Harbor Coach Sees Tough Road to the State Playoffs

The Harbor College men’s basketball team will have a difficult time repeating last year’s 23-13 record, but Coach Ken Curry believes the Seahawks will reach the state playoffs.

“I don’t know how we’re going to do it, but we’re going to make it to the playoffs,” Curry said. “I’ve worked these guys harder than any team I’ve had here. They (opponents) think they’re going to come in and kick our behinds, but they’re not.”

In three seasons at Harbor, Curry has a 58-37 record, including three postseason appearances. But he admits it will be difficult to make the playoffs this season because there are no returning starters from last season’s team.

Curry wasn’t quite prepared for that. He was planning on building the offense around standout forward Terry Nelson. As a freshman last season, the 6-foot-6 Nelson led the Seahawks with 18.3 points and nine rebounds a game. But in June Nelson told Curry he was transferring to Long Beach City College, which competes in the South Coast Conference. Harbor competes in the Southern California Athletic Conference.

“He said we weren’t going to be that good this year,” Curry said. “Terry’s leaving almost destroyed the program.”

Nelson’s departure leaves Paul Snow as Harbor’s only returning player. The 6-6 center, who saw limited action last season, will see lots of action once he recovers from a foot injury.

Curry said Snow will probably start once he’s healthy, but in the meantime the Seahawks have five freshmen in the lineup.

Brenton Woods (6-2, Long Beach Jordan) starts at point guard and Jon Zelatel (6-3, Torrance) at off-guard. Woods, who was a redshirt at Cal State Northridge last season, is a decent shooter who plays tough defense. His backup will be Jay Singleton (6-2, Hamilton). Zelatel, who will share his position with Curtis Thomas (6-0, Compton), is a steady player who will add much-needed consistency to Harbor’s offense.

Dario Del Cid (6-5, Milikan) will start at small forward and Chris Mijanovic (6-6, San Pedro) at power forward. Curry said Del Cid is the team’s best player and will be counted on to carry the scoring load.

“He can run, he can jump and he can shoot,” Curry said. “He can also dunk and electrify a crowd.”

Vaughn Andrews will start at center until Snow is cleared to play. The 6-5 freshman from Banning is a strong rebounder with an accurate jump shot.

“We’re so young that the question is whether or not we will jell as a team,” Curry said. “Right now we’re 14 individuals. We have to get five people on the court working together.”

The coach said his team’s strength is defense. The Seahawks will need it when they face Compton and L.A. City, the two teams picked to win the SCAC title.

Harbor will open league play Jan. 2 against Marymount. The game is listed as a road game for the Seahawks, because Marymount, which doesn’t have a gym, plays its home games at Harbor.

Notes

For the first time in 10 years, Harbor will have a women’s basketball team. The Seahawks will compete in the tough South Coast Conference, which includes Cerritos and El Camino. Louie Nelson was hired as coach in September, but the former University of Washington guard had virtually no time to recruit.

Nelson, also a guard in the NBA in the mid-’70s, posted signs all over the Wilmington campus in a desperate search for players. He came up with 14. “Our goal is to be competitive and to improve every day,” said Nelson, who coached the boys’ basketball team at Compton and Ganesha Highs before coming to Harbor. “I’m looking forward to next year.”

The Seahawks have an all-freshmen roster. Marquel Weaver (Banning High) starts at point guard and Nina Guerriero (Banning) at off-guard. Bonnie Palomera (L.A. Jordan) starts at small forward and Mary Esene (Narbonne) at power forward. Melanie Midget, a 5-8 soccer player from Chadwick, will start at center until Tina Boatwright returns from a back injury. At 6-3, Boatwright is by far the team’s tallest player.

Nelson said Esperanza Lujan (San Pedro) and Joelle Clark (San Pedro) will also play a lot. Both are graduates of San Pedro High. The Seahawks’ first league game is Jan. 2 at El Camino.