Walnut High School - Cayuse Yearbook (Walnut, CA)

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AIMI N( OR THE BASKET, S(; ta Powers shoots the bat i»oter was named all- league honorable mention. ' V|MMJSB5SE ► ■ - j?g — w A VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL. Front row: Robert Hill. Paul McGee. Brian Stowell. Steve Preston. Jason Miller; back row: Coach Mike Nelson. Greg Johnson. John Cartwnght, Mark Steven- son, James Essex. Brian Crockett. Jerry Knox. Coach Kelly Bruce, Coach Dan Priest; not pictured: Scooter Powers. Brett Green. Varsity Boys Basketball Sports 123

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REACHING UP FOR ANOTHER SLAM DUNK, Greg Johnson scores a point. Greg was named Most Valu- able Player in the league. Varsity Boys Basketball WHS Opponent 85 68 South Hills 56 45 West Covina 77 68 La Puente 54 49 Northview 93 61 Workman 64 60 Edgewood 55 58 Covina 85 68 South Hills 72 57 West Covina 71 58 La Puente 55 54 Northview 51 38 Workman 64 61 Edgewood 65 47 Covina 13 wins 1 Loss ■ This year we turned ourselves around and made it a winning season. — senior Greg Johnson. Varsity Boys Basketball i, year better Talented all-senior team shows what a difference one year can make ome people may say that a person or perhaps a thing will never change. But this year the Boys Var- sity Basketball team proved those people wrong by turning a strug- gling program into a suc- cessful one. This year we turned ourselves around and made it a winning sea- son, said senior Greg Johnson. Dedication and the hard work of the players led the team to achieve their goal of placing first in the Valle Vista League. To achieve these goals we had to practice and work hard which led the team to become more patient offensively and were able to eliminate turn overs, said Coach Mike Nelson. Although every game was full of excitement and energy, everyone felt that the team ' s most exciting game of the season was against Edgewood to tie for the league crown. The crowd helped us a lot throughout the year, said senior James Essex. At our game against Edgewood the intensity of the crowd and our deter- mination led us to victo- ry. Placing first in the Valle Vista league with thirteen wins and one loss, the team went all the way to second round CIF. It was a big disappoint- ment to lose to Wood- bridge in CIF, said Coach Nelson. We wanted to go all the way. Greg Johnson was named Most Valuable Player in all-league. James Essex and Brian Crocket made first team in all- league and Scooter Pow- ers received honorable mention. Making first team last year and this year again — plus taking league championship made it all the more special, said James. Coach Nelson felt that not only the players but also the great support from the fans turned this season around and made it a success. story by Denise Boehm; layout by Dee Honda: photos by Allen Odermatt t RECEIVING THE BALL, Greg Johnson prepares to dribble down the court for a slam. This was Gregs first year on the varsi- ty team h ' ' 122 Sports Varsity Boys Basltetbaii

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Frosh Soph boys basketball Reaching a go • Freshmen, JV teams surpass al The team %vas like one big happy family, said junior Gregg Tswago. Boys Freshmen Basketball WHS OPPONENTS 32 29 South Hills 46 48 West Covina 26 59 LaPuente 31 63 Northview 23 71 Workman 39 35 Edgewood 49 57 Covina 42 38 South Hills 40 49 West Covina 31 47 LaPuente 34 64 Northview 36 48 Workman 59 53 Edgewood 59 50 Covina 5 wins 9 losses eaching basic basketball skills and winning league were two of the main goals kept in mind as the boys freshmen and junior varsity basketball took on their new league. The JV team had a league championship on their minds. To accom- plish this goal, the team focused on their strengths. Our strenghts were the low-post players, Brad Williams and Albert Wil- liams, and our pressure defense, said JV captain Robert de Vera. Without them it would have been a different season. To perfect their game, they practiced two hours a day, six days a week. Even though they were al- lowed to scrimmage a lot, the practices were strict. There was no horse- play allowed, said sopho- more Seung Choi, you Boys JV Basketball WHS OPPONENTS 75 30 South Hills 55 57 West Covma 62 49 LaPuente 77 50 Northview 61 44 Edgewood 68 43 Covina 73 32 South Hills 60 62 West Covina 60 42 LaPuente 49 47 Northview 48 29 Edgewood 62 60 Covina 10 wins 2 losses League Champions just had to think basket- ball. Other factors which contributed to the team ' s success were the talents of their best outside shooter and leading scor- er, Robert de Vera. An- other plus was Nelson Orantes, their best defen- sive player and ball han- dler. In the end the JV squad prevailed for the first time as league champions. What made us league champs, explained JV Coach Bruce Bertrand, was our total commit- ment to play as a team. The frshman team ' s main concern was to in- troduce basic skills to each of the players. To do this they ran basic drills such as dribbling and shooting. One of our strenghts, said Coach Larry Taylor, was the team ' s ability to ypass their goals learn the new material presented in the drills. One of the most exciting games of the season, ac- cording to the players, was their victory over Co- vina. The squad out played Covina 59-50. I think that our height kept us in a lot of games such as Covina, said Ed- die Cabrera. Eddie was picked as the team ' s most improved player, while Owen Thom- as was the most outstand- ing player. With the season behind them, both teams were quick to agree that it was not just any season, but one filled with success. story by Chris LaCoste: layout by Lynn Fu ioka: photos by Dave Randall. Jack Elliott, and Brad Lindenberg. 1 T IN PERFECT FORM, Robert de Vera goes up for a shot. Robert was tine captain of tfie JV squad. 124 Sports Frosh Soph boys basketball