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Calabasas boys’ basketball squad finding success despite rash of injuries
Competing in this week’s Chaminade Christmas Classic should give the coach a decent indicator of exactly where his team stands heading into league play next month. “My early indication is it’s going to be a war,” White said. “(The Marmonte) probably isn’t the best league in Southern California, but it’s certainly pretty darn close. It’s probably one of the top two or three competitive leagues from top to bottom. “Every game’s a battle,” the coach said. “Every game’s a war.” Before the Coyotes shift their focus toward league play, however, CHS still has some work to do in its final preseason tournament. The Coyotes’ 53-43 victory over St. Margaret’s Tuesday afternoon in the opening round of the Chaminade Christmas Classic pushed the team’s overall record to 8-2.
Senior forward Mark Einhorn’s 15-point effort fueled the first-round Coyote win. His layup with under a minute remaining in the game pushed a four-point Calabasas lead to six points, and helped end any hope of a late comeback for St. Margaret’s. Einhorn also had several key rebounds down the stretch for the Coyotes. “They’re a good team and well coached,” Einhorn said. “We knew they would come back and we needed to do something about it. “So I decided to take matters into my own hands and try to make plays, try to get my teammates involved, try to do the things I could do to get enough points for us to win the game,” Einhorn said. A pair of Coyote senior forwards, Ryan Delgizzi and Mike Aguilar, chipped in with 14 and 10 points, respectively. “We played good. We’re playing a lot harder,” junior guard Andrew Schotz said. “That’s our goal this year—to play as hard as we can.” According to White, Einhorn, Delgizzi, Schotz and Aguilar have all played well in stretches thus far. “The good thing about us is we’ve got so much room to improve,” White said. “Once we get healthy and get everybody back, I’m really excited about where this team can go.” Keeping his players healthy has been one of White’s top concerns throughout the preseason. Because of injuries, CHS is currently playing without 6foot-9 junior forward/guard Luke Dencer, senior guard Allen Finkelstein and freshman forward Evan Smith. Redmond Parker, a senior forward/guard, injured himself during Tuesday’s victory. Parker’s status for the remainder of this week’s tournament remains uncertain. “There’re a lot of guys hurting, a lot of guys hurting,” the coach said. Furthermore, as a transfer student, junior guard Shane Foster won’t be eligible to play until mid-January, White said. But the news isn’t all bad for Calabasas. The injuries have allowed several bench players to see significant playing time early in the season, and that will help the team as a whole when they’re playing two and sometimes three league games per week, said White. “The guys who maybe aren’t our best players are getting minutes right now,” White said. “They’re going to have experience when we get into foul trouble. When we’re playing at Simi Valley or at Thousand Oaks, they’ve got game experience.” In addition to team depth, height continues to be a tremendous advantage for Calabasas. CHS has seven players listed at 6-foot-5 or taller on its roster. No other Marmonte school lists more than three players 6-foot-5 or taller (Thousand Oaks and Westlake do not list roster heights). “We’re probably one of the biggest teams in CIF,” White said. “But our size only gives us an advantage if we take advantage. If we play big, we’re going to be tough to beat. If we play small, it’s not going to help us.” Calabasas played Kennedy High last night in the second round of the tournament. The score was not available prior to press time. The Chaminade Christmas Classic is being held at the Chaminade College Preparatory School in West Hills. |
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