5-A Division Fails to Live Up to Its Stature

In theory, it was supposed to be a super division. But the CIF Southern Section’s 5-A basketball division hardly compares to the 4-A in terms of quality or depth, many coaches say.

Mater Dei High School, with its 49-game winning streak, has become the 5-A’s showcase team. Ocean View, banned from this season’s playoffs because its coach used “undue influence” to retain two transfers, also is strong.

But the quality and quantity ends with those Orange County schools, coaches say. And some 5-A teams might have trouble against 3-A teams that feature such Division I front-line players as Eldon Campbell (Morningside), Scott Williams (Hacienda Heights Wilson), Marcelius Lee (Pomona), Kevin Walker (Brea-Olinda) and Bob Erbst (Katella).

In short, the super division has been a super dud.

The 58 members of the Southern Section General Council who voted in favor of placing the Angelus, Camino Real, Del Rey, Moore and Sunset leagues into a 5-A division two years ago pointed out that representatives of those five leagues had won the 4-A division title 10 times in 14 previous seasons.

“We found that there were five dominant leagues in the 4-A division and everybody wanted out of the division because they couldn’t compete with them,” said Dean Crowley, Southern Section administrator. “That was the reason for the Big Five.”

The new alignment placed the top three finishers from the five leagues plus a wild-card team in a 16-team tournament. The winner of the 5-A title plays four games. The other divisions maintained the 32-team format with the winner competing in five playoff games.

“I look at the 5-A poll, and I see two very good teams in Mater Dei and Ocean View, and then a good team in Serra,” said Jim Reames, Foothill coach. “After that, the competition drops off dramatically. The 4-A is easily better than the 5-A.

“With Ocean View out of the playoffs, Mater Dei has a great chance of winning again. We’re 15-4, and last week was the first time we got into the top 10 of the 4-A.

Though a majority of Orange County coaches believe the 4-A division is stronger than the 5-A, they say they favor a separate division for schools that are not limited by attendance boundaries.

“It’s tough, but I think all private schools should be placed in their own division,” Reames said. “A private school like Mater Dei is essentially a traveling all-star team, and most public schools can’t beat a traveling team.”

Said Mark Thornton of the 4-A’s No. 1 Capistrano Valley: “We’ve played four teams ranked at one time or another in the 5-A and beat all of them except Mater Dei,” he said.

The Cougars (19-2) have defeated 5-A schools Ocean View, Verbum Dei and Edison. Thornton, who has led the Cougars to the 4-A semifinals three of the past four seasons, said there are six or seven teams in the 4-A that are capable of winning the 5-A title.

In contrast, Fountain Valley (12-8) is ranked 10th in the 5-A poll. The Barons have played four teams ranked in the 4-A division--Capistrano Valley, J.W. North of Riverside, Corona del Mar and Muir--and lost each time.

Dave Brown, Fountain Valley coach, cites a difference in depth when comparing the 5-A to the 4-A.

“I think year in and year out, the best team in Southern California will be the 5-A winner,” he said. “But there’s no depth in the 5-A. Look at the top 10 of the 5-A and then the top 10 of 4-A and there’s no comparison in depth.

“It doesn’t appear that the 5-A is the upper echelon of prep basketball that it was supposed to be based on the last two years. The competition hasn’t turned out to be of the caliber the division was designed to create.”

Said Thornton: “I think Mater Dei will automatically be in the final four of the 5-A every year. It’s doubtful they’ll play a good team until after the second round. I just don’t think there are enough quality teams to have a 5-A.”

Such was the case last season when a fourth of the playoff teams had losing records.

“Last year it was pitiful that some of those teams got into the playoffs,” said Bill Ervin, El Modena coach. “There’s 33 teams in the 5-A and 16 go to the playoffs. That’s like the NBA. They might as well take every team in the 5-A and put them in the playoffs.”

Last year’s top-seeded 5-A teams, Mater Dei and Ocean View, took the expressway to the championship, pounding some mediocre teams along the way. Mater Dei beat Verbum Dei and Compton by a combined score of 54 points to reach the semifinals. Ocean View beat St. Francis and St. Bernard by 53 points in its first two games.

By comparison, Glendale narrowly beat some of Southern California’s best teams en route to the 4-A title. The undefeated Dynamiters played Camarillo (19-5) in the second round, Capistrano Valley (22-6) in the quarterfinals and Lynwood (26-1) in the semifinals. They won those three games by an average of four points.

Of the 32 teams entered in the 4-A field, only Hawthorne (8-10) had a losing record. Two others--San Gorgonio (17-7) and Hemet (14-9)--had to play a wild-card game to qualify.

The records show there is a disparity in the system, coaches say.

“I don’t think the creation of the 5-A was the answer to the public-private school issue,” Ervin said. “There was an effort to take Mater Dei out of the 4-A, and now they’ve been rewarded with an easier division.

Even Gary McKnight, Mater Dei’s coach, says the Monarchs have an advantage.

“I have to admit that winning the championship is a little bit easier in the 5-A than the 4-A,” he said. “You play one less game and get a week to prepare for your first two playoff games.

“In the 4-A, you have a 32-team field, and it seems like you’ve earned the championship more by playing in a larger field. But I’ll take a title in the 5-A any time.”

Southern Section 5-A Poll

Pos. School (League) Record 1. Mater Dei (Angelus) 19-0

2. Ocean View (Sunset) 15-4

3. Serra (Camino Real) 14-4

4. LB Poly (Moore) 12-6

5. Crespi (Del Rey) 14-4

6. St. Bernard (Camino Real) 11-5

7. Verbum Dei (Camino Real) 13-6

8. St. Anthony (Camino Real) 10-7

9. LB Millikan (Moore) 11-6

10. Fountain Valley (Sunset) 12-8

Others Receiving Votes: Edison (12-7) and St. Monica (10-7).

Southern Section 4-A Poll

Pos. School (League) Record 1. Capistrano Valley (South Coast) 19-2

2. Santa Monica (Bay) 15-3

3. Muir (Pacific) 19-2

4. Simi Valley (Marmonte) 19-1

5. J. W. North (Ivy) 18-1

6. Culver City (Ocean) 18-2

7. Dominguez (San Gabriel) 14-4

8. San Gorgonio (Citrus Belt) 17-2

9. Inglewood (Ocean) 12-6

10. Corona del Mar (Sea View) 16-3

Others Receiving Votes: Santa Barbara (12-3), Rio Mesa (12-4), Santa Ana (14-5), Mission Viejo (16-5) and Lynwood (12-6).

By comparing the two polls, it is easy to see that the 4-A has more depth than the 5-A this season.