SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Corona del Mar: 3-19, 0-10 in 1996-97. Coach: Elbert Davis (first year). Davis recognizes that his team won’t be star-driven like last year, when Lindsey Warmington (22.5 points) dominated the offense. And you have to admire Davis’ goal: win three times as many games as last year. That’s reasonable. Four starters are back, led by two 6-foot juniors, center Jennifer Dickson (11.5 rebounds) and forward Cara Ducey. Also returning are both guards, Sarah Dunlap (5-4) and three-year starter Britt Anderson (5-3).

El Toro: 17-9, 4-6 in 1996-97. Coach: Vincent Avitabile (second year, 17-9). Giuliana Mendiola, a 5-9 guard, averaged a county-high 24.4 points during her freshman season. Her shoot-at-will style suited the Chargers fine; she shot 56.9% last year, and she should get better as her teammates get better, including fellow returning junior starters Giocanda Mendiola (5-7, 12.3 points), her older sister, and forward Amy Everett (5-10, 3.5 points). Senior Suzanne Guy (5-10) and junior Amy Rikimaru (5-7) also return from last year’s team, which lost to San Clemente in the first round of the playoffs, 65-52.

Irvine: 10-14, 2-8 in 1996-97. Coach: Joni Easterly-Colburn (first year). Want a darkhorse? Irvine could present matchup problems for many teams. Swingman Jami Allred (5-10) and center/forward Lauren O’Hara (6-0) return as starteres. They’ll be teamed with junior forward Lori Johnson (6-1), senior forward Amanda Loud (5-10) and freshman forward/guard Jody Carlson (5-11), who should contribute offensively right away. With their height, the Vaqueros can pound the ball inside. And Easterly-Colburn is convinced they can run. Easterly-Colburn was hired late in the coaching process, so the Vaqueros probably won’t get off to a quick start, but they’ll get up to speed.

Newport Harbor: 18-11, 7-3 in 1996-97. Coach: Ryan Bettencourt (first year). Talk about starting over. The Sailors were senior-dominated last year and reached the Division II-A semifinals, but start this season from near-scratch. Junior guard Alyssa Paul (5-8) is the only starter back, and sophomore forward/center April Ross (6-1) and junior guard Kristen Urban are typical of the high-caliber athletes who come out for basketball without specializing in it. Sophomore guard Kalena Jackson (5-7) is a transfer from Costa Mesa. The guard play and perimeter shooting could be strong, but lack of size could be a problem in the post.

Santa Margarita: 20-8, 7-3 in 1996-97. Coach: Rich Schaaf (second year, 20-8). The Eagles were a solid but unspectacular team last year, but with 10 returners, they could step up and present an obstacle to El Toro’s league-title hopes. Four starters return, sophomore forward Venessa Ferragamo (5-8), senior point guard Amy Wetherbee (5-5, four assists) and two all-league second-teamers, junior guard Daniell Bennett (5-6, 10.2 points) and senior forward Kate Toman (5-7, 10 points). One serious weakness--a lack of height.

Woodbridge: 22-5, 10-0 in 1996-97. Coach: Pat Quinn (third year, 54-7). Most notable about the Warriors is who isn’t returning. Cathy Joens (13.9 points), a second-team all-county forward player, transferred to Calvary Chapel and Debby Cain (9.6 points), an all-league guard, went to San Clemente. That leaves the scoring burden largely on senior guard Nicole Roberts (5-7, 9.5 points). She will need to get help from senior guard Romeena Costantino (two points), junior forward Anne Christensen (5-9, two points) and sophomore forward Natalie Quinn (5-11, four points, 4.8 rebounds).