Lions excited for future

The 2005-06 season for the Vanguard University men’s basketball team was about reshaping the past. This season, the future is the prime focus for a squad with a new head coach and 11 newcomers to go with two returning starters and two additional returning letterman.

Last year, the Lions, coming off three straight losing seasons, rode first-team All-American point guard Horace Wormely and first-team All-Golden State Athletic Conference forward Levi Seekins to their first 20-win season since 1996-97. They also made their first trip to the NAIA Division I Tournament since 1990, losing in the first round.

But Wormely and Seekins, as well as three-year coach Bob Wilson, who remains the school’s athletic director, have moved on from the 20-13 squad that finished third in the rugged Golden State Athletic Conference.

Junior guard Greg Gusiff and senior center Miguel Rosales are returning starters, though senior De’Aunote’ Johnson, a starter who had been expected to be back, will sit out this season to concentrate on academics.

Fred Litzenberger, the associate head coach last year, who was credited by players for opening their minds to defensive excellence, replaces Wilson.

“Any time you’re young, you have to have a lot of patience, because young guys are going to make mistakes,” said Litzenberger, a veteran assistant who guided Hamline University in Minnesota to the NCAA Division III playoffs in each of his three seasons as head coach in the late 1970s. Litzenberger also spent time as an assistant at Miami, Fresno State, Colorado State and Oregon. “But our returning kids are capable of playing pretty well and I like the fact that our young guys are going to be able to play pretty well one of these days.”

Kevin Dalafu, a 6-foot senior, takes over as starting point guard for Wormely, who though only 5-7 was the GSAC Player of the Year after averaging 14.9 points and 7.5 assists, the latter second most in NAIA Division I.

“The hardest person to replace is Horace,” Litzenberger said. “Not only could he score, but he passed the ball so well, he made our other players better.”

Dalafu, who averaged 6.5 points as a junior, will share time with 5-10 Greg Scott out of Kennedy High in La Palma, one of eight freshmen on the roster.

Joey Parker, another 5-10 freshman out of Clovis West High, is an additional candidate at point guard.

Gusiff, who averaged 7.5 points and shot 45.8% from three-point range as a 6-1 sophomore (51 of 118) is the starter at shooting guard, where Dalafu (45.8% from three-point range last season, converting 44 of 96) and 6-1 junior Brian Roberts (40.9% from threedom, making 45 of 110) will also be counted upon. Roberts averaged 5.8 points as a sophomore.

Dennis Heenan, a 6-7 freshman out of Newport Harbor High who was the Newport-Mesa Player of the Year last season, will start at the small forward, Litzenberger said.

Matt Davis, a 6-7 junior transfer from Orange Coast College who played as a prep at Mater Dei, gets the task of replacing Seekins (a team-best 16.2 ppg last season) at power forward.

The 6-7 Rosales, who averaged 5.0 points and 2.6 rebounds during an injury plagued junior season, returns in the post, where he started 21 games last season.

“Davis has long arms, he’s athletic, he’s a good rebounder and he can block shots,” Litzenberger said. “He has been working really hard on his shooting.”

Litzenberger sees great promise in Heenan, who averaged 19 points and eight rebounds last season for the Sailors, where he netted a school single-season record 71 three-pointers.

And Litzenberger said Rosales is ready to fulfill the promise Wilson had for him entering last season.

“He has been scoring in practice and rebounding pretty well,” Litzenberger said. “We expect him to have a good, solid year.”

Freshman Brian Bergerson (Johansen High in Modesto) is expected to contribute in the backcourt, while Bob Brakeville, a freshman out of JSerra, is expected to do the same at forward, Litzenberger said.

Brandon Henderson, a 6-8 junior transfer from Victor Valley Community College, will provide depth in the post.

Litzenberger said freshmen Alex Dimosantos and Morgan McGovert, from Las Vegas and Boise, Idaho, respectively, are additional options in the backcourt.

“The kids coming back would love to compete at the same level we did last year,” Litzenberger said. “But they need to understand that with so many new guys, it will take us a while to play the way we really want to play. I think our expectations are realistic. We want to try to get into the conference tournament, which should pay off for our young guys the next two to three years.”

Coaches picked the Lions to finish ninth in the 11-team GSAC, in which returning champion Azusa Pacific, Point Loma Nazarene and San Diego Christian are the front-runners.

Vanguard opened Friday night against Lewis-Clark State in the Carroll College (Montana) Classic. The home opener is Nov. 11 against Holy Names and the Lions tip off GSAC play Nov. 28 at home against Cal Baptist.

“We lost some kids who you don’t replace overnight, but I love our kids,” Litzenberger said. “They are hard workers and good character kids who want to be successful. But It’s a huge jump from high school to the GSAC.”