Santa Ana Coach Not Overwhelmed With Favorite Tag : CIF PREVIEW Second of 10 Parts: <i> Tomorrow: Empire League </i> : CENTURY LEAGUE

Word around the Century League this fall is that Santa Ana High School, with three returning starters and several talented players from last season’s 23-0 freshman team, will be a slight favorite to win the league.

But Saints Coach Greg Coombs knows better than to be overly confident.

“Foothill had four returning starters last year, and they didn’t make the playoffs,” Coombs said. “There’s no way we’ll go out there and walk through our league.”

Seven other teams and several outstanding players will make sure of that. Santa Ana may have the best overall talent and experience, but the Saints will receive stiff challenges from Orange, El Modena and Foothill.

With at least four teams in contention for the title, the battle for Southern Section playoff berths should be even more interesting. Throw in one of Orange County’s best players (Alonzo Jamison) at Santa Ana Valley, a new coach (Tim O’Brien) at Tustin and improved teams at Canyon and Villa Park, and things could get wild.

And look out. The Century League, usually known for its methodical, low-scoring but close games, has added another dimension this season--the star player.

At least three players, on any given night, may score as many as 25 points--usually unheard of in the Century League, where patience on offense is more than a virtue. It’s the law.

“The different thing about this year is there are guys who can carry teams by themselves for a few games,” Coombs said.

Jamison, Orange’s David Roth and El Modena’s Ryan Rycraw, all seniors and three-year varsity starters, will raise the level of competition.

Jamison, a 6-foot 6-inch center who missed half of last season with a broken leg, averaged 15 points and 9 rebounds, and is one of the county’s best inside players.

Roth, a 6-5 forward who is a scoring threat from inside and outside, averaged 17 points and 8 rebounds to lead the Panthers to last season’s league title.

Rycraw, a 6-1 guard, is an outstanding perimeter shooter and ballhandler who averaged 17 points to lead the Vanguards to a third-place finish.

The league also features one of the county’s hardest working coaches in Orange’s Ed Graham, who will guide the Panthers’ boys and girls varsity.

Graham, who practices with the girls’ team from 2 to 4 p.m. and the boys from 4 to 6 p.m., estimates that he’ll coach 56 games during the 2 1/2-month season. But don’t worry about him being overworked or burned out. He has taken the term “basketball junkie” to new heights.

For the third straight year, Graham began the season (on Nov. 4, the first day schools are allowed to practice) with a 4 a.m. workout. After 2 hours and 15 minutes of basketball, Graham took the team to breakfast and the players then returned to school.

“We call it Morning Madness,” Graham said.

Here’s a closer look at the Century League:

CANYON: Returning Starters--Steve Ream (5-10 G).

Top Newcomers--Jim Mury (6-3, F), Ralph Garcia (6-3, F), John Williams (6-2 F), David Jones (5-8, G), Jim Pavlish (6-2 F), Chris Frye (5-9, G), Todd French (6-2, F) and Jon Pierce (6-4, C).

Outlook--The Comanches finished 10-14 last year, Steve Sabins’ first as coach, but Canyon’s biggest loss was by 14 points. Sabins will have a small team again, but he thinks they’ll be better shooters and better defensive players. Sabins, offensive coordinator for the Comanches football team, encouraged French, a quarterback who passed for 2,433 yards, to play basketball. Ream, Mury and Garcia will probably start, but Sabins isn’t sure about the rest of the lineup. Williams averaged 17 points for the junior varsity, and Jones is a good ballhandling point guard.

EL MODENA: Returning Starters--Ryan Rycraw (6-1, G), Darren DeFeo (6-2, F) and Jason Hamlin (5-7, G).

Top Newcomers--Curt Matlock (6-6, C), Bobby Ervin (5-10, G), John Degree (6-5, F/C), Jeff Steingraeber (6-3, F), Adam Coghill (5-11, G) and Corey Ahart (5-9, G).

Outlook--The Vanguards will have added incentive, as El Modena Coach Bill Ervin, entering his 18th year with a 206-206 record, has decided to retire after this season. It’s likely that Ervin will leave with a winning team. Along with Rycraw, a 90% free-throw shooter last year, the Vanguards return DeFeo, who ranked sixth among county assist leaders (6.4 a game), and Hamlin, a playmaking point guard. DeFeo and Degree, both members of the Vanguard football team that is still competing in the Southern Conference playoffs, are the team’s top rebounders.

FOOTHILL: Returning Starters--none

Top Newcomers--Derek Johnson (6-3, G), Dave Rasmussen (6-0, G), Mike Grahovac (6-4, C), Alan Schlines (6-4, F), Don Jordan (5-8, G), Doug Kopcha (5-11, G), Greg Reiber (6-3, F) and Bill Peckham (6-5, F).

Outlook--The Knights had 14 seniors last season, but Coach Jim Reames has some excellent players from a junior varsity that went undefeated (14-0) in league last year. Foothill will be a guard-oriented team behind Johnson and Rasmussen, but Reames also has two 6-4 players on the front line in Grahovac and Schlines. “The last couple of years, we’ve had no rebounders, so the size is nice,” Reames said. As usual, Foothill will rely on its full-court press and outside shooting, so if the Knights receive some scoring from their forwards, they’ll be able to challenge for the title. “We may surprise some people,” Reames said.

ORANGE: Returning Starter--Dave Roth (6-5, F).

Top Newcomers--Eric Dowell (6-6, C), Mark Holman (6-1, G), Troy Peterson (5-8, G), Dan Adams (6-1, F), Jeff Smith (6-1, F) and Eric Point (6-5, C).

Outlook--Graham said that Roth, who lacked aggressiveness at times last season, has improved his mental attitude and will be even better this year. “During the summer, he controlled parts of many games, and I think he can control a whole game now,” Graham said. “His inside game is outstanding. He can score at will.” Roth is Orange’s only returning starter, but he’ll have a solid supporting cast, which will include Dowell and Holman. Dowell, who played on the junior varsity last year, is the team’s best rebounder, and Holman, who saw some varsity action, will be the shooting guard.

SANTA ANA: Returning Starters--Eric Turner (6-5, F), Jeff Stewart (6-3, F) and Darrell Bailey (6-0, G).

Top Newcomers--Bobby Joyce (6-5, C), Willie Lane (6-2, F), Scooti Lynwood (5-11, G), George Tuioti (6-3, C) and Leo Leon (5-10, G).

Outlook--The Saints have one of the league’s better players in Turner, who averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds in league play last year, but Coombs is hoping to offset the league’s best individuals with balance. Santa Ana also returns juniors Stewart, a quick, sharp-shooting guard, and Bailey, another guard who was one of the league’s top defensive players last year. Turner is the quarterback for the Saints’ football team, which is still alive in the Southern Conference playoffs. Santa Ana will have two good rebounders in sophomores Joyce and Lane, and Lynwood, also a sophomore, will see plenty of action at point guard.

SANTA ANA VALLEY: Returning Starters--Alonzo Jamison (6-6, F/C) and Mike Whitlock (6-1, G/F).

Top Newcomers--Lonnie Ross (6-1, G), Richard Alvarez (5-10, G), Sean Johnson (6-2, C), Kenny Phillips (6-4, F), Bernardo Contreras (6-1, F), Bob Quinn (6-1, G), Frank Acosta (6-2, C), Tim Robinson (6-1, F), Binh Nguyen (5-10, G) and Matt Wilchie (6-1, F).

Outlook--Jamison, who was listed among the leading 15 players to compete in last summer’s Superstars Camp at UC Santa Barbara, can dominate. If Coach Tom Riach receives quality performances from his other players, the Falcons should challenge for a playoff spot. Whitlock averaged 5.4 assists last year and should improve with a year of varsity experience. Ross is an outstanding defensive player who will be responsible for guarding the opponents’ best offensive players. Alvarez will play point guard but is also expected to score. Johnson will be the team’s designated rebounder.

TUSTIN: Returning Starter--Kevin Anderson (5-11, G).

Top Newcomers--Gordon Lay (6-4, F), Rog Middleton (6-4, F), Eric Hermann (6-3, F), Dave Patstone (6-5, C) and Leo Parker, Jr. (6-6, C).

Outlook--The Tillers have a combined 6-22 record in league play over the past two seasons, but O’Brien says he thinks he must turn the team’s mental attitude around before Tustin can become a winner. “The kids have to learn to hate to lose,” said O’Brien, who coached two years in Arizona before moving last year to Santiago in Garden Grove. “It seems as if they’re content to give an effort, and if they win, it’s OK, and if they lose, it’s OK. This will be a good team, but I don’t know how soon. If it takes a year or two, that’s fine.” Anderson, who averaged 15 points a game last year, is a proven varsity player, but the rest of the team has no varsity experience.

VILLA PARK: Returning Starters--none.

Top Newcomers--Greg Burton (6-1, G/F), Tom Bray (5-8, G), Chris Storck (6-2, F), Scott Creagan (6-3, F), Jim Sipe (6-1, G), Brett Tanner (6-0, G), Doug Smith (6-1, F) and Steve Barnett (6-4, F/C).

Outlook--Not so good. The Spartans were 4-19 last year and return no starters, but Coach Val Popov thinks this year’s team will play better. “Aside from inexperience, we look all right,” Popov said. Burton, Tanner, Barnett and Storck are decent shooters. Popov is still looking for a team leader to emerge. “I’m really looking for somebody, one or two people, to kind of step out in front of everyone else and lead,” he said. “That, and our ability to handle the ball, are my biggest concerns, but I think we’ll be more competitive than we were last year.”