After Twins, a Team Reborn

Fred Washington simply wanted to enjoy his summer, play a little travel ball and hang with his friends.

Instead, people tried to spoil his good time by saying how bad Torrance Bishop Montgomery was going to be this season.

“No twins, no wins,” was the nagging refrain they used, what with the wonder twins, Derrick and Errick Craven, on their way to USC.

The dynasty’s dead.

No way would there be a third consecutive state Division III boys’ basketball title for the Knights. Deflate the basketballs, roll the backboards up into the wall and write off the season.

Washington, the only returning starter, had an option. Listen to the naysayers--”Everybody had their own little battle cry,” he said--or help the Knights rebuild. He chose the latter.

The process has been more rewarding than rebuilding.

Behind Washington, a junior forward, and Gavin Lee, a senior forward, the Knights have shone after a slow start, overcoming a 44-point loss to Fairfax in November and a 6-4 start to win the Del Rey League title and the Southern Section Division III-A championship.

The Knights (25-6) are also three victories away from another state title, hosting Palm Desert (26-5) tonight in a semifinal of the Southern California Regional.

Regardless of the outcome, Washington can’t wait to see some of the boys of summer.

“We wanted to show people we weren’t no cupcake team,” said Washington, who leads Bishop Montgomery with averages of 22.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists. “Everybody thought since [the Cravens] were gone, we wouldn’t have the ability. People talked a lot.”

With the Craven twins, the Knights lost six games in two seasons. Errick Craven has already shown his value at USC, averaging 12.1 points and collecting 64 steals to become the first freshman to lead the Pacific 10 Conference in thefts since California’s Jason Kidd in 1993.

But with only two seniors coming back this season, Bishop Montgomery would have to rely on a team that had Lee, Washington and five sophomores as its nucleus.

The exuberance of youth was no match for experience. It was never more evident than in a 95-51 loss to Fairfax in the third game of the season.

“Our coaches kept us up,” said Lee, who, mercifully for him, missed the game because of an infected insect bite on his elbow. “They kept after us. They weren’t just going to let us fall down and be a .500 team. We’re not a .500 program.”

Lee returned, the Knights quickly grew up as a team, and the 6-foot-5 Washington became one of the most dominating juniors in the region.

Bishop Montgomery blew through the Division III-A playoffs, winning its first three games by an average of 34.3 points before stunning top-seeded and previously unbeaten Compton Centennial, 57-55, to win the championship.

The victory also served as a potentially positive harbinger: The Knights defeated Compton Centennial in a Southern Section championship the previous two seasons before winning the state title.

The harsh words of last summer and the memories of a poor November are fading with every victory.

“Tough teams and losses are going to expose your weaknesses,” said Coach Doug Mitchell, who had never experienced a worse loss than he did against Fairfax in his 13 seasons at Bishop Montgomery.

“When you’re winning games, sometimes you miss your weaknesses. We weren’t a real good team earlier in the year, but you could see the potential and each month we seemed to get better.”