In 2012, Rancho Christian High School went big when they hired Ray Barefield as the director of basketball operations and player development. Barefield, a 1994 graduate of San Diego State University, where he played collegiate basketball, went on to play professionally in Europe. Once finished, and before taking the reins with the Eagles, Barefield started a successful year-round developmental program and has spent several years working with some of the top youth basketball programs in the country.
More than 10 years later, with Barefield in charge, Rancho Christian has had nothing but success. Not only has the program won countless league titles, been to the CIF Southern Section and State playoffs year after year, they have also sent a number of players to the next level. Of course, two of the top basketball players to ever come from the valley, Evan and Isaiah Mobley, who both play professionally in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers, also played for Barefield.
With a 76-62 win over Lynwood High School Saturday, Jan. 7, the Rancho Christian Eagles gave head coach Ray Barefield his 200th career win. As of Thursday, Jan. 26, Rancho Christian sits atop the South Valley League standings at 5-0, and are 14-9 overall. Barefield’s win count is at 205, with five regular season games to go. Postseason prep basketball will get underway after brackets get released by the Southern Section offices of the CIF Saturday, Feb. 4. Visit http://www.cifss.org for more information.
JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.
