CIF-SS Large Enrollment Division
Preview:
Golden West League 2001-02--(Nov. 2, 2001)
| GOLDEN WEST LEAGUE Ocean View Saddleback Santa Ana Tustin Westminster |
The Golden West League is considered to be one of the most competitive leagues in Orange County, and features perrenial D-II favorite Ocean View as well as Tustin, Westminster, Saddleback and Santa Ana. Ocean View always hosts one of the best pre-league December tournaments, "The Ocean View Tournament of Champions" which will be played this year from December 10-15 in Huntington Beach (with the possibility of games also played at Mater Dei). The teams in the Golden West League generally fall into the Division II levels of enrollment, and this year could be the same depending on how the cutoffs for playoffs are applied by the Southern Section. We're looking for Ocean View to repeat as league champs and to make a deep run in whatever division they wind up in post-season. As for the rest, it will be a battle for second place. Team information is listed according to the order of league finish (from first to last) from the 2000-01 season, and not in alphabetical order, nor in predicted order of finish this year (although we don't think it will really be much different if there is any change this season). Here's what we know, and what we've gleaned from the LA Times preview of Ocean View and the entire league preview published by the OC Register on Saturday, 11/24/01 (the day after we originally posted this preview):
| Golden West League Rosters | Golden West League Schedules |
| Ocean
View- 8-0, 20-6 (1st) "Seahawks Returning and new players will include: Greg Okwudibonye 6'-2" So. G Somehow, Jim Harris just keeps getting it done, and continues to bring potential D-I players along, as well as always being one of the top teams in whatever division the Seahawks wind up in for the playoffs, and this year they should again be the team to be in their league, and could be a top divisional contender as well. With some excellent returning players, and key transfer Matt Sargeant from Pasadena Poly, they should be very competitive. They lost Torin Beeler (Liberty) and Marcus Crane (JUCO) to graduation, and thus lost their two key scoring options, but should still be strong. Ocean View will attract a lot of very tough competition to their own "Tournament of Champions" including Morningside, Redondo, Verbum Dei, Canyon Anaheim, Rialto, HH Wilson, Lynwood, Mater Dei, Artesia, Mayfair, Perris, Fountain Valley, as well as several key LA City Section and San Diego teams. The Seahawks will then compete in two local-regional tournaments, one up in SLO at the Arroyo Grande and the other at Estancia. Update 11/22/01: Here's what the LA Times' local paper, the Huntington Beach Independent, had to say about Ocean View: SCHOOL: Ocean View Seahawks Local sportswriter, Mike Sciacca, who compiled the previews of the local Hungting Beach-based teams for the Independent also wrote the following about Ocean View: "At Ocean View High, veteran head coach Jim Harris begins his 24th season next week. Ocean View has always been known to feature talented, precision teams during Harris' tenure, which includes an overall record of 442-186 and a CIF championship at the end of the 1997-98 season. His 2001-02 Seahawks will be looking to win a fifth consecutive Golden West League championship and make a fifth straight Final Four appearance. "We have the talent to do it," said Harris, whose Seahawks begin the season next Wednesday in the Martin Luther King Tournament [sic--it's actually a one-day series of four games, and Ocean View will only play one game] at Glendora High." Update: 11/24/01 from the OC Register: The Register published their Golden West League Preview on Saturday, 11/24/01, and it didn't have any more information than we have above, but in the interest of equal time, here's what the Register said: Coach: Jim Harris (24th season, 442-186) 2000-01 records, league finish: 22-7, 8-0 (1st) Returners: Newcomers to watch: Outlook--Ocean Veiw has too many weapons to relinquish its Golden West League crown.
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Ocean View Coach: Jim Harris N 28 @ Martin Luther Kin |
| Westminster--5-3,
13-5 (2nd) "Lions" Returning players should include: Louis An 5'-10" Jr. G Jason Diaz 5'-10" Jr. G Akilah Lacey 6'-3" Sr. F David Becker 5'-10" Sr. G Andy Tran 5'-8" Sr. G Westminster graduated 9 seniors from last year's roster, so whether they are able to duplicate their second place finish is very much in question. We don't know anything about new players coming up, but they should be a fairly competitive team. Update 11/24/01: The OC Register published a Golden West League preview on Saturday, 11/24, and in it they had the following information about Westminster: "Coach: Jesse Miramontez (3rd season,
17-23) Returners: Newcomers to watch: "Outlook: A 50 game summer season might push the Lions in the right direction for another playoff berth."
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Westminster Coach: Jess Miramontez N-26/D-1 @ Buena Park TournD 11-15 @ Western Tourn 17-22 @ Garden Grove Tourn 29 Western J 02 *Tustin 05 Huntington Beach 09 @ *Saddleback 11 @ *Ocean View 12 Mater Dei 15 St John Bosco 16 *Santa Ana 18 @ *Tustin 26 Rancho Alamitos 30 *Saddleback F 01 *Ocean View 02 @ Glendora Nike Extrav 06 @ *Santa Ana |
| Tustin--4-4, 11-15
(3rd) "Tillers" The
Tillers lost quite a few players to graduation also. Returning players should include : Update 11/24/01 from the OC Register: While the Times hasn't yet covered the entire Golden West League, the Register has, and they also included a preview of the Tustin Tillers in the Saturday, 11/24/01 issue of the paper (not online, but in print version only). Here it is: Coach: Rich Bossenmeyer (second season, 11-15) Returners: Newcomers to watch: The Register had only this to add in their "outlook" of the team: "The Tillers will be a young squad again." What we're curious about is Isaiah Whisenton.... we've heard that Tustin picked up a big man, but we're curious to see him. Can't wait.....
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Tustin Coach: Rich Bossenmeyer D 3-8 @ Fullerton Tourn |
| Saddleback--2-6, 6-20 (4th) Saddleback and Santa Ana were the two teams in the league that didn't make the playoffs, and as a result, we didn't have roster information for either team at the time we first posted this preview. On November 24, 2001, the OC Register featured it's "Golden West League basketball previews" for both boys and girls teams. Here's what the paper had to say about Saddleback, which wasn't a lot, but it was more than we had: Coach: Tim Messenhimer (7th season, 42-110) Returners: Newcomers to watch: Outlook-- The Roadrunners would like to get a playoff berth, and Gonzalez mighy lead them to it.
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Saddleback Coach: Tim Mesenhimer N-26/D-1 @ Buena Park Tourn27 @ Los Amigos D 3-8 @ La Quinta Tourn 11 @ Garden Grove 14 @ Huntington Beach 19 @ Costa Mesa 26-29 @ Century Tourn J 04 @ *Tustin 05 @ Western 09 *Westminster 11 @ *Santa Ana 18 @ *Ocean View 25 *Tustin 30 @ *Westminster F 01 *Santa Ana 04 *Ocean View |
| Santa Ana--1-9, 6-17 (5th) Saddleback and Santa Ana were the two teams in the league that didn't make the playoffs last year, and as a result, we didn't have roster information for either team at the time we first posted this preview. On November 24, 2001, the OC Register featured it's "Golden West League basketball previews" for both boys and girls teams. Here's what the paper had to say about Santa Ana, which wasn't a lot, but it was more than we had: Coach: Adrian Gomez (6th season 45-80) 2000-01 Records, league finish: 6-17, 1-9 (5th) Returners: Newcomers to watch: Chris Chavez 6'-3" Sr. F Outlook-- Conditioning will play a major role in
how far Santa Ana Goes this season. |
Santa Ana Coach: Adrian Gomez N 26 @ El Toro |
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