Returning Players Are Scarce, but There’s No Shortage of Transfers

On the surface, it might appear that the Empire League is due for a down year when returning starters are as scarce as Air Jordans on a donkey basketball team.

Of course, the league has an obvious drawing card in Bob Erbst of Katella High School. His 6-foot 8-inch frame and fast, fluid style make him perhaps the best senior player in the county.

Although no man is an island, Erbst and other returnees around the league are rather isolated this season. It’s an odd situation when six of eight teams have one returning starter--or none.

Defending co-champion El Dorado probably has the league’s second-best returnee in in guard/forward Jim Sammon, and the other co-champion, Kennedy, returns guard Darrin Queen.

Los Alamitos will build around guard J.T. Snow, and at Cypress, much will depend on Chris Yoxtheimer, the 6-7 center who is coming back after breaking two bones in his leg.

Since no team can claim a concentration of returning players, it sounds paradoxical for El Dorado Coach Terry Conley to say, “We’ll be as good as last year. The trouble is, the league has gotten a lot stronger.”

The reason for Conley’s concern is the influx of promising new players who have materialized on the floors of the gyms around the league in the last six months.

Where did all these fellows come from? As far as Denmark, New York and Tennessee and as near as Long Beach. Four potential starters are talented football and baseball players who decided to try another sport.

If the contest were Transfer, Transfer, Who’s Got the Transfer, Los Alamitos would take home all the marbles. Before anybody wastes sympathy on the Griffins and their lone returnee, consider the caliber of Snow’s new teammates.

There’s Moe Warner, a quick, 6-5 junior whose family recently moved back to Los Alamitos from Tennessee, and senior point guard Matt Treece, formerly of Long Beach Wilson.

The third newcomer is 6-2 guard Ryan Blossey, an all-county player in Rochester, New York, as a sophomore last season. The Griffins’ only problem is that they are still waiting for football players Blossey and Snow to start practice on a surface other than grass.

Katella, with Erbst and the rebounding of 6-6 junior Richard Lucas, is considered a heavy favorite to win the league title, but some coaches believe Los Alamitos could evolve into a serious challenger.

Snow, who averaged 12.8 points and 7 assists per game as a junior, is a key for the Griffins in any such scenario. But first he must wind up his quarterbacking career with the Empire co-champions.

Another team enjoying a windfall of new players is Cypress, which didn’t get any help from outside. That’s just as well, since Coach Ron Craig says he would have difficulty finding court time for any additional bodies.

The influx from the football and baseball teams includes guard Troy O’Leary, who played sophomore basketball two years ago, and 6-2 forwards Al Aguirre and Robbie Evans. Craig believes 6-4 sophomore guard Bond Weaver may develop into one of the best players in school history.

The international jetset award for the player with the most mileage on his passport goes to Pacifica’s Karsten Pederson, a 6-5 soccer player from Denmark. He will join another 6-5 newcomer in the Mariner front court, Scott Pettit, better known as the quarterback on the league co-champion football team.

Here’s a closer look at the Empire League:

CYPRESS: Returning Starters--Chris Yoxtheimer (6-7, F).

Top Newcomers--Mike Cote (6-1, G), Ken Kawamura (6-0, G), Kevin Bumgarner (6-6, C), Troy O’Leary (6-0, G), Bond Weaver (6-4, G), Matt Civitelli (6-0, G), Dorn Reese (6-0, G), Frantz Reyes (6-5, C), Al Aguirre (6-2, F) and Robbie Evans (6-2, F).

Outlook--The Centurions are coming off a remarkably unlucky season in which eight players suffered injuries severe enough to require trips to the hospital and the team limped to a 2-12 finish, tied for last place. But Cypress appears to have the personnel to bounce back and wipe that memory from Craig’s mind. The team has enough depth to wear down opponents with frequent substitutions, but much of its fate will depend on the rehabilitation of Yoxtheimer, who will have a steel plate removed from his right leg in the spring. His speed, shooting and defensive skills give him the potential to be one of the league’s best players.

EL DORADO: Returning starters--Jim Sammon (6-3, G/F).

Top Newcomers--Eric Blade (6-0, G), Ron Hanna (6-2, G/F), Herb Krapf (6-4, F), Dan Bailey (5-9, G), Barry Dahmen (6-0, F), James Byers (6-0, G) and Sean Page (5-9, G).

Outlook--The Golden Hawks never seem to have much height--Conley jokes that every student over 6-4 moves away--but they are always gifted with sharp shooters. This season is no exception. Sammon, an excellent defensive player, averaged 15 points per game last season. Blade, the Most Valuable Player from the junior varsity team, will play point guard and lead the defense. He will be joined by guards Bailey and Hanna, one of the best scorers on the team. Krapf, a good rebounder, will share time with Dahmen, a physical inside player and “crowd pleaser.” The Golden Hawks will try to compensate for size with their running game and are likely to be a playoff contender again.

ESPERANZA: Returning Starters--None.

Top Newcomers--Ross Harvey (6-3, F), Mike Vincent (6-3, F), Kirk Branstetter (6-3, C), John Burks (6-0, G), Rich Gammalo (5-10, G) and Jerry Gilbert (5-11, G).

Outlook--The Aztecs finished sixth last season, and will need to demonstrate more intensity and leadership on the court to finish any higher this season, Coach Kurt Kersten said. Branstetter is a transfer from San Ramon in the Bay Area. He has a good shooting touch and leaps well, but at 6-3, he may find himself overshadowed by some of the other centers in the league. Kersten says the team has better outside shooters than last year with Vincent and Harvey at the forwards.

KATELLA: Returning starters--Bob Erbst (6-8, F).

Top Newcomers--Richard Lucas (6-6, C/F), Darrell Baldwin (6-5, C/F), Brad Harker (5-8, G), Steve Stierstorfer (5-11, G), Jim Anderson (5-11, G), John Sunu (5-10, G), Earl Boberg (6-4, C/F) and Wayne Petrakis (6-1, G/F).

Outlook--You know the Knights are in good shape when the only source of controversy is whether Erbst is 6-8 or 6-9. In fact, Coach Tom Danley’s 20th anniversary team is the tallest in school history. Katella finished one game behind the co-champions last season, but went the furthest in the playoffs, advancing to the quarterfinals. If things go well, the Knights could expect to go at least that far again. Lucas, a junior, missed last season with a broken leg, but Danley says he can develop into a Division 1 college player in the next two years. If Baldwin, who suffered a knee injury during football season, stays healthy and improves, the Knights will have a front line averaging 6-6.

KENNEDY: Returning starters--Darrin Queen (6-3, G).

Top Newcomers--Dan Curry (6-1, F/C), Glen Mares (5-10, G), Michael Keith (6-0, F), Steve Kosek (6-4, C), Jeff Hansell (6-4, F), Danny Davidson (5-8, G) and Kyle Bernard (6-1, G/F).

Outlook--The Fighting Irish have been to the playoffs four straight seasons. Despite their youthfulness, they ought to be in the fray for a berth again with good team speed and shooting ability. Queen averaged 10 points a game last season. Curry and Mares both gained considerable game experience last season, but the team is not tall. Queen rebounds well for a guard, but the team is not tall and it is hard to replace a player like center Jeff Green, the last year’s Co-Player of the Year.

LOARA: Returning Starters--Wade Clester (6-2, G), Gary Miller (6-4, C) and John Parker (6-2, F).

Top Newcomers--Willie Trujillo (5-6, G), David Storm (6-1, G), Todd Eaton (6-2, F) and Brian Roberts (6-2, F).

Outlook--With their fourth coach in five years, the Saxons are starting the readjustment process. They showed signs of improvement last season, winning the most games (five) in years, but still tied for seventh. Coach Craig Conrad says he doesn’t know how his team will fare this season since he has never seen it play a game, even in summer league. “Most of the other teams are way ahead of us athletically and in terms of what they have done in the past on all levels,” he said. “The bottom line is that this is a big transition for the kids and the coaches have a wait-and-see attitude.”

LOS ALAMITOS: Returning Starters--J.T. Snow (6-2, G).

Top Newcomers--Mark Schmitz (6-3, F), Moe Warner (6-5, F/C), Ryan Blossey (6-2, G/F), Matt Treece (5-11, G), Gary Loe (6-3, F), Mark Parkinson (5-8, G), Derek Bowen (6-3, F) and Chris Anderson (6-8, C).

Outlook--The Griffin team that played in the summer league may look quite different from the one that takes the floor in the season opener against Corona del Mar in the Laguna Beach Tournament. “It may take us a while to gel, but I have a good feeling about this team personality-wise,” Coach Steve Brooks said. “There’s a lot of camaraderie among the players. Their attitudes remind me of the 1983 (league championship) team.” The Griffins were disappointed to finish third last season, just short of qualifying for the playoffs, but this year’s team has the ability to do much better. The wealth of guards may allow Brooks to shift Snow, one of the better point guards in the county, to shooting guard. The team’s speed, ballhandling and shooting could make for a fine fast-breaking offense.

PACIFICA: Returning Starters--Kris Brodowski (6-6, F), Mike Short (6-1, G) and Ken Shelton (6-3, F).

Top Newcomers--Rick Brodt (6-1, G), Scott Pettit (6-5, F) and Karsten Pederson (6-5, C/F).

Outlook--The Mariners are hoping to end a streak of 14 losing seasons, no easy task in this league. “We’re going to try to make a run for the playoffs, if we can stay injury-free and and improve as we have been,” second-year Coach Brent Fair said. “We’re trying to reshape attitudes and rebuild the program from top to bottom. Whether it will happen now or later remains to be seen, but we hope it’s now.” Surprisingly, with the additions of Pettit and Pederson, the Mariners will be one of the tallest teams in the league, averaging 6-5 on the front line. Fair says Pederson has never played basketball before, but has shown athletic ability in rebounding and defense. Junior Rick Brodt is the brother of Dave Brodt, the league’s leading scorer last season. The Mariners have been unlucky in the early days of practice with five players already injured, while three others are still playing football.

Tomorrow: Freeway League .