BOYS’ BASKETBALL PREVIEW : After Off Year, St. Bernard Expects to Rebound, Defend Top Ranking

Coach Jim McClune remembers the disappointment last season when St. Bernard High missed the CIF basketball playoffs for the first time in 10 years.

“I didn’t go to any playoff games,” he recalled. “For about two or three weeks, I hated basketball.”

But breaking up is hard to do, and McClune and basketball have gotten together again. The reconciliation was easy, considering that St. Bernard returns four starters, one of them the tallest player in school history.

After exiting last year on a low note, the Vikings open the season Tuesday as the top seed in the Pacific Shores Tournament and the No. 1-ranked team in the South Bay, based on a Times poll of area coaches.

McClune says missing the playoffs may have been a blessing in disguise for St. Bernard, traditionally one of Southern California’s prep powers.

“When you’re ranked every year and playing in the Sports Arena every other year, sometimes it’s hard to get the players hungry,” he said. “Now, it’s much easier to get their attention.

“We’re practicing a lot harder than we did last year. It could be maturity. I know I’m much more demanding this year. I notice a change in myself.”

Although he is confident St. Bernard will be improved, McClune knows better than to judge a team based on off-season performances.

Reacting to the area’s top ranking, he said: “To take it too seriously would be a mistake. It’s highly speculative to think we’re going to be strong based on what we did in the summer.”

St. Bernard split with Westchester and Carson, the area’s No. 2- and No. 3-rated teams, in summer league games. That would seem to indicate there is a fine line separating the elite.

Other teams expected to have big seasons include Inglewood, Palos Verdes, Serra and Morningside.

Of course, at this stage everything is speculation. A true reading of basketball strength in the South Bay will unfold next week in the 16-team Pacific Shores Tournament, played at Redondo and Mira Costa.

Here’s a look at the top 10 teams in the area. Last year’s record and league finish are in parentheses:

1. St. Bernard (13-12, fifth in Angelus League)--The Vikings return eight of 14 lettermen, although they will miss the 25-point scoring average of Georgia Tech recruit David Whitmore. St. Bernard’s hopes are riding on 6-foot-10 junior Ed Stokes, who has grown two inches and strengthened his game since last year.

“He can be the best player we’ve ever had,” McClune said. “He might be our best three-point shooter.”

Lower-back pain forced Stokes to miss several early practices, but he worked out Monday and apparently is on the road to recovery.

Senior Eric Nelson and junior Juno Armstrong, a pair of 6-4 forwards, add to the team’s front-line strength. Nelson, an All-Angelus League wide receiver in football, averaged 13 points a game last season.

Point guard Keith Brown rounds out the returning starters. The fifth spot will be filled by either 6-0 Aron Williams or 6-6 Damon Woodruff.

2. Westchester (13-9, tied for third in Central League)--Coach Ed Azzam says this could be the finest team in Westchester history. The Comets return three starters, led by 6-7 junior forward Zan Mason and 6-6 senior swing man Michael Brown. Mason averaged 19 points a game last season on his way to All-L. A. City honors. Brown, a fine all-around player, signed early with Cal State Fullerton. The other returner is flashy point guard Sam Crawford, a 5-9 junior.

Azzam, who admits the team was not disciplined enough last year, hopes to tighten the reins on his players. “It was the first year I had all that talent,” he said. “To be honest, I just didn’t know how to handle it.”

Westchester lost perhaps its best athlete when guard David Hollaway transferred to Crenshaw. He will be replaced in the lineup by 6-5 senior Scott Crawford.

The Comets open against Hamilton in a non-league game Wednesday.

3. Carson (14-10, second in Marine League)--The Colts got off to a bad start last month when point guards Darryl Bennett and Odis Smith both suffered broken ankles in the same practice. Coach Rich Masson hopes to have them back soon.

Until then, Carson will survive with one of the area’s most athletically talented teams. Forwards Rodney Bowen and Stephen Smith, two 6-4 seniors, are the only returning players. Leading the list of newcomers is 6-1 junior Greg Lindsey, who averaged 16 points per game for the league champion junior varsity team and was named MVP of Carson’s summer tournament.

Masson says the Colts must overcome inexperience and a lack of size. “With maturity, we could compete for a league title,” he said.

4. Palos Verdes (20-7, second in Bay League)--John Mihaljevich, the dean of South Bay coaches, is back for his 21st year at Palos Verdes with an all-senior club. The Sea Kings return three starters from last season’s team that reached the CIF 3-A semifinals--6-4 forward Jeff Whitley, 6-3 swing man Mike Matteoni and 5-9 point guard John Mika.

The rest of the squad is mostly made up of players from last year’s 20-4 junior varsity team. Top newcomers are 6-0 guard Matt Ralph, the JV most valuable player, and 6-5 center Scott Ruston.

Whitley, Ralph and Ruston are all National Merit Scholars. “I hope there’s a correlation between smartness in the classroom and on the court,” Mihaljevich said. The coach’s main concern is a lack of experienced depth.

5. Inglewood (16-10, third in Ocean League)--Vince Combs, who coached Inglewood to a 71-9 record from 1977-80, starts his second stint with the Sentinels. His top players are 6-2 senior point guard Bobby Sears, a college prospect, and talented 6-4 junior Harold Miner.

Combs says he might go with a four-guard lineup, which would include 6-2 junior Tommy Holland and 5-9 Ray (Radar) Wilson, the team’s best shooter. Another guard, 6-1 Johnny Terrell, also figures to get playing time.

“We’ll see if we can take advantage of our speed,” Combs said.

Inglewood lacks an experienced big man, but there’s no lack of height. Senior Andre Musgrow, who played JV ball last year, is 6-7 and rail-thin junior Cory Johnson stands 6-8.

6. Serra (10-13, fourth in Camino Real League)--The Cavaliers don’t return much besides James Moses, but that’s a good place to start. The 6-5 swing man averaged 28 points a game last year, and many feel he’ll be over the 30-point mark this season with the implementation of the three-point shot. Moses, who signed early with Iowa, was disappointed with Serra’s play last year, but he says team chemistry has improved.

Jerome Williams, a 6-3 junior, started some games a year ago. Coach George McDaniel says 6-5 senior Gerald Boagni, who has concentrated on baseball until now, could be a surprise. He’s the brother of former Serra standout Kerry Boagni.

Serra opens Wednesday in the Laguna Beach Tournament.

7. Morningside (14-10, tied for first in Pioneer League)--Co-coach Ron Randle has high hopes for the young Monarchs. Swing man Marvin Franklin, a 6-5 senior, is the only returning starter, but there is plenty of talent and height among the underclassmen.

Randle calls 6-7 sophomore Jeff Crowe “our secret weapon,” and big things are also expected from 6-6 junior Eddie Scott. Kevin Lilley, a 6-4, 205-pound senior, will be an enforcer inside. Contesting for point guard are senior Dwayne Lucas and sophomore Don Sanders, a pair of 5-10 players who can dunk.

“We’re going for youth,” says Randle, who may also add a freshman, 6-4 Arthur Savage, to the varsity lineup. The Monarchs, Pioneer League champs for the last three years, are the favorites again.

8. Hawthorne (17-9, second in Ocean League)--The Cougars are coming off a successful summer in which they beat defending CIF 4-A champion Santa Monica and Morningside. They placed second in the Morningside Summer League.

Coach Richard Wells says the team lacks height but runs well and has several good outside shooters. Hawthorne is led by 6-4 Rand Lavander, a 6-8 high jumper, and 6-4 Tony Scott, a part-time starter last season who improved considerably over the summer.

The Cougars open Dec. 9 in the El Segundo Tournament.

9. Banning (4-15, fifth in Pacific League)--Gary Cain, a former walk-on player at Stanford, starts his first season as Banning’s coach in a rebuilding situation. The Pilots suffered through one of their worst seasons last year, but they should benefit from the addition of four transfers.

The new faces are 6-3 forward Terry Newman, a two-year starter at Serra, 6-3 Chris Charles from Pius X, 6-1 Keith Tieuel from Serra and 5-10 Chris Waller from Chadwick.

Banning opens Tuesday in the Gahr-Cerritos Tournament.

10. Rolling Hills (26-4, first in Bay League)--After guiding the Titans to last year’s CIF 3-A final, Coach Cliff Warren starts over again. Rolling Hills returns no starters, but Warren was in the same spot two years ago and took the team to the quarterfinals.

The most experienced player is 6-3 junior forward John Hardy, the sixth man last year. Others who figure to contribute heavily are 6-2 juniors Mark Tesar and Ron Dinnel and 6-2 sophomore point guard Steve Clover. Warren says all three are good three-point shooters.

Best of the rest:

West Torrance should be a contender in the Bay League with the return of two all-league players--guard Denny Hocking and 6-3 forward Tim Stowe. Said Coach Dan McGee: “We will be much better than we were last year.”

South Torrance hopes new coach Doug Mitchell can help turn things around after the Spartans finished 0-10 in the Bay League.

Three returning players give El Segundo a bright outlook. The veterans are 6-4 forward Shawn Foster, 6-5 center Heath Jones and point guard Dave Lubs. Jones and Lubs are currently playing football, so they might not make an impact for awhile.

Redondo also has three players back: All-Pioneer League guard Jaysen Surber, 6-3 Aaron Haynes and 6-3 junior Mike Houck. In addition, Redondo has a good group of JV players coming up.

San Pedro returns no starters from last year’s Marine League championship team, but Coach Jack Kordich thinks the Pirates can be a surprise. Leading the list of newcomers is 6-1 junior John Wells, 6-1 Kevin Thompson and 5-10 Chris Davenport. Quickness and perimeter shooting will be the Pirates’ strengths.

Gardena has a new coach, Bill Hughes, and a team dominated by juniors. Transfer Richard Nelson, a 6-5 senior, will contribute.

As usual, Chadwick figures to be one of the contending teams in the CIF 1-A Division. Forwards Charlton Jackson (6-1) and James Haines (6-4) and guard Mike Faller lead the Dolphins.

Bishop Montgomery should be better than last year’s 2-20 team, according to new coach Steve Carroll. The Knights’ top players are 6-7 Andy Zimmerman and point guard Niu Sale.