Then, Out of Total Chaos, There Appeared 6 Wish Lists

First, a plea for order in the turbulent Empire League.

In the final days before the official start of basketball season on Dec. 1, each of the league’s six teams has different needs, desires and aspirations.

Here’s a quick look at each team’s wish list:

--Cypress, a surprise second-place finisher in Kevin Loftus’ first season as coach despite winning only nine games all season, again hopes to challenge for a playoff berth.

--El Dorado hopes for a shot at the league championship and looks to have as good a chance as anyone.

--Esperanza, with new Coach Mark Hill, hopes for a return to more tranquil times after last season, when Coach Chris Lee was arrested in midseason and charged with molesting two female Esperanza students.

--Katella hopes for a return to the playoffs after its string of 21 consecutive seasons in postseason play was stopped.

--Loara hopes to become a playoff contender after many seasons in the second division.

--Los Alamitos hopes to remain as league kingpin, despite losing its two best players to graduation.

For some teams, their hopes will be merely wishful thinking. Others’ wishes are more likely to come true.

Cypress has some of the biggest players in the league and could make a run at the league championship. El Dorado and Los Alamitos figure to be the league’s top teams.

Things can only get better for Esperanza after a nightmarish 1987-88 season.

Lee was arrested the morning of a game against Loara, with theteam in the midst of the playoff race. Mike Moore, a former Esperanza coach, was recruited to finish out the season. But the Aztecs finished 5-5, along with Cypress and El Dorado, and were the odd team out and did not advance to the playoffs.

Hill, an assistant at Tustin from 1985-1987 who played and coached in Europe for 3 seasons before that, takes over for Moore this season.

Also notable this season is the lack of a dominant player. And that seems to make the league race even more wide open.

“We chose our all-league team last year and they were all seniors,” said Wayne Carlson, El Dorado coach. “Except for Matt Werner of Esperanza. He was the only junior.

“When you’re looking for a star-quality kid, there isn’t one. There really isn’t a dominating kid.”

Here’s a closer look:

CYPRESS--The Centurions lost two of last season’s big guns, Bond Weaver and Greg Bedford, to graduation. That team advanced to the second round of the 3-A playoffs.

Mike Flowers, a forward/center, Mark Johnson, a forward, and Gabe Trinidad, a guard, head a senior-dominated team.

Flowers had the best statistics of the three last season. He averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds. Loftus believes Johnson is a potential all-league performer.

Andy Babbitt, a 6-8 center, gives the Centurions one of the taller players in the league. Jared Rice, a guard, is one of two juniors on the squad.

But whether the Centurions’ sheer size can overcome weak outside shooting remains to be seen. The big question is whether Cypress can play with the league’s front-runners.

EL DORADO--The Golden Hawks have depth, quickness and experience on their side, which Carlson hopes will be enough.

Mike Renaud, a guard who averaged 12.5 points a game as a junior last season, is a 3-year starter and one of the better guards in the league. Matt Luke, a 6-4 forward, averaged 8.7 points and 7.3 rebounds last season. Mike Bradach, a junior guard, averaged 4.5 points as a sophomore starter.

Chris Sweet, Shawn Facione, Tim Murray and Art Lopez have moved from the junior varsity team that won the Empire title and finished 19-6. Murray averaged 25 points.

“They’re really used to winning,” Carlson said.

About the only weakness the Golden Hawks have is a lack of height. Luke, at 6-4, is their tallest player. If that’s a drawback, it didn’t show during summer league play. El Dorado was 10-0 in the Valencia League, 6-4 at Troy and 2-2 in the Newport Harbor tournament.

ESPERANZA--Greg (Moose) Pope and Matt Werner are the only remaining members of last season’s team, which gives Hill a chance to start anew.

And, if nothing else, Pope and Werner give the Aztecs size aplenty. Pope is 6-4 and Werner is 6-5. Pope was a reserve last season. Werner was an all-league center.

Walter Forcatto and David Perkins, both juniors, are two newcomers that Hill will count on to bolster the team.

“We’re a question mark,” Hill said. “We’re inexperienced (but) we will play 8 or 9 players, so we do have some depth.”

The Aztecs will have to grow quickly, however, if they are to stay in the league race.

KATELLA--Missing the playoffs for 2 consecutive seasons would not constitute a disaster for most schools, but after all, this is Katella. And after last season’s 8-14 record, which put the Knights out of the playoffs for the first time in 21 consecutive seasons, the prospects don’t appear good again this season.

Ian Donnelly, Katella’s top scorer with 18-point average last season, has graduated, leaving little in the way of experience.

LOARA--The Saxons are searching for some stability this season.

Tom Meylor is back for his second season. And after having four coaching changes in 3 years, that’s good news for the Saxons.

However, the Saxons finished with only five victories, one in league play, last season.

LOS ALAMITOS--The Griffins went 10-0 and won the league championship last season, but suffered two key losses with the graduation of Andre Lamoureux and Brett Pagett. Lamoureux is playing at Cypress College and Pagett at UC Irvine.

Is Steve Brooks, Los Alamitos coach, prepared for a challenge to the Griffins’ title?

“We’ll be ready,” Brooks said. “We’re very young with only one senior. We need to grow up fast.”

Brent Overbeck is the Griffins’ lone senior, and one of the team’s top newcomers.

Robert Conlisk, a 6-10 1/2 junior center, gives the Griffins the tallest player in the league, but he has limited experience. Guards Mike Wilson and Rick Potts are the other lettermen from last season’s 21-7 team.

EMPIRE LEAGUE

1987-88 Overall, League Record in Parenthesis

SCHOOL 1988-89 COMMENT Cypress (9-16, 5-5) Lost top 2 players from last season’s team. El Dorado (12-11, 5-5) Has league’s most experienced team. Esperanza (13-11, 5-5) Mark Hill is second new coach in as many seasons. Katella (8-14, 4-6) Missed playoffs for first time in 21 seasons. Loara (5-16, 1-9) Tom Meylor back for second season as coach. Los Alamitos (21-7, 10-0) Defending champions have only one senior.