SOUTHERN SECTION BASKETBALL CAPSULES : CHANNEL LEAGUE

Buena COACH: Glen Hannah, 9th season LAST SEASON: 17-10; 3rd in league, 10-4 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Buena’s top returning player is junior guard Lance Fay (6-foot), a returning starter at off-guard who averaged 10.4 points a game last season and will move to point guard this season. Senior forward Josh Evarts (6-2), the only other returnee, will start at one forward position. Junior Matt Bortolin (6-0) is a probable starter at off-guard. The other forward position is a battle between junior Matt Houchin (6-0) and senior Jordan Barkalow (6-1). Seniors Matt Egan (6-3) and Joey Young (6-4) are vying for the starting center position. Reserve forward Doug Wilder is recovering from a fractured wrist and Russell Rose sustained a knee injury. Both players could be sidelined until league play begins in January. OUTLOOK: Eleven players graduated from last year’s team, including guard Jeff Oliver (28 points a game) and Darren Shearer (15.7), the Bulldogs’ leading scorers. The Bulldogs’ tallest player is 6-4, but their up-tempo attack should diminish some of their weaknesses. “I think we’ll run the ball pretty well,” Hannah said. “Our press could be the key for us.” Buena, which has qualified for the playoffs in eight of the past nine seasons, likely will finish in the middle of a pack of very talented teams. Favored for the title are San Marcos, with eight returning lettermen from last year’s 24-8 team, and Santa Barbara, led by all-league forward Matt Purdy and guard Simon Banks. Hueneme COACH: Howard Davis, 3rd season LAST SEASON: 6-18; 7th in league, 3-11 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Senior forward Jack Brown (6-1) and junior forward Isreal Fuentes (6-5) are the lone returning lettermen. Sophomore Tony Smith (5-9) will start at point guard and senior Pedro Duran (5-11) will start at shooting guard. Sophomore Wendell Nunnery (6-3) likely will start at forward and junior Dwine Knott (6-4) might start at center. Sophomore Wayen Revas (5-8), a transfer from Texas, will spell Duran. The Vikings will be deep with senior guard Jay Aguilar (5-7), sophomore guard Ike Coleman (5-9), senior forward Fred Villaneuva (6-4) and Todd Uffens, a 6-6 junior center from Spain. OUTLOOK: Last year the Vikings were one-dimensional behind Mike Spears, who averaged 21 points. But Spears has graduated, and Davis will have more depth with which to work. And, as much as the Vikings are expected to run, he will need it. “We’ll run and press and do whatever we can to increase the tempo,” Davis said. “Our strength is our quickness, which is the best I’ve had at Hueneme, and we shoot the ball pretty well.” The key to a successful season for the Vikings lies in the development of their youth; seven of their 15 players are underclassmen. “Because we’re pretty young, we’ll be pleased to finish over .500,” Davis said. “But it’s possible we could be better than that. You can be a real good team in this league and finish fifth.” Oxnard COACH: Dan Garcia, 8th season LAST SEASON: 8-16; 8th in league, 2-12 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Senior guard Antonio Williams (6-1) averaged 16 points last season and was an all-league selection. Other probable starters include junior forward Jasper Satterwhite (6-3), junior shooting guard David Dickey (6-0), senior point guard Rubin Bryant (6-0) and junior center Corey Upchurch (6-5). Dickey averaged 17 points a game at the junior-varsity level last season. Bryant has recovered from a knee injury that sidelined him much of last season. Senior Yuseph Sharpe (6-0) will add depth at guard. Senior forward Fred Martinez (6-2) will contribute a soft shooting touch. Garcia says junior forward Casey Turner (6-2), who did not play last season, has improved dramatically. OUTLOOK: Oxnard has not had a winning season since 1984-85, the season in which the Yellowjackets last reached the playoffs. Yet Garcia says Oxnard has a legitimate opportunity to climb out of the league cellar for the first time in two seasons. “We aren’t very big, so rebounding is going to be a question mark,” he said. “If we can rebound, we’ll be pretty competitive.” Kenyon Lewis, a 6-3 forward who played considerably as a junior last season, decided not to play. Oxnard will increase defensive pressure this season. “We’ll try and use our quickness,” Garcia said. “If we rebound, we’ll run. If we don’t rebound, we’ll slow it down.” Rio Mesa COACH: Steve Wolf, 6th season LAST SEASON: 14-15; 4th (tie) in league, 7-7 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Rio Mesa will employ a talented, three-guard offense that includes seniors Greg Bellman (6-3) and Manuk Kayaoglu (6-2) and junior Swanson Nunnery (5-9). Nunnery averaged a team-leading 5.1 assists and 2.5 steals last season. Junior David Halverson (6-3) was the MVP of the junior varsity last season and will start at forward. The starting center position might be filled by sophomore Jade Peterson (6-7). Junior Jason McLean (6-0) will work into the guard rotation and Rio Mesa has talented athletes in front-line players Jeff Howatt (6-5), Mike Mitchell (6-4), and Dusty Kawai (6-3). OUTLOOK: The Spartans were a one-man show last year with Eric Thomas, who averaged 21 points and nine rebounds and is playing at the University of New Mexico this fall. But they will attempt to make up for that loss with quickness and shooting ability. “We don’t have any big people, but hopefully we have enough 6-3 players who can get some rebounds,” Wolf said. Rio Mesa’s immediate strength lies in the quickness and shooting of guards Bellman, Kayaoglu and Nunnery. Halverson and Peterson are young but talented. “As our inside players mature, we’ll get better,” Wolf said. Ventura COACH: Dan Larson, 2nd season LAST SEASON: 8-17, 6th in league, 5-9. PLAYERS TO WATCH: Ventura will start three sophomores: point guard guard Larry Anter (5-10), off-guard Darien Roberts (6-0) and forward Curt Vaughan (6-2). Anter and Roberts were co-MVPs of the junior varsity last season and Vaughan was MVP of the freshman team. Senior center Mike Ryken (6-4) and senior forward Randy Martinez (6-2), an honorable-mention selection who averaged 8.2 points and 4.3 rebounds last season, are probable starters. Three of Ventura’s four inside players return, including seniors John Seiler (6-1) and Chris Rockwell (6-3). Senior Jonas Barnes (6-8) is a first-year player. Junior Josh Powers (6-0) and seniors Mike True (6-2), Omid Sohrab (6-3) and Ulf Dorner (6-2) will provide the Cougars with depth. Dorner is an exchange student from Germany. OUTLOOK: Ventura does not have any superstars but will be steady throughout its lineup. The backcourt is inexperienced at the varsity level. “We’re young, but I think there’s some quality there,” Larson said. Ryken and Martinez each weigh 215 pounds and Barnes adds an additional 220 pounds, all of which gives Ventura potential to become a strong rebounding team. The Cougars, with leading scorers Kevin Keich (14.7 points a game) and Kevin Williams (13.6) graduated, lack a proven scorer. But it could turn out be Seiler, who averaged 9.3 points and 6.7 rebounds last season. “If we gain some confidence, we could be a team to beat,” Larson said. “If we’re slow coming around, it could be a problem.” Ventura has the potential to post its first winning record in three seasons, but much of it relies on the development of its young backcourt. Last season, the Cougars played their best basketball during the league season; a repeat performance is likely.