High school teams rarely completely “start over,” but this year’s St. Anthony team is coming close. The Saints have just two seniors on the team this year after graduating almost all their production from last season’s 18-7 Del Rey League championship squad. Those Saints made the Division 1 playoffs where they were ousted from the first round by Santa Barbara.
“Yeah we’re pretty much starting over,” said Saints coach Alan Mitchell. “It’s pretty much a whole new team top to bottom. Because we’re starting over we’re going to lean on eight to nine guys consistently night in and night out throughout the season. With practice reps and as games go by, we’re hoping guys pick up on the experience.”
The Saints are relying heavily on transfers, with expected starters Jamil House (Huntington Beach), Tylan Kinsley (Leuzinger), Elijah Ricks (Redondo Union), and Marinio “Mars” Elissaint (Norte Vista) all coming via the CIF Southern Section transfer portal. The team also features returning seniors Trystan Butardo and Esten Wilson as well as freshmen Mychal McQueen and Ayden Reeves.
With the CIF-SS cracking down on transfers during football season (with 40+ schools investigated and many having transfers ruled ineligible), many high school basketball teams have had reservations about how to proceed. Mitchell said that he and his staff aren’t concerned about it because of their track record and attention to detail.
“Every year we’ve had transfers,” he said. “You just trust the work and you’re honest about what you’re doing and you go from there. We do also have 4-5 guys who are sitting out so that’s just showing that we’re doing it the way we’ve been doing it the last five years. The parents being honest and us trusting each other and going from there. But everybody’s situations are different.”
Of the transfers listed above, Elissaint was approved by the CIF-SS as a valid change of residence and will be immediately eligible, while House and Ricks are Sit-Out Period transfers who will have to sit until Dec. 26. Kinsley wasn’t yet entered into the CIF-SS portal as of print time.
House said that the Saints aren’t putting big goals up on the board right now, but instead looking to focus on the process.
“We have a younger team so we’re looking to build the culture, just get better every day, growing every day,” he said. “I’m going to continue to be a leader and help out (the younger players) as they help me out. Our main motto this year is ‘just find a way.’ A lot of guys don’t believe in us but we’re going to find our way, that’s our thing. Just keep on stacking days.”
Mitchell is pleased with how his team’s defense-first accountability-driven culture has held up to bringing so many new faces into it. Whether it’s early morning practices or long runs, he said his Saints have responded.
“We don’t have anything to sell to people, we just tell our truth and the facts,” he said. “In our five years the majority of our seniors that want to play college ball end up doing so…what we’re doing is the cliche ‘bigger than basketball’ but we’re living by it. We don’t sell these guys on ‘D1 or nothing,’ we offer opportunity. What you do with that opportunity is up to you.”
The Saints played a lot of games this Fall since MItchell wanted to make sure his new roster had time to gel together on the court. They’ll need it as they go into an always-tough Del Rey League schedule, as well as playing in the Ocean View Tournament Nov 17-19, the Ryse Williams Pac Shores Dec 3-4, and hosting their own Halo Classic on Nov. 19 and Dec. 20.
“We just gotta compete,” said House. “Be grimy. We’re smaller, maybe a little weaker–but that don’t really matter. It’s all about heart.”
