Tars make a sizable adjustment

Rick Devereux

Change is underway for the Newport Harbor High boys basketball team.

The basketball gymnasium has been remodeled.

“The remolding of the gym took away some [practice] time, but we

didn’t waste that time,” Coach Larry Hirst said. “We were

conditioning and lifting weights when we couldn’t practice.”

The basketball team has a different look as well.

Gone is 6-foot-8 Jamie Diefenbach, the leading scorer and tallest

player a year ago, to graduation.

“The biggest change is we don’t have a dominate big man in the

middle,” Hirst said. “I’ve been blessed with 6-foot-7 guys for the

past six or seven years. This is a whole different team. Instead of a

half-court offense, we need to get our tempo up. It’s fun to coach

[that style of offense].”

Hirst was without three key contributors to the Newport Harbor

High boys basketball team for the first five games of the season.

The players were not injured but they did not practice with the

team until after the season was well under way.

Tom Jackson, Alex Orth and Taylor Young were still playing

football for the Sailors.

“I’m thankful the other sports are successful,” Hirst said. “That

means I get good athletes. It has really been a blessing in disguise

because some guys that don’t get a lot of playing time are seeing

some action.”

Young and Orth are projected starters while Jackson is a probable

sixth man.

Young, a 6-foot-3 forward, is the top returning scorer. He

averaged 13.3 points per game last year as a junior.

“Young is one of those undersized, sneaky guys,” Hirst said. “He

plays an all-around game and will put up a quiet 17 points and 10 rebounds.”

Orth, a 6-2 senior guard, averaged 3.3 points in 23 games last

year.

There are three other returners from a team that finished 14-12,

third in the Sea View League and was eliminated in the wild-card

round of the CIF Southern Section Division II-AA playoffs.

Brett Perrine, a 6-5 senior forward, and juniors Ted Slater (6-3)

and Dennis Heenan (6-5) are the other returners.

Perrine averaged 9.5 points and led the team with 24

three-pointers last year. He has averaged 14.1 points in seven games

this year. Perrine, Heenan and Young were the only Sailors to play in

all 26 games last year.

“Our biggest returner is Perrine,” Hirst said. “He’s coming off

knee surgery but is still one of the most agile players in the

league.”

Heenan averaged 6.6 points last year and was second with 18

threes. He has averaged 7.2 points in five games this year.

“I hope Hennan has a big impact for us,” Hirst said. “Any given

night he can stroke it.”

Slater averaged 1.4 points in 18 games, but Hirst said Slater’s

real contribution will come on the defensive end and under the

boards.

Robert Koon, a 6-0 junior forward, is expected to be a starting

forward. Koon has averaged 4.1 points through eight games.

Junior Tony Yaghjian is expected to see playing time at the guard

position. He has averaged 6.6 points in eight games this season.

Hirst said he is not too concerned about offense because the lack

of a dominate presence in the paint will force the team to change its

mentality.

“Defensively, we might pick up the other team’s guards higher up

the court to create mistakes,” he said. “It really changes the

emphasis on rebounding. Now everyone has to get under the boards to

get a rebound. We can’t rely on our big man to get all the rebounds.”

Newport (4-6) opens Sea View League action Jan. 7 at Foothill at 7

p.m.