Prep Cage Picture a Lot Like ‘87-88

When it comes to the top echelon of boys basketball teams in the San Gabriel Valley, there do not figure to be a lot of changes in the 1988-89 season.

Most of the teams that have been among the elite of the valley in recent years, such as Muir, Bishop Amat and Glendora, are expected to be there again.

About the biggest change has occurred off the court, where the CIF Southern Section has reclassified schools by enrollment for the divisional and state playoffs.

On the court, it has remained more status quo. Only this time the order of the top teams may be in for a bit of a change.

Glendora, Muir and Nogales appear to be slightly ahead of the pack in the valley. Glendora, led by All-CIF forward Tracy Murray, appears to be the front-runner although the others are not far behind.

Among the new faces in the top 10 are West Covina and Charter Oak, while Pasadena could be one of the most improved teams.

Other teams with high hopes are Damien, Bishop Amat, Pomona and Bosco Tech.

Here is a look at the top 10 with league and state classification in parenthesis:

1--Glendora (Baseline; 4-A)--It may sound difficult to believe but Coach Mike LeDuc thinks the heavily recruited Murray is even better than he was last year.

“I think everyone who watches him play will agree that he’s much better all-around than last year,” LeDuc said.

That’s saying a lot considering that the 6-8 and 210-pound senior averaged 31.5 points and 11 rebounds and led the CIF Southern Section in 3-point shots as Glendora went 28-1 and reached the 4-A quarterfinals last season.

It’s no wonder that big things are expected from the Tartans this season.

Not to mention that Glendora will have one of the tallest starting front lines in the valley with forwards Alan Thompson (6-6), J. J. O’Laughlin (6-3) and Jay Zuhlke (6-5) alongside Murray. O’Laughlin is a junior and Zuhlke a sophomore.

The guards figure to be juniors Corey Smith (6-1) and Chris Walker (5-9), which will give Glendora a youthful appearance. Murray and Thompson are the only seniors among the team’s top nine players.

“It’s the youngest team I’ve ever coached,” LeDuc said. “Of course, with Tracy it’s a little deceiving.”

LeDuc said the team’s success will depend on how the younger players develop.

“I think everyone agrees that Tracy is going to have a good year,” he said. “Right now we need the other guys to have good years.”

2--Muir (Pacific; 4-A)--Considering that the Mustangs have five sophomores and a new coach, it would not be surprising if Muir faces a few growing pains early in the season.

Once the Mustangs have a chance to mature, though, watch out.

“I think we’ve come a long way and we still have a long way to go, but come February we’re going to be strong,” said Coach Craig Noyes, who had been junior varsity coach at Verbum Dei.

While the younger players are developing, the Mustangs may rely on senior forwards Enoch Mack (6-3) and LaRenza Bussey (6-2) and guard Michael Collins (6-2).

“Our senior class is not tall but we have some great athletes,” Noyes said.

But sophomores Erid Scott (6-6) at center and Phillip Turner (6-2) at point guard and junior LaDay Smith (6-5) at forward will see plenty of playing time.

Noyes said the Mustangs, who reached the second round of the 4-A playoffs last season, will take advantage of their athletic ability for rebounding.

“We may not have the center but we have the guys who can play inside, and they (opponents) can’t stay with us,” he said.

You can also expect the Mustangs to utilize the full-court press.

“We’ve found that we play better when we press,” Noyes said. “If we’re not pressing we’re not a good team.”

3--Nogales (Sierra; 5-AA)--The Nobles have been one of the most successful teams in the valley in recent years, as their 22-7 record of last season will attest.

Only this year the Nobles could go a step higher than that team, which reached the 4-A quarterfinals.

There certainly are not many teams that can match Nogales in depth and quickness.

“I’ve had depth in the past but nothing like we have this year,” Coach Mike Southworth said. “We’re not real big, but they’re all good athletes and very quick.”

There are also not many teams that will start two NCAA Division I recruits such as 6-3 forward Corey Rogers, who signed with Northern Arizona, and 6-1 guard Major Whitlock, who joined Montana. Rogers averaged 15.1 points as a junior and Whitlock made the top 15 at the Superstars camp at UC Santa Barbara over the summer.

Two other starters, forward Emmanuel Gaisie (6-1) and guard Shawn Salhoff (6-1), are strong offensive players and the fifth starter is 6-4 forward Darian Triplett (6-4).

Toss in junior forward Matt Schuler, sophomore forward Talley Christopher (6-4, 230) and senior Damond Robinson at guard and Nogales is loaded with ability.

“For the first time I think we have the people on our bench that we can full-court press,” Southworth said.

4--Pasadena (Pacific; 5-A)--After a steady stream of success in the 1970s and early 1980s, it has been a struggle for the Bulldogs in recent years.

But there are signs that Pasadena’s fortunes may be changing for the better.

With three full-time and two part-time starters returning from an 8-14 team, Pasadena may be able to make a run for the Pacific League title.

Topping the veterans is 6-3 senior guard Idris Jones, who has signed a letter of intent to attend UC Santa Barbara next season.

“He’s vastly improved in every single area,” Coach Bill Duwe said of Jones, who was named most valuable defensive player at the Five-Star Basketball Camp in July in Pennsylvania. “He’s made a tremendous jump from his junior to senior year.”

Two other starters returning are center Chris Henson (6-5), who averaged eight rebounds last season, and junior forward Don Mitchell (6-2). In addition, swingman Burl Irby (6-3) and guard Ren Brown (5-11)--both spot starters as juniors--are back.

Guard Del DeVaughn (6-2) and center Richard Bagnerise (6-4) add depth for the Bulldogs.

“This is the best group of kids we’ve had in a number of years,” Duwe said. “We’re so much more poised. We’ve also had a real good summer behind us.”

5--West Covina (Sierra; 5-A)--With the merging of Edgewood and West Covina, it may be a new school with a different nickname.

But in many respects the Bulldogs will have all the appearance of the Edgewood team of last year. For one, Ed Coyle is the coach and 11 of the 14 players on the West Covina roster were in the Edgewood program last year.

Considering that Coyle posted a record of 35-17 the last two seasons at Edgewood and his team won the league title a year ago, it would not be surprising for the Bulldogs to have similar success.

Coyle says the Bulldogs may even be a little better than his Edgewood teams.

“We’re a lot quicker this year than we were last year and probably a better rebounding team,” he said.

The only former West Covina player who figures to start is junior forward Sherrod Belton (6-4). The Bulldogs also will benefit from the addition of forward Marcus Purifoy (6-5), a transfer from Texas who is an outstanding leaper.

After that, the Bulldogs will rely mostly on former Edgewood players such as guard Clyde Jordan (6-5), point guard Jim Weathersbee (5-4), center Nate Thurbee (6-7) and swingman Chad Dillard (6-5).

Coyle said the play of the junior Jordan will be a key. “He’s a (good) player. He’s the guy who has got to come through.”

6--Damien (Baseline; 4-AA)--It’s a clean house for the Spartans, who have a new coach and no starters from their team that was 15-9 and reached the playoffs last season.

Only first-year Coach Mike Seaman wasn’t exactly left empty-handed. Seaman has four lettermen and all figure to play a pivotal role.

Heading the list are center Danny Szedas (6-7) and guards Kevin Morrison (6-1) and Leonard Plick (5-10), three juniors who will start for the Spartans. “Most of our talent is in our junior class,” Seaman said.

The other two starters will be seniors Mike Hardesty (6-1), a swingman, and Steve Paquet (6-4), a forward.

The Spartans have plenty of youth and talent in swingman Mike Kelly (6-3) and guard Alvin Eustaquio (6-0), both juniors, and senior guard Tom Kelly (6-1), who is not related to Mike.

Seaman was an assistant for five years under Mike LeDuc, now coach at Glendora, and he said his team’s style may appear similar to his mentor.

“We’ll be a little more structured and a little more in control,” Seaman said. “It seemed like the last couple of years we went with reckless abandon. I just like to keep things simple and do things well.”

7--Bishop Amat (Angelus League; 4-A)--Coach Alex Acosta is a little hesitant to use the term “rebuilding” to describe his team.

“I’m not sure if it’s a rebuilding year, but we’re inexperienced and we don’t have a lot of depth,” Acosta said.

That pretty much sounds like a rebuilding year, especially when you consider that the Lancers do not return a starter from their team that was 27-4 and reached the 5-A Division final and state playoffs last year.

“It’s kind of like starting over again,” Acosta said.

With All-CIF center Geoff Lear graduated, the Lancers will rely on top reserves from last season such as guards Loren Cannon (6-0) and Pablo Patino (6-7). Another standout should be junior forward Jason Green (6-4), an outstanding tight end on the football team.

Bishop Amat can also turn to forwards J. D. Romero (6-4) and Brian Collins (6-5) and guard Rudy Diedrick (6-0).

With Green and Cannon still playing football, the Lancers may struggle at first, but Acosta is optimistic.

“We got better and better (during the summer),” he said. “We play with a lot of heart and they spill their guts out.”

8--Charter Oak (Sierra; 4-A)--In the balanced Sierra League, the Chargers are expected to contend for the title after finishing 16-8 last season.

However, Coach Dan Moore said that “one of our weaknesses would be our depth. We’re inexperienced past our starters.”

Fortunately for Moore, the Chargers have five pretty good starters.

Topping the list is highly regarded center Jeff Von Lutzow, a 6-8 1/2 senior who has signed a letter of intent with UC Irvine. Two other players who started last season are guard Shane Bowers (6-5) and forward Mark Wilson (6-2), who has leaped 7-0 in the high jump.

The other starters are expected to be forward Jacob Crawford (6-1) and point guard Chris Bisorca (5-11), and the Chargers have a good reserve in guard Dan White (6-1). After that, the pickings are a little slim.

“If we get into a game of benches, we could be in trouble,” Moore said. “But I think we’re very strong in our starting five.”

It’s the presence of top players such as Von Lutzow, Bowers and Wilson that makes Moore hopeful about his team’s chances.

“Right now I think we can do better than last year,” he said. “A key for us will be rebounding. We’re not quite as big as we were last year.”

9--Pomona (Montview; 3-A)--After watching his team struggle to a 9-14 record and missing the playoffs last season, Coach Willie Allen is happy about the Red Devils moving down from the Baseline League to the Montview.

Happy but not overconfident.

“We’re still going to have to play basketball, but we’re very excited regardless of what league we’re in,” Allen said.

The coach is excited because he has three starters and six top lettermen from last season, including 6-4 senior forward Mike Victor, who averaged 18 points.

Not to mention 6-6 sophomore forward Johnny McWilliams, who averaged 15.3 points, and guard Mike Miller (5-11). The Red Devils also are expected to start guard Derek Pugh (6-4) and forward Alex Reed (6-4). Guard Marcus Brown (6-0) is their top reserve.

“We’re going to try to bank on our experience,” Allen said. “Last year we were very young on the court.”

It is not the tallest Pomona squad ever but Allen said the Red Devils have the quickness to rebound well.

“I don’t know how competitive we’ll be,” he said. “I think the fact that all of our kids can play most of the positions will help.”

10--Bosco Tech (Camino Real; 4-AA)--With the departure of longtime Coach Jorge Calienes, now coaching at East Los Angeles College, you might think that the Tigers would be due for a letdown.

But Coach William Nuanes, longtime assistant of Calienes, thinks Bosco Tech has the talent to improve over its 9-14 record of last season even though the Tigers are moving from the Del Rey League to the more competitive Camino Real League.

For certain, the Tigers are taller than last year, headed by 6-8 senior center Mike Kurnik. “We’re an inch or two taller than we were last year,” Nuanes said.

Bosco Tech will complement Kurnik with guard Javier Ramirez (5-10), swingman Paul Hernandez (6-4) and forwards William Fernandez (6-2) and Hector Corona (6-4). Two other top players are forward Alex Cordero (6-3) and guard Steve Delgado (5-9).

Nuanes said the Tigers will have more scoring depth than they had a year ago.

“We have more balance,” he said. “This year we have at least four potential players with double-digit capability.”

In Ramirez, Corona and Cordero, the Techmen should also have stronger outside shooters.

“We’re as good as an outside shooting team as we were before the 3-point shot came into effect (two years ago),” Nuanes said.