Burbank boys’ basketball gets chance to make history
Less than three months ago, Burbank High and the local community was energized by the historic CIF Southern Section playoff of the school’s football team.
“That was just amazing; the outpouring of support and the way the school, and really the whole community, came out to support our football team when they made it to the final,” Burbank boys’ basketball Coach Jamayne Potts.
“Burbank has been a city that hasn’t been overly hyped for its sports, but when people get to witness a deep playoff run, they get excited and they come out with a tremendous amount of support. Our team followed the football team and we were very excited for them and we were really motivated by what they accomplished.”
While the Bulldogs football team made history by advancing to its first championship game, it wasn’t able to bring home the program’s first CIF title.
Now, its Potts and the boys’ basketball team’s chance to make history.
Burbank has navigated its way through the playoffs and to a spot in the Division III-AA championship game. The Bulldogs will take on Brentwood at 7 p.m. Friday at the Felix Events Center on the campus of Azusa Pacific University.
“Just like for the football team, the support we’ve gotten is just amazing,” said Potts, who has gotten his team to a title game in just his second season. “We’ve gotten the support of so many people, from the administration, to other coaches, to the students of the school. Our guys feel that support and they appreciate that and it motivates them.”
A three-year varsity starter, senior Michael Woods, said he and his teammates have been overwhelmed by the interest and encouragement of their peers throughout the team’s playoff run.
“We are all just awestruck. ...Just to get this far and make it to a championship is amazing,” he said. “We see the stands with so many people who come to watch us play and people are coming up to me and giving me advice; it’s been crazy. Everyone comes together just to support a basketball team? That is truly amazing.”
Two members of the team were also on the school’s history-making football squad: sophomores Erik Harutyunyan and Duncan Smith.
Burbank has advanced to just the program’s second CIF title game and its first in 91 years. In their only other finals appearance in 1926, the Bulldogs lost to Anaheim in the Class C championship at USC, 12-8.
The Bulldogs will be attempting to win the school’s first CIF team title in any sport in 24 years, the last being a Division III boys’ tennis crown in 1993. A championship would also be the first in boys’ basketball in city history, as Burroughs (singular division in 1955), Bellarmine-Jefferson (Division I-A in 1966 and 1988) and Providence (Division V-A in 2012) advanced to title games, only to come up short.
Burbank (23-8), ranked No. 7 in the final Division III-A poll, qualified for the playoffs after finishing fourth in the Pacific League. What followed was a successful playoff trek with victories against La Quinta (65-59), La Sierra (58-48), No. 2 seed Crean Lutheran (52-50) and No. 3 Rancho Mirage (76-71).
With seven seniors, Potts said the experience of his squad should serve it well in the championship game.
“Our guys have played in some big games and I expect them to be up for this game,” said Potts of a group which includes a core that advanced to the Division II-A quarterfinals in 2016, where it lost to Loyola. “The guys have that maturity and they are extremely focused and they want to complete what they started.
“Winning those other playoff games was nice, but that just brought us one step closer to where we want to be and our ultimate goal. ...They have worked hard, we’ve prepared for this moment and we just want to go out and do it now.”
Brentwood (22-8) received an at-large berth into the postseason after placing fourth in the uber-competitive Gold Coast League that features Sierra Canyon, Crossroads and Windward. The Eagles earned playoff wins against Gabrielino (71-53), Royal (72-62), No. 4 La Serna (76-46) and North Torrance (69-60).
The squads have a common opponent in Royal, a team Burbank also defeated in a tournament game in early December, 68-61
Unlike Burbank, Brentwood is young, with just one senior, two juniors, seven sophomores and three freshmen. The Eagles also have height, with two players 6-foot-7 and one 6-5.
“The kids have really bought in to what we have taught them this season,” Brentwood Coach Ryan Bailey said. “It’s a real fun group to coach. We have been talking about this since the first day of fall conditioning, to win a CIF championship. We didn’t come this far just to say we made it to the CIF finals, we want to win the CIF finals.”
Bailey, whose team will be attempting to capture the program’s first CIF title in 26 years (Division V-AA crown in 1991), said he expects a tough fight from the Bulldogs.
“I’ve had a chance to watch a lot of film on Burbank and they have a really good team,” he said. “They have a senior-laden team, so I know they have been tested in the playoffs before. It is a very solid team and a team that doesn’t give up. It is a gritty squad and they play through until the final buzzer. It is going to be an exciting matchup.”
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Jeff Tully, jeff.tully@latimes.com
Twitter: @jefftsports