Bob Keys/Special to the Town Crier
Pinewood's Yavuz Ayter, left and Andy Woods go for a rebound.
Town Crier Staff Writer
CCS playoffs are on every team's wish list
Los Altos High
League: SCVAL De Anza Division.
Coach: Bryan Beasley, second year.
Last season: 5-19 overall.
Key returners: Guards Ryan Brown, Mike Chan, Matt Eyers and Tim Nguyen; forward Fritz Lanman.
Top newcomers: Center Geoff Patterson; guard/forward Joseph Lucky.
Outlook: Beasley is aiming for at least a .500 record in league or overall, which would put the Eagles in the playoffs. The coach is relying on solid defense and rebounding to get them there. Patterson, a talented 6-foot-7 sophomore, should give opponents fits down low. Brown, perhaps the team's best defender and scorer, is playing point guard by default. Beasley said ball handling is an area his team needs to work on.
Coach's Quote: "If we rebound well, we can play with anybody."
Mountain View High
League: SCVAL El Camino Division.
Coach: Jim Forthoffer, first year.
Last season: 13-12 overall; won division and lost in first round of CCS Div. III playoffs.
Key returners: Center Seth Greenstein; forwards Nic Lustig and ShaSha Miri; guards Octavio Pablo and Brian Cordero.
Top newcomers: Guard Jose Mariona; forward Bill Kaspar; center Kyle Wieland.
Outlook: Mountain View returns six players, but Greenstein is the only one who's started. The 6-3 senior was the division's MVP last season and is versatile enough to play inside and out. The coach said the Spartans' next-best player is Lustig, an athletic senior who can drive and pass. Cordero and Kaspar are guys to watch up front. Forthoffer hopes his smallish bunch, they're all under 6-4, can finish in the upper half of the division.
Coach's Quote: "We need to keep improving - and at a fast rate. If we do, we'll be able to compete with most teams in our league."
St. Francis High
League: West Catholic Athletic League.
Coach: Steve Filios, seventh year.
Last season: 25-8 overall; won CCS Div. II title and lost in NorCal final.
Key returners: Guard/forward Chase Lyman; forwards Adam Buck and Brad Whittell; guards Mike Juco, Jermel Gilliard and Ryan Hensel .
Top newcomers: Forward Troy Bienemann; guards Billy Leiva and Kasey Keegan.
Outlook: Losing CCS player of the year Senque Carey to graduation has forced St. Francis to become more team oriented, Filios said. Lyman, a 6-3 junior, may be the team's best athlete and can play several positions. Gilliard is a promising sophomore with a knack for scoring. The Lancers aren't big - Whittell is the only player over 6-4 - but they can defend with anyone. Filios hopes to compete for the third spot in a tough league.
Coach's Quote: "We can compete with anyone in the section on a good night. But on a bad night, we could lose to anyone in the section."
Pinewood School
League: Private Schools Athletic League.
Coach: Mark Gardner.
Last season: 13-14 overall; lost in semifinals of CCS Div. V playoffs.
Key returners: Guard David Bebb; forwards Eric Taggart and Alec Gustafson; center Andy Woods.
Top newcomers: Guards Marco Gardner, Todd Schram and Brian Amanatullah.
Outlook: Coach Gardner isn't sure where the Panthers will fit in as far as league goes, but he does expect to be competitive. It will take a team effort to do so, though, as all-leaguer John Neil is no longer around to carry them. Bebb is the floor general, while the coach said Taggart is Pinewood's most consistent scorer. Since perimeter scoring is a concern, the coach hopes son Marco and Schram can develop into consistent shooters.
Coach's Quote: "We're on the cusp of being a decent team or a poor team, it all depends on how we develop."
Homestead High
League: El Camino Division.
Coach: Matt Zehner, second year.
Last season: 7-18 overall.
Key returners: Guards Dat Lai, Matt Hovik and Matt Hoffman; forward Max McKay.
Top newcomers: Center Matt Root; forward Trenton Hill.
Outlook: Homestead returns eight players, three of them starters. Point guard Lai can pass and penetrate, while Hovik and Hoffman are outside threats. Root, a promising 6-5 sophomore, plays in the post with McKay. The return of Tony Kiel, a 6-3, 300-pound center recovering from a leg injury, would certainly help the Mustangs. But it still may not be enough to contend with the top teams in the division.
Coach's Quote: Zehner did not return calls before deadline.
Gunn High
Prep Basketball Preview
OK, so this area isn't a hotbed for high school boys basketball.
Only three of the six local teams finished with winning records last season.
But there are signs that things could be changing for the better.
St. Francis, defending Central Coast Section Division II champ, should be in title contention again. Mountain View, which last year won the SCVAL El Camino Division, could be battling Gunn for that honor this season. Pinewood may have what it takes to return to the playoffs. And Los Altos and Homestead might be in the running for postseason berths as well.
A season preview of each team follows:
League: El Camino Division.
Coach: Mike Stack, second year.
Last season: 16-10; lost in quarterfinals of Div. III playoffs.
Key returners: Forwards Jamar Barnett and Steve Baker; guards Tom Sikic and Ben Goltz.
Top newcomer: Guard Anthony Rea.
Outlook: Gunn should be in contention for the division title. The Titans aren't big - Stack said rebounding will be an issue all year - but they can score and defend. The coach said he has a balanced offense that features four players capable of scoring in double figures: returning starters Barnett, Baker and Sikic, plus frosh-soph MVP Rea. Goltz plays the point, and Stack said the senior's doing a good job distributing the ball.
Coach's Quote: "We're a pretty disciplined team that won't make a lot mistakes, which should help us down the stretch."