, a 6-foot-8 wing originally from Brockton, Mass., who is now Stokes' teammate at Prolific Prep, the class is chart-topping. Dybantsa, after all, is rated as the No. 1 prospect in the 2026 national class and one of top five prospects in the country regardless of class.

Stokes, who mentioned he's looking forward to Prolific Prep's national telecasts in the Top Flight Invite Bracket at the Border League in Las Vegas, Oct. 14-15, closed out the Pangos All-West Fr/Soph Camp with a 21-point performance in the Creme of the Crop Top 25 contest. Stokes shared game MVP honors for his Black-clad team (which fell to the White uniform-wearing club, 120-115, after the Black unit trailed early in the game 51-29)with 6-foot-4 2026 combo guard Elias Obenyah, who was his team's high scorer with 23 points and nine rebounds. Obenyah is a Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) product who followed up terrific performances at Cali Live and Section 7 during the June Scholastic Live Period with a strong performance that displayed some marked improvement in his offensive game. Obenyah's nose for the ball around the rim and knack for playing under control has put him in the conversation as the top 2026 prospect among NorCal players that play at California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) programs.

"In this environment I can show more variety in scoring and be more creative offensively," said Obenyah, who will look at a variety of high academic programs before he makes a college commitment. "My mid-range and 3-point shot is what I'm working to improve on. I want to get to the point where I'm like a Jabari Bird or James Akinjo (former Salesian standouts) where it doesn't matter where I play, that people know my skill level and what I can do."

The two game MVP's for the winning White club were 6-foot-3 shooting guard Ikenna Alozie, a 2026 from Dream City Christian (Glendale, Ariz.), and Brayden Kyman, a 2026 forward from Santa Margarita (Calif.). Alozie used his powerful downhill scoring style and vertical pop to net 22 points and pull down 10 rebounds, while Kyman closed out a splendid camp with 16 points, including four 3-pointers.

Kyman was part of the camp's 2026 California contingent that left its mark on this class, along with additional Top 25 game selections such as guard Ja'Vance Coleman from Bullard (Fresno, Calif.), 6-foot-9 power forward Maximus VanLaningham from Woodcreek (Roseville, Calif.), Santa Margarita teammate Drew Anderson, a 6-foot-7 wing forward, combo guard Myles Jones from Modesto Christian (Calif.), 6-foot-6 forward Jaeden Goodman of Inderkum (Sacramento, Calif.), 6-foot-5 wing Eli Garner of Damien (La Verne, Calif.), along with Top 50 game picks JoSahn Webster, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard from King-Drew (Los Angeles), Dalen Felder, a 6-foot-2 guard from Bullard (Fresno, Calif.), and Joseph Wicker, a 6-foot-3 guard from St. Anthony (Long Beach, Calif.).

Kyman continues to build his confidence, and his improved stamina and bounciness only adds to his status as one of the best jump shooters nationally in the 2026 class. It's another part of his game, however, that he took pride in improving.

"My feel and passing needed to get better and I wanted to work on that and I think I showed it," Kyman said. "I came in here with the mindset to be the best overall that I could be and I am pretty satisfied (with my performance)."

McCoy, who finished with a game-high 25 points and six rebounds for the winning White club, edged Stokes for Camp Most Outstanding Player honors, earning a limited edition Kobe Bryant signature basketball presented by event sponsor Spalding. McCoy is generally ranked right behind Stokes in national player rankings for the 2026 class and both are terrific players and prospects. McCoy nabbed top honors in this setting for his attention to the defensive side of the ball in an offensive-oriented atmosphere. He hounded ball-handlers and swatted shots from a distance that few players in the country can even fathom, whether it be on jump shots or attempted layups. What McCoy brings to the table on both ends of the floor is not something seen in the annals of California high school basketball very often. It takes deep digging to come up with another player California product who competes like he does to go along with his explosive ability.

Out-of-Staters Make Their Mark

There is question Arizona has become a hotbed for high school basketball since the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020. The players come from various parts of the country, and the world, to play at the many academy-type programs that populate The Valley of the Sun. There was a strong contingent among the participants in this camp, who came from 13 different states plus Canada.

Leading the out-of-area continent was Alozie, a powerfully built guard who was getting to the rack at will and attacking with both hands. Based on performance, the transfer from Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) via Nigeria wasn't too far behind McCoy and Stokes. One of the game MVPs in the Top 50 game was also from Dream City Christian: 5-foot-11 2026 guard Jordan Charles. He had three high scoring camp games and concluded it with a 13-point, seven-rebound all-star game performance. Charles' high-octane style was built for this atmosphere and he took advantage of his opportunities, helping the White club to a 123-102 victory.

The MVP for the Black club was the most impressive overall performer not chosen for the Top 25 game: 5-foot-10 point guard N.J. Gray from Branson (Ross, Calif.). His skill level, feel and first step explosiveness stood out among the 2027 (freshmen) campers. He finished with a team-high 15 points.

The camp's top lead guard made his way to Long Beach from Canyon International Academy, a new program in Glendale, Ariz., where a handful of the event's top out-of-state campers now go to school. His name is Miles Sadler and the 5-foot-10 dynamo finished the Top 25 game with 17 points and six assists for the Black club. Sadler is as crafty as he is shifty, can keep the defense honest with his outside shot, is a blur in transition and efficient with both hands. Like many of his teammates at Canyon International Academy, Sadler hails from the greater Toronto metro in the Canadian province of Ontario.

"I definitely wanted to show that I was one of the best guards here," Sadler said. "I feel like I was highly underrated in my class coming in."

Canyon International Academy had six players chosen for one of the two all-star games and the two 2027s who played in the Top 25 game: 6-foot-8 wing forward Mayom Mayom and 6-foot-10 Paul Osaruyi, the latter who was arguably the top post prospect in attendance. Three other 2027s were chosen for the top all-star game but were unable to play do to prior fall league game commitments or injury: 6-foot-7 Mahamed Toure of San Gabriel Academy (Calif.), six-foot ball hawk Justice Griffith of Centennial (Corona, Calif.) and 6-foot-2 combo guard Siincere Hudson of Inderkum (Sacramento, Calif.).

The lone 2028 (eighth-grader) chosen for the Top 60 game was 6-foot-2 Andre Amesquita-Carter of Head Royce (Oakland, Calif.). Another eighth-grader that caught our eye was Carter Parker, a 6-foot-3 left-handed wing who attends Hillview Middle School (Palmdale, Calif.).

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of Ballislife.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores