SOUTH COAST : So Much for Tradition; This Should Be El Toro’s Season

You won’t have to look too far to find the winners of the South Coast League basketball championship the past eight seasons. The league title has been the property of Capistrano Valley and Mission Viejo high schools, with both schools winning the title four times each.

Look for a change this season. El Toro High School, with three excellent juniors in the starting lineup, is favored to win the title.

Bret Johnson, one of the best quarterbacks in Orange County, also is one of the premier point guards. He averaged 16.3 points a game as a sophomore.

Forward Eric Speaker averaged 12.6 points and 6.4 rebounds. Center Cory Wayland averaged 9.5 points and 9.9 rebounds, and shot 58% from the field.

“I look for El Toro to be in the Top 5 in the county for the next two seasons,” said Steve Thornton, coach of Dana Hills.

The Chargers may be slight favorites, but Capistrano Valley and Mission Viejo are again strong. And Irvine will field perhaps the best team in the school’s 10-year history.

“You can’t count out Irvine,” Capistrano Valley Coach Mark Thornton said. “I think the league title will be decided on the last night of the season.”

The Cougars, the defending champion, have two of the county’s two tallest players in 7-foot center Jim Waikle and 6-10 forward Steve McCaughey. Mission Viejo has the league’s best player in 6-6 forward Jeff Herdman.

“Four teams are capable of winning the league title, and, unfortunately, an excellent team will not make the playoffs,” El Toro’s Tim Travers said.

Dana Hills had one of the county’s best freshman teams last season, and Steve Thornton thinks that his team is a season away from being a contender.

Here’s a closer look at the South Coast League:

Top newcomers--Randy Stark (6-3, forward), Todd Kostoff (6-2, guard), Jim Waikle (7-0, center), Steve McCaughey (6-10, forward) and Todd Marinovich (6-4, forward).

Outlook--For the first time in six seasons there won’t be a Call in the backcourt. Burt and Nathan Call have graduated after helping Capistrano Valley win the league championship three of the past five seasons. But McCullough should fill the void. The focus will be on Waikle and McCaughey. “If they develop in the next month, we could be good,” Mark Thornton said. “They limit some of the things we’ve done defensively in the past, and they don’t score much, but their size alone presents problems.” Marinovich, a record-setting quarterback, could break into the starting lineup before league play begins according to Thornton. Thornton picked his team to finish fourth.

Top newcomers--Greg Miller (6-2, forward), Brent Gaut (5-11, guard), Chris Delfs (5-11, guard), Brendhan Quinn (6-2, forward), Brent Hilliard (6-3, forward) and Donnie MacIntyre (6-3, center).

Outlook--Patience is the key word. The freshman team went 25-1 last season, and Steve Thornton has two sophomore guards--Gaut and Delfs--who will play extensively. Thornton said Cmelak, who averaged 12.4 points and 7.6 rebounds last season, “may be one of the most underrated players in the county. He could score a lot of points for us.” Thornton has good depth and plans to use 10 players. “How well we do this season will depend on how fast our young players come along,” he said. Thornton anticipates Dana Hills and San Clemente battling for fifth.

Bret Johnson (6-1, guard), Eric Speaker (6-4, forward), Cory Wayland (6-5, center) and Neil Madewell (6-3, forward).

Top newcomers--Mack Powell (6-0, guard), Mike Van Riette (6-2, guard), Mike Cobb (6-2, forward), Scott Spalding (6-5, center) and Chris Soriano (6-2, guard).

Outlook--A young Charger team finished 14-12 last season and beat Irvine in a playoff game to earn the league’s No. 3 berth in the 4-A division playoffs. El Toro was 13-3 during the summer and won tournaments at Mater Dei and Newport Harbor. Wayland and Spalding, starting tackles on the football team, will provide the rebounding and muscle inside. Madewell will start with Speaker at forward with either Powell or Van Riette at off guard. “We should be ready in January,” Travers said. “If the football team goes to the finals, I’ll go four games without three players, but I’m sure that Bret will adjust quickly.”

Top newcomers--Mike MacInnes (6-1, guard), Jerry Petersen (6-5, center), Raphael Molle (6-5, center) and Chris Black (5-9, guard).

Outlook--The Vaqueros have excellent height, good shooters and one of the county’s best guards in Coach Al Herring’s son, Mike. Herring, who signed with Brigham Young University, averaged 15.5 points and 7.8 rebounds last season. He has moved to point guard this season. Oden will be important. Last season, he was hardly noticeable at times but showed flashes of brilliance. “We are very excited about this season’s team,” Al Herring said. “Our backcourt is our strength, and if our big people on the front line improve, we could be very tough.” Irvine has upgraded its nonleague schedule to include county powers Marina, Santa Ana and Corona del Mar.

Top newcomers--Dave Hall (6-3, forward), Tom Lujan (6-0, guard), Matt Lackie (6-2, forward) and Jeff Springfield (6-5, center).

Outlook--Tradition is certainly on the Diablos’ side. Mission Viejo has won 20 or more games the past three seasons. It has also advanced to the semifinals twice and the championship game of the Southern Section playoffs once in the past eight seasons. Coach Bob Minier is predicting another 20-win season. “We have excellent shooters, a good attitude and reasonable quickness,” he said. Herdman led the team in scoring last season with an 18.6 average and has an unlimited shooting range. Mission Viejo has a good test against Woodbridge, ranked first in the 2-A division, Jan. 10.

Top newcomers--Mike Peters (5-10, guard) and Rob Buhler (6-1, forward).

Outlook--The Tritons are the league’s mystery team. Coach Dion Kerhoulas, a former assistant for Tom Gregory at Savanna, wasn’t hired until August. He inherits one returning letterman. Burrows is the only player with varsity experience, averaging 3 points a game last season. San Clemente is small and inexperienced, which could spell a long season. The Tritons were the unanimous choice by the league coaches to finish last. “This team is definitely an unknown,” Kerhoulas said.