HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL LEAGUE PREVIEWS : Expectations Abound, Particularly at La Reina

There has been no doubt the past two seasons which was the dominant boys’ basketball team in the Tri-Valley League.

Oak Park High, owner of back-to-back 8-0 league records, left its rivals to fight among themselves for entry into the Southern Section playoffs.

This season, the Eagles still appear to be the team to beat, though Coach Rob Hall calls Carpinteria (14-11, 4-4 in 1994-95 league play) the early favorite based on the Warriors’ athleticism and a preseason title at the Santa Paula tournament.

Oak Park graduated 10 players from last season’s team but returns an impressive starting trio in guards Randy Gastwirt--averaging 17 points--Vaughn Corley and forward Dan Wasserman.

Corley moved from shooting guard to the point position early in the season, and after exploding for 22 second-half points in a game against Oxnard, has averaged nine points and four assists and solidified the Eagles’ lineup.

“Our big question coming in was who would handle the ball and [Corley] has answered that,” Hall said. “We’re weakest in the post but we’re a running team more than anything.”

At St. Bonaventure, which finished second last season at 4-4, the hulking Seraphs don’t run, they plod. But Naismith help the opponent that thinks it can muscle the Seraphs out of the way.

St. Bonaventure features eight football players on its 13-man roster, led by 6-foot-5, 250-pound senior center Sam Benner, who averages eight rebounds and sets devastating picks.

Unfortunately for the school’s basketball team, the Seraphs’ football season extended into the playoffs. Basketball Coach Marc Groff didn’t see half his roster until several weeks into the season.

“We were behind because of football and then the flu hit so our conditioning, timing and execution are all off,” Groff said. “The positive side is that the football guys bring a great attitude and good athleticism and we don’t open league [play] until Jan. 10.”

Aside from Benner, only one other football player--5-5 point guard Pepe Villasenor--starts. The others provide depth, backing experienced starters such as senior forwards Jeremy Scarlett and Hank Laubacher.

Fillmore, the Tri-Valley doormat last season when it did not win a league game, should be improved and hopes to leapfrog over Bishop Diego, which finished fourth last season at 9-12 and 4-4 in the league.

The Flashes’ early go-to-guy is senior forward Jose Becerra, who was academically ineligible last season but has returned and is averaging 18.2 points and 8.1 rebounds. Seniors and returning starters James Cummings, Chris Goodenough and Adam Woods are multisport athletes and whether they exert leadership will be key.

The Local Teams

FILLMORE

1994-95: 2-19, 0-8

There’s nowhere to go but up for the Flashes, who suffered from infighting and a lack of height last season. “You had three juniors starting and trying to lead a team of [5-foot-3] to [5-foot-6] seniors,” Coach Harold Burns said. “It didn’t work.” Those three juniors--point guard James Cummings, 6-3 forward Adam Woods and 6-2 forward Chris Goodenough--have returned as seniors. Cummings averages 6.3 assists and Woods averages 15 points and 7.8 rebounds. New starters are 6-4 senior center Carlos Cervantez and 6-1 senior forward Jose Becerra, both in their first varsity seasons.

OAK PARK

1994-95: 14-11, 8-0

Three starters return: senior Vaughn Corley and juniors Randy Gastwirt (6-4) and Dan Wasserman (6-2). Corley moves from shooting guard to the point. Although his scoring has dipped, he has provided crucial stability. Gastwirt, who with Corley was a second-team all-league choice last season, joins him in the Eagles’ three-man backcourt. Wasserman is a forward averaging 11 points and nine rebounds. Junior shooting guard Elan Buller and 6-4 sophomore forward John Murphy are the other starters. The key may be Murphy, who averages 8.5 rebounds. He has been out recently because of an injured leg but is expected back for the league opener. In Oak Park’s first 12 games, the team was 6-2 with the lanky post player, 1-3 in his absence.

ST. BONAVENTURE

1994-95: 13-9, 4-4

The ball often will travel uphill when the Seraphs are on the attack as 5-5 junior point guard Pepe Villasenor looks for 6-5, 250-pound senior center Sam Benner. The shooting guard will be 5-9 junior Shaun Twyman or 6-1 senior Brian Kraft. The forwards are 6-2 senior Jeremy Scarlett, who averages 11 points, and 6-4 senior Hank Laubacher. “It’s a good-sized team but there’s not much speed,” Coach Mark Groff said. “It’s fine on offense but bad on defense so we play a lot of zone.”