CITY WESTERN LEAGUE : Kearny’s Opponents Sing Familiar Tune

Perhaps Kearny Coach Bill Peterson should leave a ticket for Hammer at the Komet box office for today’s City Western League opener against Mission Bay.

Hammer could sit on the Kearny bench and sing the rap that has spread throughout the league: “Can’t touch . . . these guys.”

Play it any speed you wish, the result will be the same.

“They’re extremely quick, but they don’t mind playing slow,” said Coach Mike Seaman of Mission Bay (5-10), who has watched game film trying to find a weakness in the Komets. “They know they have five guys who can score from anywhere any time they want. And they just don’t want to lose.”

Kearny is 15-1, ranked No. 4 and returns three starters off a Division III section finalist from last year. It is no coincidence that Peterson, 58, has decided to skip retirement for two years.

Yet, the little things such as bad grades and beach parties have left Peterson pulling at his silver, crew-cut hair and sometimes commiserating with his colleagues. If Kearny is to continue winning, Peterson knows he cannot ignore the details.

THE RACE

Top contender: Kearny (15-1).

Surprise potential: Mission Bay (5-10), University City (8-5), USDHS (2-10).

Hoping for improvement: La Jolla (5-9).

Game of the year: Any one of three--Mission Bay at Kearny today or USDHS at Kearny on Jan. 28 or University City at Kearny on Feb. 14.

THE PLAYERS

The man: Ali Nayab of Kearny. The 5-foot-9 senior point guard who was born in Afghanistan is not a scoring leader (14-point average), he’s a team leader who doesn’t make mistakes. Peterson calls him a “player-coach.” Others describe him as “invaluable,” “never stops” or “extremely smart.”

Peterson introduced three new offensive sets in practice earlier this week. The next day Nayab ran them to perfection in a 56-44 victory over Patrick Henry. Said Peterson: “There aren’t a hell of a lot of college (guards) that can do that.”

Who will fill Eric Barajas’ shoes? Ian Hamilton, who succeeds Barajas as the go-to guy at USDHS. The 6-5 senior is a great athlete who plays all positions and showed that versatility when he scored 31 against No. 6 El Camino. He averages 15 a game.

Others to watch: Barry Waits of University City, a 5-10 senior guard who averages 21.2 points and eight assists. Kearny’s Damien Victor and Demetrius Brown, both leapers and scorers who could average around 20 points elsewhere. Mission Bay center Chris Smith (6-7, 220), who was injured last year and has the potential to take over games. La Jolla junior Kenneth Kavanagh (6-3 1/2), who averages 16.2 points.

THE INTANGIBLES

Check the rosters Jan. 24: That date marks the end of the current semester and possibly some costly, unexpected lineup changes for some teams. Here are two you can expect: Mission Bay will lose point guard Rick Moe (12 ppg.) because his senior eligibility expires. Vernon Warren (13.8 ppg. last year) will rejoin University City after repairing his grades.

Overcoming by coaching: Western League coaches give themselves a collective pat on the back because of their game-plan prowess. In his approach to the season, Jim Tomey might be doing the best coaching, despite his current 2-10 mark at USDHS. The Dons, considered a challenger, have played seven out-of-town powers in a brutal nonleague schedule. They should be playing high-level basketball by now.

But it may take more than good coaching to stop Kearny.