Notebook /Sean Waters : Sebek Figures to Remember His 53 in ’64

Dick Sebek speaks from experience when he talks to his Nordhoff High boys’ basketball players about what it takes to score points.

In 1964, Sebek scored 53 points to set a single-game scoring record at Westchester (Ill.) High.

Some of Westchester’s graduates, including Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons, have had high-scoring games, but nothing that can top Sebek’s performance.

Gene Pingatore was an assistant when Sebek played varsity basketball at Westchester and has been the head coach at the school for the past 19 years.

“Dick was an outstanding scorer,” Pingatore said. “He wasn’t very tall when he first started playing so he needed to develop the skills of the guards. When he was senior, he grew to 6-6 and he didn’t have any trouble driving by other tall players.”

Sebek was a member of the first graduating class at Westchester and was an all-area selection. He continued his basketball career at Loyola Marymount and was a teammate of Rick Adelman, who later played with the Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers.

Pingatore has coached 7 players who were selected all-state, including Thomas.

Nine graduates are currently playing in Division I and one, Daryl Thomas, is playing basketball in Europe. But Pingatore still considers Sebek among his best players.

“He didn’t get much recognition because we were a new school,” Pingatore said. “He made the all-area team, but he probably deserved to be named all-state.

“If he was more consistent shooting 12-foot jump shots, I think he could have made the NBA.”

End of a streak: Santa Clara’s Southern Section record for most consecutive league victories is expected to be broken this week by Banning.

The Saints, under Coach Lou Cvijanovich, won 82 consecutive league games during the 1956 through 1965 seasons to set the record.

Banning won its 81st game Friday at Notre Dame of Riverside. The Broncos played Yucaipa Wednesday at home in attempt to tie the record.

“I don’t care whether the record is broken or not,” said Cvijanovich, whose current team has won 40 consecutive Frontier League games. “I’m not an egotist. I’m here to teach the players how to play basketball.”

End of streak II: Santa Paula snapped a 13-game losing streak with a 82-39 victory over Villanova Prep on Jan. 24.

The winning steak, however, was short-lived as the Cardinals dropped their next 3 contests and have fallen to 1-16 overall and 0-6 in Frontier League play under first-year coach Matt Micek.

“Matt is an excellent coach, but he’s having his troubles,” said Henry Jacinto, the Santa Paula athletic director. “People have been ragging him for having a losing program, but it’s not his fault.

“He doesn’t have a senior that has ever played a lick of varsity basketball before this year and he doesn’t have one 6-footer.”

Winning can be simple: Another coach who is new to his school, Roy Gilmore of Ventura, has found success since simplifying his system.

Ventura won 3 consecutive games since Gilmore went to a 2-3 zone defense and a power-type offense.

“We’ve been getting the ball inside more to our big players and that has really opened up the outside shot,” Gilmore said. “Nate (Hantgin) had two of his best games of the season last week.”

Hantgin scored 21 points against San Marcos and a season-high 25 points against Hueneme. The senior is as equally adept at 3-point shots (47%) as from 2-point (46%) range.

More long-range marksmen: St. Bonaventure made more 3-point field goals than 2-point shots in consecutive games last week.

The Seraphs made 10 3-pointers and 6 2-pointers against Carpinteria and 12 3-pointers and 11 2-pointers against Moorpark.

All 5 of Cliff Feldheim’s field goals were 3-pointers against Moorpark. Feldheim, who leads the team with a 12.4 scoring average, also made 6 of 7 free throws to finish with 21 points.

Entering Wednesday’s games, the defending Tri-Valley League champion Seraphs are 13-5 overall and 6-0 in the league.

Time is now: Coach Gary Anglin appreciates the sentiment, but he is tired of hearing how good his Ventura College baseball team is supposed to be next year.

“We don’t want to wait for next year to be good,” he said. “We want to do it now.”

Anglin, in his 12th year with the Pirates, expects his pitching staff to make Ventura a contender in the Western State Conference. Ventura was 24-12 last season and finished second in the WSC Northern Division behind Oxnard College.

The Pirates missed a playoff berth after losing a doubleheader to Bakersfield College on the last day of the season.

The Pirates, who play host to Mission College in their season opener Friday, have 4 starters returning from last year’s lineup--outfielders Chris Ames and Brent Cookson, the 1987 Ventura County Player of the Year; catcher Tom Couture and designated hitter Mike Spencer.

Sophomore right-hander Shane Espitia, who was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Ventura High, leads a pitching staff of predominantly freshmen.

Left-hander Derron Spiller of Rio Mesa was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals, Dean McMillin of Ventura was drafted by the Kansas City Royals and right-hander Mike Teron of Santa Clara was drafted by the Minnesota Twins.

“I’m a little apprehensive because we’re so young,” Anglin said. “We could potentially start 7 out of 9 freshmen.”

Under Anglin, who has a 191-175 record, the Pirates are 65-42 over the last 3 seasons. Twelve Pirate players have signed pro contracts over the past 10 years.

Close calls: The Moorpark College men’s basketball team allows 68 points a game to lead the WSC in defense.

Offensively, however, the Raiders only average 70.8 points, which may explain why Moorpark is involved in so many 2-point games.

Moorpark was 14-10, 5-3 in conference play and in third place in the WSC Northern Division entering this week’s games.

Staff writer Ralph Nichols contributed to this notebook.