Boys basketball: Reconnecting with the past

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - If this year’s Estancia High boys basketball team

needed a reminder of the program’s proud tradition, it received one first

hand in the school’s recent alumni game.

“We got hammered,” Eagles Coach Chris Sorce said of the Nov. 23

exhibition in which former All-CIF standouts such as Sam Nelson and Mike

Curtis helped the former Eagles school the undergraduates.

That tradition, including the only CIF State title in Newport-Mesa

hoop history (the 1991 Division III crown), took a hit last year when the

Eagles failed to make the CIF Southern Section playoffs for the first

time in 14 seasons.

Sorce, however, believes this group, including first-team All-Pacific

Coast League and all-district senior Micah Young, has the ability to

return to the postseason.

Personnel, as well as a complete offseason, have helped bolster the

confidence of the second-year coach, who took over the reigns from Rich

Boyce the summer before his first campaign.

“I tell people I kind of feel like this is my first year as head

coach, since I’ve gotten to do things the way I wanted in the spring,

summer and fall,” Sorce said.

“We had a lot of success in the summer and I’m really happy with the

progress the kids have made.”

That progress includes more scoring options, after Young (17.9 points

per game) and then-senior Eliasar Maldonado (17.7 ppg) carried the load

for last year’s 10-15 squad.

“It’s kind of hard when you’re relying on one or two guys,” Sorce

said. “This year, we have six or seven guys who could be our leading

scorer in any given game.”

Young, a 6-foot-2 senior, still heads that list. Sorce believes Young,

remarkably successful as an undersized post last year, will be even more

effective mixing in a perimeter game this season.

“He’ll still be an effective inside guy, but he can also knock down

the three-pointer if we need him to,” Sorce said. “That should make him

much more difficult to defend.”

Helping ease Young’s inside burden is the emergence of 6-7 junior Joey

Lindquist, whom Sorce calls “our most improved player from the spring up

till now.”

Lindquist, the most improved player on last year’s junior varsity, is

capable of double-figure production in points and rebounds, Sorce said,

but could struggle with consistency against varsity competition.

“(Lindquist) could have a real big year,” Sorce said.

Additional returners include 5-9 senior Jorge Prado and 5-10 junior

Matt Cachola, who will play heavy backcourt roles this season.

Cachola started a handful of games at point guard last season, but is

still bothered by a leg injury that sidelined him much of the fall

schedule.

“Matt getting hurt turned out to be a real blessing in disguise for

Jorge, who had to step up and run the point,” Sorce said. “We have two

guys who can play the point for us and that was an area we struggled some

last year.”

Prado, who has shown effectiveness from three-point range, averaged

6.1 points as a junior.

Fernando Maldonado, a 6-1 senior, has also emerged as someone Sorce

will count upon, after earning MVP honors on the junior varsity last

season.

“He has probably been our most consistent outside three in the

offseason,” Sorce said of Eliasar’s younger brother. “His work habits are

second to none and he has made big strides.”

Senior Jermaine Snell, a 5-7 Fountain Valley transfer who starred for

the Estancia football team this fall, provides extreme quickness and

defensive tenacity, while senior Mitch Valdes and junior Zach Novak are

also expected to contribute.

“Mitch has a lot of leadership qualities and is never lacking in

effort,” Sorce said. “And Zach (the third Novak brother to play for the

Eagles) is always the leader of the pack when we have

diving-for-loose-ball drills in practice.”

Juniors Lewis Bradshaw and Erik Andersen, two more football players,

should add depth, as will freshman Carlos Pinto and junior Jermaine

Young, Micah’s brother.

“Lewis didn’t play with us in the summer, so he’s just getting

acclimated to our system,” Sorce said. “He battles in the paint and his

defense and rebounding could help out a lot.”

Sorce is also excited about Pinto’s promise.

“He has a really nice shooting touch,” Sorce said. “When you watch

him, he doesn’t play like a freshman.”

The Eagles open at home Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Santa Ana.

Estancia boys basketball roster

1 Mitch Valdes 5-6 Sr.

3 Jermaine Snell 5-7 Sr.

4 Fernando Maldonado 6-0 Sr.

11 Matt Cachola 5-10 Jr.

12 Zach Novak 6-1 Jr.

21 Jorge Prado 5-9 Sr.

22 Micah Young 6-3 Sr.

23 Lewis Bradshaw 6-3 Jr.

33 Jermaine Young 6-1 Jr.

34 Erik Andersen 5-10 Jr.

44 Carlos Pinto 6-3 Fr.

50 Joey Lindquist 6-7 Jr.

Coach: Chris Sorce