Calabasas in a league of its own

By Kyle Jorrey jorrey@theacorn.com

WATCH HIM GO-Shayaun Saee of Calabasas goes up for the layup before being fouled by Westlake's Nick Slezak during last Friday's game at Calabasas. The Coyotes won easily, 87-43, and hold a three-game lead in the Marmonte League race.

As area high school students hit the books last week in preparation for their grueling finals schedule, it’s likely that a few Marmonte League basketball coaches were putting in some extra study time of their own trying to find a way to take down the Calabasas Coyotes, winners of 13 straight games.

But as difficult as it might be to find a solution to their opponents’ problem, the Coyotes’ secret to success remains perfectly clear: never stop getting better.

"Sure, we’re playing great right now, but we’re never satisfied. We always feel like there’s something we can work on or improve at," said CHS senior point guard Drew Housman. "First it was defense now it’s rebounding… Whenever we know something is a weak point, we try to change that."

Following last Friday’s 87-43 defeat of the Westlake Warriors, a game in which CHS showed very little weakness, the Coyotes’ overall record stood at 18-3, and more importantly, an unblemished 8-0 in league.

Calabasas is winning and winning solidly with an average 17-point margin of victory in Marmonte League games, good enough to earn them a comfortable three-game lead over No. 2 Simi Valley (14-7, 5-3) with six games to play.

"I’m not surprised we are 8-0, but I am surprised that the next team is 5-3," said Russell White, CHS head coach. "I thought it would be a lot closer at the top."

Meanwhile, the battle for second and third remains tightly contested with all eight Marmonte League teams in the hunt for a playoff berth. Only one game separates second place from sixth.

"I’m just glad we’re a step above the mess," Housman said. "There’s a lot of parity in the league this year . . . it’s a dogfight."

To keep ahead of the pack, the Coyotes are winning with a finely-tuned balance of both offense and defense. Offensively, they can score in any number of ways, while defensively they are relentless against the ball handler. Mix in a bench of solid role players and one fantastic point guard and the equation all adds up to success for a team ranked No. 10 by the Los Angeles Times’ Top 25 poll.

With the school’s long-awaited Marmonte League crown well in reach, players know the key is to remain focused and avoid letting down.

In early league play the Coyotes have shown a tendency to underestimate certain opponents. Case in point: Calabasas’ biggest scares have come against Royal and Agoura, while their largest victories have come over traditional contenders Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks.

"When we mentally come to play and are motivated and respect our opponent to the utmost, then generally we do well," White said. "When we take our opponents lightly, that’s when we’ve struggled."

But players like Housman and senior Shayaun Saee say they are confident the team still knows that it takes hard work and commitment to maintain their level of play, especially through to the playoffs.

"Until we get that league banner and CIF title in lock, staying focused is not a problem for us," Saee said. "And even if we thought about losing focus, Coach (White) wouldn’t let us. He keeps telling us everyday in practice that he’s not going to let up on us, and the message is getting through."

Housman agreed.

"Coach (White) is definitely not the guy that will let us get complacent," Housman said. "He keeps reminding us we haven’t won anything yet and that we have to keep pushing it until the season is over. He is getting on us every practice to stay on it."

Right now, the major concern for the Coyotes is rebounding, a critical area that almost cost CHS its double-overtime game with Agoura. That night, Calabasas allowed the Chargers to grab 20 offensive boards.

"The reason Agoura stayed with us is they flat kicked our butts on the boards, and that’s been a focus in practice ever since," White said. "For whatever reason, Calabasas has never been a strong rebounding program. It’s just not something we’ve been good at. We’re trying to change that."

Tomorrow’s anticipated rematch with Simi Valley—7:30 p.m. at the Pioneers’ home gym—will be a test to see just far the Coyotes have come in their work on the glass, but expect their finely-tuned offense and defense to set the pace either way.

Housman currently leads Calabasas with a 22-point-per-game average while rapidly improving big man Mark Einhorn is second, averaging 12.7 a contest.

"Right now no one in league can really match up with us," Saee said. "They always want to focus in on Drew but as soon as they do that myself or one of the other players is able to step up and score. The biggest thing with this team is we’re all basketball players. All of us know are roles and know what we need to do to help the team win."

The Coyotes also have benefited from the play of their bench, especially players like Redmond Parker and Ryan Radley. Even with the starters getting rest, Calabasas can still score and Housman has found plenty of targets for his picture-perfect passes.

"A lot of our young guys are stepping up," Housman said. "As soon as someone goes down, there’s someone waiting to fill in and do the job . . . That’s just the mark of a good basketball team."