Boys’ Basketball Preview: Rebounding, rebuilding in store for optimistic quartet
A year ago, the four local boys’ basketball teams each had enough success during the regular season to quality for the postseason.
Although three of the teams lost in the first round of the playoffs, one advanced to the division’s semifinals before suffering a heartbreaking loss.
A year later, Burroughs, Burbank, Bellarmine-Jefferson and Providence will each look to build off last year’s regular season success and advance deeper into the playoffs.
BURROUGHS
For the second time in three years, expectations are high for the Indians and, once again, it’s partly due to a pair of transfers who have enrolled at Burroughs.
Ross Lee III, originally from St. Genevieve High, and Tristen Hull, from Blue Valley Northwest High in Kansas, will join three-year varsity starter Steven Hubbell in the Indians’ quest to contend for a Pacific League championship.
Hubbell has been busy quarterbacking the Indians football team to a league championship and advancement to the CIF Southern Section Southeast Division quarterfinals.
Burroughs Coach Adam Hochberg expects all three players to play at “the next level,” and he might have a deep roster that could cause trouble for league opponents.
Hubbell led the Indians, who went 13-14, 5-9 in league for sixth place last year, in scoring (14 points), assists (4.1), steals (1.8) and three-point field goal percentage (38 percent) a season ago. He’ll likely be joined in the starting lineup by Lee, who was his school’s starting point guard and a first-team All-CIF Southern Section Division IV selection as a sophomore last year.
Hull will provide a formidable presence in the middle as a 6-foot-6 versatile player. Senior returners Angelo Solis, Nick Howard and Eric Allen will also be key rotation players for the Indians.
“Burroughs will be very competitive this year and should challenge for the Pacific League championship if we can progress as expected and stay healthy,” Hochberg said. “We return much of last year’s rotation players, as well as adding two key transfers that will be key players for us.”
BELL-JEFF
While the Indians added players, the Guards lost key players and their coach.
A year ago under coach Julian Andrade, who is now at Oaks Christian, Bell-Jeff went 25-6, 10-0 in the Camino Real League and advanced to the Division V-A semifinals.
This year’s team will be quite different under Coach Ray Witt.
Witt, who graduated from Bell-Jeff in 1989, won’t have the luxury of returning All-CIF performer Issac Etter, who is now at Village Christian, and will be working with a young squad.
“I’m expecting us to compete for a league title,” Witt said. “We got a whole new team, a bunch of new guys. They are trying to get acclimated. We’ll be competitive. The focus is trying to change the culture of basketball.
“We’re not looking to be state champions in one year, but we’re building.”
Jacob Washington, a junior forward, Paulius Kastckas, a sophomore shooting guard, and Tomas Buttkus, a sophomore point guard, will be the leaders in the Guards’ rebuilding project.
“These three guys bring a lot to the program,” Witt said. “They will set a great foundation for the future.”
BURBANK
The Bulldogs, who were 12-15, 4-10 in the Pacific League a year ago, will also be under the direction of a new coach after Jerry DeLaurie stepped down. Jamayne Potts has taken over the Burbank program, which will feature four seniors and 10 juniors.
“What I love about this team is that we have an experienced team,” Potts said. “We have a ton of juniors who were on varsity last year. We also have three out of four seniors who were on varsity last year.”
Potts said he should have a quick team with a ton of shooters with the ability to make plays off the dribble, including junior guard Michael Woods, senior guard Ellie Hanno, as well as returners Edgar Reyes and Levon Galstyan, both seniors.
“We have multiple guys who can do multiple things,” Potts said.
Potts added his expectations are high.
“Every time you go into the season you try to hold the highest expectation,” he said. “The goal is pretty simple. We have 28 scheduled games, we will try to win one game at a time. Some people may say that you’re looking to go undefeated. The goal is to win each game.”
PROVIDENCE
The expectations of the Pioneers, who were 10-16, 3-3 in the Liberty League last season, are to “uphold the standards this year’s varsity team has collectively decided upon,” according to Coach Chris Madigan.
Madigan expects to have an intelligent and unselfish team whose overall strength this season will be “collective effort, preparation and team chemistry.”
Providence will also look to have consistency in its practice habits as it looks to improve on last year’s record.
Madigan didn’t mention a specific player to look out for. Instead, he stated: “We are the collective mindset that all 15 members of our varsity team have a valued and meaningful role in how we perform and what we accomplish together. To name only a few individuals would undervalue the remaining players not mentioned.”