Varsity Boy's Basketball 2007
HANFORD BOYS BASKETBALL NOTES - FEBRUARY 16, 2008
CBL 3A League Standings
League Overall
11-1 16-5 - West Valley-Yakima
8-4 15-5 - Eastmont
7-5 10-10 - Kamiakin
7-5 9-11 - Kennewick
5-7 7-13 - Southridge
2-10 3-18 - Hanford
2-10 2-18 - Sunnyside
District Tournament Schedule
First Round, Wednesday, February 20th
Winners to Regionals, Losers Out
Sunnyside (3-18) at Kennewick (9-11), 7 p.m.
Southridge (7-13) at Kamiakin (10-10), 7 p.m.
CBL 3A Scoring Leaders
G T Avg
21 346 16.5 - Matt Borton, West Valley-Yakima
21 340 16.2 - Evan Berndt, West Valley-Yakima
20 315 15.8 - Greg Stapleton, Kamiakin
18 275 15.3 - Robbie Mitchell, Kennewick
20 300 15.0 - Kellen Drake, Eastmont
20 291 14.6 - Kody Fullerton, Southridge
21 300 14.3 - Jared Robinson, West Valley-Yakima
20 276 13.8 - Andrew Mendenhall, Southridge
22 295 13.4 - Kyle Cruzen, Hanford
22 263 12.0 - Boris Vlaco, Hanford
22 253 11.5 - Kyle Wagar, Hanford
18 201 11.2 - Jeremy Rojas, Kamiakin
CBL BASKETBALL NOTES - NOVEMBER 30, 2007
Predicted Order of Finish
1. West Valley
2. Kamiakin
3. Eastmont
4. Hanford
5. Southridge
6. Kennewick
7. Sunnyside
Where do you start with this year's crop of CBL 3A teams?
Do you begin with the two-time defending district champions that have undergone almost a complete face lift? Do you talk about two programs that haven't had much success in recent seasons but are picked to finish in the top 3 in the league?
The easiest place to start is up I-82 about 80 miles in Yakima at West Valley.
The Rams are the early choice as the favorites for the league and district titles.
West Valley returns three core players from a team that came within a point of knocking off Southridge in last year's district title game and a basket of beating the Suns in the regional final.
Matt Borton is one of the top returning players after averaging 12.5 points per game as a sophomore. Throw in senior guard Evan Berndt and swingman Jared Robinson, and the Rams have one of the best trios in the league.
Kamiakin may return the most experience in the league with nine varsity players back, led by post Greg Stapleton and point guard Josh Cole.
The Braves had a resurgent year under first-year coach Brian Meneely and finished third in the league, but just 8-13 overall.
But the players have not experienced postseason success. The Braves, who have not been to state since 2000, were ousted in the first round of the district tournament by Eastmont in overtime.
This year, Kamiakin expects more.
"We absolutely expect to win," Meneely said. "We feel good about our players and our team."
Eastmont is similar to Kamiakin in that it returns a bunch of players who have not had much success.
The Wildcats went to the playoffs for the first time in three years and have not reached the state tournament since 1994.
But with four returning starters, led by swingman Kellen Drake and the athletic T.J. Gilstrap, expectations are high for this group.
Drake averaged more than 13 points per game and was a first-team all-league selection. He was also on the all-defensive team.
"We want to push our program further than it has ever been," said coach Mike Waters.
Those three teams have the experience, but Hanford and Southridge have the tradition.
The Falcons are coming off a disappointing season where they were just 7-14 overall and are determined to get back to that upper echelon of the league.
One major void is Tommy Belgalka, one of the league's purest shooters, who has moved on to Pacific Lutheran.
However, Hanford does return three top-tier players in Kyle Cruzen, Kyle Wagar and Boris Vlaco, who is one of the more versatile players in the league.
"We want to get back to the kind of level that we have gotten used to," said coach Paul Mayer.
Then there is Southridge. The Suns lost point guard and league MVP Travis Mattair, who controlled the ball, the game and the Suns' rise to being a regular at the state tournament.
Also gone is post Jason Munns, who is playing football at BYU.
The lone holdover from last year's starting lineup is Kody Fullerton, who averaged 13.3 points per game. Andrew Mendenhall, who hit the game-winning basket in a state quarterfinal win over Squalicum, returns as well.
"We are a pretty green group," said coach Jason DeVere.
Kennewick is similar to the Suns, having just one returning player that made a significant contribution last season.
Robbie Mitchell, a four-year starter for the Lions, will have elevate his game to the next level if Kennewick expects to challenge for a playoff spot.
Ron King is still trying to figure out a rotation, so don't be surprised if Kennewick gets off to a slow start.
Sunnyside, even with a new coach, will look similar to years past. With a very deep bench, the Grizzlies will try and wear other teams down with their depth. Look for a more well-rounded offense this season under Ron Rowe, who coached the Grizzlies from 1988-93.
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