Los Alamitos Could Challenge El Dorado

Last year, the Empire League was bad.

That’s not bad meaning good. That’s baaaad , as in really bad.

Only one school, El Dorado High, had a winning record. And the Golden Hawks (20-5 overall, 10-0 in league play) got bounced from the playoffs in the first round.

Los Alamitos and Cypress tied for second place with 6-4 records and were each just 12-14 overall.

The other three teams--Esperanza, Katella and Loara--didn’t win 20 games between them.

No, 1988-89 was not a good season for the tradition-rich Empire League.

With that nightmare behind them, the league’s coaches are looking ahead with great zeal to this season and a clean slate.

El Dorado wants to retain its championship and go further in the playoff.

Los Alamitos wants to take the title away from El Dorado, and the Griffins have the talent and experience to do it.

Cypress, Esperanza, Katella and Loara are just looking for a playoff berth.

Returning to the playoffs is the biggest goal at Katella. The Knights had reached the playoffs 21 seasons in a row but failed the past two seasons.

“Anything is possible,” Katella Coach Tom Danley said. “The whole thing is keyed around emotion and momentum.”

Esperanza and Loara should be much improved and Cypress will likely pull a few surprises, as it has in the past.

But the two favorites figure to be El Dorado and Los Alamitos.

“People who know are telling me Los Alamitos will not only win the league, but has the ability to win (the Southern Section title) in their division,” Danley said.

The Griffins have the league’s best big man in 6-foot-9 center Robert Conlisk, who averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds a game last season.

Los Alamitos has nine returning players, including four starters.

El Dorado has the best small player in point guard Mike Bradach, who averaged 12 points and 7.5 assists last season.

A closer look at the teams:

CYPRESS--The Centurions made a big move at the end of the season to gain a second-place tie with Los Alamitos.

Coach Kevin Loftus always seems to get the most from his players.

Returning starting guard Jared Rice gives the team some steady leadership, but this season, Cypress would have to be considered a long shot for the title.

On the positive side, the Centurions’ junior varsity won the league title last season.

EL DORADO--Center Matt Luke, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, has graduated, but the Golden Hawks don’t figure to miss a beat.

“I think (Bradach) is one of the best point guards around this year,” El Dorado Coach Wayne Carlson said. “He’s going to be super. He can shoot the ball, he’s got great hands, good quickness, quick moves.”

Jerome Facione, who averaged 9.6 points and eight rebounds a game, is another key to El Dorado’s fortunes. At 6-4, he is the team’s tallest player.

Brian Loyd, a 6-2 sophomore, was the freshman team’s MVP last season. Luke’s younger brother, Josh, a 6-3 senior; Brett Tomto, a 6-3 junior, and Gary Smith, a 6-1 senior transfer from Bonita, will see considerable playing time.

“As we gain experience, we’ll get better and better,” Carlson said.

ESPERANZA--The Aztecs have four players back, including Joe Foss, a junior who averaged 13 points and five rebounds.

They also have 6-6 sophomore Matt Cordik, who has Coach Mark Hill feeling good about the Aztecs’ playoff chances.

Cordik was the only sophomore to play in the North Orange County Slam-N-Jam summer league.

“We definitely have a shot at the playoffs,” Hill said. “In order to think any higher, we have to improve on our rebounding. We’re young and very thin.”

Thin?

“We have a lot of thin guys. We don’t have much strength. We’ve been working in the weight room, but we don’t have much bulk.”

KATELLA--Danley, the only basketball coach the school has had, is hoping an eight-man rotation can return the Knights to the playoffs.

“If we can establish some things and get back on track, we can be competitive,” Danley said. “I don’t see any singular standouts. I’d like to have a 6-9 kid to say this is the hub of the wheel.”

In the absence of a dominant player, Danley will try to counter with balance and depth.

Guards Brian Rice, a junior, Jamie Vitzeilo, a senior, and Kevin Carlson, a junior, are among the Knights’ top players.

But they’ll need a few breaks to return to the playoffs.

LOARA--Tes Whitlock, a 6-2 junior guard, was an all-league selection last season and has started on the varsity since his freshman year.

But the Saxons haven’t taken advantage of Whitlock’s skills the past two seasons.

Last season, Loara was 4-17 and the season before, 5-16. The Saxons haven’t won a league championship since the mid-1960s.

But Loara has a new coach in Jerry Halpin, and with Whitlock’s continued improvement, the Saxons might challenge for a playoff spot.

LOS ALAMITOS--The Griffins have an impressive lineup. Rick Potts, a 6-1 junior, plays point guard. Mike Wilson, 6-3, is the off-guard. Forward Jason Cunningham, a 6-4 sophomore transfer from Mayfair, is the brother of Griffin running back Erik Mitchell. Todd Chesebro, 6-6, plays power forward, and Conlisk is in the middle.

Coach Steve Brooks will get an early look at how the Griffins react to difficult conditions. Los Alamitos heads east to play nationally ranked DeMatha of Hyattsville, Md., and St. John’s of Washington, D.C.

The Griffins also will play in the Tournament of Champions--in the same bracket as Mater Dei and Ocean View.

“I feel if we can play well back there, we’ll have a very successful season,” Brooks said. “It should be a real good test for the kids.”

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PREVIEW ’89

EMPIRE LEAGUE

1988-’89 Overall, League Records in Parentheses

SCHOOL ‘89-’90 COMMENT El Dorado (20-5, 10-0) Defending league champions Los Alamitos (12-14, 6-4) Robert Conlisk is league’s top player Cypress (12-14, 6-4) More surprises in store from Cypress? Esperanza (9-15, 3-7) Talented, but small and inexperienced Katella (5-15, 3-7) Balance and depth are keys for Knights Loara (4-17, 2-8) Jerry Halpin takes over for Tom Meylor as coach

Friday: Freeway League