Schacter: This CdM team even better

CORONA DEL MAR — As the Corona del Mar High boys’ basketball team scrimmaged, Coach Ryan Schachter shook his head.

“What is this?” he asked himself. “What’s going on?”

He looked at assistant coach Jason Simco for answers. It just wasn’t the same team that won the CIF Southern Section Division III-A championship last year.

What Schachter and Simco quickly discovered is this group is better and deeper.

Ten potential starters were fighting daily for court time. All this passion before the season starts today against Westminster at the La Quinta Tournament at Servite High only boded well for the Sea Kings.

“These guys were just competing, doing whatever to win rebounds, loose balls. The starters didn’t have an easy time,” Schachter said. “Now these guys get what it takes to win.”

In his first year at CdM, Schachter returned the program back to its dominant years, when it won section titles in the 1994-95, 1992-93, 1980-81 and 1976-77 seasons. He was named last year’s Division III-A Coach of the Year.

No more being pushed out in the first-round like in recent years. Now it’s the Sea Kings shoving their way past everyone.

They’re the No.11-ranked Division III team in the state by CalHiSports.com.

Three starters are back on a senior-laden team, headlined by 6-foot-9 center Stefan Kaluz. The Brown University-bound senior earned the Division III-A Player of the Year award as well as the Newport-Mesa Dream Team Player of the Year honor after averaging 21 points, 12 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game last season.

Kaluz will have help again after leading CdM last year to a 22-8 overall record and 7-1 to win a share of the Pacific Coast League championship. This time the Sea Kings don’t expect to share anything, just the load to return to the top.

The starting front line again will be physically imposing with Kaluz, 6-6 small forward Joe Eberhard, a returning starter, and 6-6 power forward Adam Brakeville, a JSerra transfer.

Look for Eberhard, who had surgery to repair a broken nose, to score more than his 9.7 points per game last season, and for Brakeville, who’s received interest from Air Force, to get more minutes than he did at JSerra.

At the guard spots, Schachter is delighted to have back his distributor, Erik Rask. He missed his junior year after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in football.

“In the summer before his junior year, he was hands down the best player on the team,” said Schachter of Rask. “He’s still not 100 percent and with a knee injury like that there is more stress put on it in a sport like basketball because of the constant moving, cuts, lateral, turning, you name it.”

Joining Rask in his senior year in the backcourt is junior sharpshooter Sean Donovan, a returnee.

Donovan missed the summer league in which Eberhard averaged around 28 points per game. Schachter said Donovan in the spring tore a tendon in his thumb.

For every starter, there’s another on the bench waiting for his chance to produce.

Returnees in junior guard Joey Jones, senior forward Ali Meshkin, and senior guards Andy Rovzar and Kevin Rask, as well as newcomers in junior forward/center Steven Gallian and freshman point guard Clayton Ragsdale are all strong backups.

“Our first four guys off the bench are better than the four guys off the bench last year,” said Schachter, who lost his most athletic player in guard Eddie Lane to graduation. “We’re going to need our bench to play crucial minutes because this year is not going to be like last year.”

The Sea Kings’ schedule is more taxing than a year ago. CdM will be at the Nike Extravaganza at Mater Dei on Feb. 2, when it will play Gahr of Cerritos, the San Gabriel Valley League champion.

Other tournament games are against Etiwanda, the Baseline League champ, and two teams finishing runner-up in their respective tough leagues, Santa Margarita (Trinity League) and Villa Park (Century League).

The reason behind setting up these intense matchups makes sense.

“We’re one of four teams that can win the [section] championship and this will prepare us for the playoffs,” said Schachter before noting the other three section contenders, last year’s runner-up Renaissance Academy of La Canada, which returns its starting five, semifinalist West Valley of Hemet, and semifinalist Perris, last year’s favorite.

“I’m really excited about this group of players. They know what it takes and they want to be pushed.”

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at david.carrillo@latimes.com.