It should be a good year for boys’ hoops

Menlo-Atherton (3-4) and Sequoia (6-2), which finished 1-2 last season, both should figure into race. The Bears have played a solid non-league schedule and will be plenty battle tested to defend their South Division title. The Cherokees are picking up where they left off last season, when they went 25-6 and beat Serra in the Open Division consolation final. Sequoia has made it two wins in a row over the Padres, having beaten them last Saturday, 57-52. Their only losses on the season came against Bellarmine (49-36) and Oakland Tech (82-78).

The other squad that appears ready to rebound in 2018 is Mills (5-1), with a game against Urban-SF tonight. The Vikings managed just a 4-8 mark in South Division play a year ago.

Woodside (6-2) is proving last year’s third-place finish was no fluke. The Wildcats might have been the surprise of the 2017 PAL season, finishing with a 7-5 record. Woodside still has four more non-league games before the start of PAL play and will face a big test against St. Francis in Mountain View at 3 this afternoon.

San Mateo (6-2), Capuchino (4-3), Carlmont (4-3), all finished a game under .500 in league play last season, all finishing with 5-7 marks. The Bearcats may be the most likely team to take a step forward. They finished runner-up to host Los Gatos in the Wildcat Shootout and won the Balboa-SF tournament title.

Aragon (3-4) got off to an up-and-down start last year, but managed to tie Woodside for third place with a 7-5 mark. Burlingame (0-6) appears on its way to another tough season after posting just a 3-9 record in 2017.

The PAL North is off to a slow start, with only two teams — Half Moon Bay (5-2) and Jefferson (5-3) — enjoying a winning record thus far through non-league play. The Cougars went through a coaching change in the offseason, with alum John Parsons taking the reins. 6-9 senior center Ethan Menzies has really stepped up his game this season, averaging 21 points and 12 rebounds through four games played. Senior point guard Sam Treanor is also off to a hot start, averaging 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Jefferson has back-to-back strong seasons and appear on its way to another solid year in 2018. The Grizzlies have finished 10-2 in North Division play the last two seasons.

The only other North team to finish 2017 with a winning record, Westmoor (8-4), is off to slow start this season with a 2-5 mark.

WCAL

Serra (3-2) will have its work cut out for it if its to finish in the upper half of the West Catholic Athletic League standings. Bellarmine, Valley Christian and Sacred Heart Cathedral are a combined 18-0 in non-league play, while Riordan has lost only once so far. League favorite St. Francis is 4-2 and St. Ignatius is 4-3, while Mitty (1-6) has been slow getting in gear.

The Padres struggled through a 7-7 WCAL campaign last season, playing without coach Chuck Rapp, who was slow to recover from hip surgery. Rapp’s back this season and he should will the Padres to a couple more wins in 2018.

Those wins, though, will most likely be offset by a couple of key injuries. Jack Wilson, a 7-1 Oregon State commit, is reportedly out for the season, as is Cade Rees, a 6-6 junior forward.

Serra does have nine returning players, however, including junior Parker McDonald, who had a breakout sophomore year.

WBAL

Much like the PAL South, the majority of the teams in West Bay Athletic League approach league play with strong non-league showings as six of the eight teams in the division have winning records.

By all accounts, Menlo School (4-0) is supposed to be the cream of the crop in the county this season after going winning the league title with a 13-1 mark last season.. The Knights currently have three players — Joe Foley (19 ppg), Riley Woodson (12.3) and Thomas Brown (11.7) — who average in double figures scoring.

Menlo should get a stern test shortly after Christmas as the Knights travel to Orange County for the OC Holiday Tournament.

Eastside College Prep is almost Central Coast Section-eligible already, having amassed a 9-0 mark so far. King’s Academy (5-1) is always strong under former South City coach Drew Petiti, Woodside Priory (4-2), Pinewood (6-3) and Harker (5-3) round out the teams with winning records.

Sacred Heart Prep (2-5) and Crystal Springs (2-5) have been slow out of the gate this year.

PSAL

Alma Heights (7-2), after a 12-0 march through the Private School Athletic League’s North Division a year ago, appear to be the team to beat in 2018.

The Eagles are one of only three teams — Kehillah Jewish (5-1) and Summit Shasta-Daly City being the others — that have a winning non-league record. The Nueva School-San Mateo (3-3) and Summit Prep-Redwood City (2-2) are both at .500, while Mid-Peninsula (3-5), Design Tech (2-7) and San Francisco Christian (0-2) have some work to do.