MHS boys and girls basketball kick off season

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Malibu senior Kyle Sandler, #1, will lead the Sharks for the upcoming basketball season. Dick Dornan / TMT

The winter season has arrived and that brings the excitement of the high school basketball season. The Malibu boys’ and girls’ basketball teams have been practicing hard in preparation for the season-opening Viewpoint Tournament this week.

Under the guidance of third-year boys head coach Bobby Tenorio, the Sharks are looking for their first league title since winning back-to-back championships in 2007 and 2008. Malibu returns four starters as well as its top six scorers from last season. Overall, eight players who got varsity games last season return to give the Sharks a strong veteran core. “We have a lot of experience returning from last year,” Tenorio said. “Our schedule will be tough, but it will bring the best out of our guys.”

Malibu will be led by the talented trio of senior captains Kyle Sandler and Jack Platner and sophomore captain Justin Holmes. Together with senior Harrison Kaplan, the four accounted for 71% of the team’s scoring from last season. That strong nucleus has the players feeling confident as they mount a challenge to defending Frontier League champions Bishop Diego.

“We are going to be pretty good,” said Holmes, who stands at 6’6” and weighs 250 pounds. “I feel we have a good chance to win league this year. If we put our time into practice and work hard, we will have a pretty good season.”

Holmes’ size and effectiveness down low figures to be key for the Sharks this year. Tenorio plans on “feeding the beast” by passing inside to Holmes early and often, opening up other players for scoring opportunities.

And with good reason. The strapping sophomore enjoyed a very strong summer for MHS and his club team after a breakout freshman season. That growth should yield increases in Holmes’ productivity in points (15.0 ppg) and rebounds (10.2 rpg) from a year ago.

Holmes, however, feels that the key to success will be on the defensive side of the ball. “Rebounds and defense. We must do both well,” said Holmes, a first-team All-Frontier League selection in 2011. “That was our problem last year. If we [change] that, I think we have the team that can win league and make a good run in playoffs this year.”

Platner, a 6’0” shooting guard, connected on 59 three-pointers last year to also earn first-team All-Frontier League honors. Sandler, 5’10”, is an aggressive defender who earned second-team All-Frontier League recognition last season. Tenorio says the team will go only as far as its pair of senior leaders takes it.

“Jack and Kyle will lead the way for our younger players,” Tenorio said. “They are pushing the team and will lead them down the right path.”

Junior Andrew Yazdani inherits the starting point guard position after a solid season last year on the junior varsity squad. Kaplan, a 6’4” senior forward who also made second-team all-conference last year, will line up alongside Holmes at the power forward spot.

Malibu will also count on the efforts of Patrick Fontenette, Anthony Kodomichalos and Will Rosenthal as the Sharks weather a tough pre-season schedule to prepare for the Frontier League.

After the Viewpoint Tournament, MHS will play in the “Clash on the Coast Tournament” at Pacifica High School followed by a trip after Christmas to Orlando, Florida to participate in the “KSA Holiday Tournament.” Frontier League play begins at Santa Paula on January 6.

While the boys are dreaming of championships, the Malibu girls are staring some early adversity in the face. Three returning players recently left the team for various reasons. The defections leave the team short on experience, with only two returning players, and thin overall with eight players on the roster. “We are a very inexperienced team,” fifth-year coach Andy Meyer said. “I’ve never struggled to get players to play. It’s been a weird year, but the benefit is having players who will play varsity right away. We have a bright future.”

Meyer will count on senior Carolyn Pushaw, the team’s only returning starter, to be the leader for the team to look up to. Pushaw, a 6’0″ center, doesn’t plan to allow a young team to halt her drive to succeed.

“I really want to do well since it’s my last year,” Pushaw said. “I expect to do well even though we are very young. As captain, I want to set the example for the team. I need to be responsible and I need to motivate the players to do their very best.”

Joining Pushaw as a returning player on the team is senior point guard Itze DeJesus. She will be the floor leader and spark plug that the team will rely on during challenging times.

Despite the low numbers in the program, Meyer already likes the growth of his young team in practice. “I see daily improvement,” Meyer said. “It’s definitely a challenge, but to see the girls grow is exciting.”

The Lady Sharks will travel to Catalina Island after Christmas for the Avalon Tournament, before beginning Frontier League action on January 10 against Santa Paula.