SoCalHoops High School News

High School Team Preview:
El Dorado High School--(Nov. 27, 1999)

El Dorado High School has been picked by the Orange County Register's Richard Manfredi to win it all this season in the six-team Empire League.   Last year, El Dorado finished third in the league, with a 13-13 overall record and 5-5 in league, behind Loara (1st) and Katella (2nd), and ahead of Cypress (4th) and Kennedy and Century (tied for 5th). That third place finish meant that the Golden Hawks, with an enrollment of 2000, made it to the Division I-A playoffs, where they pulled up short in the first round against Sonora, losing 78-57 in the first round of the Southern Section playoffs.

Coach Tim Tivenan is optimistic though about the season, and he's got good reason to be, since he probably knows the difference between a team that can get it done and one that can't.  In his prior seven seasons, Tivenan has amassed an 80-76 record at El Dorado, and this year he thinks he's got the personnel to make something happen.

This is another of our abbreviated reports.  We haven't had time to speak with coach Tivenan, so we're using the information from the local papers. Hopefully we'll find the time to speak with all of those coaches we didn't have a chance to interview, but for now this is better than not doing anything.  According to the LA Times' preseason preview of the team (published 11/23/99 in the Orange County edition of the Times), "Veteran Coach Tim Tivenan looks for the Hawks to advance to the playoffs for the fifth time in the last seven seasons on the strength of "good size and some good shooters." However, "we're not real experienced," he said. Mike Wulff, a 6-2 junior guard, is the lone returning starter. Three reserves from last year's team have the inside track at starting. They are 6-6 junior center Evan Bull, 6-foot senior guard Aaron DeLeon and 6-3 senior forward Ryan Shirley. Quinn Hawking, a transfer from Sonora, figures to play a lot. Five players up from the junior varsity fill out the roster."

The Orange County Register was even more hopeful.   Richard Manfredi wrote on November 24: "The overall size and depth of the Golden Hawks could be enough to put them over the top in the league."   And looking at a comparison of the other teams in the league, El Dorado may have the best team on paper. . . but that's why the games are played on the court, and frankly, we'd also have to put our money on last year's champion, Loara which has some excellent players, including Wes Wardrop (6'-2" Jr. SG), one of the better pure shooters in the region. Still, El Dorado has a lot of returning players, and some excellent newcomers.   Here's the roster, or at least so much of it as we can ascertain without doing a full blown interview:

We have not seen David Patten play, but he's only an inch shorter than Loara's Dan Melton, but then Melton also has two years of varsity experience.   Quinn Hawking is a good shooter, with a nice stroke, and Mike Wulff is also an active and energetic defender and capable of scoring in bunches.  As for the rest of the guys, we'll just have to wait and see what the season brings.

And we won't have to wait too long, since El Dorado's season will get started this Monday, November 29, when they'll appear at the La Habra Tournament.   The team, at least according to the CIF "Master Schedule and Media Guide" is scheduled to play in two other tournament before the start of the regular season, their own El Dorado Tournament which will be held from December 6-11, and then at the Canyon Anaheim Tournament from December 27-30.  Here's a look at the schedule:

El Dorado High School 1651 North Valencia Ave., Placentia, CA (714) 993-5350

 
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