LJ b BB: Outlook

By Ed Piper

La Jolla's basketball team has a greater probability of winning the CIF Division 1 championship than Helix or Western League opponents Patrick Henry and Kearny, according to the San Diego Section website rankings.

The Vikings, entering league play Wed., Jan. 3 with a 6-6 record, received a 7.9 rating, better than Helix's 7.7, and far ahead of Henry at 3.9, and Kearny at -2.5.

MaxPreps, owned by CBS Sports, was started in 2002 and is used by the CIF San Diego Section for seedings in the playoffs come Feb. 18.

La Jolla, winners of the Hilltop Invitational Tournament to begin the season, is led by guards Jacob Ohara and Behzad Hashemi, averaging 12.1 and 11 points per game, and senior forward Charlie Gal, who has 12 points and 8.3 rebounds a game.

Ohara, a senior, was named Most Valuable Player of the Hilltop tourney, while his backcourt mate Hashemi, a junior, was named to the All-Tournament team. Behzad is also contributing 4.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

MaxPreps uses an algorithm to figure its rankings. At the top of the heap, Torrey Pines, 13-2 on the season, is ranked most probable to win the section title, while Foothills Christian is second with a 10-5 record. Mission Bay and St. Augustine, two other Western League opponents for the Vikings, sit third and fourth in the latest predictions. Lincoln (8-2) is 15th, with Cathedral Catholic (5-6) 16th. Those teams are also in the upcoming Western League lineup for La Jolla to face.

La Jolla comes in 18th, Helix at number 19, with Henry 22nd and Kearny 23rd.

The biggest surprise is probably Cathedral, a private school that can lure prep prospects with the promise of free tuition at the Catholic school, situated on a university-like campus off Highway 56. The Dons lost their seven-footer, Brandon McCoy, via graduation, and seem to be struggling. However, it can be at this point that teams jell after finding their footing in pre-league and tournament play during the month of December.

The Vikings open Western League play at Lincoln. The Hornets are led by 6'4" senior Raquan Everett, averaging 20 points a game. Fellow senior Torrance Farr, a forward, averages 16.6 points. A sophomore, Maruise Allen, contributes seven points a game. Akili Butler, a junior, chips in 4.3 points a game.

If the CIF playoffs were to start right now, based on the CIF website predictions, La Jolla would be the 10th seed in a 16-team Division 1 bracket, playing its opening playoff game on Lincoln's home floor.

The top eight teams from Division 1 go into the Open Division playoffs in late February. All 16 remaining teams in the division enter the Division 1 playoffs, so the Vikings are guaranteed a spot in the bracket. They will be fighting for league success, as well as post-season seeding, with the 44 days of Western League competition commencing Wed. evening, Jan. 3.