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SoCalHoops HS Top 20
Division II-A--
(Revised Dec. 16, 2000)

socalogominitop20.gif (2380 bytes)Preseason Southern Section D-IIA Top 20 (revised Dec. 16, 2000)
        
1 Redondo Redondo lost in semifinals to Dominguez 79-61, this could be the year they successfully challenge the Dons, who are in coaching turmoil. Other than losing Andrew Zahn, they return UCLA-bound Dijon Thompson, Adam Zahn, top rising point guard Keith Ellison, Brendan Behan, Trent Turner, big man Paul Meynen (6'-11" Jr C) and Wendell White as well as some new surprises.
2 Mayfair Stanford-bound Josh Childress, and Ivy League-bound Eddie Draughan, headed to Yale can take this team wherever they want, and it will likely be to the Section finals.
3 Monrovia Bryant Markson (6'-6" Sr. F), Ryan O'Hara (6'-7" Jr. G/F), and Thomas Herring (6'-7" Fr. F) have been nearly unstoppable in the preseason, stumbling only to Bishop Amat in a tournament game. The Wildcats finished 24-3 last season, w inning the Rio Hondo League and advancing to the Division III-AA quarterfinals -- losing to eventual champion Bishop Montgomery. Now in II-A, Monrovia coach Doug Schmidt is also looking to senior guard Germaine Dixon and forward Tyree Collier as well as Damien Hart, Kyn Wallick and David Jones.
4 Muir CSUN-signee Joe Frazier and Devon Thomas lead this talented team which has been successful in the preseason; only big loss in the preseason has come to Mayfair, a team they could see again in the playoffs.  Muir was 21-8 last year, and 4th year coach Don Grant believes this team can go farther. Brandon Willis and junior Jamaal Hall will also provide offense, as will Seth Davis (6'-6" Sr. F), Ryan Hollins (6'-10" Jr. C), Malcolm Johnson,  Horace Wormely, a 5'-3" speedster.
5 Artesia Artesia returns Ryan Reyes, 6'-8" Ryan Meiueller, Tony Roberts, Malcolm Herron, and a new coach in Scott Pera, and the Pioneers have done surprisingly well given all the turmoil the program has been through since last spring. Still a contender.
6 Ocean View Marques Crane and Torin Beeler are the proven veterans on this team surrounded by a lot of other talent. Lost to Artesia in the Section finals last year; could have the talent to return.
7 Bishop Amat Upset Monrovia in the preseason at the Alhambra Tournament, and could challenge some of the other top teams in the division.   Was it a fluke, or are they really this good?  Time will tell if John Haywood, Alex Gomez, Wesley Walker and junior Josh Myles can continue to make it happen.
8 Newbury Park Newbury Park returns Aaron Bobik, an excellent shooter whose brother Dan will be at BYU next year after completing a Mormon mission.   The Panthers also have Chris Randall and Adam Carlson, and they won the Thousand Oaks tournament. Could challenge Simi again for supremacy in the Marmonte League.
9 Diamond Ranch This is a team that could challenge Charter Oak for the Miramonte title this year behind the play of  Daniel Knott who averaged 18 ppg last season, and Richard Coomb who averaged 15 ppg.  A deep team with 10 returning varsity players and a new gym team also has help from Aaron Williams, Joe Davis, Mike Criscione, DeAndre Laurie and Evan Flagg.
10 Compton Return Darrin Foster (6'-1" Sr. G), Mike Grier (6'-6" Jr. G), and Marcus Williams (5'-11" Sr. G), but that's it form last year's roster. Of course that could be the good news too, since Compton finished 7-5 in league (3rd) and 15-7 overall after losing to Bellflower in the first round of playoffs. New players include Sione Sione (6'-0" Jr.), Allen McMillan (6'-5" So F), Gary Hester (6'-1" Sr. G), Elmer Moore (6'-1" Sr. G), Trayvon Thomas (6'-2" Sr. G), Donte Maddox (5'-10" So. G), and Ronald Ramsey (6'-6" Jr. F)
11 Dos Pueblos Junior combo guard Stephen Graybill has turned into a one-man wrecking crew for Dos Pueblos. Whether he can sustain it during the regular season, and whether his teammates will also step up to balance the scoring remains to be seen.
12 Magnolia Geoffrey Clayton and Isaiah Bryant have been the mainstays for Magnolia during the preseason, which has only achieved spotty results thus far.  Will need to gain focus and intensity, as well as more consistent play to achieve their potential.
13 Servite Started out strong, and then faltered. Sebastian Zeilonka and Billy Burfeind have been solid performers but will need a more consistent effort to avoid falling further. The tough Serra league competition is virtually guaranteed to insure Servite gets at least 4 losses in league play.
14 Charter Oak Could be capable of challenging for the Miramonte League title. David Boler, Todd Hurst and Jason Grissom have been effective and at times impressive in the preseason.
15 HH Wilson James Griffin (6'-2" Sr. G), Joey Richards and Jermaine Johnson have been the offensive powers on this Wilson team.
16 Rosemead Richard Van Zandt and Mario Cobian have helped lead Rosemead to some solid preseason tourament game wins.
17 Palm Desert Josh Zazulia and Dionte Harris have helped lead Palm Desert to some good preseason wins; will need more depth and consistency during the regular season to make a run in league and playoffs.
18 Bonita Kyle Johnson, Chris Dean and Justin Miller have been the mainstays offensively in the early preseason, but Bonita has had games where all 11 of its players have scored. Beaten the teams they expected to beat, but can they win the big games?
19 Atascadero Are they good or have their opponents just been bad? Travis Nelson, Riley Prickett and Jordan Leiser have been the main offensive weapons, but the team as a whole has not shot or played up to potential. We'll see. . .

20

Culver City Spotty preseason performances, they've beaten some tough teams (Price) and lost to others like Hamilton and Murphy. An enigma, but more promising than last season. 
         

socalogominitop20.gif (2380 bytes)Preseason
Southern Section
Others Not Ranked
(In alphabetical order)

Apple Valley
Barstow
Bloomington
Bolsa Grande
Buena Park
Cabrillo--Long Beach
Calabasas
Don Bosco

Fullerton
Glenn
Granite Hills
Hesperia
Kaiser (10-11 only)
La Habra
La Puente
La Quinta--Westminster
Lompoc
Los Altos
Mountain View
Norwalk
Pacifica
Pioneer
Rancho Alamitos
San Luis Obispo
Serrano
Sierra Vista
South Hills
Temple City
Western