Pacific League depth shown in boys’ basketball
Hoover High’s Alec Pirijanian dribbles at the top of the key against Burbank High’s Michael Woods in a Pacific League boys’ basketball game at Burbank High School on Monday, Jan. 11, 2016.
A Pacific League that was particularly deep in boys’ basketball produced much success on the court and a sharing of honors and awards off the court.
The Pacific League awards list was dominated by champion Pasadena High, but included representation for Crescenta Valley, Burroughs, Burbank, Hoover and Glendale.
The 12-time reigning league champion Bulldogs (19-9, 12-2 in league) had head coach Tony Brooks named the Pacific League Coach of the Year, while Pasadena’s Tyrek Adams and Bryce Hamilton were the league’s co-players of the year.
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Pasadena, runner-up Muir (16-11, 11-3), Crescenta Valley (20-9, 9-5), Burroughs (22-8, 9-5) and Burbank (20-11, 8-6) combined for a 7-5 postseason record with four of the five teams registering at least one playoff victory.
Burroughs, which tied for third with Crescenta Valley, made the longest postseason run in marching to the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division I-A playoffs.
Burroughs senior Steven Hubbell was selected to the league’s first team. The guard averaged 11 points, five rebounds and two steals per game.
“Steven was a three-year starter and he did everything for us,” Burroughs Coach Adam Hochberg said. “He would pick up the scoring slack when we needed him to, he would distribute and most importantly, he trusted his teammates. As the team’s quarterback on football, he understood the importance of delegating.”
Burroughs senior forward Angelo Solis (12 points, nine rebounds and two blocks per game) was named to the league’s second team, while junior forward Tristen Hull (14 points, nine rebounds and three assists per game) was an honorable mention.
Crescenta Valley enjoyed a run to the second round of the playoffs, which included a Division I-A first-round victory at Mission Viejo Trabuco Hills.
For a second straight season, the Falcons turned to senior guard Arin Ovanessian for scoring and for a second consecutive year, Ovanessian delivered en route to being named to the league’s first team.
Ovanessian averaged 14.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
Crescenta Valley High’s Arin Ovanessian goes up for a shot against the defense of Burroughs High’s Nick Howard during a game on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016.
“I remember when we called him up from [junior varsity] his sophomore year and he made big shots,” Crescenta Valley Coach Shawn Zargarian said. “He’s continued to progress and become a big-shot maker and a big-time heady player for us. I don’t think we would have got to 20 wins and be able to advance to the second round of the playoffs without him.”
Ovanessian’s teammate Gabriel Ajemian (11.6 points and 4.9 rebound per game) was named to the league’s second team, while senior forward Chris Reik was an honorable mention.
Maybe the most surprising postseason run came from fifth-place Burbank.
The Bulldogs picked up a pair of postseason victories before they were defeated by Loyola in the quarterfinals of the Division II-A playoffs.
Burbank was represented on the first team by junior guard Michael Woods, who averaged 11.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 blocks per game.
“Michael had one of the biggest impacts of any league player night in, night out,” first-year Burbank Coach Jamayne Potts said. “He’s one of the top five players in this league and he’s only 6-[foot]-1 and is guarding guys 6-5 or 6-7. He does everything for us.”
Burbank’s Ellie Hanno (11 points per game) was selected to the league’s second team, while Faraz Khandaker (8.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game) was named an honorable mention.
Hoover (6-20, 3-11) finished tied with Glendale (10-17, 3-11) for sixth place in league and was represented on the first team by senior guard Alec Pirijanian.
“If you look at Alec, he’s not the biggest guy, but he certainly was an effective player,” Hoover Coach Jack Van Patten said. “He was able to create scoring chances for himself and he kept us in game.”
Pirijanian averaged 20 points per game and served as his team’s top scorer and offensive threat.
Hoover had an additional selection in senior Niko Kalpakian, who was tabbed as an honorable mention.
The Nitros had two selections in second-teamer Daniel Madden (13 points and eight rebounds per game) and honorable mention Larrenz Carino (10 points, four assists and two steals per game).
“It was a season of learning and growing for us,” first-year Glendale Coach Ib Belou said. “These were our two best players and they helped push this team.”
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Andrew J. Campa, andrew.campa@latimes.com
Twitter: @campadresports
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