Oak Park Seeking Four on the Floor

When he arrived at Oak Park High 5 1/2 years ago, Coach Rob Hall didn’t inherit a boys’ basketball program as much as a bunch of kids milling around in shorts and sneakers.

The Eagles, 0-20 the previous season, consisted of 25 uninspired players spread over three teams. A league title? The playoffs? A winning record? Get real.

“The program had totally imploded,” Hall said. “The coach before me left in midseason.”

These days, Oak Park (10-5) is favored to earn its sixth consecutive playoff berth and win its fourth consecutive league title.

Under Hall, the Eagles are 84-52, hold the league record with 22 consecutive victories, and have advanced to the Southern Section quarterfinals the past four seasons.

“There were good players here but no program in place,” Hall said. “And for the most part our program’s been built the old-fashioned way.”

To wit: Oak Park, the only high school in its district, has made a practice of not accepting interdistrict transfers.

“You take the kids from the neighborhood, put them on the floor and let them learn the game and grow up together,” Hall said. “It’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

The exception to this formula happens to be the Eagles’ best player.

Guard Randy Gastwirt, 6 feet 4 and 200 pounds, is a senior who moved to Oak Park from Brooklyn three years ago. The league’s co-player of the year last season and a second-team All-Southern Section Division IV selection, Gastwirt averages 21.5 points.

As good as Gastwirt is, the Eagles rely on balance.

Senior forward Dan Wasserman, a returning all-league player, averages 7.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists. Junior center John Murphy, 6-5 and 210 pounds, averages 10.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

Joining Gastwirt in the backcourt are senior Josh Rattray, averaging 10.9 points, and junior Greg Jones.

“If you put all your energy into stopping Randy you may have a problem,” said Hall, who requires that the ball be distributed equally. “We’re not shut down if he’s shut down.”

Oak Park’s primary competition is expected to come from Bishop Diego (8-5), which returns four starters, and Carpinteria (7-7).

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AT A GLANCE

* THE PROVEN: Oak Park senior guard Randy Gastwirt was a member of The Times’ 1995-96 All-Ventura County basketball team. . . . Bishop Diego senior guard Tye Palonen, an all-league selection the past two years, averages 12 points. . . . Carpinteria senior forward Tyron Smith, 6 feet 4, averages 11 points and six rebounds.

* THE PROMISING: Carpinteria sophomore point guard John Barbieri averages 12 points and only two turnovers. He is shooting 53% from three-point range. . . . Fillmore junior forward Jesus Jasso averages 13.9 points, and St. Bonaventure sophomore guard Jake DeGennaro averages 14. Both are in their first varsity season.

* FAST FACT: Oak Park has won three consecutive league titles and is 23-1 in league play during that span. Its only loss was to Carpinteria.