PALOMAR LEAGUE PREVIEW : Torrey Pines Knows It’s Crowded at Top

Everyone else in the Palomar League looks to Torrey Pines and calls it the team to beat. Torrey Pines Coach John Farrell looks at the rest of the league and can’t decide which team his has to beat. There are so many from which to choose, he says.

Can anyone beat second-ranked Torrey Pines?

Rancho Buena Vista Coach John O’Neill says Torrey Pines is the only team with a chance to go undefeated: “In high school, if you have a good center, a good forward and a good guard, you have a very good team. They’re above average in those areas.”

The guard is sophomore Eddie Montalvo, the two forwards are seniors Craig Brown (6-4) and Peter Bates (6-7 1/2) and the center is junior Scot Pollard (6-11).

“I think there’s a whole group of teams that can beat any team on any night,” said Doug Wealch, whose No. 4 Poway team shared the league title with Torrey Pines last year and went on to win the Division I championship. “I think Torrey Pines has the talent to win the Division II title in the state. They’ve got it all, size, shooting, depth.”

Torrey Pines has eight players taller than 6-4, and Farrell said his team is nine deep. But there are those who think Torrey Pines will fall.

“I’d be surprised if anyone went 14-0,” Fallbrook Coach Russ Keith said. “A 10-4 record won it last year. Duplicate it this year and you might have a piece of it again.”

The league’s smallest team, run-and-gun Vista, doesn’t have a player over 6-1 but might have the biggest chance of upsetting Torrey Pines. The Panthers are averaging 83 points per game with a 22-point average margin of victory.

“I’ve talked to some coaches who think we’re the only team that can beat Torrey because of our style,” Vista Coach Greg Lanthier said. “I don’t think that’s true. Poway and Mt. Carmel match up with them, but I don’t see (Torrey Pines) being less than 12-2 or anyone else being 12-2.”

Last year’s overwhelming favorite was RBV, which finished 7-7 but reached the Division I finals. The league had all four semifinalists and six of eight quarterfinalists, and that was without Torrey Pines, which played in Division II.

Maybe there are a lot of teams to beat.

THE RACE

Top contenders: Torrey Pines (6-4), Poway (9-2), Mt. Carmel (5-2), Fallbrook (5-4).

Could surprise: Vista (5-4), Rancho Buena Vista (6-6), San Dieguito (6-3).

Hoping for improvement: Orange Glen (6-4).

Game of the year: Poway at Torrey Pines, Jan. 15. No. 4 against No. 2 in the third game of the season--pretty big.

THE PLAYERS

The Man: Poway’s Kyle Milling (6-7) led Poway into the second round of the state playoffs last year, averaging 15.5 points and almost 11 rebounds a game. He is already committed to UC Santa Barbara. Said one opposing coach, “He takes what he wants.”

Who will fill Darryl Parker’s shoes? Parker’s athleticism led Rancho Buena Vista to the Division I finals last year, but Mr. Excitement--now at UC Santa Barbara--didn’t win a league title for his team. Vista’s Jason Barnes has scored more than 30 points the past four games, is shooting 44% from the three-point line and 58% inside it.

Others to watch on offense: Fallbrook’s Chris Miller shot 54% last year and was the league’s player of the year. A recent shooting slump has his percentage down to 43%, but he’s still averaging 22.5 points. Little-known Andy Davis of Poway shot a tournament-record 78% from the field (18 of 23) at the tough Las Vegas Holiday Prep Classic.

Others to watch on defense: In addition to Milling, Miller and Pollard, Poway’s Justin Kruse, Torrey Pines’ Brian Batson and Mt. Carmel super leaper Robert Treahy, a Division I volleyball prospect, are also fun to watch.

THE INTANGIBLES

David’s slingshot: Vista (6-5 this year) is shooting 35% from the three-point line, 51% inside it and 70% from the free-throw line. They have converted 177 free throws this season and their opponents have attempted only 178. “Most high school games that are close are won at the free-throw line,” Lanthier pointed out.

Packing a kick: The San Dieguito Mustangs (7-5), under first-year Coach Bill Vice, have the rest of the league walking on eggshells. “Everyone is kind of wary of them,” O’Neill said. “Everyone is surprised at how well they’re playing. They’re probably not going to win the league title, but they could affect the way things are going to finish, definitely.”