TOHS to emphasize teamwork, defense in boys basketball

ADAM DAVIS/Acorn Newspapers STRONG TO THE BASKET—Thousand Oaks senior Matt Luft goes to the hoop with authority during Tuesday’s 75-45 victory over Monroe in the first round of the Thousand Oaks Tournament. The tournament continues through Saturday. At the outset it appears that no individual offensive player will carry the Thousand Oaks High boys’ basketball team this season.

Instead the Lancers will share the scoring and play the best defensive game they can throughout the Marmonte League season, and, they hope, into the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Division I playoffs.

Coming off a 18-10 overall, 7-7 league season, head coach Rich Endres is optimistic from observing the team play through the summer, fall practice and beginning this season with a 75-45 victory over the Monroe Vikings in the Thousand Oaks High School Rotary Classic.

The Lancers lost to graduation forward Shane Poppen, the Lancers’ top player who’s now playing for the UC San Diego Tritons, and three others, guards Chapman Way and Danny Noblitt and center Matt Handlos.

“For the most part, we brought a majority of the team back,” Endres said.

Expected to lead the Lancers this season are senior point guard Alex Cohen, a three-year starter, a playmaker who his coach described as probably one of the premier point guards in Ventura County.

Endres said that Cohen was one of the top two in assists last year. “He’s back and he’s stronger now, a little thicker,” the coach said. “He has the ability to score in double figures in addition to seven or eight assists in every game.”

Junior guard Bobby Macias, who played backup last year but now is a starter, is an excellent shooter, Endres said. Cohen and Macias and senior forward Sean Taxter, a three-year starter, and senior forward/center Matt Luft, a four-year starter, will play major roles for TOHS.

The Lancers competed in a 130-team tourney at Gonzaga University in Spokane and won all 10 games, with Luft among those who impressed Endres.

“We had Matt Luft, who we share with football, with us,” Endres said. “Matt really played well. It didn’t take him too long to get into basketball form. He shot the ball pretty well this summer. I was very impressed with his play. He’s a great kid. We know he’s going off to play football somewhere for someone.”

“We have six guys who will be starting for us quite a bit,” Endres said. In addition to Cohen, Macias, Taxter and Luft, the others include senior center Wade Kegley, brother of graduated Lancer Kyle Kegley, and junior forward Jake Poppen (Shane Poppen’s brother)who played a lot last season.

“We have experience,” Endres said.Team strengths are balance and experience, he said.

“We have a lot of kids who have experience playing at the varsity level, and that helps. We have the ability to share the basketball among the five starters. I think all five of them out there have the capabilities and have already proved that they can score, so that’s a real positive point.”

Regarding full-court pressure, Endres said, “I don’t think you’re going to see a lot of it. Maybe in this tournament because we’re finding ourselves, getting ourselves in the game mode. Down the line I think you’ll see this team trap and press. On offense, you’ll see us get up and down the court with transition.

“There’s a lot of kids, but no super star on the team,” he said. “There’s a lot of good players, a lot of good kids who can score on the court. We’re not a one-person go-to team. There will be many people who will be high scorers this year.”

Endres doesn’t see anyone consistently scoring 25, but expects several players to score 12 to 15.

T.O. opened the Rotary Tournament by getting off to an 8-0 lead before the Vikings scored their first basket with 3:42 remaining in the first quarter. Monroe continued to play from behind to the end of the game. The Lancers’ first-, secondand third-quarter leads were 17-12, 32-24 and 53-37.

Luft led the Lancers in scoring with 15. Macias had 14 points, senior forward Taxter scored 10 points and Poppen and senior forward/guard Andrew Comes had eight points apiece.

Macias had six steals, Kegley and Poppen pulled down seven rebounds each, Cohen and Taxter got six assists apiece and Luft and Poppen were credited with two blocked shots each.

“We did pretty much what I expected,” Endres said after the Lancers win over Monroe. “We kept it pretty vanilla out there. We transitioned, moved the ball. Scoring was real balanced. It was pretty much what I thought t was going to be.” Andres said he appreciated how the players shared the ball and that all the Lancers got valuable playing time.

“Sean Taxter did a great job on defense. Jake Poppen did a very good job also. So I was real happy,” Endres said.

“I am not looking at the offense so much. It’s what kind of defense we’re playing. If we’re rebounding well and playing smart, we’re going to get better.”