HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PREVIEWS : Westlake Gets Taste of North : Hess Hired From Canada to Coach Southern Section Runner-Up

Moving from Calgary to Westlake last summer gave Greg Hess two less things to worry about. Namely, ice and snow.

In Canada, the harsh elements can affect everything, even a high school basketball program such as the one Hess ran at Ernest Manning High.

Each year, when the cold air froze the ponds and rinks around Calgary, Hess the new basketball coach at Westlake, had no choice but to wait out the thaw. And wait. And wait.

“In Canada, hockey was first and when there was no hockey left they’d turn to basketball,” said Hess, who replaced Roy Gilmore after the latter was fired despite leading Westlake to the Southern Section 4-A championship game.

But Hess has not forgotten his ties with the Great White North, where he laid the groundwork for the Alberta Provincial program, which is designed to introduce basketball to Canadian youths between the ages of 14 and 21. He views the younger players at Westlake with the same enthusiasm.

“The real brightness of this program is in the youth,” Hess said. “It’s exciting coming in and looking down the road.”

For now, that road is strewn with potholes in the form of Marmonte League teams such as two-time defending champion Simi Valley and Channel Islands, along with two programs in the hands of new coaches, Camarillo and Royal.

Hess, Camarillo Coach John Harbour and Royal Coach Joe Malkinson have begun periods of transition for their respective programs.

After eight years at Camarillo and then a year-long sabbatical, Harbour is hardly new to the program. The program, however, might be new to Harbour.

The Scorpions, 13-game winners two seasons ago and league champions before that, won four games last season under interim Coach Greg Ropes. After much soul-searching, Harbour decided to return.

“I thought a lot about it,” said Harbour, who spent his year off coaching his two sons in youth programs. “I thought long and hard. I’ve spent the last 25 years of my life coaching and playing basketball, but a lot of other things are important. I’d become obsessed. The time off gave me a chance to evaluate whether I wanted to come back or not.”

He is back, intent on molding the program back into its original state. And he’s not blaming Ropes for the decline.

“It’s about where it was,” Harbour said. “When I left it wasn’t in great shape.”

Talk about taking over a program in less-than-great shape, Malkinson has inherited a Royal team that could muster only a victory over Camarillo.

Malkinson also has strong connections with the program: He coached the Highlander junior varsity team last season. The prospects for a competitive Royal team are brighter than last season.

Malkinson’s junior varsity team took second in league last season and in 1985-86 his sophomore team tied for the league title.

Simi Valley

COACH: Bob Hawking, 14th season

LAST SEASON: 26-2, first in league, 12-0

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Time is running out for the Pioneers. Simi Valley has been talking 4-A title since Don MacLean and Shawn DeLaittre showed up as sophomores for a season in which the Pioneers advanced to the championship game but lost. Last season they were upset in the quarterfinals by eventual champion Santa Monica. Seniors MacLean, a 6-10 All-American center, DeLaittre, a 6-5 guard-forward twice named to the All-Southern Section second team, and Butch Hawking, a 6-2 guard and the coach’s son, will lead the Pioneers, again a cinch to win the league title. “We’re just going to do the best we can do,” Bob Hawking said. “That’s all we can do any year. I don’t think anyone puts more pressure on us than the players themselves.” Simi Valley’s starters also include 6-4 forward Gerald Pickett and 6-2 guard Darren Aurand. Senior forward Jon Jones (6-4) is recovering from a knee injury incurred playing football but should contribute before the season ends. Sophomore guard Steve Carnes (6-1), an outstanding leaper, might be a starter before the season is over. Simi Valley has a rigorous preseason schedule, including its own tournament, the Eldorado Tournament in Las Vegas and the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S. C., which has drawn some of the nation’s best teams. “We have a lot of challenges on our schedule,” Hawking said. “We definitely don’t have any kind of cupcake schedule.” And for those thinking MacLean, who averaged 25.2 points and 11.4 rebounds a game last season, couldn’t possibly get better, forget it. He has beefed up to 220 pounds and is quicker. “Don’s going to be a much better player, with his size and strength,” Hawking said.

Westlake

COACH: Greg Hess, first season

LAST SEASON: 21-8, second in league, 8-4

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Westlake is generally considered to be the only team with enough talent to seriously challenge Simi Valley’s dominance in the league, but Hess isn’t so sure. “That’s a little scary,” he said. “I don’t know that we’re that good.” One sure thing is the Warriors’ size. The roster does not contain a player under six-foot tall, and eight are 6-5 or taller. Impact players are junior center Kurt Schwan (6-9), senior forward Bill Fassl (6-6) and senior swing guard Kevin Logan (6-7). Point guard Bob Grandpre (6-1), quarterback on the football team, is not expected to recover from a broken collarbone until January, but John Hopkins (6-0) and Nate Heyman (6-2) should be capable replacements. Westlake will be hard-pressed to repeat the success of last season, when the Warriors advanced to the 4-A championship game under Coach Roy Gilmore before losing to Santa Monica. “I think we need to build on that success,” Hess said. “These kids want to be winners, and they’ll have a test of that.” Westlake has lost all five starters and the coach who led the team to the 4-A championship game last season, but the Warriors have a blend of youth and experience. Seven underclassmen are on the varsity roster.

Thousand Oaks

COACH: Ed Chevalier, ninth season

LAST SEASON: 13-10, third in league, 8-4

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Four starters have been lost to graduation, but Chevalier isn’t fretting just yet. The lone returning player is 6-2 senior guard Kevin Martin, a third-team all-league selection last season. Martin is an off-guard but can play the point and has an accurate outside shot. Martin will be the Lancers’ scoring threat, but he can’t do it alone. “I think the strength of the team is going to be in the team rather than one individual,” Chevalier said. “This is a pretty good group. And, again, that’s its strength--as a group.” That’s where the rest comes in. Senior Kip Jim Brown, 5-10, is the point guard, and 6-1 junior Jeff Peterson will play on the wing. Andre Smith, a 6-0 guard-forward transfer from Taft, where he didn’t play basketball, also should contribute. The problem is inside, where the Lancers have no player taller than 6-3. Chevalier plans to rotate four or five players in the front line, including 6-3 juniors Jeff Robinson and Chris Lenehan. “We’re going to try to keep the freshest bodies in there as possible,” Chevalier said. “We’re not looking for a lot of scoring out of that position, but we will be looking for defense and rebounding.”

Newbury Park

COACH: Ken Barone, 10th season

LAST SEASON: 8-15, fifth in league, 3-9

PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Panthers have a chance to challenge for a playoff spot but need Wayne Cook, a 6-4 junior guard, to return in good health after shoulder surgery. Cook, who was injured playing football, led last season’s team in rebounding and was second in scoring, averaging eight in both categories. Cook is expected back by the start of the season. Sean Doyle, a 6-6 senior forward, also returns with some varsity experience. As the team’s tallest player, he will be relied on for much of Newbury Park’s inside game along with Cook. In the backcourt, there is 6-0 senior Jeff Berman and two quick guards, 5-9 senior Steve Allison and 5-10 sophomore Brian Smith. “We’re going to try to run with people,” Barone said. “The big thing is, can we rebound to get it going?” Barone likes his team’s chances in the league, which he sees as a toss-up after Simi Valley. “I think we’re better than last year,” he said. “The attitudes are definitely better.”

Camarillo

COACH: John Harbour, ninth season

LAST SEASON: 4-16, sixth in league, 3-9

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Harbour is back from his year-long sabbatical, and he’s probably wishing he could have brought back Mitch Parrott, Ventura County’s 1985-86 player of the year, with him. Instead, Harbour is starting from scratch. The program faltered last season when only woeful Royal stood between the Scorpions and last place. Camarillo does have some talented returnees in seniors Tom Carrillo, a 6-4 forward, Chris Sorich, a 5-10 guard and Sean Young, a 5-8 guard. All are able three-point shooters, but Carrillo, an all-league second-team choice last season, will be the Scorpions’ biggest threat. Junior Ed Lane (6-3) will play center and junior Frank Dews (6-2) is a swingman. “It’s not that we don’t have some good ones,” Harbour said, “because we do, we just don’t have the numbers of good ones.” The Scorpions’ inexperience leaves little room for error if they are to challenge in the league. “We’ve just got to learn, somehow, not to make any mistakes,” Harbour said. Senior Bill Bell, a starter on last season’s team and member of the football team, will skip basketball.

Royal

COACH: Joe Malkinson, first season

LAST SEASON: 1-19, seventh in league, 1-11

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Things can only get better for the Highlanders, who won one game last season. Malkinson is new to the varsity program but has coached many of the players at the junior varsity level. “It’s tough to go from 1-19 to the playoffs,” Malkinson said. “We’re looking to go at least .500, which might be good enough to slip into the playoffs.” Guard Chris Noyes (5-10) is the only returning starter. He is joined in the backcourt by seniors Chris Myers (6-2), John Loder (6-0) and Jeff Blain (6-2). The Highlanders might not be strong inside, but they will be tough to stop from the perimeter, where their shooting guards might compensate for the team’s lack of height. J.P. Oullette, a 6-0 junior guard, has the team’s most accurate three-point shot. Royal’s inside game consists of two 6-4 seniors, Corey Herbert and Tony Strickland. Another 6-4 senior, Eric Anhalt, and 6-4 sophomore Chad Smith might contribute muscle under the basket.