HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL / CITY SECTION PREVIEW : NORTHWEST VALLEY CONFERENCE : NORTH VALLEY LEAGUE (3-A)

Reseda

COACH: Jeff Halpern, 5th season

LAST SEASON: 14-7; tied for 1st in league, 8-2

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Reseda has won or shared three consecutive league championships but has lost a blue-chipper in Marquis Burns, now a freshman at UCLA. Junior guard Trenton Cross (5-foot-8) is perhaps the best point guard in the conference. Cross averaged 16 points, 6.9 assists and emerged at season’s end as a team leader in crunch time. Patrick Galan, a 6-2 junior swingman, is a returning letterman who will handle most of the dirty work inside, Halpern said. The remainder of the roster is small as well. In fact, Reseda’s lineup is filled with players who will swing between guard and forward. David Horesh, a 6-2 transfer from Taft who was ineligible last season, will play at forward along with newcomers Tobe Lewis (6-1, Jr.) and Anthony Moreno (6-0, Jr.). Senior John Buckley, a 6-2 tight end on the football team, is expected to help inside. Guard-forwards Richard Guintu (6-1, Jr.) and Ricky Barber (6-2, Sr.) are the top reserves.

OUTLOOK: Reseda is one of the smallest teams in the league but is deeper than any team in Halpern’s tenure. “It’s a young team,” Halpern said. “But the potential for this year and next year is there.” Of this year, he said: “We could finish anywhere from first through fourth.”

San Fernando

COACH: Dick Crowell, 11th season

LAST SEASON: 7-12; 4th in league, 1-8

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Last season’s growing pains promise to be erased by the Tigers’ performance this time around. San Fernando fielded a lineup laden with sophomores; now superior balance and experience for 1992-93 and beyond is the payoff. Sophomore off-guard Javy Ramos, a 6-0 junior, is one of the best perimeter threats around. He averaged 20.2 points last season. Classmate Jerome Elliott (6-4) started at forward and averaged 13 points. Senior Miguel Martinez, a 6-4 center and returning letterman, moves into the starting lineup. The addition of swingman Barry McWright, a junior transfer from Sherman Oaks CES, adds another dimension. McWright (6-3) averaged 12.4 points and 10.2 rebounds at Sherman Oaks. Junior Joel Germon (5-10) and senior James Wells (5-10) will play at point guard, the team’s only possible weak spot. J.R. Montgomery, a 6-2 senior swingman who transferred from Sylmar, should make his presence felt coming off the bench.

OUTLOOK: Ramos is certainly relieved to have a better supporting cast, and he will use the freedom to take better shots. “We’ll be much more balanced,” Crowell said. “It’s like (Ramos) said in practice the other day, ‘No more box-and-one defenses.’ ” Crowell said it could be his best team in years. “They look good,” he said. “I hate to be too ebullient, but I’m optimistic.”

El Camino Real

COACH: Neils Ludlow, 1st season

LAST SEASON: 4-13; 3rd in league, 2-7

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Ludlow takes over for the departed Mike McNulty, who played at El Camino Real and coached the team for 10 seasons. The team itself, however, has many familiar faces. Sam Sarpong, a two-year starter, returns for his senior season. Sarpong, a 6-0 point guard, averaged 15.5 points. Markee Brown is only 6-1 but is one of the best forwards in the conference. As a junior, Brown averaged 15.2 points and 6.7 rebounds. Kenyth Henry (6-3) also started at forward, averaging a team-high 8.8 rebounds. Charles Adams, a transfer from Canoga Park, averaged 11.5 points for the Hunters last season as a sophomore. Sophomore Jesse Watkins (6-2) and junior Boris Epstein (6-1) are newcomers to the varsity and will be the top reserves. Junior James Romero (6-6, 315), better known as a football lineman, is expected to help hold off the bigger players in the conference.

OUTLOOK: “We’re not a big team, so we’ll have to make things happen,” Ludlow said. “We’ll have to press the issue.” Romero will be counted on to help neutralize big men such as Roderick Jones (6-7) and Shawn Bankhead (6-6) of Cleveland and Brady Mertes (6-8) of Chatsworth. The rest of the team will attempt to run, press and force mistakes.

Granada Hills

COACH: Bob Johnson, 14th season

LAST SEASON: 3-19; 4th in league, 0-10

PLAYERS TO WATCH: After a dismal season in 1991-92, things should be easier for the Highlanders. Granada Hills has been moved from 4-A to 3-A and will have to face only West Valley League tough guys Cleveland, Taft and Chatsworth once in conference play. Heading into 1991-92, the Highlanders had only one returning starter from a team that was one of the best in the region. Last year’s new faces are this year’s veterans. Four players gained valuable experience and are back for more. Forward Tyrone Jackman (6-1) emerged by season’s end as one of the team’s consistent performers a year ago. Todd Battles, a 5-10 junior point guard, is back for his second season. Jeff Brown, a 6-4 forward, started last season as a junior. Steve Fisher, a 6-2 junior, returns at forward.

OUTLOOK: Johnson, a counselor at Granada Hills, has announced he will retire at the end of the school year. A move to the 3-A Division instantly will help the Highlanders be more competitive, but Reseda is the lone team in the league with less experience.