HIGH SCHOOLS:
Ragsdale adds to Corona del Mar riches

By DAVID CARRILLO PE�ALOZA

For five games this season, the Corona del Mar High boys� basketball team has been without its version of the quarterback.

Erik Rask, the starting point guard, has missed action due to football recruiting visits. This past weekend was his latest trip, taking him to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, one of four schools courting the senior linebacker, the others being the University of Pennsylvania, UC Davis and Harvard.

Twice this week the Sea Kings were without their floor leader. But with Rask out, it has allowed a new face to emerge.

People better get used to seeing Clayton Ragsdale around. He�s a freshman and performing on a team loaded with performers.

Ragsdale has taken advantage of the starts. He has earned quality minutes even when Rask is with the Sea Kings (16-5, 4-0 in the Pacific Coast League), ranked No. 5 in CIF Southern Section Division III-A.

CdM has only lost once with Rask out of the lineup. During stretches, Ragsdale has shown Coach Ryan Schachter that he can be a vital contributor to the Sea Kings� ultimate goal of winning back-to-back Division III-A championships.

Ragsdale is averaging 5.9 points, third best on the team, to go with 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

�He�s another great ballhandler,� Schachter said. �Clay�s a lot more wiry and quick. [Erik�s] steady. They compliment each other well.�

Ragsdale gives the Sea Kings a third dimension from the outside. He, along with senior small forward Joe Eberhard and junior guard Sean Donovan, can hit the big three-pointer when defenses collapse on senior center Stefan Kaluz, last year�s Division III-A Player of the Year.

In a slugfest at rival Newport Harbor on Jan. 12, the 5-foot-11 Ragsdale hit back-to-back three-pointers to help CdM beat the Sailors for the second straight year. In the Sea Kings� blowout wins last week against Villa Park and University, he averaged 11.5 points.

With the 6-foot-1, 210 pound Rask, CdM has someone who can bulldoze his way into the lane to score, grab rebounds, while also doing a solid job distributing the ball and defending. Rask leads the team with 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

�Whenever Erik doesn�t play it�s tough because he�s a leader,� said Eberhard, the team�s second-leading scorer at 15.8 points per game, who handles the ball more when Rask is out. �But Clay has done a good job and he�s only going to get better. He has a big future.�