HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PREVIEWS : EAST VALLEY LEAGUE : A Basketball Jones Hopes to Lead North Hollywood to Another Title

During a recent four-on-four game at North Hollywood, Dana Jones, the Huskies’ 6-3 sophomore forward, stole a pass and raced down court with only one defender between him and the basket.

“Do it Dana,” shouted students and junior varsity players on the sidelines. “Slam, slam, slam!”

Jones cut to the basket but the defender stayed with him. Jones hit the brakes, watched the defender race past him and settled for a layup.

“Awwwww,” some in the crowd moaned, sounding as if they had gone to Baskin-Robbins only to find the store out of their favorite ice cream.

Meanwhile, Jones was running down to the other end of the court. One of his opponents tried to shoot a jumper as Jones arrived at the top of the key, but Jones jumped up and swatted the ball away.

“Ohhhh,” the crowd yelled in mock-pain.

It has been very noisy at North Hollywood this season.

North Hollywood Coach Steve Miller was enthusiastic when asked about the player he said “has 6-11 arms on a 6-3 body.”

“He’s a coach’s dream,” Miller said. “He’s a good student, has incredible intensity and he wants to do whatever you want him to do.”

So far, Jones has been dominating. In North Hollywood’s first two scrimmages, Jones had 22 blocked shots and led the team in rebounds. Against El Camino Real, he had 18 points, 13 rebounds, 11 blocked shots and 8 assists.

But Jones isn’t worried about carrying the team. North Hollywood has four returning starters and Jones is content just to contribute.

“There’s no pressure at all and that’s how I wanted it to be,” he said.

North Hollywood’s scoring load will be shared by All-City forward Dominic Nappi, all-league guard Danny Klein, swingman Alan Breslauer and center Ralph Topps.

“Dana is not in there for his scoring. He is in there for his rebounding and blocked shots,” Miller said.

Jones--nicknamed Condor because of his huge wing span--is performing those tasks well.

“He’s a great addition to our team,” Nappi said.

Said Miller: “He’s got instincts you can’t teach. I think he’s going to become an impact player in the whole Valley.”

North Hollywood

COACH: Steve Miller, third year

LAST SEASON: 15-7; 1st in league, 9-1

THIS SEASON: Only one coach who didn’t pick North Hollywood as the odds-on favorite to win the title--Huskies Coach Steve Miller. His pessimism may be unwarranted. North Hollywood has four returning players who contributed to last year’s championship team including Dominic Nappi, an All-City forward. “He’s potentially one of the best players in the area,” Miller said. Nappi is a 6-7 senior who averaged 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game last year. The Huskies also return all-league guard Danny Klein, a 5-10 senior, 6-2 guard Alan Breslauer and 6-7 center Ralph Topps. Sophomore Dana Jones, a 6-3 forward, figures to be the fifth starter and sophomores Tommy Byrdsong, Duane Braxton and Michael Wilson will contribute.

Van Nuys

COACH: Kevin Duford, third year

LAST SEASON: 8-11; 4th in league, 5-5

THIS SEASON: Duford had a stressful season last year--of the Wolves’ 11 losses, six were by two points or less. “This year, if we’re going to lose, we want to lose by 20 points,” Duford said. More likely, the Wolves may be winning by 20. Forward Rashe Dorsey (6-3) and guard Alonzo Galloway (6-2) return for their third varsity seasons and Jimmy Chriss, a 6-1 senior forward, is back for his second. After that, Duford said four players will vie for playing time: Troy Gibson, a 6-0 senior guard, Leonard Weems, a 5-10 junior guard, 6-3 senior center Bill Bush and 5-9 senior guard Muhammad Zaid, the football team’s top running back.

Grant

COACH: Howard Levine, second year

LAST SEASON: 11-11; tied for 2nd, 6-4

THIS SEASON: “We’re young, we’re inexperienced and I think we’re going to have to prove our worth,” Levine said. One of the players Levine doesn’t have to worry about is Danny Enowitz, a 6-2 senior swingman who led Grant in scoring last year with an 11.2 average. “He’s very clever in and around the basket,” Levine said. Grant’s other four starters haven’t been set, but Levine said 6-1 sophomore forward Setro Terzian, 6-3 1/2 junior Troy McLeod, 5-6 senior point guard Adi Saker and Nate Conner, a 5-9 junior guard, are the leading candidates. Mike Fried, a 6-2, 210-pound center, returns. Sean Watkins (5-11) and Glen Rothstein, a 5-9 shooting guard, also could see playing time.

Poly

COACH: Al Uyemura, ninth year

LAST SEASON: 11-9; tied for second in league, 6-4

THIS SEASON: Poly has finished first or second in league each of the last three years. But the Parrots lost 11 of their 12 varsity players from last year’s team. Uyemura knows that expecting a league title is unrealistic. “We’re looking for daily improvement,” he said. Bobby Notoya, a 6-1 senior, is Poly’s only returning player. He will be joined in the frontcourt by Scott Cooper, a 6-1 junior forward, and Nick Lymberopoulos, a 6-4 senior who also pitches for the baseball team.

Sylmar

COACH: Billy Reed, second year

LAST SEASON: 2-14; tied for 5th in league, 2-8

THIS SEASON: Sylmar, which lost nine players because of academic ineligibility last year, lost only two this year, but one was particularly painful--Gary Bogan, a 6-1 junior guard, who was expected to take some of the pressure off David Baker, the Spartans’ top player who averaged 10 points a game last season. “Last year was a real learning experience for David,” Reed said. “I’m hoping that he’s going to turn it on for us.” Andre Robinson, a 6-4 junior, and Tom Young, a 6-0 senior, will line up at forward. Shawn Rucker, a 6-1 senior transfer from Monroe, will play guard.