Estancia No. 1, but Look Out for Mater Dei : Basketball: Monarch coach insists he’s telling the truth when he says Mater Dei is rebuilding, but others aren’t buying it.

Gary McKnight has a confession to make. Over the past seven years, Mater Dei High School’s basketball coach hasn’t been truthful when evaluating teams before the season.

McKnight has done his best to downgrade his teams’ prospects, but results don’t lie: Mater Dei has won six Southern Section championships and two state titles.

“All those years, I lied,” McKnight said. “This time, I’m telling the truth when I say this is a rebuilding year for us. This is the most inexperienced team I’ve ever had, with five sophomores and three juniors.”

But few are buying it.

“McKnight’s 12th man could start here right now,” said Tim O’Brien, Estancia coach. “I know he’s singing the blues, but when the season ends, he’ll be on top.”

Of course, O’Brien is no George Washington himself. Even without Mater Dei’s 12th man, Estancia opens the 1990-91 season as the top-ranked team in The Times’ preseason poll. Tustin is a close second, followed by Marina. But most coaches will keep a close watch on fourth-ranked Mater Dei.

“Truthfully, I think Mater Dei is better than we are,” said Tom McCluskey, Tustin coach. “We beat them by 10 points this summer, but I still remember playing against one of Gary’s teams in the playoffs when I was at Fontana.

“We had Sean Rooks (now at Arizona) at center, and I thought we had a good chance to beat them. We got dissected, losing by 32 points, and I learned to never underestimate their program again.”

The Times’ top 10: 1 ESTANCIA 1989-90 Record: 21-10 League: Pacific Coast Coach: Tim O’Brien

Seven of the top eight players are returning, but more important, O’Brien is also back after an unsuccessful bid for the Christ College Irvine job last spring. The only missing ingredient is graduated guard Agustin Heredia, who scored 32 points in a 51-49 victory over Servite in the 3-AA title game.

“We’re so far ahead of the game with everybody back that it makes coaching a lot easier,” O’Brien said. “This is a good group of high school players. I have 16 seniors who have been with me for four years.”

Estancia’s convincing run through the Newport-Mesa summer tournament--it won every game by double figures--had rival coaches wondering if anyone could beat the Eagles this season.

O’Brien will have the luxury of using 10 players with no significant drop-off in quality, and he plans to press opponents into mistakes. It’s an outstanding senior class, but Estancia’s top player should be junior forward Matt Fuerbringer.

“This is the first time I’ve seen a group together for four straight years,” said O’Brien, whose Eagles move from the strong Sea View League to the weaker Pacific Coast. “I can see four or five players averaging 10 points a game. We have excellent balance.” 2 TUSTIN 1989-90 Record: 20-8 League: Sea View Coach: Tom McCluskey

Four returning starters, including all-league selections David Beilstein, Thomas Clayton and Jentry Moore, lead the talented, experienced Tillers. Beilstein averaged 17.7 points and shot 67% as a junior and was a second-team, all-Division II selection.

“This is the quickest and most experienced team I’ve had at Tustin,” said McCluskey, the Tillers’ fourth-year coach. “Our expectations are very high.”

Tustin had a 36-4 record over the summer, including victories over Marina (with Cherokee Parks) and Mater Dei (by 10). But McCluskey insists depth will be a problem because projected sixth man Rod Blake, a 6-4 forward, has moved to Chicago.

“We have five good starters, but after that, we’re hurting,” he said. “We’ve never been in a situation where we were ranked among the top five teams in the county, so it’s going to be interesting to see how the players respond. I’m sure if you asked them now, they’d tell you they’re the No. 1 team in the county. I’d rather wait until we play a few games.”

MARINA

1989-90 Record: 18-9

League: Sunset

Coach: Steve Popovich

The mere presence of All-American center Cherokee Parks makes Marina a tall order for any opponent, but questions about mental toughness keep the Vikings from being ranked No. 1.

Marina was inconsistent last season, struggling to an 8-7 nonleague record, excelling to a 9-1 Sunset League record and title, then showing little heart while losing to Cajon, 67-61, in the second round of the 5-A division playoffs.

There are also questions about Parks’ supporting cast. Forward Brant Shelor and guard Sean Haselrig are proven performers, but the lack of a true point guard could hurt.

“Obviously, I like our inside game,” Popovich said. “I also like our versatility. I can go with a big lineup or a smaller lineup if we’re playing a real quick team.”

The return of forward Dennis Winners, who played volleyball as a junior, gives Popovich added board strength. “Our league is going to be every bit as tough as last year, so we needed another physical player who can pound inside,” Popovich said.

MATER DEI

1989-90 Record: 34-1

League: Angelus

Coach: Gary McKnight

A rebuilding year at Mater Dei? Hard to believe, but that’s what McKnight has after losing most of a senior-oriented team that won the state Division I title last season.

Gone are forwards Andy Karich (Santa Clara) and David Boyle (Holy Cross), center Derek Stone (Boise State), guards Jason Quinn (Southern California College) and Danny O’Neil (Oregon) and sixth man Paul Nolan (Redlands).

The new kids on the block are sophomores DeJuan Matthews and Kamran Sufi, junior Reggie Geary and seniors J.J. Ballesteros, Jason Janeski and Mark Moneypenny. Moneypenny and Geary played in the waning moments of lopsided victories last season.

Moneypenny, a 6-11 string bean of a center, has drawn interest from several Division I colleges. Geary is the team’s best all-around athlete.

McKnight, who brings a 227-19 record into his ninth season, is predicting early losses and has picked Santa Margarita to win the Angelus League title. Here’s another prediction: Mater Dei will be the county’s top-ranked team at the end of the season.

OCEAN VIEW

1989-90 Record: 16-11

League: Sunset

Coach: Jim Harris

The prospects of a solid inside game with returning center Marcel TenBerge and an outstanding outside game with sharpshooting guard Ryan Martin should be enough for Ocean View to challenge Marina and Edison for the league title.

TenBerge, who signed with Colorado State, broke his finger on Jan. 3 against Long Beach Poly and was never 100% afterward. “He’s a relentless rebounder and has a nice touch inside, so we’re expecting big things from Marcel,” Harris said.

In TenBerge’s absence, Martin made 45 of 100 three-point attempts, and Jimmy Harris made 22 of 51 three-pointers. Harris, the coach’s sophomore son, will play the point.

“Our defense needs to improve, but we have three very good players, and our depth will be improved over the past couple of years,” Harris said.

CAPISTRANO VALLEY

1989-90 Record: 18-9

League: South Coast

Coach: Mark Thornton

A team concept returns to Capistrano Valley after the graduation of forward Scott McCorkle and guard Chris Kostoff, the top duo in the county last year. McCorkle averaged 24.4 points and Kostoff 20.1 in an unbalanced attack.

McCorkle and Kostoff were such dominating players that Thornton resorted to practices in which they were not allowed to shoot in an effort to build their teammates’ confidence. McCorkle’s younger brother, Brett, is the only returnee from last season.

“This year’s team will be well-balanced, and all the players have the green light to shoot, unlike last year’s team,” Thornton said.

Thornton predicts junior guard Tom Airey will be among the county’s top shooters, but the Cougars’ future largely depends on the play of sophomore point guard David Sedgwick.

EDISON

1989-90 Record: 20-9

League: Sunset

Coach: Jon Borchert

Brandon Jessie, a 6-5 junior forward, will be overshadowed by Parks but should develop into one of the county’s top players before he graduates. He averaged 16.1 points as a sophomore and was named most valuable player in the Coast Christmas Classic.

Last year’s sixth man, Todd Smyser, moves into the starting lineup and will be joined by Dave Deck in the backcourt. Deck was the second player off the bench for Borchert last year, and Borchert said both guards are fine perimeter shooters.

“I have high hopes for Smyser and Deck,” Borchert said. “Offensively, we should be very good. The main focus of our practices has been rebounding and defense.”

MISSION VIEJO

1989-90 Record: 19-7

League: South Coast

Coach: Bob Minier

Mission Viejo figures to start slowly with five players participating in the football playoffs. Two returning players, guard Bill Denny and forward Mike Boucher, start at strong safety and wide receiver for the football team.

Another football player, Rob Cullinan, will likely be the team’s starting center. Cullinan is the team’s tallest starter at 6-5, but Minier believes quickness will overcome size problems.

“Mike Boucher has the ability to become one of the best players in the county,” Minier said. “When he consistently plays both ends of the court and rebounds to the level of his potential, he’s a tremendous player.”

ESPERANZA

1989-90 Record: 16-11

League: Empire

Coach: Mark Hill

The surprise team of the Empire last season, Esperanza should end Los Alamitos’ reign as the best of a six-team league.

Guards Joe Foss and Brett Evans and center Matt Thimgan, all starting their third varsity seasons, form the nucleus.

Foss is one of the county’s top players. He averaged 21.2 points and shot 56% from the field as a junior. He led Esperanza to a 30-5 summer record and was named most valuable player of the San Dimas and Ventura College tournaments.

Matt Kordik, a 6-6 junior forward, also gives the Aztecs added rebounding strength.

IRVINE

1989-90 Record: 11-16

League: South Coast

Coach: Steve Keith

Additional depth and the return of forward John Molle should help Irvine improve on last year’s record.

Molle signed with San Diego State in the fall. He averaged 20.9 points and 7.5 rebounds and was the county’s second-best free-throw shooter (89%).

Point guard Brad Gramlich, who will be a co-captain with Molle, will team in the backcourt with Brian Boothroyd, who started as a sophomore last year.

“Our team is more experienced and stronger than last year’s,” Keith said.

Others to Watch: Canyon, Century, Foothill, Garden Grove, Los Alamitos, Santa Margarita, Servite, Sunny Hills and Western.

PREP BASKETBALL ‘90-’91

Previews of the races for the championship in the county’s 11 boys’ basketball leagues will begin with the Angelus League Dec. 9, and continue daily in The Times’ Orange County edition. A preview of the county’s small schools will end the series on Dec. 19.