hermann kone

Looking like two giant rhinos splashing in water and wrestling for superiority, 7-foot-5 Cherif Millogo is getting pushed by 7-foot Yann Kamagate near the basket as each battles to establish position in the low post area during a practice drill.

Kamagate is playing defense. Millogo wants to create a passing lane to receive the ball. The physicality is surprising coming from two teammates at St. Francis High.

This is King Kong vs. Godzilla, with each wearing size-17 basketball shoes.

“I love it because you need to be like this in practice or in a game,” said Millogo, who committed to Kentucky last week. “So that’s how we practice here. That’s the game of basketball. It’s physical, it’s tough.”

Said Kamagate: “I don’t want him to have easy baskets. So I got to play harder with him. I’m making him better playing great defense.”

Imagine what St. Francis will look like when Millogo and Kamagate aren’t practicing against each other. It’s happening next week. Both are from Burkina Faso in West Africa. Millogo played for the Golden Knights last season while Kamagate sat on the bench ineligible.

They are going to be the Mission League’s best twin towers since the days of the Collins twins, Jason and Jarron, playing for Harvard-Westlake in the 1990s.

If St. Francis coach Todd Wolfson wants to be nasty to opponents, he’ll unleash 6-10 Hermann Kone on the court at the same time. Kone is roommates with Millogo and Kamagate, all of whom live with former UCLA and NBA player Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who came from Cameroon.

How opponents deal with St. Francis’ size advantage will be one of the most intriguing storylines for the 2026-27 high school basketball season. St. Francis has been invited to travel to Illinois, Massachusetts and Oregon for tournaments and showcases, all with the idea the twin towers are going to attract fan interest.

Wolfson is preparing for all kinds of strategy scenarios, from full-court presses to teams relying on threes to trapping defenses.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Wolfson said. “It’s fun for our coaches scheming for and scheming against.”

St. Francis’ most memorable game last season involved Sherman Oaks Notre Dame using several players taking turns guarding Millogo, who became so frustrated when fouls weren’t called that he ended up fouling out.

“You saw what other schools do to us. If the other teams are going to be physical, we have to be physical,” Wolfson said of the lesson learned.

As for the offense, Millogo said the strategy is, “One’s low, one’s high. I mean that’s the game plan.”

Asked if they like each other, Millogo said, “I mean, yeah, that’s my brother.”

St. Francis started keeping track of dunks last season, so expect that to continue, and the Golden Knights figure to attract and entertain fans with lots of dunks from their big men.

The Mission League is filled with top coaches, which is why St. Francis’ big men will face plenty of challenges in January when league play begins.

It’s going to be another long season full of twists and changes. Don’t expect to identify a No. 1 team until the sit-out period ends on Christmas day and teams gain access to their full group of transfer students.

The team that will improve the most after sit-out transfers become eligible is Mater Dei, which gains 6-8 Ryan Doane from JSerra and 6-11 Ender Berg from Legacy Christian. Gary McKnight is the winningest coach in California history and should become the winningest coach in the nation this season. He’s 18 wins away.

In the City Section, it’s Palisades against everyone else. The Dolphins get to test themselves early with a Nov. 21 game against St. Francis. They want to do more than repeat as City Open Division champions.