Santa Margarita's Jerry DeBusk
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Santa Margarita's DeBusk selected coach of the year
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Jerry DeBusk led the Eagles to the CIF state championship in Division III.
When Santa Margarita lost in the CIF-Southern Section playoffs, the Eagles thought their season might be over.
A few days later, they found out they made the CIF Southern California Regionals. The Eagles had to get past the disappointment of the sectionals loss to Dominguez of Compton, and get motivated again.
Although the Eagles had not played in a week, they played their best basketball during the Regionals and in the CIF State Championships Division III game, in which Santa Margarita routed Sacramento, 72-55.
For not only getting his team back on track but also for getting them in peak form, Santa Margarita's Jerry DeBusk is the Register's Orange County coach of the year for the 2007-08 boys basketball season.
Santa Margarita finished 30-5, the second season in DeBusk's 16-year tenure in which the Eagles won 30 or more and the second time they won a state title. In the 1997-98 season, Santa Margarita won 32 and a state championship.
Their five losses: one to Campbell Hall of Village Center, which won the state Division IV final; two to Mater Dei, which won the state Division II final; and two to Dominguez, which won the CIF-SS Division I-AA championship and played in the state Division I final.
After that second loss to Dominguez, in the I-AA semifinals, on a Tuesday, the Eagles had to wait until the following Tuesday to play Kerman in the first round of the Regionals. They rolled to an 82-44 victory, starting a run of one-sided results in the state playoffs that continued with a 69-51 triumph over La Jolla, a 67-39 victory over Bishop Montgomery of Torrance in the Regionals finals at the Sports Arena, and the 17-point victory in the state finals over Sacramento, which was playing for the third time in as many Saturdays at the Arco Arena.
DeBusk relied on a veteran group of assistant coaches, including son Craig DeBusk, Aaron Maldonado, Mark Olivieri and Jim Reames. Santa Margarita also had standout players, including All-County selections Jaime Serna, Klay Thompson and Zach Zaragoza. But DeBusk, 62, said the team's strength was its unity.
“We have very good chemistry,” he said. “At times I did get a little irritated with them. I thought they were too nice and needed a little bit more fire in them.
“I had to criticize them a few times and tell them they weren't playing like the best Santa Margarita teams of the past. I said, ‘You guys shouldn't be playing down to other teams' level, you should be spanking them.'”
Spankings were plentiful in the state playoffs.
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
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