PREP BASKETBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS : Hayward Mt. Eden Has Strength in Reserve

OAKLAND —  Don’t be surprised if Hayward Mt. Eden’s bench looks a little disorganized when the Monarchs play Servite in the Division III boys’ state basketball championship game Saturday at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

Monarchs’ Coach Ron Benevides likes it that way.

With a game plan that includes as many as 19 substitutions in a half, Mt. Eden’s bench is busier than a freeway at 5 p.m.

This team features more subs than “The Hunt for Red October.” The Monarchs average 76 points a game, including 31 from the reserves.

Is it any wonder that the local paper, The Daily Review, named the entire team prep athlete of the week last Monday?

“We use 11 players almost every game,” Benevides said. “We’ve had five different leading scorers in our last five games.

“The idea is that we have a common goal that we all agree on. We give up the personal stats. It’s kind of a cliche, but it’s amazing how much can be accomplish with that approach.”

Benevides, who also coaches football and baseball at the school, replaces basketball starters as early as two minutes into the game.

In fact, starting guards Robert Olson and Tony Ortega average a combined 10 points a game. One of the team’s best players, Gordon Beresford, comes off the bench. Beresford, a 6-foot-2 senior, averages 13.7 points a game.

Servite Coach Richard Smith said he’s not worried about the scoring from Mt. Eden’s reserves.

“What does concern us is how they use their depth,” said Smith, who plays about three substitutes a game. “If they use it to decide the tempo of the game, then it’s a concern.”

And that’s just what Mt. Eden plans to do.

The Monarchs don’t have a starter over 6-2, but their imposing defense carried them to the Northern California Regional title. The Monarchs gave up only 52 points a game, and the substitutions keep their pressure defense fresh.

Dwayne Dupree, a 6-2 junior forward, is the team’s defensive specialist. Dupree held American High School’s top player, Jeff Garcia, without a basket through three quarters in a 45-37 victory in the regional championship game.

American missed its first 11 shots and made only 8% of its field goals in the first half.

Servite (20-11) relies on the scoring and rebounding of 6-7 center Steve Marusich, who averages 15.4 points and 10 rebounds a game. Marusich blocked five shots against Dos Pueblos in the Southern California Regional final.

“If their tallest player is only 6-2,” Smith said, “then Marusich will have to score 40. He’s been our first option. With our height advantage, our inside game will be a priority.”

Benevides said he’s wary of Marusich.

“He’s so big and we’re a bunch of midgets,” he said. “We’ve got to see how good he is. We might put a couple of kids on him.”

Mt. Eden (28-7) has won six consecutive games and six of its seven losses have been by four points or less.

The Monarchs, runners-up in the Hayward Area Athletic League, have lost only three games since January, all to league rival Hayward High, a Division IV team.

Part of Mt. Eden’s success has come from its mental approach. Before a game, Benevides tells his players to write down five or six goals on an index card and turn them over to the coaches. No card means no playing time.

“It helps us get to our goals,” Benevides said. “We visualize it, then we relax and let it happen.”

BOYS’ STATE DIVISION III LINEUPS SERVITE (20-11)

Name Hgt. Yr. PPG Pos. Mike Coady 6-4 Sr. 5.0 F Adam Anderson 6-4 So. 10.0 F Steve Marusich 6-7 Sr. 15.4 C Jamie Rosenkranz 6-3 Sr. 6.0 G Paul Stapleton 6-1 Sr. 6.3 G Coach Richard Smith

HAYWARD MT. EDEN (28-7)

Name Hgt. Yr. PPG Pos. Jason Green 6-1 Sr. 9.4 F Dwayne Dupree 6-2 Jr. 14.1 F Cornelius Walker 6-2 Sr. 12.2 C Robert Olson 6-0 So. 2.8 G Tony Ortega 6-0 Sr. 7.0 G Coach Ron Benevides