‘This year I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed for the seniors. I felt we were as good as anybody. One basket and we’d be playing tomorrow.’ : Easy Schedule One Reason for Cleveland’s Loss

Go ahead, Greg Herrick says, take your best shots at the Cleveland High basketball team.

Make fun of his preseason comment that the Cavaliers could possibly be “one of the greatest high school teams ever assembled.”

Snicker at Herrick’s remark that “it won’t be for lack of talent that we don’t reach the City title game.”

Take a stab at his complaint that Cleveland gets no respect from the inner-city schools.

Go ahead and kick the Cavaliers while they’re down. But don’t expect Herrick, the sixth-year coach, to join you.

“If they don’t respect us,” Herrick said of the inner-city teams, “that’s their problem.

“People who know basketball obviously saw that we could play with any City team. I can’t make other people respect us. It’s out of my control.”

So is the 1984-’85 season, which came to a sudden halt Wednesday night when the Cavaliers lost to Banning, 81-80, in the City 4-A quarterfinals.

The Cavaliers led, 70-62, after three quarters but managed just four points in the first 7:30 of the final quarter.

So for the second straight year, the Cavaliers’ season ended much sooner than they or Herrick had expected.

Last year, the Cavaliers lost in the opening round to Fremont, a fifth-place team. This year, it was a Banning team that finished third in its league that denied Cleveland, the second-seeded team, a shot at reaching the championship game.

“Last year I was angry because we had lost to an inferior team,” Herrick said. “This year I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed for the seniors. I felt we were as good as anybody. One basket and we’d be playing tomorrow (Friday).”

For most of the fourth quarter Wednesday, one basket was hard to come by for the Cavaliers.

For three quarters the Cavaliers and Pilots proceeded at a torrid pace that captivated the full house at Cleveland.

But in the fourth quarter, Cleveland slowed down the pace and stopped attacking the Pilots on offense.

“We got a little tired,” Herrick said. “It was a pretty quick game at both ends. It was the first time we had played somebody who tried to run with us. The transition game slowed down (in the fourth) and Banning played a nice compact zone.

“With a lead we were not going to force the ball inside against double and triple teaming on (Trevor) Wilson. It was never the intention to delay or stall. People who say that don’t know basketball.”

The Banning zone denied Wilson the ball for most of the fourth quarter. Still the the 6-7 junior finished with 40 points.

Cleveland still led by one point with a little more than a minute left. But a couple of turnovers, missed shots and converted Banning free throws ended Cleveland’s year at 22-2.

“Contemplating the game, we might have been a victim of circumstance,” Herrick said. “Other than the Dominguez game (a 63-58 Cleveland loss), we had never been behind in the last minute of a game.

“The kids were unfamiliar with being in a close game. Our fans didn’t seem to be involved. I had to shake up the team during a time out. It was very unfamiliar because usually our games are over at halftime.”

How little of a challenge did Valley 4-A League opponents present to Cleveland? The Cavaliers’ lowest margin of victory in league was eight points. Cleveland won most of its games by 20 to 40 points.

Herrick knew that was a problem last season. He also knew it hadn’t disappeared this year.

“I’m not blaming anybody but we were not used to that type of game,” Herrick said. “Banning plays that way every night.”

Herrick is hoping to rectify the situation. Herrick, a member of the City’s releaguing committee, planned to attend a meeting Thursday night, at which time he would suggest some changes.

“Obviously I’ll recommend that Monroe (which went winless in the Valley 4-A League) go to the 3-A division,” he said. “And Taft has expressed to me that they’d like to be in the 3-A.”

Herrick said he wouldn’t mind seeing the Cavaliers in the Central League, where they would play Crenshaw, the defending City champion.

“Frankly, I don’t care where we play as long as it’s suitable to our situation and doesn’t inconvenience anybody.

“It may be geographically difficult for some teams to get involved (in changing leagues). But we’re looking into it.”

An ideal league, Herrick suggested, would be Cleveland, Fairfax, Hamilton, Kennedy, Palisades and Van Nuys. Fairfax and Van Nuys are currently the top-ranked teams in the 3-A.

Herrick said Cleveland isn’t afraid to play any city team. He just wishes his Cavaliers had a chance to play the Crenshaws and Manual Arts of the world.

It’s those schools that may be laughing at Cleveland right now, especially after remembering what Herrick said.

“When two talented teams meet,” he said, “there’s not much room for error. When I said it wouldn’t be for lack of talent (that we missed the title game), I also said we had to be lucky. In 1981 when we won the 3-A title, we won it on luck. We were down by six points with a minute left against Jordan in the semifinals.

“We won because Jordan took some bad shots. We won it in overtime and we had no business winning.”

The Cavaliers repeated as 3-A champions in 1982. In six years, Herrick has a record of 98-42. He’s won four league championships and two City championships.

But this team was his best. And yet it came up short, despite his prediction it could be among the best ever assembled.

“When I say something I sincerely mean it,” Herrick said. “At the beginning of the year, I really felt that (the team could be the best). I saw Inglewood, the last undefeated team, and I thought my team was as good as that.

“When I make a preseason statement, I’m implying that if everything goes right, then . . . That’s why I said ‘probably’ and ‘could be.’ ”

Herrick said the Cavaliers were never able to put together four perfect quarters of basketball. They came up one quarter short against Banning, and now the Cleveland critics have even more ammunition to fire at Herrick.

“We’re still very proud,” the coach said. “We’re 42-5 over two years. We have nothing to be ashamed of.”