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SoCal High School & Prep Report

AAU News: Northridge "White" Knights
Set Some Scoring Records--(January 18, 1998)

In an earlier article we wrote about how some of the ARC 14's Traveling team members, actually a pretty even contingent from both of the 14 year old ARC traveling tournament teams, had switched leagues and had formed a single team composed of some of the best players from both of the former teams, and joined up with the Valley Conference, an organization featuring 80 or more teams in all age divisions. The Northridge Knights already had a 14 year old team, which was known as the "Black" Knights. So this "newer" group of refugees from the ARC ranks became the "White" Knights.

But on Saturday afternoon, at Sherman Oaks CES, with scouts from the Cavs and other teams looking on, and with the "White Knights" missing two of their better players, Harrison Schaen (6'-5" 8th grade, Sierra Canyon C), and David Gale (5'-9" 8th grade, Buckley PG), the latter who had just that morning injured his heel bone with a minor stress, the "White" Knights were anything but the "good guys", beating the La Canada Spartans by a score of 110-34.

The Knights held the Spartans to only three points in the final period. Valley Conference rules prohibit a team from pressing or even playing any backcourt defense when there is a scoring differential of more than 15 points, and the Knights were only able to run their press for the first 4 minutes of the first quarter. Games are played with 8 minute quarters, stop-clock, and the Knights thus averaged more than 27.5 points per quarter. At one point late in the fourth quarter, it looked like the Knights leading scorer, Matt Lewellyn, would personally outscore the entire Spartan team with his 32 points. Lewellyn, however did not play in the last 4 minutes of the game.

The White Knights have now played three games in Valley Conference competition, and are averaging 90 points per game, having scored 67 in the first game against the LA Runners, 94 points against the Silver Bullets (who only manged 35 points), and finally beating La Canada 110-34. In the game against La Canada, the White Knights scored an amazing 13 three-pointers out of 19 attempted, hitting 68% of their threes. Their average margin of victory is 52 points over their opponents. In the last two games, the margin of victory is 67.5 points.

The White Knights were led in the three-point shooting and in overall scoring by Matt Lewellyn (5'-8" 8th Grade SG, Campbell Hall) who scored 32 points in the game, and an impressive six three pointers on seven attempts, shooting .857 for threes. All of Lewellyn's shots were made from either three-point range, or from the field at two point range. Overall, he shot an amazing 13 for 18 (.722) and played only half the game, or 16 minutes. That's two points a minute.

Dwuan Rice (5'-2" PG/SG) scored 11 points and had 3 assists, including two three pointers. Craig Weinstein (5'-8" PG Milken) scored 12 points, including three three-pointers. Jonathon Williams scored 6 points, while Charlie Kranzdorf (6'-0" 8th grade Montclair Prep) scored 2. Dino Wilburn (6'-0" 8th grade), shot 26 points, also in only 16 minutes of play. Chris Tillman (6'-4" 8th Grade C) scored 6 points, and had 8 blocked shots. Aaron Stein (5'-7" Buckley 8th grade SG) scored 9 points, while Brian Trump (5'-11" 8th Grade A.E. Wright) scored 6 and played tremendous defense. In the two prior games Schaen has averaged 9 points and 6 blocked shots, while David Gale has been averaging 10 points, and 7 assists.

Gale and Aaron Stein also set another record last week, as their Buckley Varsity Middle School team combined for more than 80 points in a Delphic League Middle School game against the Valley School at Buckley. Stein had 5 three pointers and finished with 29 points, while Gale had 26 points, including 4 three pointers, and handed out a record 13 assists. Teammate Aaron Croutch also had 16 points for Buckley in the win.

The Northridge "White" Knights are coached by Jeff Kranzdorf, a former USC player under Bob Boyd, by J. Gale, Team LA Maccabi Coach, and by Mark Borgeson, currently an assistant coach at Montclair Prep, who is currently out of the country coaching an international pro exhibition team in China during January and February, and whom Howard Abrams is hoping will be otherwise occupied during the month of March with CIF and State Championship games for the Montclair Varsity in Division V.

On Saturday, the 24th of January, the White Knights take on the Cavs, a strong team at Sylmar High School at 4:40 pm. We won't miss it, and may even have another report on this fine group of young and coming stars.