HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL LEAGUE PREVIEWS : Burbank Has Bite to Win a Dogfight

Nobody gets out of here without cuts and bruises.

Five good teams will have to fight for what will likely be three playoff spots in the Foothill League’s boys’ basketball race this winter. Those with weak stomachs are advised not to watch.

Four of those teams should enter next Tuesday’s league opener with winning records. Defending champion Burbank has a 7-7 record against probably the toughest nonleague competition.

Perhaps the weakest opponent will be Valencia, a first-year team with no seniors. But even the Vikings (5-9), beaten badly only once, could be a snake in the grass if taken too lightly.

“Looking around, everybody’s capable,” said Coach Mike May of Hart, which won the league championship two years ago and returns as a top contender with a 10-4 nonleague record.

“It’s going to be tough,” said Burbank Coach Ron Quarterman. “It’s going to be a fight. Our kids gotta be prepared for it. What you did last year means nothing.”

Quarterman, a first-year coach, replaces Jeff Davis, who guided the Bulldogs to a 17-9 record, 10-2 in league play. Quarterman’s greatest concern might be cross-town rival Burroughs, a team that went 1-11 and had four players transfer to other schools--including two to Burbank.

Burroughs has an 8-5 record.

“To be honest with you, Burroughs is a good team,” Quarterman said. “They come hard, they rebound, they play defense. They’re in there fighting.”

Canyon and Saugus, who have 7-6 records, also appear to be improved. But Canyon’s biggest nemesis this season might not be Hart or Burbank or Saugus but its own health.

Playmaking guard Larry Phillips, a senior, has hardly played since his freshman year because of injuries, yet he is being recruited by Redlands. Phillips was coming off reconstructive knee surgery, which sidelined him all last season, but has missed several games because of a dislocated finger and plans to return next week.

The Cowboys could have a dominating frontcourt if centers Brian Wallace (6 feet 6) and Brian Nichols (6-9) stay healthy. Both had knee injuries last year.

“It’s been hard for us to put the pieces together for about a year and a half now,” Canyon Coach Greg Hayes said.

“Burbank has talent; they can score. They’re playing a toughest schedule. But Hart is definitely a favorite. They’re playing the best of everybody. Saugus is scoring a lot of points, and the big guy causes a lot of problems.

“And Burroughs, we all knew they would be good. Valencia will play hard every night and with a lot of emotion, because they’ve got nothing to lose. They’re going to be legitimate in the future.”

Valencia Coach Gary Spindt, a former Hart assistant, hopes to merely survive this season.

“Realistically, I think each team in the league should come in 15-point favorites against us,” Spindt said. “My goal is to be competitive.”

Around the League

BURBANK

1994-95: 17-9, 10-2

The defending champions have a wealth of talented players returning but are off to a disappointing 7-7 start. With first-year Coach Ron Quarterman bringing in a new system, the Bulldogs could be in a period of adjustment. Senior center Don Allado and senior forward Matt Baker are returning starters, as is Juni Williams, rated a preseason Sophomore All-American by Street & Smith magazine. Also back are guards Tom Ngo and Greg Church and forward Marc Douch. Guard Steve Silveria and forward Bobby Moore, transfers from Burroughs, give the Bulldogs depth.

BURROUGHS

1994-95: 5-18, 1-11

In what could be deemed an off-season trade, the Indians lost Silveria and Moore but picked up guard Jorge Sotomayor, a transfer from Burbank. The 5-9 senior has been a pleasant surprise, averaging 18 points. Junior forward J.K. Scott has averaged 15 points. Burroughs might be the league’s most interesting team because it lost four players to transfers yet still has talent, depth and an 8-5 record.

CANYON

1994-95: 16-11, 7-5

Life after Greg Minor, a four-year standout who averaged an area-best 28 points last season as a senior, has begun. And it isn’t so bad. The Cowboys are 7-6 after a challenging nonleague schedule. Returning starters are senior guard Ruben Castaneda, senior center Brian Wallace and senior forward Jeremy Montgomery. But Canyon has battled inconsistency, lacked depth and has been riddled with injuries. Injuries have sidelined senior point guard Larry Phillips for most of his four seasons at Canyon.

HART

1994-95: 14-13, 7-5

The Indians won 20 games and the league title two seasons ago with an experienced bunch that played unselfishly in a disciplined system. With a 10-4 record thus far, Coach Mike May appears to have a team similar to that championship squad. Hart has nine varsity lettermen from last season’s competitive team, including five who played regularly--guards Freddie Torres and Kurt Lippincott, forwards Cory Johnson and Amir Parvanchiha and center Brian Kirk. What the Indians lack in height--Kirk, at 6-5, is their biggest player--they make up with hustle and tenacity, especially on defense. Johnson has been a standout. He averaged more than 25 points in four Hart tournament games last week.

SAUGUS

1994-95: 10-15, 5-7

With seven players 6-3 or taller, the Centurions are the league’s tallest team and a team all other coaches fear. Junior center Tim Faulconer is 6-11 but weighs only 190 pounds. He blocks about four shots a game and averages 11 points but continues to improve and could be close to becoming a monster in the middle. Junior guard Major Sherard averages 16 points. The Centurions could be the league’s dark horse, but they lack experience and can be exploited by quick, trapping teams which run the floor and shoot well from the outside.

VALENCIA

1994-95: 1-20 (JV), 0-0; first-year team

Balance throughout the league might be a worst-case scenario for this first-year varsity squad, which has no seniors. But Coach Gary Spindt is heartened by the competitiveness of his young Vikings, who have been blown out of only one preseason game. Valencia has had balanced scoring, with 10 of its 11 players scoring in double figures at least once. Junior guard Kevin Woods averages 12 points and Jerrohn Jordan, a 6-6 sophomore center, averages 10.5 points and 11 rebounds.