GOOD KNIGHT NOW AFTER HUMBLE BEGINNINGS, HAWKS HAVE BECOME THREAT IN GOLDEN LEAGUE.

Byline: SEAN CEGLINSKY Special to the Daily News

It wasn't too long ago -- three years to be exact -- that Knight High in Palmdale opened its doors to the public, and boys' basketball coach Tom Hegre held tryouts without knowing what to expect from the student body consisting solely of freshmen.

Tempered optimism slowly gave way to skepticism after the first couple of days of dealing with largely inexperienced, wide-eyed ninth-graders, most of whom hadn't played much, if any, organized basketball to that point.

About a week later, just when Hegre and assistants George Swayne and Mark Groh began to lose hope, Robert Brown walked through the double doors of the gym.

It was a sign of good things to come.

Brown has since developed into a heady point guard and Hassan Stephens, Jerome Moton and Paul George joined the program two years ago to help transform the Hawks from a tiny spot on the basketball landscape into one of the emerging programs in the area.

``Sure, there were times when we thought, `What did we get ourselves into?''' Hegre said. ``We took our lumps in the beginning, too. But, seeing this team evolve, watching the kids grow into solid, all-around players, it was well worth the hardships we went through at first.''

After a loss to Simi Valley in its second game of the season, Knight (14-1) has won 13 consecutive games by an average of 16 points to move up to No. 8 in the Daily News' rankings.

The Hawks won the Hesperia tournament by defeating the host Scorpions 62-53 in mid-December, then beat Hart of Newhall 60-45 a week later in the championship game of the San Fernando Valley Invitational Tournament.

It's not as if Knight is defeating pushovers, either. There was a seven- point victory over Price of LosAngeles, the eight-time Southern Section Div. V-A champions, as well as a 14-point win over perennial City Section playoff qualifier Cleveland of Reseda.

``We're out there having fun, doing our thing,'' Moton said. ``We're playing our best basketball right now.''

Knight competed at the freshman and junior varsity levels for two years before moving up to varsity last season, when the Hawks struggled and finished with a 10-17 record. Those experiences proved to beneficial, particularly for Brown.

The 5-foot-11 senior has improved each season and is averaging 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game this year. Perhaps most important, he's turning the ball over less than two times per outing.

``We're going to go as far as Robert takes us,'' Hegre said.

Moton (6-7), a senior, has provided a steady presence in the post, averaging 15points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Stephens (6-5), also an upperclassman, is a constant threat out on the wing and is shooting more than 61 percent from the field.

George, however, might be the best of the reserves. The 6-7 junior plays tenacious defense and has shown a penchant for being a scorer when called upon. He's being recruiting by Cal, Pepperdine and Washington State.

``Everything is clicking for us right now,'' Brown said.

Knight seems to have the pieces to challenge the likes of Highland of Palmdale, Lancaster and Palmdale for the Golden League title.

A deep run in the Southern Section playoffs isn't out of the realm of possibility, considering the 11-man roster features eight seniors, including role players Anthony Harris, Dale Jones and Chris Harris, each of whom has been with the program since its inception.

``It seems just like yesterday that we met most of these kids,'' Hegre said. ``Here we are now, winning games, winning tournaments, setting big goals that we feel like we can achieve.''

``It's hard to say if this program has reached the turning point because we don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves. We can see the corner, though, and we're gaining confidence with each game.''

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Q&A ... WITH PIERCE BROOKS

The 6-foot-7 senior forward is the unquestioned leader for Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, a team hoping to add a Mission League title to the trophy case this season and make arun in the Southern Section Div.I-AA playoffs. Whether the Knights will do so remains to be seen. The ball is in Brooks' court.

DN: Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood and Loyola of Los Angeles have dominated league play for the better part of the past decade, and Verbum Dei of Los Angeles is in the mix this season, which figures to make things difficult for you guys. Crespi of Encino and Chaminade of West Hills are still around, too. Can you afford to take a night off?

PB: Definitely not. We're not looking past anyone and aren't going to roll over for anyone either. I'm not going to make any guarantees; that'd be crazy. I can say that winning the title is our goal. We're hungry. We want to put Notre Dame on the map.

DN: You had a taste of what it was like to win in the big game as a freshman, playing alongside Jordan Farmar at Taft of Woodland Hills when the Toreadors won the City Section title threeyears ago. What was that experience like?

PB: Being apart of that team was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Being in situation like that was something I'll never forget. I was very fortunate to play with Jordan at such a young age. Look at him now, he's playing with the Lakers.

DN: Do you ever flash the bling bling, the championship ring, off around campus or in front of your teammates at Notre Dame?

PB: No. The ring is in my room somewhere. That was then. My goal now is to help this team win a ring, with this group, with my new family. It would be a dream come true.

DN: I understand you sprained some ligaments in a finger on your shooting hand earlier this month. The injury forced you to miss a couple of games, if I'm not mistaken. How much has the setback affected your game?

PB: I'm not 100 percent, but I'll be fine as long as I can wrap it up with some tape. The doctors told me that I won't do any more damage if I continue to play. Pain or no pain, I'm going to be out there.

It's my senior season. This is it. I've worked hard to get to this point. Nothing is going to stop me from getting out on the court.

DN: You're one of the more sought-after prospects in the area and have been for quite sometime now. How's the recruiting process going?

PB: Things are going pretty well. I've talked to a few schools.

Oregon and Washington State are my top two right now. Portland State is an option, too.

DN: If you could play for any Division I coach in the nation, who would it be?

PB: Not sure. That's a tough one. I've spoken to Lute Olson of Arizona in the past and that was great. Just being around a legend like that was awesome. I'm not really worried about who or where I'll play next season. If I take care of things on the court, all that stuff will work itself out.

-- Sean Ceglinsky

IN THE PAINT

There were many questions surrounding Oak Park entering this season, perhaps the most important of which was: How were the Eagles going to overcome the loss of eight seniors, most notably standouts Nick Noyer, Brian Lantos and Jason Fahn?

Kareem Maddox is providing some answers. The 6-foot-6 senior forward is averaging 23.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game thus far for the Eagles (8-3).

``We took a big hit over the summer, but Kareem has picked up the load and filled some big shoes,'' Oak Park coach Ed Chevalier said. ``He's assumed the leadership role and it suits him well.''

It was somewhat unreasonable to expect Maddox to replace the production of Noyer, Lantos and Fahn, who combined to average more than 33 points and 18rebounds per game a season ago.

Maddox has come close to matching those numbers on a couple of different occasions.

He showed no signs of slowing down Wednesday in a 55-48 victory against Mira Costa in the Santa Barbara tournament, finishing with 27 points and 10rebounds while forcing fourMustangs to foul out.

He's scored 25 or more points five times already, highlighted by a 30- point effort in a 67-53 victory over Newbury Park two weeks ago.

A 40-point outburst followed a day later in a nine-point win over Westlake.

``This kid is explosive,'' Chevalier said.

The next test for Maddox, who is being recruited by several Ivy League schools, including Princeton, is guiding Oak Park to a successful defense of the Tri-Valley League title.

Beyond that, the Southern Section playoffs loom.

``He's like a sleeping giant that just woke up,'' Chevalier said. ``He's motivated. He's responding to the challenge in front of him.''

-- Sean Ceglinsky

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, 5 boxes

Photo:

(1) Jerome Moton is averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds for Knight High.

(2) The Knight basketball team -- front row, from left; Robert Brown, Dale Jones, Chris Harris and Anthony Harris; back row, from left, Kyree Jackson, Lamonte Dewindt, Daunt'e Vernon, Jerome Moton, Paul George, Hassan Stephens and Steve Delatorre.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer

(3) (no caption) PIERCE BROOKS

Box:

(1) Q&A ... WITH PIERCE BROOKS (see text)

- Sean Ceglinsky

(2) IN THE PAINT (see text)

- Sean Ceglinsky

(3) BOYS' TOP 25

(4) GIRLS' TOP 25

(5) THEY SAID IT