SOUTHERN SECTION HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PREVIEWS : Foothill League

Burbank

COACH: Fred Cook, 1st season

LAST SEASON: 5-18; 4th in league, 3-7

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Losing guard Kayheed Murray, who transferred to Cleveland, will leave the Bulldogs without a proven player. Murray averaged 12.1 points and eight rebounds a game. “You can’t replace a person like that,” Cook said. Senior guard-forward Paul Tapp (6-1), who averaged 10 points, is the only returning starter. Junior Mike Palaski (5-9), a reserve last season, will serve as point guard and floor general. “He’s a good ballhandler and a good penetrator,” Cook said. Senior center Brad Ainsworth (6-5 1/2), last season’s junior varsity MVP, will carry the rebounding load. “He’s also our block-shot person and our stopper on defense,” Cook said. Muscular senior forward Andre Merdijanian (6-3, 195), up from the junior varsity, bench-presses a team-high 225 pounds. Senior guard Jason Robards (5-11) and junior swingman John Warner (5-11), the sixth man, are versatile and good shooters. Senior power forward Jesse Huizar (6-1) adds depth off the bench.

OUTLOOK: “Anyone can beat anyone in this league,” Cook said. Could be. But that also means that anyone can beat Burbank. With little size and experience, the Bulldogs might be in the doghouse against league powers Burroughs and Hart. “We just have to work,” Cook said.

Burroughs

COACH: Ira Sollod, 3rd season

LAST SEASON: 17-7; 1st in league, 9-1

PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Indians like to shoot the ball--and shoot the ball, and shoot the ball. All-league point guard and team captain Marnie Calderon (5-9), who made 50 of 100 three-point shots last season, will be going downtown more often than an RTD shuttle bus. “He has the green light,” Sollod said. “He really runs the show.” Calderon, a senior this season, averaged 12.5 points and 5.3 assists. Senior S.J. Boldvich (6-4), the only other returning starter, moves from guard to forward and will play a more prominent role this season, Sollod said. Boldvich averaged six points and six rebounds. Senior center Ray Velasquez (6-4, 250), a transfer from Hoover, is tenacious in and out of the key. “He moves real well for his size and he’s got a great outside shot,” Sollod said. Senior guard Doug Castaneda (6-1), who averaged 16 points as MVP of the junior varsity, provides more long-distance shooting. Senior forward Ryan Goeringer (6-0), an aggressive defensive player, also graduates from the junior varsity. Junior Mike Rossiter (6-5) will provide size off the bench.

OUTLOOK: The Indians, who last season captured their first league title since 1968, appear improved. Gone is Dan Murphy, an All-Southern Section forward and league MVP, but that should give Calderon more shots--and points. “I think this team, potentially, can be as good or better than last year’s team,” Sollod said. “These guys are confident. We’re going to be up-tempo. I’m excited and optimistic.”

Hart

COACH: Greg Herrick, 3rd season

LAST SEASON: 13-11; 2nd in league, 7-3

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Gone from last season’s front line is forward Brett Wilson, an All-Southern Section selection who averaged 23.4 points and seven rebounds. But the “Restless Indians,” as Herrick has dubbed them, have the size, strength and talent to contend for their first league title since 1984. Senior forward-center Chad Fotheringham (6-6, 205) and senior guard Micah Ohlman (6-4) both averaged 11 points and both improved markedly during the summer, Herrick said. They are the only returning lettermen. Senior forwards Mali Moye (6-3) and Renato Rivas (6-2)--the “Bruise Brothers”--led Hart’s junior varsity to a 16-1 record last season. Juniors Keith Halcovich (6-5) and Marty Downen (6-5) both will see action at forward and center. Forwards Pernell Salinas (6-2), a senior, and Chad Hourigan (6-3), a junior, have been promoted from the junior varsity. Junior point guard Doug Rich (5-10) will direct the fast break. Guards Andrew Lorraine (6-1), a senior, and Tony Valenzuela (6-1), a junior, are three-point threats.

OUTLOOK: With “renewed emphasis” on the three-point shot, Hart should be exciting to watch. “We have an arsenal of weapons we can call on this year and I am confident that this will make us that much more difficult to defend,” Herrick said. Size is Hart’s predominant advantage.