That's because boys coach Joe Berticevich has all five of his starters returning for action this season, and they're not only experienced but talented as well.

"Our key player and the one other teams will be looking to stop is Ceylon Elgin-Taylor," said Berticevich. Elgin-Taylor was the co-Most Valuable Player in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League as a junior. He returns for his third year of varsity basketball and will be crucial to the success of the Mustangs this year.

Senior Harold Richardson also returns for his third year on the varsity for Pioneer. Richardson was the Junior of the Year in the Santa Teresa Division last year and is a strong rebounder at his forward position.

The other forward position will be filled by junior Mike Kaufmann, who was a second team all-league selection as a sophomore.

"Kaufmann is definitely our best defender and rebounder," said Berticevich.

Brent Osborn will return to the center position where he started last year as a sophomore on the varsity.

The shooting guard responsibilities will fall on the shoulders of Mark Bundlie. The junior has been a varsity player since his freshman year and possesses a deadly shot from three-point range.

"Our bench is stronger than it has been in the past couple of years," added Berticevich. The Mustangs will get help off the bench from a number of players up from the frosh-soph team—in particular from Joe Montelongo and Robbie Nelson. In addition, they can draw from the experience of seniors Justin Kulish, Kevin Lewis, Nick Nobriga and Nick Sgarlato.

The Mustangs finished second, a game behind Independence in the BVAL's Santa Teresa Division last year. Initially, Independence was slotted to move up to the Mt. Hamilton Division, but Berticevich appealed the decision seeking to have the Mustangs move up instead. He felt that with the level of talent and experience he had returning it would be better for both Pioneer and Independence for the move to be adjusted. The appeal was approved and the Mustangs will compete in the Mt. Hamilton Division this season.

"I think it's great that we are moving up and I believe we can be very competitive at that level," said Berticevich. "Depending on how we play, we could be middle of the pack at 6-6 or vie for the championship. There are five teams that can beat each other on any given night."

Berticevich sees Piedmont Hills as "probably the team to beat" since the Pirates are "the returning champs and have three starters coming back." In addition to Pioneer, Berticevich believes that Oak Grove, Leigh and Santa Teresa could be contenders as well.

Berticevich's goal for the Pioneer program is "to be strong enough to compete year to year for the championship," and being in the Mt. Hamilton Division "is a better atmosphere and more competitive which helps us grow toward that goal."

"It will also help us to be prepared for a better run in [Central Coast Section] playoff competition," added Berticevich, "since we will be playing tougher teams all year long in our league play."

Chargers are young, but set to contend

Over at Leland, the Chargers are "young and inexperienced," said coach Dave Frandsen. "One of our seniors, Doug Proudfoot, who is our biggest player, doesn't have varsity experience because he broke his arm last year and missed the whole season."

The Chargers will be starting two sophomores. Jimi Kogura will be at a guard slot and had some varsity experience as a freshman. David Farsai will fill a forward position and will have to get his experience with on-the-job training.

"Farsai is our top scorer and most consistent shooter along with Proudfoot," said Frandsen.

The Chargers are also waiting for the return of junior Danny Hamouie, who was injured in pre-season practices and is a key player. Frandsen described Hamouie as a player who "has good inside play and can shoot from the outside. He's just smart on the court." Nate Cheung is "solid" and "we expect a lot from him."

Coming off the bench with limited experience for the Chargers will be seniors Matt Zuvella, Erich Wegscheider and Joe Tang. Since the overall experience level is low, juniors Iasias Asfaha, Sam Lee and Kyle Yoshioka can expect to see action as well.

Frandsen has served as the frosh-soph coach at Leland for the past three years and is stepping into the varsity role for the first time since he held that position at Leland a number of years ago. "We want to rebuild the program and make it competitive each year," said Frandsen.

The coach figures the top three teams in the Santa Teresa Division will be defending champion Independence, Westmont and Branham, the co-champion from the West Valley Division last year. He also feels that there is "really not a clear standout and anybody could take the championship."

"Realistically, we are probably in the middle of the pack," said Frandsen, "but if we play well at home against the top three teams, we could finish higher."