CITY EASTERN LEAGUE PREVIEW : Opponents Still Fear A Runaway Morse
Next thing you know, Morse Athletic Director John Shacklett is going to call a press conference and make an announcement.
Can you picture it? Shacklett enters a crowded room, pulls out a piece of adhesive tape, starts to gnaw on it the way he does at football games and says: “To be fair to the rest of the county, we’re turning professional.”
It could happen.
OK, we’re kidding. But this is getting ridiculous. Morse squashed every opponent in football and now coaches in the City Eastern League are saying the Tigers’ basketball team is too good to beat. Cut down the nets, the league title has been determined before tipoff.
“It’s Morse’s kids that everybody worries about,” said Patrick Henry Coach Fritz Ziegenfuss, whose team won the City East last year. “I really think the rest of us are going to fight for second.”
Morse Coach Ron Davis doesn’t mind the talk. It’s a nice change. His team was dead last a year ago. And Davis doesn’t feel any additional pressure from being the favorite.
“No, not really,” he said. “I’m used to that kind of pressure. It’s good that they feel that way, but I feel the game is played on the court.”
THE RACE
Top contenders: Morse (6-18-1, 1-10 in 1989-90), Mira Mesa (18-6, 7-5).
Surprise potential: Point Loma (14-12, 8-4), Patrick Henry (14-11, 8-4).
Hoping for improvement: Serra (11-17-1, 5-6-1).
Games of the year: Morse vs. Mira Mesa Jan. 18 and Feb. 8.
THE PLAYERS
The man: Everybody is talking about Morse forward Darnell Cherry, but Davis says it’s Jaamar Lavendar that makes the Tigers tick. Cherry has the numbers--averaging 24 points and nine rebounds per game--but Lavendar is the point guard whose passes open up the Cherry picking.
“He’s the guy that makes us go,” Davis said. “He does so much on the offensive end.” Through the first 12 games, the 6-5 Lavendar averaged 20 points, 10 assists and five steals.
Who will fill J.J. Stokes’ shoes? Keep in mind, these are big shoes. After graduating from Point Loma, Stokes headed for UCLA on a full football scholarship. Point Loma Coach David Aros said Bruin basketball Coach Jim Harrick was salivating over the possibility of Stokes playing some basketball when football season was over. Stokes was set to try out when the football people vetoed it.
Anyway, Aros is counting on 6-foot sophomore Justin Miller to help fill the void. Miller, a forward, has made an impact in his first varsity season. “He’s a very young kid, but he’s a very savvy basketball player,” Aros said. “He probably understands the game as much as anyone on our team.”
Others to watch: Patrick Henry’s John Pike set a section record last week when he sank nine three-pointers in a 74-65 loss to Hilltop. At 6-5, Pike also is useful for occasional appearances underneath the basket. Said Ziegenfuss: “We run him inside and outside to keep the defense kind of honest.”
Serra forward Antwann Harris (6-3) just sort of showed up at Serra’s first practice this season and was quickly put into the starting lineup. Coach Tom Williams had never heard of Harris, who transferred to Serra last season and played football in the fall. Harris is quick, a good shooter and can do a little bit of everything.
The rest of the Morse group isn’t bad, either. Two 6-7 forwards--sophomore Edwin Charles and junior Edmond Jackson--provide the Tigers with height to go along with the slick shooting and passing of Lavendar and Cherry.
THE INTANGIBLES
Economy-sized center: Mira Mesa’s Mike Phillips waited, worked and finally won a spot in the starting lineup. He plays center. And he’s only 6-2. That’s as good an indication as any that this isn’t a team full of redwoods.
“He’s your garbage-type player,” Coach Tim Cunningham said. “And that’s a compliment. He gets all the loose balls. The ball always seems to find him or he has a great instinct to be around the ball. That’s something every team hopes to have. . . . You can’t say enough for a kid who sticks with it.”
What happened against Lincoln?: Friday’s Morse-Lincoln game figured to be a lot better than it was. If anything, Morse was supposed to be the team doing the routing. But the Hornets stomped their city rivals, 78-56, and proved they aren’t bad for a 7-8 team.
“Just a bad night,” Davis said. “They caught us a little flat. We took them for granted.”
A dose of realism: Point Loma finished second in the City East last season but lost all its starters to graduation. So Aros isn’t pumping his players full of hot air, telling them they can beat anybody if they work hard enough.
“I think one thing is you have to be honest with them,” he said. “I can’t go in there and say: ‘We’re playing Morse. If we play well we’re going to win.’ We’re realistic. We’re not going to beat the Morses, and the Poways and the Mt. Carmels in town. I stress the enjoyment of the game.”