Woodbridge Looks Strong Once Again, but There’s a Pretender

What’s going on in basketball in the Pacific Coast League this season? Same thing as last year.

Adam Keefe.

Oh, you want more? Well, there’s a lot of talent in the Pacific Coast League, but Keefe, the 6-foot 9-inch forward/center from Woodbridge High School, seems to be in a league of his own.

This is a guy who coolly looked Dean Smith in the eye and turned down a full-ride scholarship to North Carolina, choosing Stanford instead.

Last season, averaging 23 points and 12.8 rebounds a game, Keefe led his team to the Southern Section 2-A championship and the state Division II championship and was named the CIF 2-A player of the year.

This season, though, Woodbridge has lost some talent at forward--6-7 Vince Bryan and 6-4 Bill York both graduated. Keefe is reunited with four varsity players: Chris Deibert, Derrick Odum, Rob Lee and Robb Lee (yes, two different people; the former was a second-team all-league player last season).

With that kind of a lineup, you might think the league’s other teams are quaking in their high-tops.

Not Laguna Hills. The Hawks, who finished tied for second last season, have height, experience and a couple of big transfers in Oliver Schwarz, a 6-5 foreign exchange student from West Germany, and Kyle Roberts, a 6-6 transfer from Banning High School.

Laguna Hills and Woodbridge will battle for the championship. Everyone else will fight for third place, with Trabuco Hills having the inside track.

COSTA MESA--(4-18, 0-10, sixth in league).

Key personnel--Paul Kos (5-10, forward), Greg Ertel (6-1, forward), Shane Talbert (6-5, center), Tim Felter (6-2, center/forward).

Top newcomer--Tuan Vu (5-7, point guard).

Outlook--The Mustangs have a specific goal this season: win a league game, something they haven’t been able to do in two seasons. Actually, Coach Neil Peek, who replaces Craig Falconer, has an even loftier target: He’d like his team to finish at .500. Peek expects to run a lot and press on defense. The best shooters are Kos, an all-league forward who averaged 14 points a game, and Ertel, who averaged 9 points. Talbert, a tight end on the school’s varsity football team, and Felter, a tackle, provide some power, but Peek said they need to improve their touch.

LAGUNA BEACH--(7-16, 3-7, tied for fourth).

Key personnel--John McKeown (6-3, forward), Dusty Grant (6-1, guard), Pete Schmitt (6-3, forward).

Top newcomers--John Pervino (5-10, guard), Broc Stephens (6-1, guard).

Outlook--Coach Ed Bowen has been waiting for football season to end to see what his team looks like with Schmitt (tight end), Stephens (wide receiver), Ted Savage (cornerback) and Shan Gray (running back) on the team. The Artists graduated their top player, Scott Herdman, who averaged 20 points and 9 rebounds a game. Bowen thinks Grant, who missed a lot of last season with an ankle injury, could become the team’s primary scorer. Schmitt, who has been effectively throwing his 240 pounds around the football field this fall, will provide muscle on the boards. Maybe too much muscle. “He gets about eight rebounds a game,” Bowen said. “And I get about three technicals yelling at the officials. They won’t leave him alone, they think he’s going to hurt someone.”

LAGUNA HILLS--(13-12, 7-3, tied for second).

Key personnel--Mike Smedes (6-6, forward), Chris Sheff (6-3, guard), Rick Kawada (5-11, guard), Trent DeVreugd (6-6, forward/center).

Top newcomers--Kyle Roberts (6-6, forward/center), Oliver Schwarz (6-5, forward), Beau Hossler (6-0, guard).

Outlook--Excellent. What is the Hawks’ biggest weakness, according to Coach Dave King? Overconfidence. And who’s to blame them? Four teammates have been playing together for at least a season. Sheff, who averaged 13 points and 6.2 points a game, is a three-year varsity starter and only a junior. Smedes averaged 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds. Kawada, also a three-year starter, averaged more than five points and five assists a game. Added to the four returning varsity players are Roberts, a transfer from Banning, and Schwarz, an exchange student who played on West Germany’s junior national team.

ORANGE--(6-17, 3-7, tied for fourth).

Key personnel--Craig Matthews (5-11, guard).

Top newcomers--John Rodriguez (6-1, forward), Kevin France (6-2, forward/center), Tom Ghasemi (6-2, forward/center).

Outlook--Coach Don Paxton says the forecast is for “a very long season.” Last season’s team suffered from inexperience, and this season’s will be no different. The only returning starter, Matthews, averaged eight points a game. Another disadvantage will be height: No one is taller than 6-2. Things didn’t get off to a great start as the Panthers went 2-10 in the Valencia summer league.

TRABUCO HILLS--(18-5, 7-3, tied for second).

Key personnel--Rick Swanwick (6-10, center), Chad Poulos (6-1, guard), John Barnes (6-3, forward/guard), Ted Colburn (6-2, guard).

Top newcomers--Ed Cortez (6-4, forward), Tim Manning (5-11, guard), Randy Kriech (6-0, guard).

Outlook--Last season, the Mustangs’ first as a varsity program, they tied for second in league. This season, they have a good chance to qualify for the playoffs again. The new coach, Rainer Wulf, who coached University’s JV team to the Sea View League championship last season, has four returning players. Swanwick averaged 10 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. Wulf likes his guards’ intuition and shooting. Poulos averaged 5 points, Barnes 7.5 and Colburn 6.2 per game. Cortez, a transfer from Los Amigos, adds some height.

WOODBRIDGE--(20-5, 10-0, first in league).

Key personnel--Adam Keefe (6-9, forward/center), Rob Lee (6-2, guard), Robb Lee (6-0, guard), Chris Deibert (6-3, forward), Derrick Odu, (6-0 guard).

Top newcomers--Garth Anderson (6-8, center), P.A. Emerson (6-6, center) Amir Rounaghi (5-10, guard), Ryan Nash (5-10, guard).

Outlook--Another great team. Though Coach Bill Shannon says the Warriors aren’t as tall as last season, Keefe, Deibert, Anderson and Emerson give him a strong front line. The Lees both shoot well and play strong, pressure defense. Shannon will run two-post and three-post offenses and hopes to take advantage of the three-point shot. Look for Keefe to be all-everything again.