Bonanza making name for itself

Adam Candee

Thursday, Jan. 8, 2004 | 10:48 a.m.

What's in a name? For Bonanza boys' basketball coach Doug Couch, quite a bit.

"We haven't been a name, but now people are recognizing Bonanza," Couch said. "It's known as a golf and tennis school, but I guess now it's known for basketball. It's kind of fun being up there."

For the first time in years, the Bengals are up among the Sunset Region elite with a 14-3 record and a quick, athletic group capable of competing with most teams in the city. Despite losing to Bishop Gorman, 76-71, to open division play Wednesday night, Bonanza is earning respect with its most talented roster in recent memory.

"We don't want to be the team people look at as being able to walk over," Bonanza senior guard Ernie Domanico said.

Yet that is the role most of the Bengals know on the hardwood. Bonanza struggled to a 9-15 record last season -- another mediocre showing for a school with no state titles in basketball and seemingly little hope of changing that fact.

Bonanza, however, began to turn its fortunes in the offseason. Point guard Roemon Turner transferred in from Western for his senior season and forward Cornel Johnson returned to the team after sitting out his junior year to work on academics.

That duo instantly upgraded Bonanza's talent stash, already at a respectable level with Domanico (averaging 16 points per game), forward Nigel Moore (11.1 rebounds per game) and center Brett Jaekle (three assists per game). In particular, Turner's addition gives the Bengals a true ballhandler to push the up-tempo transition offense, handle the press and control the ball in halfcourt sets.

"The biggest thing is we've got a point guard this year," Domanico said.

Turner, a second-team All-Southwest Division choice at Western last year, understands his Bonanza teammates in a unique way. He feels that they all listen to him -- maybe a wonderful product of seniors doing their best to grab one last shot at winning -- and that makes his job easy.

"Most of us are going into our senior year and we haven't won much in high school," Turner said. "So it's a good feeling to win."

Bonanza is winning plenty of games, including victories against more established teams such as Palo Verde. Besides better talent, some Bengals feel this team simply wants to win more than previous units.

"Last year, we had a lot of seniors, but everybody was joking," Johnson said. "This year, everyone's ready. You either put up or shut up.

"We think we've got the most talent. We don't feel that everyone can match up. There's teams with the same amount of talent, but we have a chemistry."

Couch steps back a bit from Johnson's ideas, but the third-year head coach is obviously pleased with his team's marked improvement from years past.

"We're not physically as talented as a lot of other teams, but our kids are pretty smart players and they've got the system down pretty much," Couch said. "This conference, between us, Gorman and Durango, it's every given night."

The next given night is no given, as the Bengals follow last night's date with Gorman by tangling Friday with Durango. That's just fine, Turner said.

"We've got the toughest division," Turner said. "We have to play hard to beat any one of those teams."