Golden Knights Go in Quest of a Crown : This Year, St. Francis Cagers Have Chance to Escape Football’s Shadow

During the last eight months, Bryan Duffy spent five days a week pumping iron in the St. Francis High School weight room. As a dedicated Golden Knight, Duffy was getting bigger. Getting stronger. Getting mentally prepared for his senior year.

Those have always been admired habits at tradition-rich St. Francis, where football has for years reigned supreme.

Duffy, however, is a basketball player. He didn’t plan on becoming a revolutionary but may qualify as one by the time basketball season is over. The football team suffered through a 2-7-1 season and pride around campus is now dependent on a basketball program that has operated in relative obscurity for years.

Hopes center on the team’s center, who just happens to be the 6-6, 205-pound Duffy.

“We’re not going to be the quickest team and we’re not all that talented,” said Duffy, who averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds a game last season. “But we’re going to play together as a team and hopefully get the morale back up on campus.”

The Golden Knights have a chance to win more than new fans. The team has a legitimate shot at contending for the Del Rey League championship.

Besides Duffy, the Golden Knights return senior guard Greg Forrest (6-1), who averaged 16.5 points a game last season.

Coach Drew Sorenson has other experienced players who should help improve on last season’s 13-12 overall record and 7-6, third-place finish in league.

Senior forwards Matt McGee (6-2) and Mark Jewell (6-2) should help take pressure off Duffy in the front court. Junior Aaron Villegas (5-11) is the other guard.

Sorenson is beginning his fourth year as coach. His teams have had records of 4-17, 12-12 and 13-12.

“If someone were to ask how we were doing, I’d say we’re quietly building a program,” Sorenson said. “This used to be kind of a grave yard for good coaches. Hopefully, I’ll be around awhile to win some championships.”

Here is an alphabetical list of previews for other Glendale-area boys basketball teams for the 1986-87 season.

Crescenta Valley (Pacific League, 4-A Division)--Harvey Mason, the Falcons’ three-time CIF All-Southern Section performer, is at the University of Arizona. Mason, who averaged 27 points a game last season, is one of four starters lost from a team that went 18-8 overall and finished second in league with a 7-3 record.

Coach John Goffredo’s only returning starter is senior forward Larry Resendez (5-10), who averaged 1.5 points.

“Over the last three years, it’s almost like I knew we were going to have at least 30 points a game from Harvey,” Goffredo said. “It’s going to be different this year.”

Senior Greg Buck (6-2), who played on the junior varsity last season, will be one of the forwards and junior Mike Harrison (6-5) will play center. The guards figure to be seniors Chris Grider (5-9) and Barry Eget (6-0).

“We’ll have to play to our maximum to make the playoffs,” Goffredo said. “I hate to say we’re rebuilding because that’s a cop-out. We’re still going to be competitive.”

Eagle Rock (Northern League, City 3-A Division)--The Eagle Rock football team won a league championship this season and the basketball team has a good chance to do the same.

All-City forward Greg Sanford and all-league center Rich Conti have graduated, but there are four players returning from last season’s team that finished 14-7 over all and 8-2 in league.

Senior forward John Epps (6-4) averaged 13.3 points and seven rebounds. He’ll be joined in the front court by forward Marc Tamase (6-0), who averaged seven points.

Senior guard Jerry Lew (5-9), who averaged 10 points and five assists, is in the back court with senior Emanuael Washington (5-11), who averaged eight points.

“Depth and experience are going to be our strengths,” Coach Bill Whiting said. “The experience, in particular, gives us the potential to be as good as the league championship team we had in 1983.”

Flintridge Prep (Prep League, 1-A Division)--The Prep League figures to, once again, be a race between Flintridge Prep and defending champion Chadwick.

Chadwick lost league MVP John Johnson, who is playing at UC Riverside. But Flintridge Prep suffered with the graduation of Jeff Crawford, who averaged 23 points.

The Rebels return three players from last season’s team that finished 14-11 overall and 6-2 in league.

Senior Burt Cooper (6-6) is back at center after averaging 14 points. Junior guard Steve Swain, who averaged 11 points, and senior swingman Jeff Rosenfeld (6-1) also return.

The key for Flintridge Prep, according to Coach Alex Rivera, will be the performances of junior forwards Kinden Mitchell (6-2) and Chris Freeman (6-5), both up from the junior varsity.

“Those two have to come through for us,” said Rivera, who begins his eighth year as coach of the Rebels. “We have the potential to have one of the best years since I’ve been here.”

Franklin (Northern League, 3-A Division)--Franklin went 3-16 overall and 1-9 in league last season, so things can only get better for the Panthers.

Senior forward Mario Magana (6-1), junior forwards Mike Dunkel (6-3) and Sam Genie (6-0), senior center Robert Neal (6-4) and junior guard Rodel Barcelona (5-8) are veterans.

Kenny Saffold (5-9), a senior guard who transferred from Kansas City, is expected to make an immediate impact.

“We can’t go anywhere but up,” Coach Chuck Donagho said. “We have more talent then we did last year and it’s more evenly distributed. We may surprise some people.”

Glendale (Pacific League, 4-A Division)--Steve Keith, beginning his 10th year as coach of the Dynamiters, has won five league championships and two Southern Section titles.

It may be tough for Glendale to achieve that kind of success this season, having lost all-league forwards Geoff Foote and Steve Acton from a team that finished 14-10 overall and 6-4 in league.

Senior guard Mike McDowell (5-10), who averaged 14.5 points, should help ease the loss of Foote and Acton. Mike McHale (6-0) is a returning guard who averaged five points a game. Mauricio Vanegas (5-7) will see a lot of time as the third guard.

Junior Jeff Sofro (6-2), most valuable player on the junior varsity last season, will start at forward with senior Alex Berry (6-5).

Junior Rod Cassidy (6-5) will start at center.

“Based on the way we played during the summer, I think we’ll be OK,” Keith said. “Because of what we’ve accomplished in the past, we expect good things. But we have problems, too. We need to be more consistent.”

Hoover (Pacific League, 4-A Division)--Hoover has two players from last year’s team that finished 7-14 overall and 1-9 in league.

“I think we’re a team of the future,” said Kirt Kohlmeier, who begins his seventh year as coach of the Tornadoes. “We’re going to have to rely on quickness and develop as the year goes on.”

Senior center Howard Teasley (6-5) and sophomore forward Jack Dabbaghian form the nucleus. Junior Sean Regan (6-4) and senior Mike Wiggins (6-0) will also play on the front line.

In the back court, juniors Vigin Serop (5-8), Joe Velasquez (5-11) and Randy Cooper will split time directing the motion offense.

La Canada (Rio Hondo League, 2-A Division)--La Canada has no starters and just two players returning from a team that went 13-10 overall and 3-7 in league.

Tim Hofman is the new coach after coaching the junior varsity for two seasons.

Hofman is counting on Greg and Chad Givens to help the Spartans become competitive against pre-season favorites Blair and Temple City.

Greg Givens (6-3 1/2) is a junior forward and Chad Givens (6-6) is a sophomore center. They will be joined by senior forward Scott Bright (6-4) and senior guards Karey Kienitz (5-8) and Ben Kelly (5-10).

Forward Matt Moseley (6-2) and Bob Bergquist (5-11), both seniors, will play a lot.

“On paper, you’d have to say we’ll finish fifth,” Hofman said. “But we’re playing better than a fifth-place team. I think we may have a shot at the playoffs if we continue to improve.”

Marshall (Northern League, 3-A Division)--The Marshall team that takes the court is going to look entirely different from last season’s team that won the City Section 3-A title and went 22-4 overall and 10-0 in league.

Gone is Coach Sandy Greentree. Gone is 3-A player of the year Jerry Simon. Gone, in fact, is the entire starting five.

Greentree is teaching at Marshall but is taking the year off from coaching to concentrate on real estate interests.

Simon, who broke the City record by averaging 37.9 points, has taken his game to the University of Pennsylvania.

Henfred Brard, an All-City guard at Marshall in 1982, has returned as the Barristers’ coach.

“We have about 10 or 11 players that are very close in ability,” Brard said. “We have enough players that we can press people the entire game and wear the opposition out.”

Senior Mike Tozour (6-5) will play center and senior guards Arnold Camarillo (5-8) and Lundi Hou (5-8) are also back from last season.

Senior Gordon Wong (6-3), junior Ernest Friday (6-2)--who was the MVP of Marshall’s undefeated JV team last season--and sophomore Aaron Shaw (6-2) will see time at forward.

Pacific Christian (Prep League, 1-A Division)--All hope for a great season pretty much went out the window as soon as Eric Arreola and John Hornung transferred.

Arreola, a second-team all-league guard, went to Wilson and Hornung went to Eagle Rock, leaving Coach Gerald Harer with only one returning starter and a team made up almost entirely of inexperienced underclassmen.

Brian Huesser (6-0), a junior guard, is the only player back from last season’s team that went 2-8 in league.

“It’s going to be a learning experience,” Harer said. “We’re not thinking too much about winning a lot of games. I just want to see these kids work hard and learn the game.”

Pater Noster (Santa Fe League, 1-A Division)--Coach Dominic Castro said he could sum up his team’s chance for success in one sentence:

“Our team will go as Martin Cota goes.”

Cota (6-3) is the Eagles’ senior center. He averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds last season when Pater Noster went 4-16 overall and 2-8 in league.

Cota will get help from senior guard Nelson Ramaya (6-2) and Jeff D’errico (6-1 1/2), who transferred from Hoover.

Verdugo Hills (East Valley League, 3-A Division)--With four players and a key transfer, Coach Hector Ornelas is optimistic that his team will improve upon last season’s 4-15 overall record and 1-9 showing in league.

Senior guard Minh Lieu (5-7) averaged eight points a game last season. Lieu and forward/center Andy Silvestri (6-4), a junior, are the nucleus of this team. Senior Brian Willingham (6-3) transferred from San Fernando and should help Silvestri in the front court.

“I’m optimistic because we have mostly seniors,” Ornelas said. “But, some of those kids are up from the JV team and others are transfers. If they can get to know each other and play together, we should be more competitive than last year.”