DAILY PILOT BOYS� BASKETBALL DREAM TEAM:
Big men finally unite
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Corona del Mar High senior Stefan Kaluz,
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By David Carrillo Pe�aloza
The two stand out in any crowd in the
But for two 6-foot-9 centers, Kyle Caldwell and Stefan Kaluz
haven�t spotted each other outside of the high school basketball court. How
could they have missed each other around town the last four years?
�I just never see him,�
�He doesn�t play pick-up basketball,� Kaluz said.
Only a handful of times have they met on the court,
Recently, the two seniors met on
Kaluz at first questioned the location.
�Why that street?� Kaluz said.
�That could work,�
It eventually did. Now the two can say they�ve bumped into each other on the
street and for a good reason before they head off to college.
Caldwell and Kaluz are the Newport-Mesa Dream Team
Co-Players of the Year. The award is an honor and it easily could�ve gone to
either big man if it were not for both playing locally.
Along the way, Coach Larry Hirst said
Kaluz averaged 17.7 points, 11 rebounds and 2.1
blocks, and made 54% of his shots, giving him the Pacific Coast League MVP
award after sharing it last season. Kaluz helped the
Sea Kings (21-8) go undefeated in league at 8-0 as they won the title outright
after splitting it last season.
Kaluz faced a fiercer nonleague schedule, playing the
likes of CIF State Division III champ Santa Margarita, CIF Southern Section
Division I-A finalist Etiwanda, and Southern Section Division III-A champ West
Valley of Hemet in the playoffs.
But sharing the Newport-Mesa top accolade made sense to Caldwell and Kaluz,
the latter won it outright the previous season after leading CdM to its fifth section crown. The two rarely faced other
players as big, as talented and as determined, making their games against each
other memorable.
If the Battle of Bay game needed a name change the last two years, �King Kong
vs. Godzilla� would work.
Kaluz owns the bragging rights on the varsity level.
He led the Sea Kings the last two years to victories over
�He�s a beast, a real physical player down low,� Kaluz
said. �Weight-wise, he�s like 225 pounds and that�s where I want to be at in
college.�
Kaluz has time to gain 10 pounds before he steps on
the floor for
The two will most likely miss each other in college.
There�s a slight chance Kaluz and
Caldwell, one of the top prep volleyball recruits, said he might try to walk on
the UCLA basketball team.
�It would be great to play against him again because he was a great player,�
said Kaluz, who garnered interest from UC Santa
Barbara, UC Irvine, UC Davis, Harvard and Fordham. �But I don�t know if UCLA
and Brown will cross paths in basketball.�
Kaluz and Caldwell finally did in town, at the beach
and with their basketball gear on. And they definitely drew the attention of
beachgoers. So you never know.
JOE EBERHARD
Corona del Mar, senior
Eberhard, a small forward, is considered the most
versatile player in the area with his ability at 6-foot-6 to score from
anywhere, rebound, distribute the ball and play defense. He averaged 15.3
points and 6.6 rebounds per game, ranking second on the team in both categories
and helping him earn first-team All-Pacific Coast League and second-team
All-Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Assn. Division III-A honors. He led the team with 32 three-pointers made, an
83% free-throw shooting, 1.4 steals per game and also averaged 2.2 assists.
During big games, he elevated his game, dropping a career-high 35 points, four
three-pointers and 13 of 14 free throws against
MARK ALLRED
Estancia, senior
Allred, a shooting guard, turned around his life and the Eagles program.
He returned to Estancia in his senior year after spending time at a
continuation school because of academic issues. Allred played a vital role in
the Eagles bouncing back from a 2-24 season last year to finishing 14-14 this
year. Allred, a first-team All-Orange Coast League selection, led the team by
averaging 9.8 points per game. He hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer that
upset defending Orange Coast League champion Laguna Beach in the regular-season
finale resulting in the Eagles going 5-4 in league and securing second place
and a first-round playoff home game. Allred lifted the Eagles to the CIF
Southern Section Division III-A second round by scoring a career-high 29 points
in a 73-64 opening-round victory over Santa Fe, giving Estancia its first
playoff victory since 2004-05. This is the first Dream Team honor for Allred.
ERIK RASK
Rask, a point guard, returned after missing the entire junior year with
a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. It
took Rask a few games to adjust, but he assumed the floor general
responsibilities back from his sophomore year, getting everyone involved
offensively. The second-team All-Pacific Coast League pick led the team with
five assists per game and also chipped in with the scoring and rebounding
duties, averaging 5.8 points and 3.7 boards. Rask�s best all-around game came
during CdM�s third-place showing at the competitive
Santa Barbara Holiday Classic, where he finished with 17 points, seven assists,
four rebounds and three steals in CdM�s 72-66 victory
against San Marcos. This is the first Dream Team basketball honor for Rask,
who�s headed to the
Kuhns, a point guard, stepped in and played a
position unfamiliar to him before the season. He did an admirable job for the
Sailors as he got comfortable midway through the season, allowing them to close
out the regular season on a six-game winning streak to claim second place in
the ultra-competitive Sunset League for the second straight year. He averaged
5.8 assists per game to go with 6.5 points. More impressive was his four to one
assist-to-turnover ratio in league. Down the stretch that proved to be the
difference for