Big Talent, High Hopes at Crossroads : Prep basketball preview: The Roadrunners return two of the area’s best players and have plenty in reserve as they vie for another Southern Section V-AA championship.

Although Crossroads High boys’ basketball Coach Daryl Roper has tried hard to downplay his team’s expectations for the 1992-93 season, he is finding it difficult to contain his enthusiasm.

“If we can stay healthy and our kids play up to their potential, we will be hard to deal with,” he said.

And who can blame Roper for being confident? Crossroads, which won the Southern Section V-AA championship last season with an undergraduate-dominated team, returns four starters, including two players who have already signed with NCAA Division I schools.

Crossroads, which finished 19-8 in 1991-92, begins the season as The Times’ top-ranked Westside team.

The two mainstays for the Roadrunners will be Austin Croshere, a 6-foot-9 center, and Bakir Allen, a 6-4 shooting guard.

Croshere, who announced earlier this month that he plans to attend Providence next year, can score inside and outside. He averaged 22 points and 11 rebounds last season as a forward, but he will be expected to be a post player this season.

UC Santa Barbara-bound Bakir Allen is the son of former UCLA standout Lucious Allen. The younger Allen averaged 20 points last season.

Travon Dugar, a second-team Southern Section Division IV player last season, is 5-7 senior point guard who will lead Crossroads’ attack for the third consecutive season.

Tony Medrano, a 6-3 forward, is returning after being slowed because of injuries for much of 1991-92.

Expected to complete the starting lineup will be 6-3 freshman Kejuan Woods.

“We’ll be in every game that we’ll play,” Roper said. “We want to see how we match up against the big boys.”

Crossroads will be tested early when it plays in next month’s St. Monica tournament, which includes Artesia, Palisades and Fairfax.

Following is a list of the remaining top 10 area teams.

2. Palisades

Second-year Coach James Paleno also has four returning starters, which has put Palisades in an unfamiliar role.

“It’s nice to be considered (as a City favorite),” Paleno said. “Normally, that would be a problem, but I think that we will be very strong this year.”

Leading the way is Olin Simplis, a returning All-City Section player. The 6-2 guard averaged 25 points and 12 rebounds in his first season of high school basketball.

“Because we didn’t have much height last year, Simplis had to play inside for us,” Paleno said. “This season, he’ll be able to show off his ability from the outside.”

David Henry, a 6-6 leaper, is the reason Simplis will be able to move outside. Henry blossomed in the playoffs last season, and Paleno is counting on him to develop into a force.

Kameron Niki-Ahktar, a 6-1 senior, is a returning starter at point guard. Niki-Ahktar is a good outside shooter who averaged nine points and six assists last season.

Adam Segal, a 6-2 inside player, and Sherwyn Morgan, a 6-2 junior, are expected to start for the Dolphins. However, both will be pushed by James Turner, a 6-8 transfer from Thacher, and David Shumsky, a 6-4 leaper who tied for the City high-jump title last spring.

3. Fairfax

Earlier this month, Indiana Coach Bobby Knight signed Fairfax guard Robert Foster.

Foster, a 6-4 senior, averaged 13 points, six rebounds and five assists as a junior.

“He is a really big guard whose strengths are passing, defense and leadership,” Fairfax Coach Harvey Kitani said. “He also takes the ball well to the bucket and is real intelligent.”

Lawrence Gardiner, a 6-4 forward, and Jeff Thornton, a 6-7 transfer from El Monte, will join Foster in supplying leadership.

4. Westchester

For years, Coach Ed Azzam and the Comets lived with a reputation of losing big games.

However, Westchester critics can no longer make that claim after the Comets won the past two City 4-A championships.

Westchester will be looking to three-peat but will have to do it with a young team.

Gone are four standouts from last season: James Gray, James Towns and the Ball twins, Lavell and Lorenzo. The Comets will have to rely on 6-2 Jason Sanders, who is the only player with varsity experience. The only other returning player is Walter Walker, a 6-4 senior, but he will be out indefinitely after injuring his knee in the off-season.

“We’re really a young team but we’re very talented though,” Azzam said. “We’ll have to see what type of team we have.”

The new starters for Westchester will be freshman Danny Walker (6-0), sophomore Damon Smith (6-3), sophomore Ben Sanders (6-3) and junior Cullen Countee (6-3).

5. Hamilton

Coach David Uyeshima will not have much size, but he will have a senior-dominated team.

Billy Cort, a 6-2 forward, and Marlon Garnett, a 6-1 guard, will handle most of the scoring. Although Garnett is the team’s leading scorer, Cort will be able to provide points with his inside game.

“Our weakness this year will be height, but we do have a good starting five,” Uyeshima said. “We won’t rely on one kid, which will help this year. (Garnett) will not have to do it all. He’ll get a chance to pass and get the ball to the open man.”

6. St. Monica

The Mariners finished 16-10 last season and Coach Leo Klemm is looking for better things with All-Southern Section Division IV guard Alex Davis returning.

Davis, a 6-foot senior, averaged 19 points for St. Monica, which advanced to the semifinals of the Southern Section IV-A Division playoffs before losing to Crossroads.

7. Bel-Air Prep

After losing in the Southern Section V-A Division championship game last season, Bel-Air Prep hopes to bring home the title in March.

Coach John Bobich returns two All-Southern Section Division V players in Dan Brummel and Bryan Sterling. Brummel, a 6-5 senior, averaged 13 points and seven rebounds, and Sterling, a 6-4 senior, averaged 12 points and 11 rebounds.

8. Venice

Coach Therman Moore and the Gondoliers will rely on the scoring combination of guards Kevin Curry and Zirak Girmai.

9. University

Coach Jim Nakabara’s hopes will be left on the scoring ability of Hassan Booker, who averaged 16 points a game last season, and Douglas Jarvis, who averaged 13.

10. Hollywood

Coach David Payne will count on Ryan Garner, a 5-11 guard, who scored 12 points a game, and Ara Markosyan, a 6-foot guard who is a good three-point shooter.