Sports
Off and Running: Calabasas, Viewpoint Start Hoops Season With Wins
Local Sports: Here's an inside look at both teams, including rosters.
It was a great boys basketball start Monday for and , with both winning in tournament openers.
Calabasas defeated La Salle 62-42 at the Campbell Hall tournament in Studio City, and Viewpoint defeated host Milken 83-75 at Milken’s tournament in Los Angeles.
Calabasas is coming off 20 consecutive winning seasons, and the Coyotes are expecting more success. Jeremy Lieberman and Holden Israel both scored 14 points, and Josh Cohan chipped in 13.
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“We’re just doing what we can, and we were able to get one in the win column,” Calabasas coach Jon Palarz said. “We didn’t shoot very well, only about 40 percent. Even though we won by 20, we had the potential to score a lot more points. It was OK. I think we played well, but we’ve played better.”
Calabasas led by as much as 29 points in the fourth quarter.
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“We played some good defense. It’s just nice to get a win under our belt,” Palarz said. “We’ve got high expectations this year.”
Calabasas has dedicated the season to assistant Joe Frazier, who has been hospitalized in a coma since August after being seriously injured on his motorcycle in a collision with a hit-and-run driver.
“We’ve dedicated what we do and how we do it to Joe because he was a team guy,” Palarz said. “He played the game the right way, and we’re wearing a patch with his initials on it. We’re playing for the Calabasas name and the Joe Frazier name this season.”
Meanwhile, Viewpoint is trying to pull off its first winning season since 2007.
Coach J.J. Prince is in his third season, and most of the key players from last year’s 12-15 team have returned, including leading scorers Jack Borenstein and Jonny Paul.
Paul, a 6-foot-3 junior, keyed the opening win at Milken, scoring 33 points and shutting down Milken standout J.J. Friedman, who scored 30 points but only four in the second half after Paul switched to him after intermission.
“Jonny is a special kid, and it’s always nice to see such a deserving player have their time and effort rewarded. It was a great outing,” Prince said. “We had to put him on the other team’s best player.”
Michael Dix added 22 points and seven rebounds and Borenstein chipped in 12 points and nine assists.
Dix’s development could be a key for Viewpoint. He’s 6-foot-7, and the senior continues to improve after waiting until his sophomore year to learn the game.
Another to watch is Tim Howell, a sophomore point guard.
“He’s an outstanding player,” Prince said.
CALABASAS BOYS BASKETBALL ROSTER
Coach: Jon Palarz, fourth year
1 Nema Sahebifard F Sr. 6-3 200
3 Cooper Pedati W Jr. 6-1 175
5 Max Levinson G Sr. 5-10 160
10 Danny Azran PG Jr. 6-0 160
11 Jeremy Lieberman PG So. 6-1 160
12 Kenneth Marshall G Jr. 6-1 160
15 Holden Israel C Sr. 6-6 230
20 Austin Smith F So. 6-5 195
21 Kenneth Koffi PG Fr. 5-9 165
22 Zac Hepps G Sr. 6-0 160
23 Daniel Scheiner C Sr. 6-1 160
24 Alex Monsegue W Jr. 6-2 175
25 Max Hoetzel W So. 6-7 170
32 Joshua Cohan F Sr. 6-4 205
35 Spencer Levy G Sr. 6-0 165
55 Eric Sklar F Sr. 5-11 170
VIEWPOINT BOYS BASKETBALL ROSTER
Coach: J.J. Prince, third year
Imari Rodisha G Sr. 6-0 175
Matt Pournazarian G Sr. 5-9 155
Jonny Paul (C) F, G Jr. 6-1 180
John Walsh F Sr. 6-4 180
Joey Veraghe C Sr. 6-5 235
Stone Spellman G Fr. 5-11 155
Matt Callahan F Sr. 6-4 175
Jack Borenstein G Sr. 5-10 165
Ace Abedi F Sr. 6-1 155
Tim Howell PG So. 5-9 145
Michael Hagopian G Sr. 5-11 165
Michael Dix C Sr. 6-7 205
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