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Who are the greatest scorers of all time in Tulare County high school boys basketball history?
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, USA TODAY Sports will celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time. Alongside that national recognition, the USA TODAY Network will spotlight the roots of the country’s sports culture: the high school athletes and sports figures who shaped communities.
This month, we're honoring the hardwood wizards. Meet Tulare County's Top 10 greatest scorers of all time.
Vernon racked up 1,839 points in four seasons (2009-13) while helping Tulare Union win three straight East Yosemite League championships. Listed at 6-foot-6, he averaged nearly 16 points per game and made 115 appearances in a Tulare Union jersey. During his senior year, Vernon averaged 24.8 points per game. As a junior, he scored a single-season, career-best 670 points. During Vernon's run with Tulare Union, the Tribe posted a combined 100-20 record, including a 52-2 mark in EYL action. Vernon went on to play at Grand Canyon University, an NCAA Division I program, and later professionally in Europe.
The most prolific scorer in Orosi history, Ortal amassed a career-school record 1,881 points over four varsity seasons (2010-14). A guard who was listed at 5-foot-10, he was a threat beyond the arc, draining 54 triples during his sophomore campaign. A two-time East Sierra League most valuable player, Ortal averaged 16.5 points per game while guiding the Cardinals to an 18-win season as a senior in 2014. During his junior year, he was among the Central Section's top scorers with a 23.2 points-per-game scoring average. Ortal helped Orosi win 66 games from 2010-14.
Van Der Schaaf set the scoring standard for the city of Visalia in the 1990s, playing for the Cavaliers from 1994-98 while netting 1,920 career points. He owned the Visalia city all-time scoring record for more than a decade until it was broken by future NCAA Division I player and CVC legend Grant Verhoeven. Who was the coach during those Verhoeven section championship years? Yes, Van Der Schaaf, the only player on this list to also capture a section championship as a head coach of a Tulare County program. He coached CVC from 2005-12, winning 168 games.
Campos culminated his high school career this year as the all-time leading scorer in Porterville city history, scoring 1,925 points in a four-season varsity run. He averaged 16 points per game over the course of his career, scoring 600-plus points as a junior and senior. During his final year with the Grizzles, he averaged 21.6 points per appearance, knocking down a single-season career-best 627 points. As a junior, he led Granite Hills to the Central Section Division VI championship. In all, he drained 171 3-pointers and finished with 102 blocks, 412 steals, 475 assists and 856 rebounds. Campos helped the Grizzlies win 72 games from 2022-26, including a 22-victory campaign in 2024-25.
More: VOTE for Tulare County's all-time football player. See the top 25 who reached the NFL
Stevenson established new heights at Tulare Union this past season during his outstanding senior year, capping off his career as the greatest scorer in Tribe history. He broke Vernon's all-time school scoring record in a 77-66 playoff win over Fresno in February, dropping a team-high 20 points to surpass the previous mark of 1,839 points. He wasn't done either. On his way to 1,934 points, he anchored the Tribe to a co-West Yosemite League title and the 2026 Central Section Division III championship. Tulare Union won 31 games this season to set a new Tulare County record for most victories in a single campaign. Stevenson, a 5-foot-8 point guard, averaged 18.1 points as a senior to also guide the Tribe to the CIF State Division IV regional finals.
The 6-foot-1 Shannon averaged 18 points per game in 118 appearances (2010-14) while totaling 1,948 career points. He eclipsed 500 points twice in a single season during his Hawks' career, dropping 504 points during his sophomore year and a career-high 595 points as a junior. During his senior season, Shannon averaged 21 points per game but was limited to just 19 games because of an injury. Shannon's rise as one of the best scorers in Tulare County history translated to success for Mission Oak. During his time in purple and black, the Hawks compiled a combined 92-31 record with four straight playoff appearances and an EYL title in 2013. Shannon went on to play at Biola University.
A four-year varsity player (2014-18), the 5-foot-8 Paredes excelled at guard, tallying 1,998 career points during his four-year varsity run. During his high school career, he shot 46% from the field, connecting on 608-of-1,328 attempts. A solid 3-point shooter, Paredes sank 158 triples, including 61 during his senior season. As a senior, Paredes was named the EYL most valuable player of the year in 2018. While in a Tulare Western uniform, he helped the Mustangs win 66 games en route to back-to-back EYL crowns during his junior and senior seasons.
Listed at 6 feet, Plyman joined an exclusive club this season, becoming only the third Tulare County player to reach 2,000 career points. The greatest scorer in Exeter history, he highlighted another championship season as the Monarchs won back-to-back Tri-County Conference-Sequoia titles this year to become the first Exeter team since 1975 to repeat as league champions. During his senior season, Plyman averaged a team-high 20.7 points per game and also broke Exeter's all-time career scoring record in December, rewriting a 26-year-old record of 1,565 points, which was set by Dustin Shultz in 1999. He scored 30 points or more on five separate occasions as a senior, including a season-high 37 points in February in an 82-67 win over Hanford West. During his four-year career, Exeter won 65 games, including back-to-back 20-plus win seasons during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.
The greatest scorer in Tulare city history, Ficher netted the 2,000th point of his career at the 73rd annual Polly Wilhelmsen Invitational in 2024, surpassing former Tulare Western standout Bryan Paredes' 1,998 points. In four seasons, the 6-foot-4 Ficher averaged 21.5 points per game. As a senior, he anchored Tulare Western to an 18-win campaign and a co-West Yosemite League championship. He was named 2025 WYL most valuable player that season and broke his own single-game school scoring record with a 52-point performance in a 92-67 rout of Del Oro in December 2024. He also helped the Mustangs win a Central Section Division IV championship in 2023 and finished with 705 rebounds and 258 assists. Ficher played at Fresno Pacific this past season as a freshman.
Verhoeven was the first player in Tulare County history to surpass 2,000 career points. In four varsity seasons (2008-12), the 6-foot-8 Verhoeven registered 2,598 points in 128 career games. He averaged 20 points per game over the course of his career but turned in one of the best all-around campaigns as a senior. That season, 2011-12, Verhoeven averaged 27.4 points and 18.3 rebounds per game. Verhoeven helped the Cavaliers win three Central Section titles and four consecutive Central Sequoia League championships. CVC won 111 games with Verhoeven on the team. During his senior year, he scored 848 points while eclipsing the 40-point barrier three times. Verhoeven went on to play at Stanford.
More: CVC's Jenzten Dunn battles past injury to anchor championship season
Editor's note: Player career scoring totals were pulled from Times-Delta archives and Central Section historian Bob Barnett, which were confirmed by school officials/coaches.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Vote | Top 10 greatest scorers in Tulare County basketball history
Continue reading...
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, USA TODAY Sports will celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time. Alongside that national recognition, the USA TODAY Network will spotlight the roots of the country’s sports culture: the high school athletes and sports figures who shaped communities.
This month, we're honoring the hardwood wizards. Meet Tulare County's Top 10 greatest scorers of all time.
10. Keonta Vernon, Tulare Union (1,839 points)
Vernon racked up 1,839 points in four seasons (2009-13) while helping Tulare Union win three straight East Yosemite League championships. Listed at 6-foot-6, he averaged nearly 16 points per game and made 115 appearances in a Tulare Union jersey. During his senior year, Vernon averaged 24.8 points per game. As a junior, he scored a single-season, career-best 670 points. During Vernon's run with Tulare Union, the Tribe posted a combined 100-20 record, including a 52-2 mark in EYL action. Vernon went on to play at Grand Canyon University, an NCAA Division I program, and later professionally in Europe.
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9. Ronchel Ortal, Orosi (1,881 points)
The most prolific scorer in Orosi history, Ortal amassed a career-school record 1,881 points over four varsity seasons (2010-14). A guard who was listed at 5-foot-10, he was a threat beyond the arc, draining 54 triples during his sophomore campaign. A two-time East Sierra League most valuable player, Ortal averaged 16.5 points per game while guiding the Cardinals to an 18-win season as a senior in 2014. During his junior year, he was among the Central Section's top scorers with a 23.2 points-per-game scoring average. Ortal helped Orosi win 66 games from 2010-14.
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8. Blake Van Der Schaaf, Central Valley Christian (1,920 points)
Van Der Schaaf set the scoring standard for the city of Visalia in the 1990s, playing for the Cavaliers from 1994-98 while netting 1,920 career points. He owned the Visalia city all-time scoring record for more than a decade until it was broken by future NCAA Division I player and CVC legend Grant Verhoeven. Who was the coach during those Verhoeven section championship years? Yes, Van Der Schaaf, the only player on this list to also capture a section championship as a head coach of a Tulare County program. He coached CVC from 2005-12, winning 168 games.
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7. Cruz Campos, Granite Hills (1,925 points)
Campos culminated his high school career this year as the all-time leading scorer in Porterville city history, scoring 1,925 points in a four-season varsity run. He averaged 16 points per game over the course of his career, scoring 600-plus points as a junior and senior. During his final year with the Grizzles, he averaged 21.6 points per appearance, knocking down a single-season career-best 627 points. As a junior, he led Granite Hills to the Central Section Division VI championship. In all, he drained 171 3-pointers and finished with 102 blocks, 412 steals, 475 assists and 856 rebounds. Campos helped the Grizzlies win 72 games from 2022-26, including a 22-victory campaign in 2024-25.
More: VOTE for Tulare County's all-time football player. See the top 25 who reached the NFL
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6. Brayden Stevenson, Tulare Union (1,934 points)
Stevenson established new heights at Tulare Union this past season during his outstanding senior year, capping off his career as the greatest scorer in Tribe history. He broke Vernon's all-time school scoring record in a 77-66 playoff win over Fresno in February, dropping a team-high 20 points to surpass the previous mark of 1,839 points. He wasn't done either. On his way to 1,934 points, he anchored the Tribe to a co-West Yosemite League title and the 2026 Central Section Division III championship. Tulare Union won 31 games this season to set a new Tulare County record for most victories in a single campaign. Stevenson, a 5-foot-8 point guard, averaged 18.1 points as a senior to also guide the Tribe to the CIF State Division IV regional finals.
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5. Blake Shannon, Mission Oak (1,948 points)
The 6-foot-1 Shannon averaged 18 points per game in 118 appearances (2010-14) while totaling 1,948 career points. He eclipsed 500 points twice in a single season during his Hawks' career, dropping 504 points during his sophomore year and a career-high 595 points as a junior. During his senior season, Shannon averaged 21 points per game but was limited to just 19 games because of an injury. Shannon's rise as one of the best scorers in Tulare County history translated to success for Mission Oak. During his time in purple and black, the Hawks compiled a combined 92-31 record with four straight playoff appearances and an EYL title in 2013. Shannon went on to play at Biola University.
4. Bryan Paredes, Tulare Western (1,998 points)
A four-year varsity player (2014-18), the 5-foot-8 Paredes excelled at guard, tallying 1,998 career points during his four-year varsity run. During his high school career, he shot 46% from the field, connecting on 608-of-1,328 attempts. A solid 3-point shooter, Paredes sank 158 triples, including 61 during his senior season. As a senior, Paredes was named the EYL most valuable player of the year in 2018. While in a Tulare Western uniform, he helped the Mustangs win 66 games en route to back-to-back EYL crowns during his junior and senior seasons.
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3. Aden Plyman, Exeter (2,051 points)
Listed at 6 feet, Plyman joined an exclusive club this season, becoming only the third Tulare County player to reach 2,000 career points. The greatest scorer in Exeter history, he highlighted another championship season as the Monarchs won back-to-back Tri-County Conference-Sequoia titles this year to become the first Exeter team since 1975 to repeat as league champions. During his senior season, Plyman averaged a team-high 20.7 points per game and also broke Exeter's all-time career scoring record in December, rewriting a 26-year-old record of 1,565 points, which was set by Dustin Shultz in 1999. He scored 30 points or more on five separate occasions as a senior, including a season-high 37 points in February in an 82-67 win over Hanford West. During his four-year career, Exeter won 65 games, including back-to-back 20-plus win seasons during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.
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2. Malachi Ficher, Tulare Western (2,432 points)
The greatest scorer in Tulare city history, Ficher netted the 2,000th point of his career at the 73rd annual Polly Wilhelmsen Invitational in 2024, surpassing former Tulare Western standout Bryan Paredes' 1,998 points. In four seasons, the 6-foot-4 Ficher averaged 21.5 points per game. As a senior, he anchored Tulare Western to an 18-win campaign and a co-West Yosemite League championship. He was named 2025 WYL most valuable player that season and broke his own single-game school scoring record with a 52-point performance in a 92-67 rout of Del Oro in December 2024. He also helped the Mustangs win a Central Section Division IV championship in 2023 and finished with 705 rebounds and 258 assists. Ficher played at Fresno Pacific this past season as a freshman.
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1. Grant Verhoeven, CVC (2,598 points)
Verhoeven was the first player in Tulare County history to surpass 2,000 career points. In four varsity seasons (2008-12), the 6-foot-8 Verhoeven registered 2,598 points in 128 career games. He averaged 20 points per game over the course of his career but turned in one of the best all-around campaigns as a senior. That season, 2011-12, Verhoeven averaged 27.4 points and 18.3 rebounds per game. Verhoeven helped the Cavaliers win three Central Section titles and four consecutive Central Sequoia League championships. CVC won 111 games with Verhoeven on the team. During his senior year, he scored 848 points while eclipsing the 40-point barrier three times. Verhoeven went on to play at Stanford.
More: CVC's Jenzten Dunn battles past injury to anchor championship season
Editor's note: Player career scoring totals were pulled from Times-Delta archives and Central Section historian Bob Barnett, which were confirmed by school officials/coaches.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Vote | Top 10 greatest scorers in Tulare County basketball history
Continue reading...
