So Far, It’s Been a Season to Forget : Preps: St. Bernard basketball team has a history of winning, but this season’s team has had its share of troubles.

In his first season as coach at St. Bernard High 11 years ago, Jim McClune led the Vikings to a Southern Section 3-A Division championship with a 57-49 victory over Glendale Hoover.

Since then, McClune’s Vikings have been among the best teams in Southern California. McClune coached teams into the final four of a Southern Section divisional playoff four times in the past eight years, including a semifinal appearance in last year’s III-A Division playoffs.

But this season has been difficult for McClune and the Vikings. Instead of battling for a top seeding in the playoffs, the Vikings have struggled to an 8-12 record. They are only 4-4 in Mission League play.

“This has been one tough year,” said McClune, whose team ran away with the Mission League title last season. “Basically, I’ve not been terribly happy this season.”

The Vikings have had more than their share of problems. It all began when four players from last season’s 19-11 team graduated, depleting the squad of height.

Darren Mitchell is the team’s starting point guard, and at 6-foot-3, he is the tallest starter.

“Yes, when I first noticed, I thought that was unusual,” Mitchell said. “I had never played on a team where I was the point guard and also the tallest.”

However, McClune had successfully coached teams that were not exceptionally tall, so he was optimistic before the season. He knew he would have a strong backcourt with Mitchell and returning starter Terrell Hickmon at guards.

“I thought that we had enough talent to do well,” McClune said. “I figured we would be able to compete with everyone in our league.”

A chain of events led to the unexpected record.

First, David Coleman, who was counted on to give the Vikings versatility in the backcourt, was lost to a knee injury. Then, three players missed several games because of chicken pox.

“What can you do?” McClune asked. “For 11 years, I had just one case (of chicken pox), and then I have three on the same team!”

As the losses mounted, frustration set in. With every loss came more pressure to win.

“Just a lack of heart by everyone on the team,” Mitchell said. “There was no reason in the world we should have been losing. We were always playing catch-up and we have too much talent on the team to be doing that.”

St. Bernard lost three games to Mission League opponents despite leading in the fourth quarter. For the players, losing was hard to accept.

“I don’t know why we started off so slow. . . . Our intensity just wasn’t there and we would lose, which I just was not used to.”

In three seasons at St. Bernard, Hickmon played on freshmen, junior varsity and varsity teams that won 56 games and two league titles. He had hoped to play on a third championship team, but those dreams were dashed with the poor start.

“Once we started losing, it wasn’t easy for us to walk around school,” said Hickmon, who missed six games because of chicken pox. “When people asked me why we were losing, I would just brush them off because there was nothing I could really say.”

McClune acknowledges that frustration has sometimes gotten the better of him.

“From a coaching standpoint, this had been a real difficult season,” McClune said. “I think that my attitude came across to the kids at times and they felt the pressure.”

Said Hickmon: “You could tell by (McClune’s) facial expressions during games that he was frustrated. He would just look at us in disbelief from what we were doing out there on the court.”

In the first half of the Mission League season, St. Bernard fell to 2-4 in league play and appeared out of playoff contention.

However, St. Bernard has improved in the past two weeks and has a two-game win streak, which has improved the atmosphere around the Vikings’ gym.

In a victory over Alemany last week, a healthy Hickmon scored 38 points on 14 field goals, with Mitchell assisting on most of his points.

“Before, when we were losing three in a row, a lot of the guys would come to the gym late,” Mitchell said. “But now, since we have started to win, people are getting to the gym early with smiles on their faces. The whole atmosphere is better.”

McClune hopes the improved atmosphere will spark his team during the final months of the season.

“So far, it’s been a tough-luck season,” McClune said. “But, I feel that we can rally in the second half of the season. We still have a chance.”