SoCalHoops High School News

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

Katella High School,  a public coeducational four year high school with an enrollment of 2200 students, located in Anaheim, is coached by Sal Glorioso, who is in his first year as the head coach.  Glorioso has long been an assistant at Katella, and he succeeds Tom Danley, who retired last year after about a million years (actually we hear it's about 23 years) to become the school's athletic director. Last year the team finished in second place in the league, behind Loara, and ahead of El Dorado, Cypress, Kennedy and Cypress, in that order (the latter two teams tied for 5th).  As a result of their 21-7 overall record, and an 8-2 finish in Empire League play, Katella got the second playoff spot for the league, and they didn't waste their trip to the Division I-A Southern Section playoffs, winning the first round game against Mark Keppel by a score of 81-58, but then losing in the second round to Nogales 59-54.

We haven't been able to speak with Glorioso about the team, but from what we've been reading, we're not sure what he'd tell us anyway.  Besides a change in the coaching box, there isn't a single starter returning, and only one player returns from last year, Ben Jivcu, a 5'-11" senior guard who averaged just 1.5 ppg last season. The Orange County Register's Richard Manfredi picks the Knights to finish fourth in the league this year, a far cry from last year's finish, and a position that would put them out of the playoffs.  And he may be right.  Here's what he said about the team's outlook for the year: "the biggest hole to fill might be at the head of the bench where longtime assistant Glorioso replaces retired local coaching legend Tom Danley."  Not a word about the players, and there's a reason for that:  No one is really sure who they are.

Here's what the LA Times' Orange County Edition had to say about the team: "Longtime assistant Sal Glorioso takes over as coach for Tom Danley, who retired last year to become the school district's athletic director. Glorioso inherits an empty kitchen. No starters return. Ben Jivcu, a 5-11 senior guard who averaged 1.5 points last season, is the most experienced letterman returning. Glorioso figures to draw heavily from last year's junior varsity team that won the league title. Juniors Marcus Espinosa, Ivan Rodriguez and Phil Tyson, and seniors Scott Luther, Nick Novella, Mike Parisi and Darren Sack all have a shot at starting."

Based upon the newspaper reports from the Register and the Times, here's what we know about the roster, and it's admittedly not much:

This is a team with virtually no experience and while they may have some athleticism and shooting ability, third place is probably being generous.   They will struggle against El Dorado, and Loara, who both have superior height and shooting, and they will have trouble with Cypress which returns more experienced varsity players.  Kennedy and even Century might also give them trouble, since they seem to match up well, at least on paper.  We'll just have to wait and see what happens during the season. And thankfully, as we've said before so many times in these previews, we won't have to wait long because the season starts this coming Monday, November 29, when Katella will appear at the Bolsa Grande Tournament.  Here's a more complete look at the schedule for 1999-2000:

Here's a map for those home games, if you're interested.   Remember to either call first to verify the schedule, or check the local papers before making the drive.  And remember, if there's an error in the schedule, don't say we didn't warn you.

Katella High School 2200 East Wagner Street, Anaheim CA (714) 999-3621

 
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