HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL : SOUTHERN SECTION PREVIEW : CHANNEL LEAGUE

Buena

COACH: Glen Hannah, 11th season

LAST SEASON: 23-5; 1st in league, 13-1

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Who will replace Lance Fay--the departed, high-scoring, long-distance-shooting guard who averaged 29.2 points a game last season? “Nobody,” Hannah said. Actually, more than just Fay is missing from the team that reached the Division I-A semifinals. “We don’t have a single varsity player returning,” Hannah said. The Bulldogs will sink or swim largely with players from last season’s junior varsity that was 19-3, 14-0 in league play. Senior guard Micah Ikemire (6-foot-1) and senior forward Adam Fairbanks (6-1) each averaged 12 points. Senior forward-center Lance Caldwell averaged 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Senior point guard Giovanni Angulo (5-7) averaged nine points and 5.7 assists. Promising junior Robbie Knight (6-3) averaged 16 points for the sophomore team and earned MVP honors. Seniors who have moved up from the junior varsity include swingman Mike Easter (6-1), center Matt Dunwoody (6-3) and forward Brett Phillips (6-2). Easter averaged 11 points.

OUTLOOK: Hannah concedes the Bulldogs aren’t nearly as talented as last season’s team. “Right now, we don’t shoot the ball well,” he said. “And we’re not very big. I think we’re quick, though, and we’re going to run.” Unity might be a strength; many players have played together for years. “They play well together,” Hannah said.

Hueneme

COACH: Howard Davis, 5th season

LAST SEASON: 11-14; 6th in league, 5-9

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Sizable senior swingman Wendell Nunnery (6-3, 220), who averaged 17.5 points and 9.5 rebounds last season and is one of the league’s best players, has dropped excess weight and sharpened his already good long-distance jump shot, Davis said. Senior center David Andrade (6-3), who averaged 10 points and 10 rebounds, and senior guard Wayne Revis (6-0), who averaged 4.5 points, are returning starters and should anchor a solid attack. Point guard Tony Smith, who averaged 21 points, has moved to Detroit, but there is no shortage of replacements. The front-runner is senior Larry Navarro (6-2), who averaged a team-high 24 points for the junior varsity. Junior John Patton (5-11), a varsity reserve last season, and senior Jerrod Cusick (5-11), up from the junior varsity, are able. Davis also is optimistic about senior guard Tremaine Jones (6-3), who did not play last season. Senior forward Tyrone Brown (6-2), a standout wide receiver, averaged 12 points for the junior varsity. Junior center Chris Burns (6-6), who averaged 10 points and 12 rebounds on the sophomore team, is a likely starter. Senior forward Von Gilmore (6-4) sat out last season after playing as a freshman and sophomore.

OUTLOOK: Point guard is a question mark, Davis said. “A lot depends on what we get out of that spot,” he said. The Vikings will move the ball on offense and pressure on defense. Nunnery is the team’s best shooting threat.

Oxnard

COACH: Henry Lobo, 2nd season

LAST SEASON: 7-17; 7th in league, 2-12

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Six varsity returnees should provide the Yellowjackets with adequate depth. Two return as starters. Senior point guard Larry Bumpus (6-0), a versatile athlete who played quarterback and running back in the fall, enters his fourth season under Lobo’s tutelage. Look for Bumpus, who averaged 6.5 assists last season, to do more shooting. Senior guard Brian Gallardo (5-10), who averaged 10.7 points, is the other returning starter. Part-time starters moving into full-time roles include senior forward Matt Gonzales (6-3), senior forward Steve Reed (6-3, 195) and senior center Charles Jones, who stands 6-6 and weighs 270 pounds. “He’ll clog the middle,” Lobo said. “We’ll have a little size.” Senior guard Avelino Rocha (6-0) was a varsity reserve last season. Aggressive junior guard Rey Maldonado averaged a team-high 14 points for last year’s 0-18 junior varsity. Senior guard Alex Castanon (6-1), senior forward-center Robert Cruz (6-2), senior Weldon Washington (6-0) and junior guard Felipe Angeles (5-11) were contributors on the junior varsity.

OUTLOOK: Gallardo and Reed are the team’s best shooters, Lobo said. They will be counted on as leaders. “We had a good summer and we’re trying to build on that,” Lobo said. “We’re quick and we have big hearts. But we’ve got to win some games early.”

Rio Mesa

COACH: Steve Wolf, 8th season

LAST SEASON: 13-14; 5th in league, 6-8

PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Spartans have three solid players returning and a talented, although inexperienced, supporting cast. Senior center Jade Peterson (6-8, 225) enters his third varsity season as one of the league’s most imposing inside players. Peterson is improved and should better last season’s average of eight points a game, Wolf said. Senior guard Tim Nunnery (5-11), another returnee, can dribble, shoot, play defense and “do everything you want a guard to do,” Wolf said. “He’s possibly the best guard in the Channel League.” Nunnery also will fill in at small forward. Senior Johnny Lemuz (6-3), sixth man last season and an improved shooter, is the likely candidate to play point guard. Junior forward Adam Woodward (6-5) spent the nonleague season last year with the varsity before joining the junior varsity. Junior guard-forward Don DiDomizio (6-1), the quarterback and leading rusher for the football team, moves up from the sophomore team. “He’s just a great athlete and he plays intense,” Wolf said. Wolf expects big things from junior forward Dorian Carson (6-3), who transferred last season from the East Coast but did not play because of academic ineligibility. “He can jump and he’s a decent shooter,” Wolf said. Junior guard Scott Kato (5-9), an offensive guard on the football team, and senior guard Eric Flores (6-2), a transfer from Santa Paula, will come off the bench.

OUTLOOK: The Spartans are a talented group of athletes gradually becoming a good basketball team. “We jump really well,” Wolf said. “If we can do a few fundamentals, we’ll be able to rebound with taller teams. We should have a better bench. Potentially, we could be better than last season.”

Ventura

COACH: Dan Larson, 4th season

LAST SEASON: 20-6; 3rd in league, 10-4

PLAYERS TO WATCH: With four returning starters, Ventura should remain a force. Senior guard Darien Roberts (6-2) averaged 13.3 points. Senior forward Curt Vaughan (6-4) averaged 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. Senior guard Larry Anter (5-11), the team’s best three-point threat, averaged 7.6 points and 3.5 assists. Senior Chinh Tran (5-8) returns as a starting guard. Center Anthony McCurtis, a 6-7 junior who had 21 blocks in 24 games, already has caught the eye of college recruiters, according to Larson. “He had a big summer,” Larson said. The best of the bench features players capable of starting elsewhere, according to Larson. Junior guard-forward John-Ryan Kern (6-2) rivals Anter as the team’s best outside shooter and could develop into a prolific scorer. Senior forward Brad Parker (6-5) is the “best big guy off the bench,” Larson said. Senior guard Dan McCashin (6-0) is another competent reserve. “McCashin and Kern could easily start,” Larson said.

OUTLOOK: Experience, balance and talent make the Cougars a favorite to win the league title. “I don’t know if I’ve ever had a team this experienced,” Larson said. “We’re deep in the backcourt.” Vaughan and Roberts are proven players, but McCurtis is a question mark.