Boys’ Basketball Dream Team: Kobrine shines for CdM

What better place for Sam Kobrine to reflect than on a beach in Hawaii?

The Corona del Mar High senior is on spring break this week in Honolulu. He spent Wednesday bodysurfing and hanging out on the North Shore.

Kobrine is not alone on this trip. He is with his younger brother, Kevin, and his Corona del Mar High boys’ volleyball teammates. Three of those teammates, including his brother, played on the CdM boys’ basketball team in the winter.

The basketball season ended on Feb. 19, a lot sooner than Kobrine expected and a lot sooner than the previous year.

Even though CdM fell short of returning to the CIF Southern Section Division 3A finals for a second time in a row, Kobrine called it a great season. The 6-foot-3 guard was that close to keeping the Sea Kings’ season alive past the second round.

As he had done before with the game on the line, Kobrine tried to lead the Sea Kings to another dramatic win. The Sea Kings went to Kobrine in that game at San Gabriel Gabrielino and he did his best to rally CdM, before it suffered a 55-54 loss.

Kobrine finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two assists. He was the best player on the court for CdM. He was also the best player in the area.

Kobrine, the Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Dream Team Player of the Year in boys’ basketball, averaged 14 points, five rebounds, 2.5 steals and one block per game.

“The things he could do on the court, his skill set was second to none,” CdM Coach Ryan Schachter said of Kobrine. “He could handle the ball, get to the rim, shoot the three, and play defense with those long arms of his.

“When he would take over the game, he was one of the best players we’ve ever had at CdM.”

The two moments this season Schachter and Kobrine will never forget happened in road games. The first took place in the San Francisco Bay Area, the next on the other side of the Back Bay.

Both came during crucial moments.

Kobrine knocked down a game-tying three to force overtime against San Anselmo Drake in the fifth-place game at the Kentfield Marin Catholic Don Bambauer Memorial Holiday Classic on Dec. 30. The Sea Kings stormed back from a 21-point third-quarter deficit because of Kobrine.

He poured in 16 points in the fourth quarter and then each of CdM’s seven points in overtime, producing a career-high 30 points and five threes in the Sea Kings’ 84-81 overtime win.

Six days later, in the Battle of the Bay rivalry game at Newport Harbor, there was Kobrine again making plays down the stretch. He recorded 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Sailors by four points in the final eight minutes.

With seven seconds to go, Kobrine hit a step-back three-pointer to give CdM its first lead.

The shot proved to be the game-winner, lifting the Sea Kings to a 51-48 win. Then the CdM fans lifted Kobrine on their shoulders.

“The game-tying three in regulation against Drake was fun,” Kobrine said, “but the three to win it against Newport Harbor was the best. That one happened in front of our fans.

“I’m going to miss those types of games, the Battle of the Bay, the CIF final, the [CdM Beach Bash semifinal tournament games] against Mater Dei. You don’t realize how special those times are until the season has ended.”

Kobrine has been able to look back on those moments this week in Hawaii.

He is in Hawaii because his volleyball team has three matches during the Clash of the Titans showcase at Punahou High in Honolulu. The first was Thursday against Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, followed by contests against Punahou and Honolulu Kamehameha the next two days.

Volleyball is the sport Kobrine is playing on the next level. He is heading to UCLA to play setter, opposite or outside hitter.

There is no doubt in Schachter’s mind that if Kobrine focused on basketball that he could have played the sport in college. Kobrine earned All-CIF Southern Section Division 3A and first-team All-Pacific Coast League accolades, and Dream Team honors for the second straight time.

“You could see it as a freshman that he had major upside,” Schachter said of Kobrine, who in his third year as a starter helped CdM to a 20-9 overall record and a share of second place in league at 6-4. “He had that wow factor about him. We’re going to miss him.”

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Below are the rest of the players on this year’s Dream Team:

Matt Ctvrtlik

Corona del Mar

The senior power forward proved to be a force for the Sea Kings for the second straight season, this time as a starter and not the sixth-man. Ctvrtlik averaged 14.3 points, eight rebounds and one steal per game. For the season, his 212 rebounds ranked No. 3 in Orange County, he made 55 three-pointers, and he finished with 18 or more points eight times. He made the All-Pacific Coast League first team for leading CdM to a runner-up finish in league, and earned the Charlie Wilkins Memorial Tournament MVP award. He is heading to Harvard to play volleyball. Ctvrtlik is a two-time Dream Team selection.

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Charlie Stassel

Newport Harbor

The senior shooting guard lifted the Sailors to their best Sunset League finish in eight years, a share of second place, and the seventh 20-win season in the program’s history. Stassel was a high-flying act, averaging 15.5 points and 2.6 steals per game. He shot 45% from the field, 35% from three-point range and 70% from the free-throw line. The Sunset League first-team member secured Newport Harbor’s fourth consecutive CIF Southern Section postseason appearance with a 25-point effort in a 55-50 overtime win at Huntington Beach. Stassel garnered MVP honors at the Oxford and Santa Maria tournaments, which the Sailors both claimed.

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Brandon Phillips

Newport Harbor

The senior power forward returned to the Sailors after missing the previous year because of grades and his presence made a difference. Phillips helped Newport Harbor begin 14-2, its best start since 1998-99, and finish 21-8, the sixth team in the program’s history to win 20-plus games. His athleticism at 6-foot-4 allowed him to guard any player on the opposing team, whether it was the point guard, a post player or a wing player, and he usually kept the player under his points-per game average. Phillips garnered first-team All-Sunset League accolades after averaging 9.4 points and six rebounds per game, while averaging 55% from the field.

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Mason Tufuga

Costa Mesa

The senior center kept the Mustangs in contention to claim the Orange Coast League championship, their third league crown in the program’s history, with his scoring, rebounding and blocking abilities. Tufuga contributed to Costa Mesa’s first win at Laguna Beach in 14 years, moving the Mustangs into a first-place tie with the Breakers with three games left. Tufuga averaged 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks per game, receiving first-team All-Orange Coast League recognition after Costa Mesa’s runner-up finish, its second in three seasons. The 6-foot-6 Tufuga is heading to Stanford to play volleyball. Tufuga is a two-time Dream Team selection.

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Chance Kuehnel

Sage Hill

The senior center played relentlessly for the Lightning, averaging 15.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in Academy League play. Kuehnel played a lot like his father Dennis Rodman did during his Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame career. Kuehnel was always active on the boards, recording the Sage Hill single-game record for rebounds (27). Unlike Rodman, Kuehnel’s future is in track and field. He has cleared 6 feet 8 inches in the high jump, the mark ranks fourth in the state, and he is interested in training for the decathlon. Kuehnel is a member of the All-Academy League first team.