The Malibu High School varsity boys basketball team turned around its season last year after a beleaguered start. Sharks coach Richard Harris is hoping for the same this season for the group that currently has a 1-7 record.
“I still think we can have a great season,” he said.
Malibu started the 2014-15 season with a 1-10 record before winning 12 of 14 games and claiming the Frontier League title and a bid in the CIF playoffs.
The hoops squad begins league play in January, and is tentatively scheduled to play in the Dec. 26 D1 Bound SoCal Christmas Classic at La Salle High.
Last season’s good play began with a win in the tourney and continued into league play.
Harris said if the tournament doesn’t take place, it will give the Sharks more time to prepare for league opposition.
“This can be one of Malibu’s best ever teams,” he said. “Losing early games doesn’t bother me at all because all that does is prepare us and give us the mindset of ‘even if we get down, we can battle.’”
Malibu’s recent defeat was a 66-51 loss to the undefeated Yeshiva University of Los Angeles Panthers last Saturday night at the Westside Jewish Community Center in Los Angles. The loss came four days after Malibu knocked-off Channel Islands High 59-50 for the first win of the season.
Malibu was down 10-0 to Yeshiva before Shark Cordell Newton scored a tough lay-up with 3:48 left in the first quarter. The senior guard followed the layup with a transition jumper and another layup. Coupled with a layup by teammate David Hudson, Malibu was down 12-8.
The Panthers led 21-10 at the end of the first quarter. Malibu got into an offensive grove in the second quarter, anchored by junior Luke Lundin’s play in the post.
The 6-foot-6 frontcourt player scored 11 points in the quarter on a series of put-backs and foul shots. Lundin scored Malibu’s first seven of what would be a 21-point second quarter.
Senior guard Trey Cotwright scored five points for Malibu in the quarter, and after a Yeshiva player hit a jumper at the buzzer, the Sharks were down 34-31 at halftime.
The Sharks only managed four points in the third quarter — courtesy of lay-ups by Newton and senior forward Dane Cook — as Yeshiva took a 46-35 lead into the fourth quarter.
Harris said the third quarter has been a problem for Malibu all season.
“I’ve tried different [halftime] speeches, so I have got to try a different approach,” he said. “We’ve got to figure out what it is in the third quarter that is slowing us down.”
The coach said the team seems focused after halftime.
“We get shot attempts,” Harris said. “The shots just don’t fall.”
In the final period, the Panthers increased their lead to 20 points with less than two minutes left in the game before scores by Lundin and Cotwright pushed Malibu’s point total above the half-century mark by the end of the contest.
Newton and Lundin each scored 15 points for Malibu. Cotwright scored 13.
Harris said he expects Newton to keep tallying double digit point totals as league play begins. The guard is in recovery from an ankle injury.
“He is still not as explosive as he normally is,” Harris said. “Once he is together, that is five or 10 more points for our team.”
Similar to last season, Malibu has had a tough opening season slate. Malibu opened the season with a loss to North Hollywood. Malibu then lost to Santa Clara, Calabasas, Newbury Park, Agoura and St. Bonaventure.
Malibu’s Dec. 8 win followed the pile of defeats.
Harris said the victory and Saturday night’s loss have been Malibu’s best two games this season.
“I have seen so much progress,” he said. “We are much more comfortable with our plays, the guys know to push the ball, we still make small mistakes, but we are a much better team.”
Harris said the win-loss situation is just like last year, but in place of one player who could score 30 or 40 points, Malibu has a group of players that can score between 12 to 17 points and lead them to wins.
“We just have to be little bit more creative on how we score in order to be consistent with it,” he said. “Teams are going to have to work really hard to beat us.”