LANCERS PRIMED FOR A BETTER SEASON.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer

Having coached basketball at Thousand Oaks High School for more than 20 years, Ed Chevalier is convinced that a successful summer-league season often translates into a successful regular season.

If that theory holds true, look for the Lancers to be one of the better teams in the Marmonte League, come December.

Thousand Oaks ended a spectacular summer in style last week, reaching the finals of the prestigious Southern California Coaches tournament before falling to A.B. Miller in the championship game.

In all, the Lancers won 13 straight games before the loss to A.B. Miller, taking second place in the 132-team tournament.

``It's something we can use as a springboard to the regular season,'' said Chevalier. ``I have certainly noticed a correlation between how you play in the summer and how you play in the winter.''

Chevalier is excited about the way his players have come back after last year's dismal regular season. They didn't hang their heads, and they've dedicated themselves to working hard in the off-season. Over the last two months, Thousand Oaks has had consistent attendance at its 6:30 a.m. workouts four days a week.

Obviously that has carried over onto the court.

``They've made a special commitment to working hard,'' Chevalier said.

In terms of on-the-court ability, the Lancers have a nice blend of inside strength and perimeter players. And though they're not as tall as they were last year, their athletic ability makes them much better defensively.

``And they work well together,'' Chevalier said. ``When one part of our games isn't functioning, we'll pick it up in another area.''

The team's strength is in the backcourt, where three talented guards will be in the starting lineup. Each has his individual strengths, but they share two skills - ball-handling and beating competitors off the dribble and going to the basket.

That will add versatility to the Lancers' attack and help them avoid turnovers.

``It's not like they're off guards and point guards,'' Chevalier said. ``They can each start at any of the guard positions.''

The trio consists of Brian Freeth, Joe Ruccio and Charlie Soodavar.

Freeth and Ruccio were on the varsity team last year, while Soodavar started on Thousand Oaks' league-champion junior varsity team.

The frontcourt, though limited in size, is athletic and active. Josh Armour plays on the wing and Brian Gross will play inside.

Like his teammates in the backcourt, Armour has the ability to put the ball on the floor and beat his man off the dribble.

Thousand Oaks will likely use an eight-man rotation, which means three players will play roles off the bench. Two of those players figure to be Tyler Williams and Jeff Halloran.

One difference between this summer and last season is the Lancers' success in close games. Last year Thousand Oaks seemed snakebitten late in games. This summer that's been turned around in a big way.

In fact, in three close games against Simi Valley this summer, the Lancers were victorious in all three. The Pioneers, by the way, lost only four games the entire summer.

``As a coach I felt for our team last year because it wasn't an easy year and we did lose a number of close games,'' Chevalier said.

And so far this year?

``I think the attitude is significantly different,'' he added. ``I think they've accepted the challenge to win games like that.''