HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PREVIEWS : GOLDEN LEAGUE : Canyon, Saugus Face Long Climb

Coach Greg Hayes has good news and bad news to report about this year’s Canyon Cowboys.

“The good news,” Hayes said, “is that we have six players coming back.”

The bad news?

“We have six players coming back.”

The truth of the matter is that Hayes is joking. Yes, 6 players--Jamil Austin, Jon Civita, Clint Beauer, Robby Caulfield, Brian Schroeder and Brad Tufts--return for Canyon, which finished last with a 3-17 record, the worst in Hayes’ 6-year tenure. And Hayes welcomes them back.

“It was an emotionally painful season,” Hayes said. “We knew we would be down, but we didn’t know we would be that down.”

But the really good news is that it is a new season. Last year’s forgettable showing is history.

“I’d say that’s great news,” Hayes said. “It’s a new year and with that comes hope and optimism.”

Last is not where the Cowboys are accustomed to finishing. Under Hayes, Canyon won co-championships in 1986 and ’87 and finished no worse than third every other year.

“The hurt didn’t come from where we finished,” Hayes said. “Where it came from is that the kids played hard and had a great attitude and didn’t have the reward.”

Good news, they say, travels fast. And it has definitely made its way across town to the gym at Saugus. Like Canyon, the Centurions have plenty to forget about--and plenty to look forward to.

Saugus was 3-20 last season, largely because an academically ineligible player forced the team to forfeit 7 wins midway through the season. About the only highlights for Coach John Clark’s team were 2 wins over Canyon.

“We were making a run at first place,” said Clark, whose team was 3-2 in league play (7-12 overall) when the forfeitures took effect.

Toward the bottom is not where the Centurions are accustomed to finishing, either. Saugus won a Southern Section 3-A Division championship in 1987 as an at-large playoff entry.

This season, with nowhere to go but up, the Santa Clarita Valley cross-town rivals are exceptionally optimistic.

“I expect us to improve as the season goes along,” Clark said.

Clark, admittedly in a rebuilding year, will depend heavily on 2 returning seniors, Sean Legeaux and Andy Regenberg, and a young roster that includes 3 sophomores, Greg Yumbar, John Harris and Jason Riggio.

“We have to have the young guys playing to get better,” Clark said.

In contrast, Canyon will benefit from experience. “We’re a year older and a year wiser,” Hayes said. “We have a lot of depth. Probably the most I’ve had since I’ve been at Canyon.”

The bad news for Canyon and Saugus, however, is the league’s strength. Burroughs (Ridgecrest) has won or shared the league title 10 consecutive years. And with returning players Jason Hall, Maurice McDowell and Matt Duncan, the Burros once again should contend for at least a share of the top spot.

“You’ve got to put Burroughs and Antelope Valley at the top,” Burroughs Coach Frank Mazer said.

Antelope Valley, with 4 returning starters--juniors Chris Walters and Jabbar Briggs, and seniors Tony Davis and D. J. Hein--is everybody’s favorite. The Antelopes were 34-10 in summer league and narrowly lost to Cleveland.

“A. V. is as good as anybody, “ Clark said. “Except, maybe, Cleveland. They’re just gonna kick butt. There are a lot of teams that think they’re pretty good, but A. V. is just gonna eat ‘em up.”

Quartz Hill, which tied Burroughs for the league title last year, is facing “an uphill battle,” according to Coach Don Moore, in his 25th season. The Rebels have only one returning starter--junior forward Gabe Higa, who averaged 12 points and 11 rebounds a game.

Palmdale, 6-13 last year, is led by returing starters Shannon Culver and Johnny Johnson.

Canyon

COACH: Greg Hayes, seventh season

LAST SEASON: 4-17 overall; sixth in league at 2-8

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Six returning players should give the Cowboys the experience they lacked last year. Several seniors lead the way. Guard Jamil Austin (6-0, 160) is the team’s best all-around player, Hayes said. He averaged 7 points a game and led the team in steals. Guard Robby Caulfield (6-0, 155) averaged 4.5 assists a game and shot 73% from the free-throw line. Brian Schroeder (6-0, 180) and Brad Tufts (6-7, 160) both played sparingly last year but should start. Juniors Jon Civita (6-6, 175) and Clint Beauer (6-3, 185) should shoulder the rebounding load. Beauer, however, is recovering from an ankle injury suffered playing football. “Maybe we’ll have him by January,” Hayes said. Top newcomers are senior guard Darren Oldenberg (5-10, 145), MVP of the junior varsity, and sophomore forward Germaine Nixon, a transfer from Saugus. Also competing for playing time are seniors Chris Hauser (5-10, 170), who missed last season because of a back injury, Danny Pian (6-0, 160), Rob Ellis (6-5, 175) and Neil Little (6-1, 190).

OUTLOOK: Nowhere to go but up, which is where Canyon is accustomed to being. “We’re a very hungry and determined team,” Hayes said. “We feel good that it’s a new season. I don’t know if we can say we’re going to accomplish this or that. But it’s a new year.”

Saugus

COACH: John Clark, sixth season

LAST SEASON: 3-19 overall; fifth in league at 3-7

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Funny thing about talent. “It runs in cycles,” Clark said. “Sometimes you have a lot back, sometimes you don’t. At Saugus High School, there aren’t a lot of athletes right now. We have to go with what we have.” The Centurions have only 2 returning players, one a major contributor last year. Senior forward Sean Legeaux (6-2, 180) averaged 7 points and 3 rebounds a game. Senior center Andy Regenberg (6-5, 190) played sparingly. Both will shoulder a heavy load, but the Centurions’ success really depends on the performance of a flock of young players. Guard Glen Berdin (5-9, 150), who spent most of last season with the junior varsity, and forward Doug Adrian (6-4, 200) are the only other seniors. Junior Aaron Bolpe (6-2, 170) is a good shooting guard, Clark said. Sophomores Greg Yumbar (6-3, 170), John Harris (5-10, 160) and Jason Riggio (5-9, 150), all up from the freshman team, will compete for floor time. “We’re going to have to shuffle it around,” Clark said. “We’re not that talented as a group.”

OUTLOOK: “To be realistic,” Clark said, “we’re a little in the rebuilding stage. We don’t have the athletic talent as a group. But I expect us to improve as the season goes along.”