CITY BOYS’ BASKETBALL PREVIEWS : WESTERN LEAGUE : It’s University City--If Nothing Weird Occurs

The Wild, Wild West theory of what could happen in the City Western League race, from Kearny Coach Bill Peterson:

“Strange things happen,” Peterson said. “One kid goes and long jumps, kids get lost on the way to La Jolla trying to find their Cadillacs, all sorts of strange things happen.”

The other, more likely scenarios:

“Either University City will walk away with it, or 6-2 will win it,” Peterson said.

Defending co-champions Mission Bay and La Jolla both lost their starting fives and are all but guaranteed fourth-and fifth-place finishes in the five-team league. Second-place UC has nine returners back, making the 13-1 Centurions odds-on favorites to run away.

“Because of the athletes and the depth they have, I see them as the team to beat,” said Jim Tomey, USDHS’s first-year coach.

UC Coach Tom Medigovich knows the fifth-ranked Centurions will have some serious explaining to do if they don’t pan out.

“We have nine kids coming back, we’re in the top of our cycle,” he said. “Obviously, we’re the favorites, but we can be beat if we’re not playing up to our ability.”

Fat chance. It is the consensus of league coaches that most of UC’s starters are legitimate all-stars.

“The whole team stands out,” Mission Bay Coach Mike Seaman said. “No one else has their athletic ability. UC’s talent is just awesome.”

THE RACE

Top contenders: University City (16-9 in 1988-89), USDHS (10-11).

Surprise potential: Kearny (11-14).

Hoping for improvement: Mission Bay (15-7), La Jolla (16-9).

Game of the year: University City at USDHS, Jan. 19. The league championship chase consists of just eight games, so this early meeting of favorites could possibly give the winner league-leading status for the duration.

THE PLAYERS

The man: At this point, he’s still the emerging man. UC’s Ray (Supe) Hooper, so nicknamed by a proud papa because he’s becoming, well, super, is the league’s most improved player, possibly the county’s. Hooper, a 6-foot-5 junior forward, has improved his scoring average from eight to 21 points to go along with six rebounds per game.

Medigovich says Hooper shoots extremely well, runs the floor well, is quick for his size and plays better-than-average defense.

“He’s a bona fide shooter,” Kearny’s Peterson said. “All of the sudden, he’s not just inside anymore, he’s out there going for three-pointers. He reminds me a little of Tony Clark, he can shoot from anywhere.”

Medigovich said Hooper’s vast improvement can be traced no further than his tremendous desire.

“The reason he’s so much better and other guys have stayed at the same level is because he’s been working his fanny off,” Medigovich said. “He’s gone to camps in L.A., he worked hard during the summer. Everything he’s done is because of hard work.”

Hooper is joined by cousin Joel Mitchell (6-9), a transfer from Pittsburgh who never played organized basketball before this year. His talent is raw, but “if someone got a hold of him, they could develop him into a player,” Medigovich said. His primarily job is rebounding.

Who will fill Ray McDavid’s shoes? Not only did former Clairemont star McDavid leave the league . . . so did his team. McDavid, a Times’ All-County selection last year, led the Chieftains--now in the 2-A Harbor League--to the Division III championship game and was the only real “impact” player in the West.

There are several candidates to take his place. Senior Peter Ellis (6-3, 17-point average) is USDHS’s tallest player and listed as a forward, but Tomey says, “Essentially, we start five guards. What we lack in size, we make up in style.”

Ellis is a team leader and the Dons’ leading scorer and rebounder. USDHS’s Eric Barajas (6-0) and Dave Withers (6-3), both juniors, are the starting guards.

Others to watch: Rick Mo (5-10), a sophomore guard, was Mission Bay’s leading scorer until he broke his foot in the third game. Teammate Wyatt Spencer, (5-11), a junior, has taken over and is averaging 16.7 points. Junior Cameron Attwood (5-10) is their best defensive player.

THE INTANGIBLES

No place like home: The home-court advantage is taken a step further in this league. “In our league,” Seaman said, “teams rarely lose at home.” So visitors can try clicking their heels three times but should beware: The atmosphere won’t be cozy and warm.

Kearny’s gym has been described as a Quonset hut, with lighting that makes the players look like “men from Mars,” according to Peterson. White walls, a low ceiling and a stage at one end of USDHS’s gym give the opposition nightmares. La Jolla has been likened to playing in a barn. And Mission Bay has a basket that mysteriously and randomly swings from side to side. Only University City’s place gets good reviews. But this year, it’s the players there who are menacing.

Gridiron Glory = Hoop Heaven?: Darnay Scott, a transfer from St. Louis, was a major influence as a wide receiver for league football champion Kearny. He is the Komets’ leading scorer (16 points per game) and rebounder (11). Teammate Tom Rawlins, who threw for 1,742 yards, sixth-best in the county, also is one of three returning basketball starters.

UC’s Price (6-1, guard, 17.5 average) had a 24.8-yard-per-catch average as a receiver, is a top-caliber long jumper and equally effective with a basketball. UC lost its first game last season when Price opted to compete in a track meet. “That started our downfall,” Medigovich said. “We talked about the meet, but he said he won’t miss a game.”

Anthony Hill (6-0, guard) was the county’s fifth-most effective passing quarterback with a 182.3-yard average. “His shooting is good, and he is a tremendous defensive player,” Medigovich said.