Hamlet Nalbandyan
GLENDALE -- Think the Muir High boys' basketball team was good last
year? Wait 'till local teams sneak a peek at them this season.
Let's just say the Mustangs, the reigning Pacific League champs, will
side-step their league foes much like the way Allen Iverson side-stepped
Laker guard Tyronn Lue in Game 1 of last year's NBA Finals.
Muir is untouchable. Period.
Coach Don Grant's squad is 15-0 after nonleague play thus far, and
don't expect the Mustangs to have a blemish on their record once Pacific
League play is all said and done.
They've got the perimeter game covered with standout guards Jamaal
Hall and Devon Thomas. And in the low-post, Muir can hang with just about
anybody in Southern California.
Seth Davis, at 6 feet 7, is one of the team's most feared offensive
weapons. He is joined by 6-11 center Ryan Hollins, who will be taking his
game to Saint Louis University next season.
So, with that said, local teams like Crescenta Valley, Glendale and
Hoover can all but forget about a Pacific League title.
But that doesn't mean there is nothing else left to play for.
The rest of the league is wide open, with all five remaining teams
having a legitimate chance to knock each other off.
Pasadena (10-4) looks to be the front-runner to finish behind Muir.
The Bulldogs have possibly the league's best guard in senior Dino
Wilburn, and with post players Mackenzie Clark (6-7), Imani Leonard (6-4)
and Terron Redmond (6-4), Coach Tim Tucker's squad is balanced from top
to bottom.
CV (11-5) is usually considered a favorite to round out the top three,
but don't be surprised if Glendale, Hoover and Arcadia have something to
say about that.
The Falcons are still strong. With a backcourt of Jimmy Goffredo and
Chris Tarne, few could argue against CV's case to be among the league's
elite.
But the Nitros (8-8) and Tornadoes (8-7) are proving that they've got
some talented players of their own.
At Glendale, Riley Van Patten is having one of the best preseasons
among all local players, averaging close to 18 points and nine rebounds a
contest.
The same goes with Hoover, with guards Armen Baghdasarian and Haik
Stepanyan averaging 17 points apiece.
And don't forget about Arcadia. At 12-4, the Apaches -- usual
pushovers when it came to league -- are dangerous, led by sharp-shooting
guard Brent Dohling.
