A MORE CHALLENGING FOOTHILL CLIMB HART HOPING TO REPEAT SUCCESS FROM LAST SEASON.Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer After last year's miraculous boys' basketball season, during which Hart High climbed from the Foothill League cellar to the Southern Section Div. I-AA final and the school's first-ever state tournament berth, can the Indians come through with another memorable performance? The season begins Tuesday, and one thing is for sure: It won't be easy. Ryan Wolfe Ryan Wolfe is a fictional character in the show , portrayed by American actor Jonathan Togo. Characterization As portrayed by Togo, Ryan Wolfe is a man driven to succeed. He displays a desire a to impress his superiors coupled with ambition (c.f. , a first-team all-section guard who almost single-handedly guided Hart through the playoffs, has graduated, along with a group of fellow experienced seniors. Most of the faces on this year's team are new, but the good news is Hart has more camaraderie ca·ma·ra·der·ie n. Goodwill and lighthearted rapport between or among friends; comradeship. [French, from camarade, comrade, from Old French, roommate; see comrade. and togetherness than ever before. ``Our team chemistry and attitude are a lot better. We're further ahead than we were last year at this point,'' coach Tom Kelly People named Tom Kelly include:
Among Hart's key returnees is guard Josh Herman, who came on strong during the end of last season and should emerge as one of the team's best shooters. After beginning the season at the end of the bench, Herman eventually found his groove and scored 14 points or more three times during the playoffs. Backcourt back·court n. 1. Sports a. The part of a court between the service line and the base line in tennis and other net games. b. mate Jeff Settle is back after earning quite a bit of playing time on last year's four-guard team, as is Alex Strickland, who was a key reserve. Returnee re·turn·ee n. 1. One who returns, as from a journey or to school after a long absence. 2. A person returning from military duty overseas. See Usage Note at -ee1. Nate Bichara played well during the scrimmage. Others to watch include sophomore Marcus Moloznik and seniors Cody Johnson Outfielder Cody Johnson , full name John C. Johnson, was the first selection in the first round in the 2006 Atlanta Braves Draft. Johnson was born August 18, 1988. He is listed by the Braves as standing 6'4" and weighing 195 pounds. and Ricky Vittallo. Johnson was a reserve last year, and Vittallo is a 6-4, 250-pounder who is a starting lineman for the football team. Travis O'Neal, a 6-foot-6 postman POSTMAN, Eng. law. A barrister in the court of exchequer, who has precedence in: motions. , gives Hart a presence in the middle, but like last season, the Indians figure to rely on a transition game and crisp execution - out of necessity because most of Hart's most competitive opponents will be bigger and taller. ``We're small compared to Canyon, Burroughs and Valencia,'' Kelly said. Height isn't a problem for Valencia (21-7), which features one of the tallest frontcourts in league history with 6-11 Kevin Delange, 6-8 Donjay Kakonde and 6-6 Teddy Goetz. Delange and Kakonde were expected to be key members of Valencia's team last year, too, but the problem was neither could put the ball in the basket, as they averaged a combined 5.4 points and 7 rebounds while splitting time. This year, they will share the court at the same time. Co-head coach Greg Hayes Gregory Robert Hay (b. 14 July, 1984) in Rotorua. He is a New Zealand cricketer who plays for the Central Districts and for Nelson in the Hawke Cup competition. He scored 98 on first-class debut. is confident his twin towers have improved. ``You've got to remember that Donjay just turned 16, so he's a very young senior, and I think Kevin has made a lot of strides to close the gap this season,'' Hayes said. Goetz, a returning first-team all-league selection who has committed to a UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX volleyball scholarship, should be Valencia's top player. He averaged 12.6 points (51 pct.) - with a best of 25 points vs. Canyon - and 6.9 rebounds, and shot 75 percent from the line. ``Teddy just does so many things well,'' Hayes said. Valencia also has one of the league's most experienced point guards in three-year veteran Erick Sevilla, so the Vikings, who open against Newbury Park on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. at Camarillo High, figure to be among the league favorites. Like Delange and Kakonde, Sevilla is expected to be more productive after averaging just 2.6 points on 33.8 percent shooting, while shooting just 58 percent from the line. He also averaged 3.0 assists. Returning guard Chet Wyche, who played well in the scrimmage, is another to watch. Shane Vereen, a junior who is among California's top football players, has joined the team but won't be available until after the football playoffs. Valencia looked sharp during an opening scrimmage last week against high-powered Harvard-Westlake of Studio City. The key issue eventually will be how well Valencia performs during the final stretch because the Vikings usually finish among the league's top two but have never advanced past the section quarterfinals - including a second-round exit last season after winning 10 of its last 11 regular-season games. Canyon (12-15), led by returning leading scorer Kris Rincon, could be the league's most improved team. Rincon, a 6-6 fluid shooter who's effective inside and out, averaged 14 points and 3.2 rebounds last season to earn first-team all-league honors. Luke Guidroz, one of the league's top guards, is also back after averaging 10.1 points (13.8 over the final four games) with 35 3-pointers. Lucas Gould, who missed most of last season because of an injury, returns, along with sophomore Mark Lewis, a 5-10 guard who last season was Canyon's first ninth-grader to make varsity since legendary Greg Minor Greg Magado Minor (born September 18, 1971 in Sandersville, Georgia) is an American former NBA basketball player. Having averaged 12.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in three seasons at the University of Louisville, Minor was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers as the . Canyon also has an intriguing newcomer, senior Bryan Lewis Bryan Lewis (b. Alliston, Ontario) is a Canadian municipal politician and a former referee and Director of Officiating for the National Hockey League. His first NHL experience was in the 1966-67 NHL season. , a 6-3 slam dunker Dunker a medium-sized scenthound, popular in Norway. It is a powerfully built dog with a short coat, pendulous ears and long tail. The short coat may be tan with black saddle and white markings, or the black may be splotched (merled). Called also Norwegian hound. whom coach Chad Phillips has tabbed a potential all-section candidate. ``Overall, it should be a good year for the Cowboys,'' Phillips said. Canyon opens at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday against Crescenta Valley The Crescenta Valley is a small inland valley in Los Angeles County, California. Its name derives from its crescent-like shape, with the convex portion facing roughly northeast and the concave portion southwest. in the first round of the Saugus Shootout Shootout Venture capital jargon. Refers to two or more venture capital firms fighting for the startup. tournament. Saugus (19-7) has been solid for the past few seasons but must rebuild after graduating every player on the roster except Zach Summers, a starting quarterback for the football team who has opted not to play basketball for his senior season. ``We actually looked pretty good in a scrimmage against Royal last week, but we're young and a very different team than we've been the last few years in terms of size and experience,'' coach Jeff Hallman said. ``We have no returners. To finish .500 is a worthy goal right now. The plan is to break them down, then build them back up again.'' Among Saugus' most impressive players is sophomore Mitch Weber, a scrappy scrap·py 1 adj. scrap·pi·er, scrap·pi·est Composed of scraps; fragmentary: scrappy evidence. scrap 6-1 guard. ``I'm real happy with Mitch Weber. I like the way he's played in practice,'' Hallman said. ``We keep track of hustle hus·tle v. hus·tled, hus·tling, hus·tles v.tr. 1. To jostle or shove roughly. 2. To convey in a hurried or rough manner: hustled the prisoner into a van. points, and he leads every practice. He plays real hard and competitive, and he has some good skills. He's a very well-rounded player for a sophomore.'' AT A GLANCE FOOTHILL LEAGUE BOYS' BASKETBALL HART Coach: Tom Kelly, sixth year Last year: 19-14 Key returnees: Josh Herman, G; Jeff Settle, G; Alex Strickland, F; Marcus Moloznik, F. Travis O'Neal, C. Key newcomers: Ricky Vittallo, F. VALENCIA Co-Coaches: Rocket Collins and Greg Hayes, fifth year Last year: 21-7 Key returnees: Teddy Goetz, F; Donjay Kakonde, F; Kevin Delange, C; Erick Sevilla, G. Key newcomers: Shane Vereen, G; John Otavka, G. CANYON Coach: Chad Phillips, sixth year Last year: 12-15 Key returnees: Kris Rincon, F; Luke Guidroz, G; Lucas Gould, G; Mark Lewis, G, Chase Whitmore, G. Key newcomer: Bryan Lewis, F; Ben Longshore long·shore adj. Occurring, living, or working along a seacoast. [Short for alongshore.] , F. SAUGUS Coach: Jeff Hallman, 12th year Last year: 19-7 Key returnees: None Key newcomers: Mitch Weber, G; Matt Terwall, C; Kyle Folsom, F. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Josh Herman will be relied upon to be Hart's main scorer. Herman helped the Indians earn a state playoff berth last season. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer Box: AT A GLANCE (see text) |
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