Race for Second Should Provide Most Suspense

The idea of shooting for second place seems ludicrous to any competitive, self-respecting high school basketball coach.

So does the idea of knocking off Harvard-Westlake.

Let’s face it: Barring season-threatening injuries to twin towers Jarron and Jason Collins, who have signed with Stanford, Harvard-Westlake should have little trouble breezing to a third consecutive league title and, most likely, a third consecutive Southern Section championship.

The Wolverines, 30-2 last season and undefeated from mid-December until winning the state Division III title in March, are markedly improved this season, a senior-laden team already operating at peak performance.

Harvard-Westlake, ranked among the top 10 in two national polls, enters Monday’s league opener against visiting Notre Dame with a 15-1 record.

The Wolverines’ only loss was by four points to Mt. Zion Christian of Durham, N.C., ranked No. 2 in the nation by USA Today, in the Reebok Holiday Classic in Las Vegas. The same day, Harvard-Westlake thrashed perennial power Mater Dei, 64-38.

Meanwhile, Mission League teams St. Francis, Notre Dame and Alemany competed in the La Canada tournament, and Chaminade hosted a tournament.

“It’s kind of funny,” St. Francis Coach John Jordan said. “They’re outplaying the Mater Deis and the rest of us are playing in these little tournaments. You wouldn’t get a lot of sleep if all you did was worry about how to beat them.”

Even Harvard-Westlake Coach Greg Hilliard acknowledges he is curious about what to expect from league foes.

“It’ll be interesting to see what everyone’s approach is,” Hilliard said.

Better to focus on how to stay ahead of the rest of the pack. At least, that’s the plan of first-year Coach Rob DiMuro of Notre Dame, formerly the Knights’ girls’ coach.

“There is such a wealth of good teams that everyone is more concerned about staying on the top half more than [finishing in] the top spot,” DiMuro said. “My focus is, I only have to deal with [the Collinses] for one more year.”

Nevertheless, the league race should be competitive, considering the surprising early showings of Chaminade, Notre Dame and St. Francis--all of which finished below .500 last year but are expected to battle for second.

Chaminade (9-3) and Notre Dame (10-5) each placed first in tournaments. St. Francis, 3-9 in league play last season, is off to a 10-3 start and raised eyebrows with high-scoring performances against Muir and Village Christian in the La Canada tournament.

No league team has the collective size to measure up to Jason Collins (6-10) and Jarron (6-9). Chaminade comes the closest, with 6-5 center Scott Long, 6-6 guard Brett Brownson and 6-5 forward Matt Chirba.

“I don’t want to pinpoint playing Harvard, I just want to approach it the way we approach any other team,” Chaminade Coach Jeff Young said. “I’d predict them to win the league. But I would never go into a season saying we can’t beat somebody.”

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AT A GLANCE

* THE PROVEN: Twins Jarron and Jason Collins of Harvard-Westlake will head for Stanford after completing a fourth varsity season. Teammate Ryan Smiley, a senior guard, averaged 9.2 points last season. . . . Junior forward Scott Long of Chaminade led the Eagles in scoring (15.3) and rebounding (9.0). Teammate Brett Brownson averaged 9.7 points. . . . Senior forward Anthony Johnson of St. Francis, who averaged 16.7 points last season, scored 40 last month in a double-overtime loss to Muir. Senior guard Anton Cunningham, who averaged 14.1 points, gives the Golden Knights additional scoring power. . . . Senior forward Ron Quarterman led Crespi last season in scoring (13.0) and rebounds (5.9). . . . Senior forward Jesus Castillon of Alemany averaged 13.7 points last season. . . . Senior forward Chris Forde of Notre Dame was most valuable player last month of the La Canada tournament.

* THE PROMISING: Sophomore Cayce Cook of Chaminade, a transfer from Green Valley High in Las Vegas, will start at point guard. . . . Sophomore center Chris Williams of Notre Dame is 6-foot-7. . . . Junior point guard Victor Munoz of Harvard-Westlake was a starter last season at St. John Bosco.

* FAST FACT: Harvard-Westlake, defending state Division III champion, has lost only two league games in the past two seasons.