CIF-SS Small Enrollment Division
Preview:
Delphic League 2001-02--(Nov. 12, 2001)
| DELPHIC LEAGUE Brentwood Campbell Hall Crossroads Montclair Prep Pacific Hills Whitney |
The Delphic League is one of those leagues where there's always a lot of talent showing up somewhere (other than Whitney....and to be serious for a moment, we've actually seen a few talented players on some of the Whitney squads over the years too), and this year is going to be interesting because it's the first time since anyone can remember when Crossroads didn't have some marquee name attached to it. No Baron Davis (UCLA and Charlotte Hornets), no Isaiah Fox (Arizona), no Felipe Williams, etc., ad infinitum. Sure they have some talent this year, but we just don't see anyone with the star-power of either of these athletes on the current rosters. But then who knows who is going to explode this season, right? Montclair Prep has been saying that this is going to be their year, and perhaps it will be. With two players close to 7' tall, with good guard play and three foreign students who were ineligible last year under the CIF's residential eligibility rules, but who will be eligible this season, they could have a chance to take the title. Campbell Hall loses two of its best players, but picks up a solid transfer from Loyola, Matt Llewellyn a 6'-2" SG , a player with a shooter's conscience and a nice stroke. Brentwood is young and Pacific Hills has a solid guard in Amahl Amedu, but who else will show up for the Bruins is a mystery right now. And as for Whitney, well.....they've probably got the highest SAT scores in the entire CIF. Really, we're not making that up.
What follows is what we know about the teams thus far this season, which means we're looking at old rosters and predicting who will be returning and which younger players will be stepping up. The schedules are accurate as far as we know, We encourage coaches to send us their official rosters (via e-mail) and any other information about their teams so we can update these previews.
| Delphic League Rosters | Delphic League Schedules |
| Crossroads--18-5, 9-0
(1st) "Roadrunners" Crossroads won a CIF-SS Division IV-A title and the State Championship in Division IV again last year, but unless they've got someone who can replace 6'-9" 250 lb. Isaiah Fox, who is now at the University of Arizona, we'd say this will be a rebuilding season for the Roadrunners. Actually, they've got a pretty good base installed to build from, so they shouldn't be too far away from being a contender again this season, and frankly, until someone beats them, they are still the defending champions of the league. Here's the roster of players who we expect to be returning, as well as the addition of a new guard to replace the now graduated Anthony Locke: Nick Wong 5'-10" Jr. G We have heard rumors that Joe Abrahams will be playing golf not basketball, but again those are just rumors, and until we don't see him on the court, we just don't buy it. Crossroads will be playing its usually stiff schedule, starting with the Pacific Shores Classic, a single game at Crenshaw on December 6, and the Powerade Las Vegas Holiday Prep Classic. Even without Fox they will still be a very tough opponent for any team in their league, and even if they aren't, their coach, Darryl Roper is fun to watch on the sidelines, almost as much fun as watching Don Lippi from St. Ignatius in San Francisco (sorry, if you haven't seen either of them, you just won't understand....) |
Crossroads Coach: Daryl Roper N-27/D-1 @ Redondo TournD 04 St John Bosco 06 @ Crenshaw 18 St Monica 26-29 @ Las Vegas, NV Tourn J 08 @ Campbell Hall 12 @ *Pacific Hills 15 *Montclair Prep 17 *Pacific Hills 18 *Brentwood 22 @ *Whitney 25 *Campbell Hall F 01 @ *Montclair Prep 02 @ Chadwick 05 @ *Brentwood 07 *Whitney |
| Montclair
Prep--6-4, 11-13 (2nd tie) "Mounties" The Mounties are expected to return the following players for 2001-02: Sebastian Anderle 6'-10" Sr. F Gone is Derek Daniels 6'-7" Sr. F, the huge inside presence who reportedly moved back to New York to play football, but the three foreign guys (Blaise Louh, Marko Bozovic and Slobodon Cvijovic) who were confined to JV last season are reportedly now eligible for varsity competition. The Mounties will be one of the tallest teams around (Calabasas actually has more tall guys, so the Mounties don't win the title of "tallest team in the Valley") and certainly one of the league favorites this year. Montclair Prep the past two seasons has been in the Division V-AA playoffs, and each year they've had the misfortune of meeting Buckley, and both seasons the Mounties have gone home early, but this year, given the differences in enrollment levels for the two schools, and the playoff division reconfiguration taking place, it's likely that Buckley and MCP will be in different divisions for the playoffs. Montclair Prep will be playing a very challenging schedule outside of league play, including participating in two top prep tournaments (the Las Vegas Holiday Prep Classic and the Torrey Pines National Prep), and they will also play a game against Artesia shortly after the first of the year at Artesia prior to launching into the league schedule. If they can avoid injury and eligibility problems this year, they will be a tough opponent for just about anyone.
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Montclair Prep Coach: Tyrone Fuller D 11 Rolling Hills |
| Pacific Hills--6-4,
17-9 (2nd tie) "Bruins" It's always hard to get a read on Pacific Hills, particularly since they only had 7 active players on the roster last year, 6 by the end of the season, and graduated all but two. Still, we've heard that they have a lot of the "4-D" kids coming in this year, so here's who we expect to see: Ahmal Amedu 5'-11" Sr. G We don't expect them to win the league this year, but stanger things have happened.
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Pacific Hills Coach: Kevin Kelsey N-26/D-1 Brethren Chr TournD 03 @ Rolling hills Prep 04 Yeshiva 06 @ Ribet academy 10-14 Calvary Chapel/D Tourn 17 @ Price 26-29 Granite Hills Tourn J 08 @ *Whitney 12 *Crossroads 15 @ *Brentwood 17 @ *Crossroads 19 *Campbell Hall 22 @ *Montclair Prep 26 *Whitney F 02 *Brentwood 05 @ *Campbell Hall 07 *Montclair Prep |
| Campbell Hall--5-5, 10-12 (4th)
"Vikings" For the second time in two years, the Vikings have a new coach and lots of player turnover. Cleveland Jackson, who replaced Brian Halloossim, reportedly left this past summer, and we don't know who will replace him. The Vikings also lost their two best players, Derrick Williams 6'-4" Jr. F, who transferred to Price, and Robert Locke (6'-0" Jr. PG) who transferred to Crossroads (thereby taking his brother Anthony's spot at the point after Anthony graduated this past June). The Vikings do pick up an excellent player, Matt Llewellyn (6'-2" Sr. G), so maybe he'll make a two-for-one trade not look so uneven. Even with the guys who left though, Campbell Hall failed to make the playoffs last season, so they're looking for a return to post-season action as well as a shot at finishing in the upper half of the league. Here's the roster as far as we know it: JD Washington 5'-5" Sr. G |
Campbell Hall Coach: TBA D 01 Valley Torah |
| Brentwood--3-7, dnr (5th) Brentwood didn't finish in the top half of the league, and didn't make the playoffs either last year, but this year they return one of the better teams in the league, a year older and wiser. Here's what we know: Nick Henry 6'-2' Jr. G As you can see, this is a young team, with only a
few returning starters, two to be precise, Henry and Turner. Henry is an excellent shooter
and scorer, while Turner is a good athlete and scorer. Nishimura will be the primary
ball-handler & team leader. Ean Dickerson defends, passes, & rebounds well
while Donfeld is a 3 pt. specialist. The Coaching Staff is: Will Callanen, Head Varsity in
his 3rd season at Brentwood; Woody Jones Varsity Asst. second season at Brentwood;
Jess Rodriquez Varsity Asst. second season at Brentwood, Jack Tarango JV Head &
Varsity Asst. second season at Brentwood; Aaron Pharr JV Asst. & Varsity Asst. first
season at We heard from the coaching staff and here's their outlook on the season: "The team has terrific basketball skills which should make up for a lack of size up front. Big guards and wing players should help with the rebounding. An uptempo attack offensively and defensively should be a new look for the Eagles this year. A successful summer should have give this team a headstart on the season." |
Brentwood Coach: William Callanen N 27 @ Milken Community |
| Whitney--0-10,
8-13 (6th) We don't have a clue. Really. No clue. If anyone has a roster, send it in. Update 11/27/01: The Long Beach Press Telegram's "Prep Sports" section (also a website) featured it's boys' basketball prep previews today and yesterday (11/26 & 11/27), and among the leagues and teams featured was a brief rundown by staff writers James Melroy and Ted Kian on the Serra League. Here's the excerpt on Whitney, the only school within the paper's coverage area in the league, so understandably, they didn't say anything else about the other schools. What follows can also be found as part of the story in the link above: "Though the league appears to be a bit down this season, it doesn't appear that Whitney will be able to take advantage of the league's upper echelon. Senior point guard David You and junior Daniel Son will form a decent backcourt for the Wildcats, but an undersized frontcourt could hurt Whitney. Seniors Sean Tsai and Tijani Hassan will try and make an impact in the paint for the Wildcats, but each stands just 6-2 and they will have to rely on heart and hustle to compete." |
Whitney Coach: Ken Henson N 26 @ Pacific Christian |
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