Lightning breaking new ground

Barry Faulkner

If one went searching for Sage Hill High boys basketball on the

Internet, the keyword might be novelty.

Steve Keith is the third coach in the school’s third year of

existence and the program is coming off its first varsity campaign,

which produced an 8-10 record (5-6 in league, including a setback in

a third-place Academy League playoff game that ended its season).

Further, this is the first senior class for the Lightning, for

whom all 10 players were on last year’s varsity.

“These kids never had senior role models to look up to and they

don’t have that tradition,” said Keith, recognized as one of the top

coaches in Orange County during his 12-year tenure at Irvine High,

after guiding Glendale to a pair of CIF Southern Section titles in 10

seasons. He has 367 varsity victories as a prep head coach. “The

biggest obstacle right now is learning how to practice correctly,

staying focused and intense for two hours.”

Keith, however, said he has been pleasantly surprised by the

talent level of this team, led by 2002 all-league performers Michael

Fitzhugh and Kevin Joyce.

“To be honest, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a Division V game,

so I wasn’t sure what to expect,” Keith said. “But I may have

underestimated the basketball played at this level. There is no great

depth and the players may not be as big as the ones playing Division

I, but I have a feeling we have some pretty good players. There were

teams I coached at Irvine that didn’t have much more talent than

these guys and we were driving to Santa Margarita, not (Academy

League foe) St. Margaret’s. So, I’m very optimistic.”

Fitzhugh, a versatile 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior who averaged more

than 17 points last season, has already thoroughly impressed Keith.

“He would be a good player anywhere and he has a chance to be one

of the standout players in Orange County,” Keith said. “He would have

been a go-to guy for me at Glendale or Irvine, so to have his ability

at our level is a real luxury. He’s the type of player you don’t want

to ascribe a position to. He’s almost Kobe-esque in that sense. If we

had more depth, he could be our point guard, but he’s also our best

post player. He’s very athletic and explosive and he’ll be a tough

matchup. We’ll run a motion offense, which will allow players the

freedom to play inside and outside and he’ll be a perfect fit for

that.”

Joyce, a 6-3 junior wing, is the team’s best outside shooter,

Keith said. He averaged nearly 15 points last season.

“He’s a classic wing player and we’ll use him at the point a

little bit, so I like his versatility,” Keith said. “We’ll put him

and Mike on the same side of the floor a lot, which will put some

pressure on the defense. They’ll have a little Batman and Robin thing

going, as our one-two punch.

Erik Williams, a 5-10 senior, averaged 8.5 points as a point guard

last season, but will shift to the wing this year.

“He brings an element of athleticism we don’t have at every spot,”

Keith said. “He can disrupt things and create havoc with his

quickness on defense and he’ll be a perimeter player for us on

offense.

Matt Loper, a 5-10 sophomore who averaged close to four points as

a freshman, will start at point guard. Keith has already come to

admire his basketball IQ.

“Mentally, he’s exactly what you want in a point guard,” Keith

said. “He’s a sponge, a student of the game and he communicates well

with me. He is still developing physically, but he can be a good

shooter. He’s smart enough to play the position and having him at

point frees up some of our better scorers.”

Scott Cho, like Williams a football standout, is slated to start

at center. A 6-3 senior, he brings a physical presence in the paint.

Junior Tim Wilkins and sophomore Blake Brewer will add depth at

the wing spots, while senior Cliff Swanson, a fullback and linebacker

on the football team, is a 225-pound banger down low.

Juniors Paul Youssef and Alex Cochran will battle for time at

point guard and center, respectively.

Keith, who acknowledged a prejudice against zone defenses, said he

will count on assistant Dave Shoemaker, a former prep head coach who

spent 10 seasons as an assistant at the University of the Pacific, to

implement his trademark pressure man-to-man.

“Dave is in charge of the defense, so if we give up any points, I

want to see his name in the paper,” Keith quipped.

The Lightning tips off Tuesday at 7 p.m. at home against Garden

Grove, then hosts Laguna Beach Thursday, also at 7. It opens Academy

League play Jan. 10 against Brethren Christian.