PREP BASKETBALL ‘91-’92 EMPIRE LEAGUE : Esperanza

1990-91 RECORDS OVERALL LEAGUE 19-9 7-3

COACH RECORD AT SCHOOL Mark Hill 44-35

RETURNING STARTERS YR. HGT. P Matt Kordik Sr. 6-7 F

TOP RETURNERS YR. HGT. P Mike Oliver Jr. 5-10 G Randy Wilson Sr. 6-7 C

TOP NEWCOMERS YR. HGT. P Rashaan Clark Jr. 6-4 F Carl Latting So. 6-1 G Mike Lawson So. 6-5 F Mike Thimgan So. 6-4 G-F

OUTLOOK

Most league coaches believe Esperanza is the second-best team behind Los Alamitos and that Matt Kordik is the second-best player behind the Griffins’ Jason Cunningham. The Aztecs have as many seniors (four) as sophomores on the roster, and that inexperience should keep them a step behind Los Alamitos for the second consecutive season. But Kordik is good enough to keep the rest of the league from catching Esperanza. An all-league selection, Kordik averaged 15 points and nine rebounds last season and set school records for free-throw percentage (81%) and three-point shooting percentage (43%). And he’s 6-7, which makes him the league’s top big man. Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine, the University of San Diego and Air Force are recruiting Kordik, according to Hill. The biggest example of the Aztecs’ inexperience is that Fabian Ziegler, the only other Aztec with notable statistics, quit the team. He averaged seven points and six rebounds in a reserve role last season. At 6-7, Wilson gives Esperanza a big front line. Hill, who also believes Los Alamitos is the top team, likes his team’s depth, and is concerned about how quickly his young players improve.