Chapman Shores Up Coaching Staff With Some Familiar Faces

There are plenty of new faces at the Chapman men’s basketball practices, but some in attendance feel quite at home. Just look at the coaching staff.

Coach Mike Bokosky returns for his fifth season after compiling a .650 winning percentage, and alongside him this season is former NBA player Bob Thornton.

Thornton, who lives in Irvine and spent last season as an assistant coach at Orange Coast College, played at UC Irvine when Bokosky was an Anteater assistant.

“Bob’s doing this for nothing,” Bokosky said. “He just loves working with the kids.”

Another first-year assistant is Richard Bossenmeyer, who spent a year coaching in the CBA but also enjoyed great success as the boys’ basketball coach at nearby Orange High.

“He’s one of the best high school coaches around,” Bokosky said.

And one of Bossenmeyer’s former players, Gil Gonzales, has transferred to Chapman from Cypress College.

Here’s a look at the fresh faces and the familiar ones for Chapman and the rest of the small colleges in Orange County:

Chapman / 1996-97 record: 16-9

Bokosky has no returning starters, so this season’s squad figures to have a completely different look.

After a season of pressing and trapping, Bokosky’s new personnel is better suited to run a half-court game, with Derek Mitchell as one of the linchpins.

Mitchell is the leading returning scorer, averaging seven points last season. He led the team in three-point baskets, making 42 of 104 (40%). More than three-quarters of Mitchell’s shot attempts were from three-point range.

After Mitchell, there are plenty of questions.

Newcomers Gonzales and freshman Tim Werdel (Santa Ana Valley High) are three-point threats and community college transfers Anthony Brown (6 feet 3), Brian Hattingh (6-6) and point guard Raffy Hajjar (6-4) will all contribute, but are all untested.

“There’s no seniors but this group is really coachable,” Bokosky said. “It’s a smart team with some skills, but we won’t be able to go out and beat people one-on-one.”

Concordia / 1996-97 record: 15-17, 6-8 in the Golden State Athletic Conference

The bad news for the Eagles is that NAIA honorable mention All-American Greg O’Hagan and all-conference selection Rick Haywood have graduated.

But Coach Greg Marshall is still optimistic.

Concordia has won its first three games with returning starters Kalim Scott, a senior forward, and Josh Giles, sophomore point guard, leading the way.

Scott averaged 15 points and eight rebounds last season and led the team in field-goal percentage (60.4), rebounds and blocked shots. Giles made a team-high 43 of 126 three-pointers last season (34%) and should improve with another year of experience.

“We have a young squad,” Marshall said. “I just want to see consistent improvement.”

He has already seen some. Marshall thought ballhandling might be a concern, but the Eagles were steady, committing only nine turnovers in Saturday’s 64-53 victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Another source of encouragement is the play of his two 6-7 freshmen, Joey Busch, from Upland High, and Jet Quillen, from Brown County High in Nashville, Ida.

“They’re two of the best post players we’ve ever recruited,” Marshall said.

Pacific Christian / 1996-97 record: 5-26

First-year Coach Tom Moody didn’t begin his tenure until May, so his late start on recruiting further hampered his preparation for this season.

Coming off a season with only five victories and only two of his own recruits, is Moody facing a grin-and-bear-it season?

“It may be tough grinning,” he said.

Moody can smile about his front line, which features two sophomores, Axel Margaritha and Steve James, both from Curacao, an island nation off the northwest coast of Venezuela.

Margaritha, 6-10, is already averaging 20 points and 15 rebounds this season. James is 6-7 and is also a force inside.

The backcourt was supposed to be anchored by senior Josh Whelihan (University High), but Moody said Whelihan has a stress fracture in his shin and is limited to 15-20 minutes of playing time per game.

“He’s just going to play through it,” Moody said. “The doctors gave him the OK to play, but it would take more than a year of rest for it to completely heal.”

Courtney Rice, a transfer from Grambling, and freshman Steve Carter (Camarillo High) also figure to make an impact. The Royals have started slowly, going 1-8.

Southern California Christian / 1996-97 record: 21-11, 8-6 in the Golden State Athletic Conference

SCC returns four starters, who combined to average 54 points last season, and some promising freshmen who should help the Vanguards contend in conference.

All-conference selections returning are senior forward Terence Wilborn (Mater Dei), who averaged 14 points and six rebounds, and point guard Adam Dzierzynski (Santa Margarita), who averaged 14 points.

Seniors Justin McIntee (Newport Harbor), who averaged 14 points, and center Rod Scheuerman (Golden West College and Tustin High), who averaged 12, also return in the front court; however, Scheuerman will miss one week with stretched knee ligaments.

Freshman Dennis Keane (Santa Margarita) started fast, scoring 23 points in the team’s season-opening 78-75 loss to Hawaii Pacific, which was ranked third in the NAIA preseason poll.

“We’ve got the kiddie corps and this experienced group playing together right now,” Coach Bill Reynolds said. “But there’s good chemistry with this group.”