TRI-VALLEY LEAGUE : BASKETBALL PREVIEWS : Import Fuels Playoff Drive for Oak Park

Steve Goldstein was trying to explain it as simply as he could. The Oak Park High boys’ basketball coach was working with his team on defensive low-post positions, but one of his players wasn’t getting the point.

“I told him to play in a third-quarter position,” Goldstein said. “He didn’t get it, so I went out there and said ‘do it like this.’ ”

Nevertheless, the player still ended up out of position.

“Finally I yelled at him ‘get on his hip! get on his hip!’ ” Goldstein said. “He turns to me and says ‘coach, I don’t know what a hip is.’ ”

Goldstein, as he later learned, would have been better off telling the player, Matthias Wiehle, to get on the player’s huftbein.

Wiehle is 1 of 3 foreign-exchange students from West Germany to play for Oak Park in the past 2 seasons, and, according to Goldstein, he is the most promising. Last season Dirk Schiemann played on the varsity, but appeared in only 3 games.

This season Wiehle and Heiko Sattler, who is on the junior varsity, have enrolled at Oak Park as part of American-Scandinavian Student Exchange Program.

At a small school such as Oak Park (enrollment 350), Goldstein admits to walking around campus the first few days of school looking for tall students. That is how he discovered Schiemann.

Wiehle, however, approached Goldstein the first week of school. In West Germany, the 6-foot-3 Wiehle played for his high school team in Karlstadt, a city in southeastern West Germany in the area known as Bavaria.

But, he says, “The game is much faster and more organized here.”

And when Wiehle botches a play, he is easy to spot.

“When he gets mad, he starts yelling at himself in German,” Goldstein said. “No one has any idea what he’s saying. The guys on the team kid him about that, but he’s getting along with everyone.”

Oak Park (12-12, 7-5 in league play last season) should be the team to beat. Defending champion St. Bonaventure (21-3, 12-0) and Carpinteria (6-18, 4-8) are expected to contend. Fillmore (2-21, 0-12) should improve, as should Bishop Diego (6-16, 5-7). Moorpark (6-13, 4-8) could make a run for the middle of the pack.

Oak Park

COACH: Steve Goldstein, fourth season

LAST SEASON: 12-12 overall; third in league at 7-5

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Even though the Eagles have 2 starters from last year on campus who probably will not play this season, they are still expected to contend for the league title. Richard Chavez, a 6-4 senior, has been ruled ineligible by the Southern Section. Last season Chavez averaged 15 points and 9.9 rebounds a game and was a first-team all-league selection. Also missing is Jess Garner, who decided to concentrate on conditioning in hopes of earning a football scholarship. Returning center Scott Ziegler (6-4, 230) averaged 7.2 points and 7.4 rebounds. From the football team, Goldstein inherits seniors Jason Stein (6-1) and Brian Kane (6-0). Stein, a two-time defending Southern Section 1-A champion in the 400 meters and a tailback on the football team, averaged 6.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5 assists last season as a point guard, but he is being moved to small forward to take advantage of his jumping ability. Senior guard Todd Bachmeier (5-8) moves to point guard. Senior Mitch Harris (6-0) likely will put up 3-point attempts from the off-guard position. Also coming off the bench will be senior returning letterman Jason Patterson (6-5).

OUTLOOK: The last 2 seasons, the Eagles have reached the first round of the playoffs, the furthest any Oak Park team has advanced. Barring injuries, this could be the most successful team in school history.

Moorpark

COACH: Rick Kent, fifth season

LAST SEASON: 6-13 overall; fifth in league at 4-8

PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Musketeers, with only 3 returning players and 1 returning starter, are facing an uphill battle. Senior Keith Orford averaged 14 points and 6 rebounds a game last season and is the only returning starter. With no true center on the team, he will be one of the 3 forwards. “Keith’s not afraid to go inside or outside,” Kent said. “From 15 feet and in, he’s real consistent and he can hit the 3-pointer.” Junior Robert Hernandez (6-3) and senior Franklin Henderson (5-11) likely will start at the other forward positions. Scott Semer, a 5-10 senior, is a returning letterman who will handle the offense. Mathew Cummings, a 5-10 senior who, along with Hernandez, played on the football team, won the other guard position. “Four of our five guys, except Hernandez, can score,” Kent said. Defensively, we’re going to try to press as much as possible and play man-to-man unless we get into foul trouble.” Reserves Jeff Cox (6-0, senior), Art Orosco (5-8, senior) and Tyrone Camacho (5-7, returning senior) will play.

OUTLOOK: Kent is philosophical about his team’s chances. “I’m not real concerned with how the rest of the league does, as long as my boys play well,” he said.