Santa Barbara Boys Varsity Basketball
2003 Season Outlook
2001-2002 Review
Last year was supposed to be a "rebuilding" year for the Dons. The team lost over half of heir offensive output to graduation. Those included Dommanic Ingerson, who signed with Michigan, and was the 4th leading scorer for the Wolverine's last year and Trey Putnam, another All-CIF player who started for Dominican College in the Bay Area. The very young and untested team surprised the coaching staff and basketball experts by making it to the championship game of two preseason tournaments and by capturing a share of the Channel League Title. the team ended the season with a loss to an outstanding Claremont team in the second round of the CIF playoffs. the Dons finished with a 17-11 record. Junior Santiago Aguirre and Sophomore guard Taylor Rochestie, the two youngest players on the team, were honored by being named to the First Team All Channel League Team.
2002-2003 Preview
The 2003 version of the Dons' basketball team will be one of the biggest and strongest in school history. The team can boast a front-line of Paul Kovacs at 6' 9" 225 lbs., Santiago Aguirre at 6' 7" 230 lbs., and Mike Fisher at 6' 6" 200 lbs. The guards are some of the strongest guys in school due to their hard work in the weight room for the past 2 years. The Dons had a great summer winning two big tournaments. Look for the success to continue this year when the season begins.
Leading the way for the Dons will be first team All Channel League selections Santiago Aguirre and Taylor Rochestie. Last season these two players led the team in scoring and were the main reasons the team was able to capture the Channel League Championship.
Aguirre played center last year and averaged 13.1 points per game and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 70% from the foul line and 59% from the field, which was the best on the team. He has grown taller and gotten a lot stronger since last year and his quickness has really improved. He will be one of the most skilled big guys in Southern California. Santiago has been rated as the 7th best small forward in SoCal by SoCalHoops and we think that he will move up on that list this season. "Sant" is capable of dominating games as he showed last season when he had 40 points in a single game. We hope to see many other games like that one during this season.
Taylor Rochestie played the shooting guard position last season averaging 11.4 points per game and leading the team with 2.9 assists per game. He shot a very good 36% from the three point line and missed the school record for three point field goals in a season by one (52). Fans will never forget his shot with no time on the clock that sent the San Marcos game at the "Thunder Hut" into overtime! He did all of this and he was only a sophomore. Look for an even stronger junior season. Taylor has worked very hard in the summer and fall to improve his game. He is bigger, stronger, and quite a bit faster than last year. With Taylor at point guard this season and Santiago banging in the paint, the Dons are going to be tough to beat in 2003.
Returning Starters
Besides their two leading scorers returning the Dons also have two other starter returning this season. Mike Fisher and Coury Clemens was a lot of action last season. Their main contributions were not their scoring ability but the defensive skills.
Mike Fisher a 6' 5" 200 lbs. senior forward, was our leading rebounder last season averaging 6.6 rebounds a game. Mike also averaged 6.0 points a game and shot 54% from the field. Mike is one of the athletes in the school and is also an outstanding volleyball player. He uses those abilities to be our best defensive big man and our leading rebounder. Mike is a great compliment to the skills of Santiago Aguirre. Together they make a great inside team for the Dons. Mike was named to the All Channel League Honorable Mention team last season and he will improve on that this season.
Courey Clemens is a 6' 2" senior guard who started some of the season last year while averaging 3.4 points per game and 2.0 rebounds a game. What does not show up on the stat sheet is Coury's defensive skills. he is the best defender on the team. He will cover the best player on the other team regardless of how big he is. In last year's Holiday Classic championship game he held Lincoln's Oregon State bound senior to 9 points 20 points below his tournament average. Coury is an outstanding leader and will be one of our captains this season. he is also an incredible student with almost a 5.0 GPA.
Returning Varsity Letterman
Other returning varsity letterman that will have a big impact on the team this season are 5' 8" senior point guard Luther Richmond and 6' 0" senior shooting guard Louie De La Cerda. Luther is one of the best 3 point shooters on the team. That outside shooting ability will help to open up the big guys inside. Luther is one of the leaders on and off the basketball court. He is one of the best all around citizens on Santa Barbara High School's campus. Luther will also serve as one of the captains for the upcoming season. Louie De La Cerda is a transfer from Dos Pueblos High School and a welcome addition to the Dons. He is a deadly shooter from the three point line and is a very strong and physical defensive player. He will compliment the big inside players on the team.
Junior Varsity Promotions
Players moving up from the Junior Varsity team that will have an immediate impact on the team are 6' 9" senior center Paul Kovacs and 5' 11" senior guard Jeremy Jackson. Paul has been a pleasant surprise this summer and fall. He has worked very hard and has made major strides in improving his basketball skills. The largest impact he will have is his presence as a defender and shot blocker. High school players are not used to seeing a big and strong 6' 9" player under the basket. Jeremy will add tremendous quickness and defensive ability to the team. He also is a good shooter to compliment players like Paul Kovacs.
Seniors that are moving up from a very successful Junior Varsity team are 6' 2" forward joey Romeo, 6' 3" forward Joel Robles, 6' 4" guard John Goodman, and 6' 0" guard Mike Drejet. There players are great student athletes that will add to your team. This team's overall grade point average will be the highest for any team Coach Lavender has had. One of the goals for this team is to win the academic CIF title for boys basketball.
Underclassman
Sophomores that could see playing time on the varsity team this season are guards Brandon Crossland, Jason O'Brian, Sam Burke; and forwards Dave Noel and Aron Mize. These players have a lot of ability but due to the strength of the varsity team this season they will most likely be playing on the Junior Varsity team. These five players will be the core of next year's varsity team since everyone but Taylor Rochestie graduates.
Predictions
With the return of most of the varsity team from last seasons Channel League Championship team the Dons look formidable on paper. The last five seasons the Dons have averaged just under 21 wins season. This team is one of the smartest teams in school history so they should be savvy enough to do the things needed to win. If the team can stay healthy throughout the season and continue the great team chemistry that they have had through the summer, they should improve on the 21 win average. Coach Lavender feels that this team can be one of the top four teams that he has coached in his 18 year career.
