SOUTHERN SECTION BASKETBALL CAPSULES : SAN FERNANDO VALLEY LEAGUE

Bell-Jeff COACH: Steve Wahl, 1st season LAST SEASON: 9-15; 4th in league, 5-5 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Wahl replaces Joe Dunn, who stepped down after 12 seasons in August because of personal reasons. Three junior starters, swingman Brian Lee (6-foot-3), point guard Bryon Camacho (5-7) and guard Ignacio Castro (6-0) return. Wahl calls Lee the top all-around player. “He can play forward, guard or center and score and rebound,” Wahl said. Camacho averaged 11.6 points a game last season and is the catalyst for an offense that will play an up-tempo game. “He makes everything go,” said Wahl, who also coaches the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams. “We have good team speed and we want to take advantage of it.” Two juniors, forward Damien Scott (6-2) and center Joe Bunning (6-5), round out the starting lineup. Scott and Bunning will be the dominant forces under the boards. OUTLOOK: The team, which did not participate in summer league because of Wahl’s late hiring, has eight underclassmen on its 12-man roster. “It’s been difficult just trying to get it going with a new philosophy, but I think we’ll come around once they catch on,” Wahl said. Wahl believes Harvard and St. Francis and possibly El Segundo could contend for the league championship, but he believes that Bell-Jeff should finish no lower than third. Harvard COACH: Greg Hilliard, 6th season LAST SEASON: 23-3; 1st in league, 10-0 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Seven players return from last season’s San Fernando Valley League championship team, which advanced to the Southern Section 3-A Division semifinals. Forward Andres Carlo (6-4) and center Spencer Miller (6-8), both seniors, are returning starters. Carlo played in all 26 games, averaging 10 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.5 blocks. Carlo and Miller should be strong inside forces, but Hilliard said that Carlo also is an effective outside threat. Iheanyi Uwaezouke (6-2), a Division I football prospect, and Marcus Puhvel (6-5) received significant playing time as juniors. Newcomer Tarlin Ray (6-2), a junior point guard, rounds out the starting five. Hilliard said that Puhvel probably is the best outside shooter and that Uwaezouke and Ray are the best ballhandlers. Harvard averaged more than 85 points a game last season and Hilliard thinks this year’s team can duplicate that effort. “We’re definitely a running team with a full-pressure defense,” Hilliard said. OUTLOOK: “Our strength is our conditioning and we have good athletes that have yet to be proven,” said Hilliard, who has guided Harvard to two league titles and four playoff berths in five seasons. “Last year’s team was tight and cohesive and how well we come together will be the determining factor.” St. Francis COACH: John Jordan, 4th season LAST SEASON: 7-15; 5th in league, 2-6 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Kyle Barrett (6-3), Dave Landa (5-3) and Marty Konrad (6-3) return and are expected to play key roles. Barrett is the Golden Knights’ main offensive threat and averaged 16.4 points last season. Landa, who averaged eight points and 5.1 assists, will play point guard. Konrad averaged seven rebounds last season. Junior Tory Carruthers (6-3) also will start. Four sophomores and two juniors with no varsity experience round out the team. “Hopefully, we can build around (Barrett, Landa and Konrad) and find some other kids to help them out,” Jordan said. OUTLOOK: Jordan believes that the basketball team will benefit from the move from the Del Rey League to the San Fernando Valley League in the same manner as the football team, which improved from 1-9 to 7-4. But Jordan is unsure of what to expect. “I have no idea what we’ll do,” Jordan said. “We’re so young. I’m not sure what kind of character this team is going to have.” St. Genevieve COACH: Scott Smith, 3rd season LAST SEASON: 2-20; 6th in league, 0-10 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Senior guards Jeff De La O (5-9) and Josh Smith (5-10) started last season and are among seven returning players. De La O, who averaged 10 points, will be relied upon for his offensive output. Smith will be the primary ballhandler. Junior center Pat Rodriguez (6-2) and junior John Hoffmann (6-2) and senior Victor Dionisio (5-11), both forwards, also will start. Pete Miranda (5-10), Dominic Parero (5-9) and Mike Robinson (6-1), a transfer from Crespi, also will be given extensive playing time. “We don’t have any size so everybody is going to have to crash the boards,” Smith said. “Once we get the ball, we’ll be all right.” Smith says quickness is the team’s most valuable asset and that he will utilize a motion offense. “We’ll set screens and try to roll out of them.” OUTLOOK: St. Genevieve should be improved, but Smith believes the league, in particular St. Francis and Harvard, is very strong. “It was a long season and we didn’t get any wins (last year),” Smith said, “but we have only one way to go. We don’t have any outstanding individual, but we work well as a team.”