Old Cage Tale: Best Teams Remain Best : Carson, Morningside, St. Bernard and Chadwick Look Like Powers

South Bay high school basketball watchers can be excused if they get a sense of deja vu this season.

On paper it appears that the rich have got richer, or at least maintained their status, and the usual names should be on top when the dust clears.

There are a few changes to note: San Pedro, which has been a City 3-A power the last three years, returns to 4-A this season and is back with traditional rivals Carson and Banning.

Several new coaches are on display, most of them familiar names--Cliff Warren, who had powerhouses at El Segundo in the 1960s before moving on to the college ranks and private business, is back at Rolling Hills. Carl Strong at Torrance High has been an assistant coach at El Camino College and Loyola Marymount University in recent years. Steve Shaw at Redondo has been an assistant there and was a star player in the 1970s. Rick Sabosky takes over at El Segundo, and Kirk Brown is at South Torrance. Mike Siler is the new face at Leuzinger.

The Possible Best

If survival belongs to the fittest, these teams should be the predators: Carson, Morningside and St. Bernard in the upper echelon, with Inglewood, Serra and Banning also to be feared, and Chadwick in the 1-A Division.

This week’s Pacific Shores Tournament will give a quick check of the comparable strengths of Morningside, Carson and Serra. The semifinals are Thursday, the finals Friday at Redondo High.

Here are how the league races shape up:

Camino Real (CIF 5-A)--St. Bernard and Verbum Dei are expected to battle for the title, perhaps with St. Monica. Serra and St. Anthony will be in the running for playoff spots. This league includes several preseason All-Americans.

St. Bernard has two star seniors, Joe Hudson and Kirkland Howling, both 6-4, and junior standout David Whitmore, who made Street and Smith’s preseason top 100. Whitmore is an exceptional leaper. “At times he can be unstoppable around the basket,” Coach Jim McClune said. Hudson is a defensive standout. Others who will see considerable playing time are Langston Daniels, Eric Dunn, football star Eric Marrero and Ruben Monge. An early gut-check for the Vikings: a Friday the 13th showdown next week with defending CIF 5-A champ Mater Dei at Loyola Marymount.

Serra has one of the best small forwards around in Keith Malone, a Jamaal Wilkes type. The Cavaliers also picked up sophomore guard James Moses, a great shooter who transferred from Alemany where he starred as a freshman. Otherwise, Serra is green.

Mary Star of the Sea has no returning starters but should be quicker than last year. Center Mark Karmelich and forward Ron Rados are the senior leaders. Sophomore Dewey Dominguez figures to start at guard.

Verbum Dei returns several talented players led by All-CIF guard David Jones. St. Monica has its starting five intact including All-America guard Earl Duncan, who led the Camino Real in scoring last season and has signed with Syracuse. St. Anthony returns basketball’s version of the Refrigerator, 6-8, 235-pound Jaime Cardriche.

Bay League (CIF 4-A)--Santa Monica is the odds-on favorite with South Torrance, Palos Verdes and Redondo counting on returning stars to lead them to the playoffs.

South Torrance has a solid nucleus returning including three-year starting guard Chris Jeffrey, a good shooter; 6-5 forward John Cassinelli, a blue collar-type forward, and 6-9 Rob Haddon. Brian Kelly, a 6-5 junior, lends bulk up front.

Redondo is led by 6-7 center-forward Steve Florentine, who averaged 20 points as a junior. “We’ll be as good as Steve Florentine,” Shaw said. Redondo also returns one veteran guard, Frank Herrera.

Palos Verdes has four players back. Jeff Pelton, a 6-4 forward who has signed with Montana, is the best player and tallest man on a small team. Coach John Mihaljevich expects to have a better shooting team than last year.

Rolling Hills has no lettermen and little size. However, the Titans are a good shooting squad featuring juniors--6-4 Doug Gehr and 6-3 Cameron Terry are the best.

West Torrance and Mira Costa are young and short and probably a year away. West has only two lettermen and seven underclassmen. Craig Carlson is the tallest player at 6-3. Three football players are still on the gridiron. “We’ll start slow,” Coach Dan McGee said. Mira Costa is rebuilding around 6-5 Scott Forsyth.

Ocean League (CIF 4-A)--Culver City and Inglewood should be the clear-cut upper crust here. Inglewood is relatively small but has five lettermen and three starters back, two of them all-leaguers--Stacy Anderson and Eric Jordan. Coach Art Bias is also high on 6-3 junior James Bowens, a leaper, and junior Corey Arnett. Jerry Gatewood, 6-6, is at center.

North Torrance returns 6-5 Mike Jurado, the team’s best shooter last year. Torrance has no lettermen and only two seniors with experience. Jarrod Adams is the tallest at 6-5. “We’ll take our lumps early,” Strong said. Hawthorne has three starters back and should be quick.

Culver City returns seven of its top eight players including four starters led by guard Marvin Nelson. John Jones, 6-4, is a leaper and 6-8 Keith Thompson lends height, though he doesn’t start.

Beverly Hills rounds out the league.

Pioneer League (CIF 3-A)--When Morningside puts on its uniforms, it’s time for the other league teams to grab the small children and head for cover. “Our motto this year is ‘Take no prisoners,’ ” said co-Coach Ron Randle, who is officially sharing the reins with Carl Franklin this season.

The Monarchs, defending CIF 3-A champs, could be even stronger this year. The front line, all returning starters, has college size with 6-10 center Elden Campbell and forwards Leon Covington (6-6), Marcus Psalms (6-6) and Mark Hammock (6-5). Covington is one of the best power forwards around, and Campbell has Division I schools recruiting him. Junior Taron Wiley, 6-4, returns at guard where he’s joined by newcomer Raymond Scott, who has a 38-inch vertical leap and may replace graduated Darrell Gordon as the team catalyst.

Leuzinger has the league’s best small forward in 6-4 Shelvie Washington and returns guards Jack Hamler and Ron Phyfer when they complete the football season.

El Segundo should compete for a playoff spot, returning four seniors with height. Scott Talanoa and Darryl Griffin are returning starters, Dean Booker boosts the shooting and Steve Robinson is strong on the boards. All are about 6-5. Coach Rick Sabosky is looking for a guard and may lean toward 6-4 freshman Shawn Foster.

Miraleste has only one letterman, 6-3 forward Kelby Woodward, who is recovering from a football knee injury. Brothers Buzz and Rob Klein, 6-3 and 6-4 transfers from Hawaii, will help up front along with David Johnston. Mike Nenadic at the point and John Accardo are the top guards.

OTHERS--Bishop Montgomery, in the Angelus League (5-A), doesn’t figure to challenge Mater Dei for the league title. The Knights could be competitive, though small. The best player is 6-3 forward James Taylor. The strength of the team is at guard where Ramses Reynoso, Jeff Dreher, Joe Aki and Bryan Dell Amico will share time. Football star Ken Sale, 6-2, adds muscle up front.

Chadwick School Coach Tom Maier feels the Dolphins are in a rare rebuilding year, but most opponents figure that’s more like reloading. The defending CIF 1-A champs will build around 6-5 James Johnson, who averaged eight rebounds as a junior. “He should--and must--average over 20 points a game this year,” Maier said. As usual, the team has good athletes, but Maier feels it lacks depth. He still expects to win the Prep League and challenge in 1-A playoffs.

Coast Christian will focus on its one returning player, 5-10 junior Rufus Banks. The tallest player is 6-2 sophomore Grant Anderson.

Los Angeles 4-A League B--For the second straight year Carson may have suffered heavier losses off the court than it will on--6-10 Clifford Allen again will not play for the Colts and sophomore sensation James Moses, who played for Carson during the summer, enrolled at Serra, a private school. Allen, who has signed a letter of intent with Nevada-Las Vegas without ever playing in high school, is back in the guidance of the California Youth Authority. “We’ve gone from a power team to eight guards and Anthony January without playing a game,” Coach Richard Masson noted.

Few people are feeling sorry for Carson, however, including Masson. January, an All-City 6-6 forward, averaged 20 points as a junior and has signed with Texas-El Paso. “He should be a dominant force,” Masson said. Also back is point guard Issy Washington, a college prospect who averaged 12 points and 5 assists. Reggie McCready, Tim Presley and John Howell return and did well over the summer. McCready is the second tallest player at 6-3. Masson also likes junior guard Michael Helms. Carson’s quickness and skill make the Colts league favorites, but without Allen it’s a race.

An early showdown to note: City favorite Crenshaw at Carson next Thursday.

Banning is in the hunt, with 6-7 David Lee back at center and 6-8 Marcus Slater at forward. Victor Ward, a 6-1 guard, is the best outside shooter. Eric Leftwich, 6-5, is at the other forward.

San Pedro is back in with the big boys and has some talent--6-4 Zlatko Josic led the league in rebounding (12 plus per game) and is a steady shooter. Mike Sestich, a 6-6 junior with a shooting touch, returns at center, and guard Damon Whitsitt brings back the team’s best outside touch. The Pirates may lack depth in the rugged league.

Gardena should be a contender. Locke is a question mark despite 6-7 Willie Franks.

OTHERS--Westchester has one of the City’s best players, 6-5 Michael Courtney.

Narbonne, in the 3-A League A, hopes to compensate for lack of experience with quickness.