SOUTHERN SECTION BOYS’ BASKETBALL PREVIEW : DIVISION III-AA, III-A : Servite Seeking a Repeat

Rarely does a day go by that a basketball player can walk through the halls of Servite High School and avoid the question that irritates Coach Richard Smith more than a turnover.

“Hey guys, you gonna repeat?”

That’s what everyone’s asking the defending state Division III champion as it prepares for Friday’s opening-round game in the Southern Section III-A playoffs. The second-seeded Friars (18-6) will play host to the winner of the Costa Mesa-San Marino qualifying game.

Winning Servite’s first state basketball title last season put the Friars in an unusual position. They’re feeling the pressure to repeat.

“In a sense, it’s good that they are (feeling the pressure),” Smith said. “The kids are confident that they can be successful. I just hope it doesn’t get to the point where we’re looking past someone.

“People come up to the kids every day in school and ask them if they’re going to the finals again. It’s the other kids that they hear it from.”

Meanwhile, Smith’s trying to keep things in perspective. His goal--make sure the Friars get to play top-seeded Inglewood Morningside (23-3).

“That would mean we’re in the (section) finals,” he said.

Morningside (23-3) and third-seeded La Canada feature two of the top sophomores in Southern California. La Canada’s Richard Mandeville, 6 feet 8, is a promising post player, while Morningside’s Stais Bozeman, a 6-3 swingman, can score inside or out.

“Both III-A and III-AA look like very strong divisions,” Smith said. “There’s no way you can look past anyone in this division.”

Servite, unseeded when it lost to Estancia in the III-AA finals last year, rebounded and won the state title. The Friars have moved to III-A this season while Estancia remained in III-AA.

“We’re happy to be the second seed in III-A,” Smith said. “It’s a nice compliment. It says something about the strength of our schedule and our league. There were a lot of Angelus League games that were just as competitive as playoff games.”

The Friars were 8-2 in the Angelus League, finishing one game behind champion Mater Dei.

Servite won last season with solid defense and an offense centered on 6-7 Steve Marusich.

But Marusich has graduated, along with starting guards Paul Stapleton and Jamie Rosenkranz, leaving Adam Anderson, Dan Coady and Eddie Rubio to pick up the scoring slack.

“All three of those guys played in the playoffs last season,” Smith said. “Adam started, Danny was part of a three-man rotation on the front line and Eddie played some.

“Any time a kid plays in a section and a state championship game, it’s going to make him better. There’s no way you can practice enough to get that kind of experience.”

Estancia was one of the biggest surprises in the III-AA division last season, coming off a third-place finish in the Sea View League and beating Servite in the section finals.

But the Eagles won’t have the element of surprise this season.

Estancia (20-4) won the Pacific Coast League title in their first year in the league and are the top-seeded team in the division. The Eagles will play the winner of the Los Amigos (4-20) and Magnolia (6-16) qualifying game in Friday’s opening round.

Estancia (20-4) returns four starters from last year’s team. Coach Tim O’Brien said the Eagles’ experience--14 of their 15 players are seniors--will be a factor in the playoffs.

Estancia’s only underclassman, junior Matt Fuerbringer, leads the team in scoring (16 points) and rebounding (eight).

Missing from last year’s team is scoring leader Agustin Heredia, now a freshman starter at Orange Coast College.

“It would be nice to have Guty right now,” O’Brien said.

Estancia’s main challengers are second-seeded Pomona (16-6), fourth-seeded Mira Costa (19-7) and third-seeded Western (20-3).

Western, the Orange League champions, are led by center Nurishi Stevenson.

III-A

Defending champion: Dos Pueblos.

Top teams: Inglewood Morningside (23-3), La Canada (18-6), Notre Dame Sherman Oaks (20-4), Pacifica (15-7), Servite (18-6), South Pasadena (18-6).

Top players: Adam Anderson (Servite), Stais Bozeman (Morningside), Kevin Gaughen (Pacific), Richard Mandeville (La Canada), Doug Hesse (Corona del Mar), Eddie Rubio (Servite), Jon Upham (Corona del Mar).

Dark horse: Santa Margarita (13-9).

Best draw: Santa Paula (12-10) playing host to St. Francis (8-13).

Worst draws: Santa Margarita at Harvard (18-4) in the first round. Pacifica could play Servite in the second round.

Notes: Second-seeded Servite, the defending state Division III champion, drops to III-A after losing to Estancia in the III-AA final last season. Defending III-A champion Dos Pueblos, which lost to Servite in the regional finals, has moved to the III-AA division.

III-AA

Defending champion: Estancia.

Top teams: Estancia (20-4), Mira Costa (19-7), Pomona (16-6), Western (20-3).

Top players: Matt Fuerbringer (Estancia), Paul La Mott (Laguna Hills), Paul McDaniels (Estancia), Nurishi Stevenson (Western).

Dark horse: Laguna Hills (13-9).

Best draw: Estancia and Savanna (16-9) wouldn’t play teams with winning records until the quarterfinals.

Worst draw: Los Amigos (4-20) vs. Magnolia (6-16). Winner plays at Estancia in a first-round game.

Notes: Experience should help top-seeded Estancia, which returns four starters from last season’s championship team. If Western and Rolling Hills Prep win their first-round games, they will meet in the tournament for the third consecutive year.