The Top 30 Players remaining in the CIF Playoffs

The CIF Quarterfinals tip off in about an hour, with five of the seven divisions in action tonight: Open, Division 1, Division 2, Division 3 and Division 5.

There's a lot of talent that will be on display tonight. Here's who I think are some of the best, my Top 30, starting with..

The Open Division

The Montgomery Four - The Aztecs have the best quartet in San Diego in seniors JJ Sanchez (6-5 F), Alek Sanchez, (6-4 G) Devin Hamilton (6-4 W) and Xair Mendez (6-2 G). They can beat you in a number of ways, and defend at an elite level, too.

Their first-round opponent, Francis Parker, has one of the best sophomores in the country on its side,

Tavid Johnson

The 6-2 combo guard ranks among the section's top scorers for a second year in a row, and the attention he attracts from opposing defenses leads to easier looks for his improving teammates, especially combo guard Amon Andrews, who broke his own school record for most threes made in a season.

In the 2-7 matchup, Carlsbad faces Santa Fe Christian, and all eyes will be on...

Jake Hall

After reaching 3,000 career points in the final game of the regular season, the 6-4 UCSD signee sets his sights on second place on San Diego's all-time scoring list, attempting to surpass former Foothills Christian G TJ Leaf. Guess who he will face in the first round?

Dax Hall, the 6-1 dynamic playmaking point guard, has elevated the Eagles to the Open Division and will likely be Coastal League player of the year. He will get a chance to take down big brother in their first postseason matchup.

San Marcos' dynamic duo

No. 3 San Marcos will face Cathedral Catholic, and will look to its high-powered back court of 6-3 junior Jalen Williams and 6-3 sophomore Richie Ramirez to secure the home win. Perfect complements to each other, Williams is a smooth, three-level scorer, while Ramirez is an aggressive slasher and a lockdown perimeter defender.

They will face the Dons and...

Cathedral's Big 3

The senior trio of 6-5 Patrick O'Brien, 6-3 PJ Jourdain and 6-4 Steven Evans-Glynn have been playing at a high level all season. O'Brien is built like a tight end and is a versatile scorer and playmaker with the pass, Jourdain is one of the section's better catch-and-shoot threats and has improved scoring off the bounce, while Evans-Glynn is a dynamic athletic who plays above the rim and rebounds and blocks shots at a prolific rate. If they're clicking, the Dons are a dangerous lower seed.

Finally, the 4-5 matchup gives us some of the region's more unheralded duos...

Torrey Pines' Cody Shen and Tevaris Green average 33 points per game between the two of them, and both are among the most improved prospects in their respective classes. Shen has been on fire seemingly since Section 7 in Arizona, and led the Falcons to an undefeated North County Coastal League title, while Green has more than tripled his scoring output and become a formidable inside-out scoring threat.

In the other corner, the No. 4 seed Bucs have a supremely confident and productive inside-out duo in

Caleb Newton and Pablo Balderas, who took turns dominating this year for the Buccaneers, who return to the Open Division for the sixth time. Newton, a 6-3 athletic combo guard, shows flashes of brilliance, hitting logo shots and breaking down defenders with mixtape-like handles. Balderas emerged as a legitimate college post prospect, signing with CSU San Marcos after notching a string of double digit rebounding games, including a career-best 25 boards in a blowout win over RBV.

Now for the D1 Elite 8, where the No. 2 Saints are widely considered the favorites. The catalyst?

Jaden Bailes. The 6-2 combo guard has beefed up his frame and has imposed his will on defenders off the bounce, and is shooting the ball at a much improved clip in year two. Moreover, he has embraced the leadership role in Year 3 and is primed to reap the benefit with college interest in the off-season.

Top seeded La Jolla Country Day came into the playoffs losing two of their last three games and found themselves trailing No. 16 Hoover at the half in the first-round game. But the duo of senior point guard Chris Carrillo and 6-3 junior mismatch Wyatt Tilson helped the Torreys get back on track. Another of the top duos in the county, Carrillo is a brilliant floor general, while Tilson scores it inside and out just about as good as anyone in the county.

San Diego, the No. 3 seed, has one of the best back courts that don't get talked about enough in 6-2 senior scorer deluxe Isaiah Marte and 5-10 pure point guard Treyshawn Degrate. Between the two, the Cavers have a pair of closers who make big plays when it counts the most.

They'll need the magic Friday, as they face 6-7 senior Elijah Stephens, an imposing lefty who uses brute force and footwork to dominate opponents in the paint, or pass out of double teams to his teammates, who all shoot it at an elite rate.

The D1 field has several other talented guards in the way of 5-10 Victory Christian G Angel Ochoa, 6-1 junior scoring dynamo CJ Aldrich (Rancho Buena Vista) and 6-2 two-way guard Logan Ardent (El Camino).

Rounding out my Top 30 are a quintet of player in Division 2:

Olympian sophomore Tristan Anderson has emerged as the leader of the Eagles, which are the prohibitive favorites in Division 2. The 5-8 point guard is an elite shot creator with underrated passion vision and flair.

The No. 2 seed Mira Mesa Marauders are led by the dynamic inside-out pairing of 5-9 Diego Ortiz and 6-7 Tim Dorn, both juniors. Ortiz is an electric scorer who can catch fire from deep or with the floater, and Dorn is a mismatch in San Diego due to his athleticism and versatile skill set at the four.

Madison, which defeated Mira Mesa twice in league, is led by 6-3 "basketball player" RJ Miller, who is built like a college lineman, but has nimble feet, shot making ability from three levels and is a versatile defender.

Bonita Vista has a super unheralded duos in 5-9 sophomore Jerry Stokes and 6-3 Aaron Owens, a senior who scores it from three levels. Stokes is one of the top athletes in San Diego, and is a dynamic blur with the basketball.