Newbury Park boys’ basketball team still a work in progress

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers NICE STROKE—NPHS guard Jordan Cameron takes a jump shot over the outstretched arm of Calabasas center Mark Einhorn. For the next two weeks the Newbury Park boys’ basketball team will have nothing but practice time on its hands.

After losing to Calabasas, 37-30, at home Monday night in the Marmonte League opener for both schools, Newbury Park (3-6) won’t play another game until Dec. 27, when the Panthers open the Atascadero Tournament against Arroyo Grande.

NPHS head coach Steve Johnson said the long break in between games will be an opportunity for his squad to finally get healthy and work on cohesiveness at both ends of the court.

Since returning from the football team, several Panthers including starters Jordan LaSecla and Jordan Cameron, have only participated in a limited number of practice sessions, said the coach.

“We need to get on the practice floor,” Johnson said. “We need to work on fundamentals and iron some things out and get everybody in shape and healthy. We’re excited and looking forward to playing after Christmas and resuming league play in January.”

If their first league game was any indication, the Panthers still have a lot of work to do on offense.

Newbury Park was relegated to being a three-point shooting team against the bigger bodies and tough zone defense Calabasas (4-1) was utilizing.

“We’ll probably practice against the zone a little bit more and getting the ball back into the middle,” senior forward Brad Van Uden said. “We tried to bring the ball around the edge outside, but that wasn’t very effective.”

Van Uden had two points, five rebounds and a steal before fouling out of the game with 5:50 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Cameron had nine points and eight rebounds for NPHS, but he shot only 4-of-15 on the night and didn’t have a free throw attempt.

LaSecla led the Panthers with 11 points.

Panther forward Royce Mason had a team-high nine rebounds.

Sophomore point guard Colby Cameron started once again for junior Scott Takeguma, who has yet to play this season because of a broken finger. Johnson said he expects Takeguma back on the court in the next few weeks.

The younger Cameron missed all five of his shot attempts, but said he wouldn’t let the disappointing performance affect his mental approach.

“I was like (zero) for 100,” Cameron said, jokingly. “I was kind of off, but I’ll just have to move on from there.”

Calabasas head coach Russell White said the game was sloppily played, and the stats, particularly from the free throw line, back up that sentiment.

NPHS missed all eight of its free throw attempts. Calabasas went 15-of-33 (45 percent) from the charity stripe.

“It was U-G-L-Y, we don’t have an alibi,” White said. “We’re young at the guard position and it showed. The first league game on the road is not easy.”

Johnson concurred with his coaching counterpart.

“It won’t be a game that’ll be looked on as an instant classic in terms of its artistic or aesthetic value,” Johnson said. “In terms of two teams really playing hard and being physical, I think any defensive minded coach can appreciate the effort.”

Johnson said playing such a close game against the defending league champion Coyotes could serve as a possible turning point for the Panthers’ season from here on out.

“It’s so early in the season that I think you look for certain benchmarks for your team when you play a team that’s so good and well coached,” Johnson said. “You want to see how you can do and how you measure up. . . .I was really proud of our team.”