They Have the Drive and Talent to Make the Race a Better Show
Those creative Freeway League coaches, who introduced the tip-off tournament, three-point shot and postseason tournament to Orange County basketball last season, will be concentrating on their talent in the 1987-88 season.
And for good reason. There are some quality players ready for the league’s tip-off tournament Jan. 6 at Cypress College and for the three-point shot, which has been adopted nationally. The postseason tournament to select the league’s 3-A playoff representatives is scheduled for Feb. 8-12.
Forward Gary Hunter and center Kevin Graddy of Buena Park, forward Brian McCloskey of Sunny Hills, center Alan Lewis and guard Greg Wilber of Fullerton and guard Grayle Humphrey of Sonora are some of North Orange County’s best players.
With such improvement, the league should fare better in the playoffs, too. The Freeway League is 1-9 over the last three seasons.
“The league is the best I’ve seen from from top to bottom in the 1980s,” said Steve White, Sunny Hills coach. “Fullerton, Buena Park and Sunny Hills all have a lot of good players coming back.”
Hunter, the league’s most valuable player as a junior, is the league’s most talented player, but McCloskey is close behind.
McCloskey averaged 13 points per game as a junior and figures to improve this season with six teammates who stand 6-feet 4-inches or taller. The Lancers return all five starters and are the unanimous pick to dethrone Fullerton as league champion.
Fullerton won the league title last season and then missed the playoffs after it lost to Sonora in the league’s postseason tournament. The Indians’ fortunes in the tournament were hurt considerably when Lewis contracted the chicken pox before the first round.
“I told (Fullerton Coach) Randy Forgette that I’d trade my playoff spot for his league title any time,” said Ken Bell, Buena Park coach. “Those league titles are a lot harder to come by.
“Personally, I think the postseason tournament is great. It gives a team two chances to get into the playoffs. The three-point shot cost me a couple of games, but I love it.”
Here’s a closer look at the Freeway League, with last season’s records in parentheses:
BUENA PARK (13-12, 4-6)
Key personnel--Gary Hunter (6-3, G/F); Kevin Graddy (6-4, C); Mike Toscano (6-2, F/G) and David Baylor (6-2, F).
Top newcomers--Paul Matheson (6-2, G/F); Danny Ko (5-7, G) and Peter Hong (5-11, G).
Outlook--Bell, the dean of the league, enters his 19th season with two talented players--Hunter and Graddy--and very little depth. Hunter averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists as a junior, earning him second-team All-Southern Section honors in the 3-A division. Graddy averaged 18 points and 8 rebounds per game. The Coyotes were hurt when returning guard Steve Lucas was declared academically ineligible for the season. Baylor, another returning starter, suffered a dislocated shoulder as quarterback on the football team, but has recovered. Buena Park has good quickness but if Hunter or Graddy gets into foul trouble, the Coyotes are in trouble. “Our season depends on how the other players develop and blend with Hunter and Graddy,” Bell said. “We have two very good players, but after that, there is a big drop-off in talent.”
FULLERTON (13-8, 9-1)
Key personnel--Alan Lewis (6-8, C); Greg Wilber (6-3, G) and Pete Bach (6-4, F).
Top newcomers--Dieter Horton (6-2, F); Dave Sawyer (5-11, G) and Rob Rutledge (6-5, C).
Outlook--Lewis, a strong post player, averaged 13.5 points and 10.5 rebounds as a junior. He signed two weeks ago with the University of San Diego. Wilber, an excellent outside shooter, averaged 17.5 points and 4 rebounds last season. Rutledge missed last season with an injury that required knee surgery but has fully recovered and should give Forgette added depth on the front line. The Indians will have difficulty replacing graduated point guard Mike Hetland, who averaged 7.4 assists per game. The team’s strength is the scoring of Lewis and Wilber, but the Indians lack some quickness and are often methodical on offense. The Indians posted an 18-9 record in summer league competition. Forgette, on the caliber of league players: “Some of the best talent in north Orange County is in the Freeway League this season.”
LA HABRA (4-17, 2-8)
Key personnel--Bob Small (6-0, G); Eddie Perez (6-4, F); David Stevens (6-4, F) and Brandon Takahashi (5-10, G).
Top newcomers--Anthony Ortiz (6-3, F); Randy Little (6-3, F) and Chris Vandergriff (6-4, C).
Outlook--New coach Frank McCarroll was a varsity assistant for four years at Hacienda Heights Wilson, where the Wildcats were state Division II champions in 1986. McCarroll inherits a team that features 10 underclassmen among its 14 players. “We are going to be very young and inexperienced,” McCarroll said. “Our strength should be our quickness and our defensive pressure. We must survive this year and hopefully lay the foundation for next year.” The Highlanders don’t figure to improve upon their four victories last season. One of their best players, Nelson Bergamo, decided not to play this year.
SONORA (10-15, 4-6)
Key personnel--Grayle Humphrey (5-11, G); Geoff Crow (6-7, C); Scott St. Clair (6-1, F); Gene Metzger (5-10, G), and Jon Nalbandian (6-4, F).
Top newcomers--Matt Recktenwald (6-5, F) and Jihad Khashram (5-8, G).
Outlook--Humphrey was a first-team all-league selection and the premier three-point shooter in the league as a junior. But the Raiders’ fortunes will depend on the play of Crow, who often is ineffectual despite standing 6-7. Sonora was the surprise of the initial postseason tournament, but lost to Corona del Mar, 65-47, in the first round of the playoffs. “The team should be stronger offensively with the No. 2 (Humphrey) and No. 3 (Crow) scorers returning,” said Paul Bottiaux, Sonora coach. “The big question mark will be our ability to defend inside and rebound. The league has a lot of strong inside players who could create problems for us.” The Raiders were picked to finish in the bottom half of the league standings but were third last season. Bottiaux is hoping for a repeat performance.
SUNNY HILLS (12-12, 4-6)
Key personnel--Chris Drakos (6-4, G); Brian McCloskey (6-7, F); David Chisum (6-2, F); Jeff White (6-2, G), and Marcus Hopkins (6-5, C).
Top newcomers--Walter Mitter (6-4, F) and Jon Beuerlein (5-9, G).
Outlook--The Lancers are the class of the league. This team is tall and talented, with plenty of depth. The Lancers figured to start slowly because seven basketball players were on their second-ranked football team, but they were upset in the first round of the playoffs. Chisum, the school’s starting quarterback for three years, was a first-team all-league selection as a junior. McCloskey was ranked as one of the top 50 players at the Superstar Camp in Santa Barbara last summer. It was a good summer for Sunny Hills, which had a 27-5 summer league record. “This is our best team since 1981,” White said. “We run extremely well and play together well. We’re basically doing many of the same things we did last year, except the ball is going in the hoop more consistently.” Sunny Hills will be tested in its opening game of the Cerritos-Gahr tournament, where the Lancers meet defending 1-A champion Banning.
TROY (18-8, 7-3)
Key personnel--Jim Bridges (6-0, G) and Scott Bailey (6-3, F).
Top newcomers--Tim Morris (6-6, C); Pat O’Curran (6-2, G); Mike Hanna (6-3, G), and Jeff Holland (6-5, F).
Outlook--The Warriors are the league’s only team without a returning player among the top eight on their roster. The Warriors’ junior varsity team tied for the league title, but then went 8-16 over the summer. “The players found out in a hurry that they weren’t as good as they thought they were,” said Ed Graham, Troy coach. “We don’t have a clue on defense. We were lousy last summer.” Morris, the team’s tallest player, is Ken Bell’s stepson. “And I taught him everything he knows,” Graham said. Graham is hoping to develop into a competitive team in time for the postseason tournament and then surprise some teams, such as Sonora did to make the playoffs.