soderberg transfers

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SoCalHoops High School News

Mater Dei Loses Soderbergs
To Corona Centennial--(Jan 7, 1999)

Thanks to Ben Bloch, a sportswriter for the LA Times and to our friend Steve Fryer at the Orange County Register, it seems that the news which first broke on our message board yesterday, and which we discounted as a rumor, was in fact true: Erik Soderberg (6'-9" Jr. F/C) and his brother, Lance Soderberg (6'-8" So. SG/SF/PF) have both left Mater Dei, and will reportedly enroll at Corona Centennial. Their father Mark, an assistant coach at Mater Dei for the last several years, has also resigned.

According to the reports, published today in the Times Orange County Edition and the Register, Mater Dei head coach Gary McKnight confirmed the fact that the two players and their father have left the school. "The travel was killing them," McKnight told the Register's Steve Fryer. According to the Times' account, the back and forth commute from the Soderberg home in Corona to the school Santa Ana, "was getting too much for them," McKnight said. McKnight also told Bloch that he also believes Erik Soderberg may have wanted more playing time, "although the player never brought up the issue with McKnight." McKnight told Fryer that he believes the transfers are in fact "a blow" to his program, but Bloch's account is slightly different, and quotes McKnight as saying that he does not expect the transfers to hurt his team: "We'll be fine," McKnight told the Times. "I probably have one of the few programs that has that luxury" of possessing great depth.

Bloch also spoke with Corona Centennial Coach Val Popov, whose Huskies (12-2) are currently the top-ranked team in Riverside County. According to the published report, Popov said he expects the boys, along with their freshman brother, Brett, to enroll at Corona Centennial today. Popov added that he hasn't spoken with Mark Soderberg about coaching. "We're excited at the prospect of having [the boys]," Popov told the Times. "It adds to our depth, and that's a very positive thing for us." McKnight confirmed to the Register that he expects the boys to enroll at Corona Centennial as well.

Erik Soderberg has been on the team for the last two seasons, but never got much playing time, even with the injuries Jamal Sampson sustained last year which kept him out for much of the season, and McKnight instead turned to Mike Bayer last season. This year, while Erik's time had initially been increasing, and he began the season as a starter, but instead of improving and getting more playing time, Erik lost his spot to younger brother Lance. According to Bloch's article, Lance " had converted 54% of his field-goal attempts coming into this week." Gary McKnight acknowledged to the Times that Lance was probably the more skilled of the two,saying "Lance has got potential to be a CIF player of the year. He's a very solid player."

While coach McKnight might want to downplay the effect of the transfers, there's no denying that Mater Dei has lost depth with these two transfers, and with the earlier transfer of Adam Tancredi (6'-9" Jr. C) who transferred to Santa Margarita during the summer. The loss of the Soderbergs now means that Mater Dei has "just" Jamal Sampson (6'-11" Jr. C) and Harrison Schaen (6'-8" Fr. F) as the only two players with any real height capable of playing inside against other big men. The next tallest player is wing Mike Strawberry (6'-5" So. SG/SF). Schaen, one of the most talented freshman and much heralded prior to coming to Mater Dei, had been receiving little playing time up until now, and it looks certain that he'll get to prove what he can do now.