Strong St. Monica Standing Tall in the CIF

Just as in City basketball, the Southern Section of the CIF has its dominant Westside team. Like Fairfax, St. Monica is a strong, well-balanced team, and this year it acquired a top-flight big man.

The addition of 6-10 center Brian Williams propelled St. Monica to The Times’ No. 2 pre-season ranking. Only Mater Dei is rated ahead of the Mariners in the CIF.

But there are other, less well known Westside teams that should make strong showings in Southern Section play this year. Three of those teams, Bel-Air Prep, Crossroads and Daniel Murphy, made it to the championship games of their divisions, and two of them, Crossroads and Daniel Murphy, won titles.

A rundown of Westside CIF teams:

Bel-Air Prep

The Bruins made it all the way to the title game of the Small Schools Division last year, only to lose to Whitney. This year, Coach Michael Whiting’s team moves up to the 1-A Delphic League.

There are three returning starters, including Derrick (Pank) Thorton, a 6-2 senior forward who was one of two Westside League players of the year last season.

Others returning are 6-0 junior guard Sean Lewis and 6-1 forward Alex Szukenko. Also starting will be Bill Terrazas, a 6-0 forward who was the sixth man a year ago, and Zaid Al-Hakim, a 5-9 guard.

Two newcomers should lend a hand. They are Treiben Edwards, a 5-8 sophomore guard who, Whiting says, might push for a starting spot, and Jonathan Yaker, a 6-1 junior forward.

Beverly Hills

The Normans’ biggest problem this season will be a lack of experience, as they return just one starter.

Lincoln Sneed, a 6-5 senior forward, averaged 10 points and four rebounds for Beverly Hills, which finished third in the 4-A Ocean League last year.

Other starters for Coach Jack Dyck are Derek Patton, a 6-0 junior guard; Willie Crawford, a 6-1 junior guard and a top running back in football this year; Monroe Gorden, a 6-3 junior forward; and Corey Spound, a 6-3 senior center.

Dyck doesn’t see his club finishing ahead of Santa Monica, Inglewood and Hawthorne.

“But if our shooting comes along,” he said, “we might have a shot at the playoffs.”

Brentwood

Although everyone seems to think Crossroads will walk away with the 1-A Delphic League, Brentwood Coach Bob Ingram says his team has just as good a chance as any other to be the runner-up.

“Three teams from our league will make the playoffs, and I think we’ll be one of them,” he said. “We’re probably going to play more of a zone this year because we lack quickness. We lack experience, but we are fairly talented.”

Brentwood, 10-11 overall and 4-6 last season, returns two starters. Senior David Vaccaro, a 6-2 center, averaged 10 points and nine rebounds, while 5-10 junior Mike Victor averaged 12 points at point guard.

“David jumps well, and he’s a real good low-post player,” Ingram said. “Mike is the floor leader and he’s our best shooter.”

The other starting guard will be Brian Good, a 5-9 junior. Three players will compete for the two forward spots: Bobby Moses, a 6-2 senior, and two 6-2 juniors, Jeremy Lappen and Mark Milstein.

Top reserves include Adam Dishell, a 6-2 guard, and Jordan Karubian, a 6-2 center.

Clearview

With Bel-Air Prep, Yeshiva and Holy Martyrs leaving the Westside League and four new teams entering, Clearview Coach Alvin Gilmore doesn’t know what to expect.

“Basically, it’s a whole new league,” said Gilmore, whose Cobras were 0-10 in the league a year ago. “I feel like we’ll be competitive, but I don’t know the other teams well enough to make an assessment.”

One advantage Clearview has is a rarity in high school basketball: The team is returning all five starters.

The team leader is Doug Booker, a 6-3 senior center-forward who averaged 10 points and six rebounds last year. He was a second-team Westside League pick.

Ron Walder, a 6-1 senior guard-forward, is a three-year starter. “Booker, offensively and defensively, is the nucleus of the team,” Gilmore said. “Walder just adds a lot of experience.”

Other starters are 5-9 junior guard Andre Bullard, 5-10 junior forward Carl Maithonis and 5-9 senior guard Chris Sisak.

Newcomer David Wisanski, a 5-7 freshman, is “our best ball handler,” Gilmore said, and may soon break into the starting lineup. Center Josh Newell, a 6-0 junior, is another bench player who may soon start. “I expect good things from him,” Gilmore said. “He’s our best rebounder.”

Gilmore said he is looking at a probable third-place finish, with Newbridge and Highland Hall coming in ahead of Clearview. “The third-place team makes the playoffs, and we’ve never made the playoffs, so we’d like that,” he said.

Crossroads

David Benezra inherits Elliot Turret’s team, which won the 1-A title last spring. The Roadrunners were 10-0 in league play (17-7 overall) and were a Division III state finalist. Crossroads has been in a CIF final for five straight years.

Benezra said he will carry 10 players, with eight seeing regular action.

David Wolfe is a returning starter. A 6-8 senior center, Wolfe averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds a game last year. He has signed with Brigham Young University.

The guards are set. Matt Bailey, a 6-3 senior, averaged six points a game as sixth man. Chris Brown, a returning starter, is a 6-0 senior who scored 10 points a game last year.

Two seniors and a sophomore will fight for the two forward positions. The underclassman is Rudy Henry, 6-7. Keith Thompson, a 6-7 1/2 transfer from Culver City High, is probably the team’s best shooter, Benezra said. Danny Nagin (6-4) is the other forward.

The top bench players are sophomore Darren Kalish, a 6-2 wingman, and Mike Arnold, a 6-1 junior guard.

“We’re picked to win the league,” Benezra said. “All the coaches feel they’re chasing us. We have more talent, more height and more depth than any other team.”

Culver City

The Centaurs had an exceptional season last year, going 24-4 and winning the 4-A Ocean League with a 9-1 mark. But Coach Marty Siegal said that if the team’s performance in summer play was any indication, Culver will be a .500 ballclub this season.

“We haven’t looked very intense in practice,” Siegal said. “It’s very frustrating. Because our league is so tough, so outstanding, it’s going to be hard to repeat. I see Inglewood as the favorite, with Hawthorne right behind them. I think we’ll be fighting Santa Monica for third place.”

Culver has five players returning, all second-stringers last year.

Steve Jeter, a 6-1 junior, is the off-guard. He averaged six points and four rebounds a game last year. “A very good defensive player,” Siegal said. A 6-1 senior, Scott Garland, will play point guard, and Siegal said he is the key to Culver’s season.

Tony Unotoa, 6-4, will play either center or forward after averaging five points and seven rebounds last season. Coach Siegal called Unotoa one of the most intense players he has ever coached.

The fourth starter, Art Nixon, had a broken foot and did not play this summer. But Siegal called the 6-3 senior forward “the most gifted athlete at school.” A big, strong player, Nixon will be the key to the inside game.

Rounding out the starters is Sean Kennedy, a 6-2 senior forward with no varsity experience. Kennedy is a defensive standout.

“That’s our team. We have no bench,” Siegal said. “We’re not very big. It’s going to be very, very interesting.”

Daniel Murphy

Daniel Murphy (15-7, 11-1) won the 2-A title last season. But the Nobles moved up to the 5-A Camino Real League for the 1986-87 campaign. With teams such as Pius X, Verbum Dei, St. Monica and Serra as competition, it might be a long season for first-year Coach Terry Matthews.

“I see us as a fourth- or fifth-place finisher,” Matthews said. “We are not in contention for the CIF playoffs.”

Eleven of 13 players from last year have graduated. On a squad where “everyone now is a guard,” Matthews said, the tallest player is 6-3 senior John McKnight. Senior DeJuan Talley (5-11) is the only other returning letterman.

Four others will compete for the remaining three starting spots: junior Onyx Anderson (5-8); senior David Irie (5-8); junior Courtney Bonner (5-8); and junior Eric Williams (5-7).

“Our offense will be strictly fast-break, and we’ll run the hell out of the ball,” Matthews said. “We’re very fast but we have no size. We are a shrimp of a team.”

Newbridge

The Voyagers are the favorites to win the Small Schools Westside League.

Coach Bill Ruehl has a large squad this year, with 17 players suiting up for games. Four starters have been determined, and the other spot, the high-post position, is up for grabs between Jon Silber, a 6-0 junior, and Joel Rivlin, a 6-2 junior.

The starters on a team that will rely on the fast break to generate points are Derrick Hardwick, a 5-11 senior forward; Chris Wish, a 6-4 senior who will play low post; Shawn Needelman, a 5-7 senior point guard, and Franklin Taylor, a 5-10 senior forward.

Hardwick led the league in scoring last year, popping in 20.8 points a game. He also averaged 5.3 rebounds. Wish averaged seven points and 10 rebounds, and Needelman contributed six points a game.

“Look for us to be a running team,” said Assistant Coach Mike Bernbaum. “We will rely on instincts rather than thinking. Our hope is for the kids to have the most fun possible out of playing, which to me is shooting without worrying about whether the ball is going in or not.”

St. Bernard

St. Bernard will be a good team this year, but it has the misfortune of playing in the 5-A Angelus League with teams such as powerhouse Mater Dei, Servite and Bishop Amat.

Furthermore, the Vikings’ top player, David Whitmore, broke a foot and did not play all summer.

“We’re much different with him than without him,” said coach James McClune of the 6-4 senior guard. “His skills are still outstanding, but he’s a little out of condition.”

Whitmore averaged 22 points and severn rebounds a game last year, leading St. Bernard to an 18-7 record. The Vikings were 11-3 and finished second in the Camino Real League.

Whitmore has signed a letter of intent to play for Georgia Tech next season.

St. Bernard lost seven of its top eight players, but still has a strong starting five.

Joining Whitmore will be four other guards playing various offensive positions. Eric Nelson, a 6-4 junior, is an all-league wide receiver for the football team. The others are Bryan Martin, a 6-1 senior; Jarmal Richard, a 5-11 senior; and Keith Brown, a 5-10 junior.

Two excellent sophomores make up the reserves: 6-8 postman Edward Stokes and 6-4 guard Juno Armstrong.

“This is a team that hasn’t played together, so it’s difficult to forecast,” McClune said. “We hope to make the playoffs, and I think we should finish around second or third. If we get lucky, we might knock off Mater Dei, but I wouldn’t count on it.”

St. Monica

St. Monica is ranked behind No. 1 Mater Dei in The Times’ preseason Top 10. Everyone knows about the Mariners now that they have 6-10 senior center Brian Williams, one of the most highly regarded players in the West.

Williams averaged 18.5 points, 15 rebounds and 7.5 blocked shots last season at Gorman High in Las Vegas. But he’s not the only name player for Coach Leo Klemm.

Jason Matthews was a Westside all-star last season. The 6-3 senior guard-forward averaged 25 points a game and should be helped by the presence of Williams.

Other top players include starting point guard Chris Cotton, a 5-10 sophomore who played on the junior varsity last year; Jason Joe, a 6-1 junior guard who couldn’t play last year because of a staph infection; and Paul Eberhardt, a 6-7 senior center who averaged six points and seven rebounds.

Top reserves are Jerome Hand, a 6-5 senior post player; Bobby Reason, a 6-2 junior guard; and Ricky Bamberger, a 6-1 senior point guard.

Santa Monica

The school did not respond to The Times’ requests for information.

Yeshiva

Another school that is strong every season is Yeshiva, of the Small Schools Division. The Panthers were co-champions of the Westside League with Bel-Air Prep last year. This season, they move to the Liberty League, whose members include Oakwood, Holy Martyrs and Windward.

Coach Scott Rice said either Yeshiva or Oakwood should win the league this year.

“It’s a little early to tell, but I’d say we’re battling Oakwood for the top spot,” said Rice, whose team has already beaten Bel-Air Prep and Clearview this season.

The Panthers are a well-balanced team, with any of the five starters capable of scoring in double figures.

The team is guided by point guard Elisha Rothman, a 5-10 junior. “He’s one of the best point guards I’ve ever had,” Rice said, “and he works real well with Danny Laks, the forward.” Laks is a 6-1 junior.

The other three starters are seniors. They are Charlie Silberstein, a 6-2 center; Brett Peven, a 6-0 forward; and Steven Glouberman, a 5-11 guard.

Top bench players include two 6-0 junior forwards, Benjamin Kessler and Avi Steinlaus. Ari Wasserman is a 5-11 junior guard who also provides bench strength.

Windward

The school did not respond to The Times’ requests for information.