Expect Another Rerun in Orange Empire Race

Little has changed for the men’s basketball teams in the Orange Empire Conference.

Riverside and Saddleback, which have shared the last two conference titles, are again the favorites. Both advanced to the state tournament last season.

Dana Pagett returns as Rancho Santiago coach after taking a one-season sabbatical and Irvine Valley’s Jerry Hernandez was hired full time last spring after working one season in a part-time role.

Here’s a brief look at each conference team:

CYPRESS--The Chargers have their most well-rounded team in Coach Paul Bottiaux’s three seasons. Cypress, 13-19 last season, has some size thanks to DaHomey Abner and A.D. Lamoureux, 6-foot-7 forwards, and 6-5 sophomore forward Taryll Myles.

Kevin Moore returns at guard and is joined by Loyola Marymount transfer Willie Allen and freshman Frankie Floyd, who was a Times all-county second-team selection at Western High in 1993.

FULLERTON--Coach Dieter Horton took over near the midway point last season and suffered as the Hornets lost all 14 conference games and finished 7-23 overall. Don’t expect the conference losing streak to continue very long this season.

Ty-Juan Berry returns at guard and freshman 6-9 forward Brian Montonati is expected to be among the top players in Southern California. Montonati, from Orchard View High in Michigan, has already drawn recruiting interest from several colleges.

GOLDEN WEST--Ray Jimmerson and Matt Cooper return to play the wings. Jimmerson averaged 16 points and set the Golden West single-season record for three-pointers with 114. That total is also the college’s career mark. Golden West, 14-21 last season, starts this season with 15 players, after finishing last season with six.

Freshman Tremaine Carroll starts at point guard but Golden West, like many teams, lacks significant size in the middle. Jacy Armbruster (6-6) and Matt Kraus (6-5) are the team’s tallest players.

IRVINE VALLEY--Forwards Brandon Hearvey and guards Daryl Todd and J.C. Timmons return. Hearvey, who is 6-6 but only 192 pounds, shot 57% from the field, averaged seven rebounds and started every game for the Lasers, who finished 16-17.

Damian Raibon, a 6-4 guard, transferred from the University of San Francisco. Raibon was a two-time all-county pick at St. Margaret’s High. Allen Fletcher, a sophomore point guard, is a transfer from Cal State Hayward.

ORANGE COAST--The season is a week old and OCC has already weathered two crises. Returning forward David Downs broke his hand in a pickup game early this fall and returned this week. Adrian Reyes, another returning starter, left the team last week to deal with personal problems but has returned.

Sophomore guards Duane Curtis, who averaged 15 points, and Brian Fracalosy also return. Size is what OCC, which was 18-14 last season, lacks most. Downs, at 6-6, is the tallest player.

RANCHO SANTIAGO--The Dons, 20-12 last season, have compatibility in the backcourt thanks to brothers Andres and Vlad Nieto, both sophomores. Mark Saukkola and ShaRon Channel supply added backcourt depth.

Freshmen Lohnnie Tape, who is 6-7, and 6-5 Brian Siddons and 6-6 Brian Slusser play up front. Ray Rodriguez, who was the interim coach last season, is back as an assistant to Pagett along with Don Frank. Rancho Santiago has won at least 20 games in each of the last seven seasons.

RIVERSIDE--This was the year the Tigers were going to mostly use area players, but their roster shows four players from the East Coast and another from Eastern Europe. Dragan Mrak, a 6-7 forward from Croatia, has been slowed by a leg injury, and Duane Dingle, a 6-6 forward from Brooklyn, has a sore ankle.

The Tigers, 33-6 last season, return guard John Betham and forward Dwayne Richardson, who both played a great deal off the bench last season.

SADDLEBACK--Saddleback was 27-6 last season thanks largely to guard Anthony Carter, who averaged a state-best 27 points. Carter, who set the college’s all-time scoring record, is playing at Hawaii.

This season, the Gauchos figure to be strong up front with 6-7 sophomores Scott Duffy and Daryll Granger returning. Michael Riggins, who averaged six points and three assists as a reserve, starts at point guard. Sean Morris, who played two years ago, and returner Brian Perkins are at the wing. Saddleback, like Golden West, has 15 players.