Court Time

Palisades High Boys and Girls Basketball Teams Figure to Be Contenders in Western League

After a busy summer in which nine high-profile transfers were brought in, only to see most of them denied eligibility or leave the school, the Palisades High boys varsity basketball squad opens the season Monday in Sherman Oaks with expectations of improving upon a disappointing 2022-23 campaign in which the Dolphins finished fourth in the Western League and were bounced out of the playoffs early.

The two most notable players seeking transfers were Jon Mani from Beverly Hills, who is now enrolled at DNA Prep Academy in Chatsworth, and K.J. Perry from Arizona, who is at Southern California Academy. Despite being denied eligibility, Souljah Niles, a transfer from defending City Open division champion Taft, was at practice Monday but did not participate.

Conducting practices and serving as interim coach pending the status of head coach Donzell Hayes is his longtime assistant Darren Morrison, who believes the Dolphins have what it takes to contend in league and City.

“I’ve been with Donzell awhile so I’ve just implemented what he does,” Said Morrison, who confirmed that Muhammed Butler, a transfer from IMG Academy, is eligible and ‘good to go.’ “The guys are working hard together and it starts with the leadership of our three captains—Lukas [Haas], Jordan [Farhadian] and Aten [Hassan]. [Sophomore] Donovan Knighten has made a huge impact in practice. We’ll run a mix of up-tempo and halfcourt, alhough we like to get out and run, but of course we stress defense first. Our goal is to hold opponents to 10 points a quarter and 40 a game. If we do that, we like out chances.”

Two other transfers, guard Devin Carey from Loyola, and Eli Levi from Santa Monica, will be eligible to play after the mandatory sit-out period.

Palisades finished 10-16 last season and lost leading scorers Avery Lee, Andrew Kerkorian, Zion Porter and Marcelo Mazzini to graduation.

Freshman Jack Levey is an accurate three-point shooter and returner Cassian Aguet will be called upon to shoulder some of the scoring load along with Matin Farhangnia, Wyatt Junger, Kai Rifkin, Mikal Sims Dickerson, Mike Stewart and Teralle Watson, who is the starting tailback on the Dolphins’ football team and will join the basketball squad when the football season ends.

Palisades’ schedule is challenging and features nonleague games with Southern Section powerhouses Harvard-Westlake and Corona Centennial. League play opens December 4 against Westchester. The Dolphins do not play Fairfax, which went undefeated in league last year and reached the City Open Division finals, until after Christmas.

Meanwhile, girls coach Adam Levine is excited about a roster full of young but talented players capable of running the up-tempo pace he likes.

“With Alyssa and Elly as our guards pushing the ball up we have eight to 12 girls who will allow us to do a lot of subbing and trapping the whole game. We have four returners, four who moved up from JV and three freshmen. In particular Olivia [Lewis] and Riley [Oku] from Paul Revere have been a pleasant surprise. I think we’ll surprise some people.”

Aniah Bradley will provide leadership as a senior captain and 10th-grader Ayla Teegardin, according to Levine, is showing great energy and better decision making.

The girls open the season on the same floor as the boys, only an hour and a half earlier, against Notre Dame and also have nonleague contests against Louisville, Culver City and Crenshaw, which knocked Palisades out of the Open Division playoffs last season. The Dolphins travel to reigning Western League and City champion Westchester on December 4. Other intersectional games include road tests at Redondo Union, Culver City, Santa Monica and South Pasadena and a home affair with Westlake.

Palisades was runner-up in league last year and made the state playoffs, losing to El Dorado of Placentia 60-37 in the first round in Division III.