PREP BASKETBALL PREVIEW : THE TEAMS: : It’s Another Season of Mater Dei

Compiling a list of the top 10 boys’ basketball teams in Orange County over the past five years was relatively simple--at least to begin with.

One only needed to start with Mater Dei High School and then sit back and watch the Monarchs roll undefeated to a league title, a Southern Section championship and another 30-victory season.

The script has been virtually the same every year since Gary McKnight was named coach in 1982.

Under McKnight, the Monarchs have posted a 147-7 record, including 52 straight victories in the Angelus League. Mater Dei also has won four Southern Section titles and last season added the state Division I championship.

One more thing. Mater Dei has not lost to a county school in five seasons. Perennial powers Crenshaw and Long Beach Poly have defeated Mater Dei twice under McKnight, with all four games going into overtime. The other losses came against St. Bernard and nationally recognized DeMatha and Oak Hill Academy.

The 1987-88 season opens today with Mater Dei perching at its familiar No. 1 position and then a host of schools vying for attention. Capistrano Valley, Marina and Woodbridge are certainly capable of dethroning the Monarchs as the county’s best team, but don’t count on it.

1. MATER DEI

Mater Dei, 31-1 last season, returns senior forwards Char Ruppel and Kevin Rembert and senior guard Mike Hopkins. Rembert averaged 11.5 points and was the team’s second-most effective player behind graduated center LeRon Ellis in the playoffs last season.

“Kevin isn’t quite in shape yet from football,� McKnight said, “and (point guard) Mark Ramstack has a sore shoulder that will keep him out of the starting lineup until after Christmas.

“We’re going to take some lumps early, but I think we’ll be a fine team in January. I like our depth. There isn’t much of a dropoff in talent when I go to the bench.�

There’s also a fine sophomore--6-foot 8-inch center Derrick Stone--waiting his turn, and McKnight said he’ll probably start the him tonight against Newport Harbor.

2. CAPISTRANO VALLEY

The Cougars can match Mater Dei’s depth and have a couple of fine underclassmen of their own in sophomore forward Scott McCorkle and sophomore guard Chris Kostoff.

Thornton puts McCorkle (6-5, 190 pounds) in the same category as former Cougar stars Burt and Nathan Call in terms of making an immediate impact.

Three mainstays--forwards Todd Marinovich and Randy Stark and 7-foot center Jim Waikle--are back from an 18-9 team that tied El Toro for the South Coast League title. Steve McCaughey, a 6-10 junior, should also help.

Thornton used 11 players in a scrimmage against Edison, with Marinovich and Stark sitting out the game. He anticipates some problems with depth.

“It’s going to be difficult keeping all of them happy,� he said.

3. MARINA

Here’s a name you can expect to see in the headlines over the next four years: Cherokee Parks. The 6-9 freshman was the talk of the summer league season with his physical skills and composure.

Was it merely coincidental that Steve Popovich, Marina coach, withdrew his name as a finalist for the opening at Trabuco Hills after he considered the prospects of coaching Parks for four seasons? Hardly.

Parks, 14, is the most talked-about freshman in Southern California. He needs some work defensively, but he has good hands and is not easily frustrated. He’ll be joined by a talented supporting cast that includes forwards Dan Floyd (6-7) and Steve Guild (6-6).

“I’m a little concerned about our quickness and defensive intensity,� Popovich said. “You can look at our height and say that’s a big advantage, but it’s also a disadvantage. We’re going to have problems matching up with smaller teams that shoot well.�

4. WOODBRIDGE

Poor Woodbridge. The Warriors won the state Division II title by a record 26 points and had to take a back seat to Mater Dei’s Division I title. Well, at least the Warriors can boast that they have the county’s best player this season.

Forward Adam Keefe averaged 22.2 points and 12.8 rebounds and shot 56% from the field in leading the Warriors to a 28-5 record. He already has signed with Stanford University. Keefe’s presence makes his teammates better players.

Keefe will have some impressive company on the frontline with newcomers Garth Anderson (6-8) at center and P.A. Emerson (6-6, 220 pounds) at forward. Talented Derrick Odum will start at point guard.

Bill Shannon, Woodbridge coach, has been downplaying the Warriors’ chances by saying how difficult it is to repeat, but his team appears to be equally as strong as last season’s.

5. EL TORO

Funny how one league title changes a school’s image. El Toro, a perennial football power, won its first South Coast basketball championship last season, and the Chargers are now considered a basketball power.

Of course, two notable football players--guard Bret Johnson and center Cory Wayland--played a big role in the drive to the title. Johnson averaged 17.9 points and 7.1 assists to earn all-county honors. Wayland averaged 11.5 rebounds and shot 57% from the field.

Both return, along with forwards Eric Speaker and Khari Johnson. Speaker was the team’s leading scorer with an 18.2 average and shot 52% from the field.

Bret’s freshman brother, Rob, and last season’s most valuable player on the freshman team, Greg Everett, should both help.

6. FOOTHILL

The Knights have finished second to Santa Ana in the Century League for two straight seasons, but that could change. Jim Reames, Foothill coach, has the players with size and experience to finally dethrone Santa Ana.

“Potentially, this is my best team in 11 years,� Reames said. “I’ve got five players with good size, good shooters and a group of newcomers coming off a JV team that went 24-2,� he said. “We had a great summer (24-6) that will hopefully lead to a good year.�

Heading the list of four returning starters is forward Greg Reiber, who averaged 14 points and 6 rebounds per game as a junior. The Knights beat Mater Dei, El Toro and Capistrano Valley (twice) during the summer.

“I feel good about this team,� Reames said. “I’m usually forced to start four guards, but this year I’ve got legitimate height for a change.�

7. SANTA ANA

The Saints were a team in turmoil last season, yet they somehow managed to win the Century League title.

Point guard Scooti Lynwood was dismissed from the team by Coach Greg Coombs in the second week of the season for continually breaking team rules. He has returned this season, and so far Lynwood has been a model player, coaches say.

Troubled center Bobby Joyce, one of the county’s most talented players, is also back. Last season, he was suspended from the Orange Tournament after his role in blocking the entrance to a referee’s dressing room with a soft drink machine that trapped two officials inside.

Two weeks ago, it appeared that Joyce had signed with Fresno State, and he even called a news conference to announce the signing. He later told reporters he had changed his mind.

George Tuioti, the starting quarterback on Santa Ana’s football team, also is expected to return at forward, but he hinted earlier this year that he might skip basketball if he signs with a Division I football program.

If Tuioti decides to play basketball, if Lynwood and Joyce play to their potential in every game and if sophomore Oscar Wilson continues to improve, the Saints will be one of the best teams. If not, it could be a long season.

8. WESTMINSTER

This is a team whose time has come. Four years ago, Coach Dick Katz elevated freshmen Marland Love and Mark Austin to the varsity and decided to build for the future. The next season, he introduced a string-bean sophomore center named Chris Tower.

The three have matured into three fine players. Tower committed to the University of New Mexico after a junior season in which he averaged 16.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Katz has five returning starters and his top eight players back from a team that finished 9-12 but gained considerable respect against top-flight competition. The Lions gave Mater Dei fits in a nonleague game. Westminster finished 16-4 in two summer leagues.

9. KENNEDY

Three weeks ago, John Mayberry, Kennedy coach, won the grand prize, a $6,000 economy car, in the school’s fall raffle, and he’s hoping his luck will carry over to the basketball season.

“I think we have a little more going for us than luck,� Mayberry said. “We can run with anybody. The problem may be getting the rebounds to start the break.�

Mayberry has two fast players in forward Michael Keith and guard Wendell Lauderdale, who both earned all-league honors as juniors. But neither is imposing on the boards.

The Irish move from the Empire League to the Garden Grove League where they have become the instant favorites. There’s little question that Kennedy can score, but its defensive play is questionable.

10. SUNNY HILLS

Sunny Hills made headlines this summer when several of the Lancer players were left in the desert by an assistant coach after a tournament in Palm Springs because the players were playing their music too loud.

The players were discovered on the side of a highway by a Riverside Country sheriff’s officer several hours later, and the incident was reported nationwide. No charges were filed against the coaches after a sheriff’s investigation.

What was lost in the incident was the Lancers’ 27-5 record.

“They beat up on everybody in the north county last summer,� said Ed Graham, Troy coach. “They’re a top 10 team.�

Returning all-league forwards David Chisum and Brian McCloskey should help the Lancers improve upon a 12-12 record. McCloskey was ranked as one of the top 50 players at the Superstar Camp in Santa Barbara.