DELPHIC LEAGUE BASKETBALL PREVIEW : Faith Baptist Could Reach Crossroads at Last

A common call has been heard throughout the Delphic League since 1982: Hit the road, Crossroads.

The small Santa Monica school has won the past 7 league titles and nearly all concerned would like to see the Roadrunners move to a higher-level league. Even Crossroads wants out.

“We’d like to move up and we’ve been trying,” Coach Dave Benezra said. “We’ve even looked at the Del Rey League.”

But problems persist. Crossroads is not a Catholic school, which has blocked entry into the Southern Section Catholic leagues such as the Del Rey. Other leagues have balked at accepting the Roadrunners because the school does not field a football team or freshman and sophomore teams in other sports, creating scheduling problems.

In the meantime, Delphic basketball teams maneuver for second place, all but conceding the title to Crossroads. In Benezra’s 2 seasons, the Roadrunners are 21-3 in league play, but the team’s playoff record has shown the true strength of the program.

Last season, the Roadrunners were eliminated from the Southern Section 1-A Division playoffs in the first round, ending a 6-year run in which Crossroads reached the championship game every year and won a pair of 1-A and 2 Small School titles.

When Crossroads needed to pick up a nonleague game this season, the Roadrunners went to the top, playing Cleveland, the Valley’s No. 1 program. Even though the Cavaliers won in a blowout, 94-45, other Delphic coaches cited the game as an example of the league’s imbalance.

“They’re a 1-A team taking on the top team in the Valley,” fourth-year Providence Coach Paul Sutton said. “What does that tell you? I know Cleveland wouldn’t play us. That shows me that something is out of whack. We’ve never beaten Crossroads since I’ve been here and we’re not going to beat them.”

About the only coach who wants the Roadrunners to stay is Dean Lobdell, Faith Baptist’s second-year coach. But he wants to keep them around just long enough to beat them, something no Contender team has accomplished in 5 years.

“I enjoy having the competition and they bring prestige to the league,” Lobdell said.

The Contenders might live up to their name this season because of the league’s most dominant player, 6-10 senior center Jason Henderson. Delphic coaches consider Faith Baptist a co-favorite for the title with Crossroads.

Lobdell’s biggest concern is psychology: The Contenders seem hexed against Crossroads.

“Sometimes against a good team, we get psyched out,” he said. “That seemed to happen last year when the kids folded. Last year we made a big deal about them, but this year we’re going to treat them ordinary and see what that does.”

Brentwood and Bel-Air Prep rate a notch below Faith Baptist and Crossroads.

Faith Baptist

COACH: Dean Lobdell, 2nd season

LAST SEASON: 17-6 overall; third in league at 8-4

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Faith Baptist will pin its fortunes on the sizable frame of 6-10, 220-pound center Jason Henderson, who averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocks last season as a junior. The only other returning starter is David Hairston, a 5-11 senior point guard who averaged 15 points and 6 assists. Junior forward Bob Reed averaged 6 points last season and has won a starting job. The biggest surprise has been Tim Erwing, a 6-4 senior forward who transferred from Chatsworth and is playing for the first time. “He can really rebound,” Lobdell said.

OUTLOOK: Lobdell plans to win a championship. “We shouldn’t do any worse than second, and maybe this is our year to beat Crossroads,” he said.

Buckley

COACH: Jack Hadley, first season

LAST SEASON: 11-10 overall; sixth in league at 2-10

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Todd Steinman, a 6-2 senior forward and the team’s best player, averaged 24 points in this month’s Buckley tournament but injured his ankle and is out until January. Other experienced players are senior forward Dave Polushkin and senior guard Adam Glickman. Rounding out the starting 5 are 5-10 junior guard Chris Okum and 6-1 sophomore forward Brett Wallette.

OUTLOOK: Hadley, an assistant at Poly for the past 5 years, has lowered expectations. “We’re not one of the top teams in the league at the moment,” he said.

Campbell Hall

COACH: Joe Jackson, first season

LAST SEASON: 10-10 overall; fifth in league at 3-9

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Campbell Hall’s offense revolves around 3-year starter Ty Letterman, a 5-11 senior point guard who is averaging 22 points a game. Senior swingman John Archer (6-4) is the only other returning starter. The program received a boost with the transfer of Phillip Bruno from Oregon. Guard Flip Sides brings more than a catchy name: He is one of the school’s better athletes. Battling for a starting job will be 6-3 junior Richard Strayer and 6-2 sophomore Matt Fleming.

OUTLOOK: Jackson, a former assistant with the Valley College women’s program, faces a rebuilding project at Campbell Hall.

Providence

COACH: Paul Sutton, fourth season

LAST SEASON: 1-19 overall; seventh in league at 0-12

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Putting up the best numbers last season was 6-4 senior center Ben Tahouri, who has averaged 18.3 points in the team’s first 4 games this season. The team’s other returning starter is 6-3 junior forward Tim Edgar, who is averaging 12.5 points. Newcomers include sophomore Chris Jones, a 6-4 forward with 42 rebounds and 18 blocked shots in 4 games. Sophomore Bret Ferrante is a 5-6 point guard and senior swingman David Snyder rounds out the starting 5.

OUTLOOK: Sutton realizes that his team lacks depth, but he has set attainable goals: “I’d love to get four wins in league,” he said.