Let the real games begin

Patrick Laverty

Newport Harbor High will begin the Sea View league boys basketball

season tonight without four-year letterman Jamie Diefenbach.

Diefenbach, a 6-foot-8 center who has signed a letter of intent to

play volleyball at UCLA, is out for the season after tearing the

anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Harbor’s trip to

Juneau, Alaska, during the holidays. The injury comes on the heels of

a torn ACL in his right knee that kept him out the entire 2002-03

season.

“I fell horrible for him,” Newport Harbor Coach Larry Hirst said.

“He worked so hard to rehab the other knee and he’s just a great

student and a great citizen.”

The Sailors (9-6) will attempt to compete for one of the top spots

in league without a big man for the first time in Hirst’s nine

seasons as coach. They’ll be immediately challenged tonight at 7

against visiting Foothill (10-6), a game that could decide who will

challenge favorite Woodbridge (9-6).

“I think it’s Woodbridge and after that it’s anybody’s guess,”

Hirst said.

A difficult nonleague schedule should have the Warriors prepared

to defend their league title of a year ago.

David Burgess, a 6-10 senior center who has committed to BYU, once

again leads the Warriors, averaging 17.3 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks. But Woodbridge also has 6-8 Jon Winder, who is averaging

8.9 points and 7.5 rebounds. Kyle Farrell, a 6-5 senior, also

averages double figures in scoring for Woodbridge.

No other team in the league can match Woodbridge’s height. With

Diefenbach, who was averaging 14.7 points before the injury, the

Sailors at least had a presence against Burgess. Without him,

Harbor’s game plan changes immensely.

“I think it’s going to be more of a collective effort,” Hirst

said. “I don’t think there’s one guy that can bring to the table what

Jamie did.”

Attempting to pick up some of the slack will be 6-2 junior Taylor

Young (more than 11 points per game), 6-5 junior Brett Perrine (eight

points per game) and 6-3 sophomore Dennis Heenan (nearly six points

per game).

Foothill, led by seniors Brandt Bangs (16.3 points) and Ben

Worrall (14.1 points), should be one of the Sailors’ primary

competitors for the top three spots in league. Hirst said Bangs might

be the best guard in the league.

Aliso Niguel (10-7) also looks like a solid ballclub. Michael

Roll, a 6-4 junior, leads the Wolverines with a 17.8 scoring average.

6-foot junior Terence Green (11.8) and 6-6 senior John Wise (9.2) are

also among Aliso’s leading scorers.

Despite sub-.500 records entering league play, Laguna Hills (6-10)

and Irvine (4-11) are also dangerous teams. Karter Stone, a 6-5

senior, is averaging 21.4 points and 6-5 senior Brock Tillotson is

adding 15.9 for the Hawks. The Vaqueros are led by Grant Verrill’s

15.9 points and Nasi Heider’s 13.8 scoring average.

*

In Ryan Curry’s first two seasons as Corona del Mar boys

basketball coach, the Sea Kings lost all eight Pacific Coast League

games they played against Northwood and University.

But CdM’s steady improvement under Curry led to a third-place

finish in league last year and with a team led by three senior guards

this season, hopes and expectations have grown.

“I’d like to think that we’ll make a run for the title and it goes

through Northwood and University,” Curry said.

University (11-3) seems to be the front-runner based on its early

season performance. Jon Anson, a 6-foot-3 senior, leads the Trojans

in scoring, averaging more than 23 points per game and is the primary

three-point threat for a team that isn’t afraid to launch the ball

from beyond the arc.

Northwood, the defending PCL champ, is 9-7 entering league play

and 6-4 sophomore Tino Zaragoza is averaging more than 20 points.

“The consensus is they’re down a little bit, but watching them

play, they’re still very good,” Curry said.

While Calvary Chapel (1-11), which lost to CdM in a third-place

playoff game last season, has struggled, both Laguna Beach (8-8) and

Tesoro (11-5) are also expected to battle with the Sea Kings to move

into the top half of league.

The Breakers, under first-year Coach Mark Hill, have particularly

impressed Curry.

Laguna Beach is led in scoring by 5-11 freshman Cheyne Martin,

averaging 18.3 points. Ivan Kovacevic, a 6-4 junior, is averaging

14.8 points and 9.1 rebounds.

Tesoro, with seniors on the roster for the first time, is led by

6-2 junior Patrick Marion and 6-3 junior Shane Keough. With 11 wins,

they’ve already qualified for an at-large berth in the playoffs, but

they’ll surely be looking for the automatic qualification that comes

with a top-three finish in league.

The Sea Kings will attempt to keep the Titans and Breakers out of

the top half of league standings. Pancho Seaborn leads CdM, averaging

17.3 points. Jay Northridge (12.2 points), Adam Freede (9 points) and

Ryan Lance (5.3 points) are also key contributors.

For an undersized team like the Sea Kings -- Seaborn is the

tallest starter at 6-3 -- the key will be transition basketball.