HIGH SCHOOLS : BASKETBALL PREVIEWS : NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE : Newcomers Face Season of Uncertainty

Verdugo Hills High and the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies are newcomers in this league but the similarities between the Dons and the Knights end there.

Last year, Verdugo Hills finished 0-10 in the Northwestern League and was 2-15 overall. Coach Hector Ornelas said candidly that he expects little improvement this year.

“We’re very small and very inexperienced,” Ornelas said.

The Dons have no returning players and only one player is taller than 6 feet. Junior swingman Kent Purser, senior guard Peter Ngo and and senior forward Aaron Peterson are the only certain starters.

The Knights, on the other hand, moved over from the Magnet League, where they finished first with a 12-0 record, 21-1 overall. Coach Mac Becker said that he is elated with the league change, which allows his team to play City Section schools.

“The students needed to have some realization they were a real high school--the school needed some identification,” Becker said.

Becker said that he is eager to start conference play to determine whether the Knights can hold their own against league members Verdugo Hills, Eagle Rock, Marshall and Franklin. “We don’t know how we’ll do until we play them,” Becker said.

For Becker, moving into a new and more competitive league is a dream fulfilled. “We had a goal--and that goal was to get into a City league--and we did it,” he said.

Last season, the team averaged more than 90 points a game and has steadily improved its record in each of the past 5 years.

Despite the loss of Jackson and Fox, the Knights are not lacking in firepower. They will rely on senior guard Marcus Littlejohn, who averaged 33 points last season. Junior Om Reeder will be his backcourt mate. Reeder replaces Fox, who averaged 12 assists a game.

Verdugo Hills

COACH: Hector Ornelas, fifth season

LAST SEASON: 2-15 overall; last in league at 0-10

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Junior swingman Kent Purser is the team’s leading scorer. The 5-11 Purser is averaging 20 points a game. The Dons are relying on senior point guard Peter Ngo to handle the offense. Ngo’s responsibility, other than getting the ball to Purser, is to adeptly dribble through the full-court pressure the Dons expect to face. Verdugo Hills also expects senior forward Aaron Peterson to score, thus keeping defenders from swarming over Purser. Ornelas said he is relying on these 3 players to help make the Dons respectable.

OUTLOOK: The Dons are short in stature and and even shorter in experience. “It looks like a long season,” Ornelas said.

Sherman Oaks Center

COACH: Mac Becker, fifth season

LAST SEASON: 21-1 overall; first in league at 12-0

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Senior Marcus Littlejohn, a 6-1 off-guard, will lead the Knights. Littlejohn averaged 33 points last season. The Knights are relying on junior point guard Om Reeder to assist on many of Littlejohn’s baskets. The 5-9 Reeder will also look for 6-4 junior center Dante Harris. Junior forwards Cleve McWright and Berlin Parker round out the frontcourt. The 6-4 McWright is expected to score in double figures often and the 6-2 Parker is expected to rebound in double figures. More rebounding help will come from senior forwards Don Daily and Jesse Paniagua.

OUTLOOK: Becker is cautiously optimistic when assessing his team’s chances of doing as well against City teams. “We’ve held our own in tournament play so far,” Becker said. “But we can’t tell until the season starts.”