SOUTHERN SECTION HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PREVIEWS : Alpha League

Montclair Prep

COACH: Howard Abrams, 14th season, Bob Webb, 5th season

LAST SEASON: 19-10; tied for 1st in league, 7-3

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Junior all-league shooting guard J.T. Billingsley (5-10) and sophomore all-leaguer Chris Sanger (6-4) return, but the heart of the team will arrive after the football squad finishes its run at a Southern Section title. In the meantime, Abrams and Webb are practicing with just five players, adding 6-3 senior forward Jason Gerber, 6-0 guard Jackie Shempov and 6-2 senior forward Charles Murphy to Billingsley and Sanger. But when football season ends, watch out. In comes some talent: 6-1 senior Mike Jones adds quickness, 6-0 guard Ed Cibrian helps out the backcourt, 5-10 point guard Leland Sparks will make a bid to start, and 6-2 junior Derek Sparks will man the post with “really nice athletic ability,” according to Abrams. Big man Donovan Roy, a 6-7 junior center, is up from the junior varsity, where he was “surprisingly good.”

OUTLOOK: The Mounties are deep and the Mounties are good. Abrams said that it’s difficult to gauge a team that hasn’t yet been together for a practice. Still, Montclair Prep should be a contender for the league title. “If everybody comes out and it falls into place,” Abrams said, “then we’ll be strong.”

L. A. Baptist

COACH: Maury Neville, 11th season

LAST SEASON: 18-8; tied for 2nd in league, 6-4

PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Knights charge into the season with two returning players whom Neville calls “one full starter.” The pair comprises 5-10 senior wingman Reid Chobanian and 5-10 junior Glenn Dodson, who shared starting duty last season. “If we have a leader,” Neville said, “it’s Reid. But he’s quiet. He leads by example.” With three juniors in the starting lineup, this is Neville’s youngest team in seven seasons. Expected to score inside is 6-2 post player Alex Pistone. Also playing inside will be 6-3 Larry Masters and 6-1 senior Kevin Bennett. The point guard is 5-10 ball-handler Dan Shackelford, with help from the football team’s Chris Robinson, a 5-9 quarterback. Also from the football team is 5-9 post player Colyn Van Buren, who isn’t afraid to mix it up and plays bigger than his height. But Neville fears the youth of this squad may undermine hopes for a league title.

OUTLOOK: Finishing one game out of first, as L. A. Baptist did last season, is a feat Neville fears is out of reach. But that doesn’t mean the playoffs are out of range. “We’ll be playing for third place. Maybe in the second round of league we can show something. But if we finish this season in third, it’ll be a success,” he said.

Village Christian

COACH: Mike Henzie, 3rd season

LAST SEASON: 10-13; tied for 1st in league, 7-3

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Rod Andersen, a 6-5 center who averaged six points, returns from last season’s league championship team. The league’s most interesting player may be 6-6 John Brown, a junior forward who has the potential to score 25 points, according to Henzie. Brown, however, is a Seventh-day Adventist and will not play on Friday nights for religious reasons. He’ll miss six of the Crusaders’ games. “When we have ‘em all there, it’ll be great,” Henzie said. Subbing for Brown on those occasions will be 6-1 sophomore Vic Lozano or 6-1 senior Thor Martin. The coach’s son, junior Matt Henzie (5-9), will run the point, and junior Randy Hurst (6-0) and transfer Dave Orso (6-3) will share time at forward.

OUTLOOK: Henzie said that Montclair Prep and new league member Miraleste are too formidable for his team to challenge for league supremacy, but the Crusaders should be respectable again. “I’m not expecting great things,” he said. “We’ll be a steady club. Not a lot of flash.”