With college-bound stars Chris Howell and Nick Herrmann carrying the load and grabbing the headlines, Otto Landrum and Logan Huston “flew under the radar” on Torrey Pines’ 30-1 San Diego Section Open Division champion boys basketball team last season.
Howell is now at Saint Mary’s and Herrmann is at Cal State Northridge.
So the burden of leadership, scoring, passing and rebounding fall to the 6-foot-9 Landrum and Huston, who moves into the point guard role.
“I like winning, so I don’t expect anything less from Torrey Pines,” said Landrum, who has signed to play next season at Boston University.
“Logan and I are ready to step in and lead this team.”
So far, so good. Huston scored 19 points with five assists in the Falcons’ season-opening win over Rancho Buena Vista, and Landrum exploded for 37 points in a weekend victory over Otay Ranch.
Landrum, who averaged 11.7 points and 7.4 rebounds a game last season while earning second-team All-CIF honors, isn’t a typical, low-post, back-to-the-basket big man.
“Otto is a big guy with a huge motor,” said Torrey Pines coach John Olive. “He plays with sheer joy.
“He got some really big buckets for us. He rebounded well. And he covered a lot of ground defensively.”
Landrum grew up in Colorado Springs, a stone’s throw from the USA Basketball training site. He moved with his mother to the Torrey Pines area in time for his sophomore season.
“He was as raw as they get,” said Olive, a big man who played at Villanova and with the San Diego Clippers. “He had no clue, no footwork.
“But he had a desire to get better. He befriended Nick Herrmann and became a workout fanatic.”
Landrum said his landing at Torrey Pines was serendipitous.
“I didn’t start playing basketball until my freshman year in high school,” he said. “And I was pretty good. My mom was moving to San Diego, so I needed to find a school.
“I went to the USA Basketball training site and asked about schools in California. People said go play for Coach Olive.
“Honest, this is how it happened: My mom found a house and it happened to be in the Torrey Pines area. It was an extreme coincidence. But I’m so happy how it worked out.”
Huston was happy with his role last season when he’d come off the bench in relief of Howell or Herrmann and bring some energy.
He played in all 31 games, averaging 4.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists.
“Logan was our sixth man,” Olive said. “He’s a dynamic player. He has speed and tenacity. And he’s mature.”
He’s also being asked to play a different position this season, moving in for Howell to run the point.
“I was a spark plug last season, now I’m a leader,” Huston said. “I’d take one or two shots, defend like crazy and put us in a position to win when Chris and Nick came back on the floor.
“Now it’s my time to take over.”
Graduation took a bulk of Torrey Pines’ team, but Olive expects J.J. Bartelloni, 6-6 Eden Pinn, guard Alex Cabulio, sophomore Dylan Kail and Kyle Houston to step up. The addition of 6-5 Coronado transfer Zach Jackson will be huge.
So despite losing nine of 14 key players from last year’s team, Torrey Pines is ranked No. 3 in the preseason poll behind No. 1 St. Augustine and No. 2 San Marcos.
“Coach Olive has created a dynasty here,” Landrum said of a team that has won at least 20 games a season every year since 2005-06 and is 385-100 over the last 15 seasons.
“It’s crazy that a public school can be as consistently good as Torrey Pines. We have every intention of upholding the tradition this season.”
Boys basketball
Contents
- 1 Boys basketball
- 2 Players to watch
- 3 Preseason top 10
- 4 Last year’s champions
- 5 Open Division: Torrey Pines Division I: Mater Dei Catholic Division II: Coronado Division III: Sage Creek Division IV: Maranatha Christian Division V: Crawford League predictions
- 6 Avocado: Canyon Crest Academy Central: Madison City: Hoover North County Coastal: Torrey Pines Coastal: Francis Parker Eastern: Lincoln Grossmont Hills: Helix Grossmont Valley: Steele Canyon Metro Mesa: San Ysidro Pacific: Pacific Ridge Palomar: San Marcos South Bay: Mar Vista Valley: Mt. Carmel Western: St. Augustine Milestones
- 7 San Marcos’ Dante Carey is 3 wins away from 300 Valhalla’s Keith Jackson is 16 wins away from 250 Sweetwater’s Jesse Aguirre is 17 wins away from 250 Cathedral Catholic’s Will Cunningham is 20 wins away from 250 Montgomery’s Ed Martin is 2 wins away from 200 Mission Bay’s Marshawn Cherry is 2 wins away from 100 Valley Center’s Jon Jones is 10 wins away from 100 Key tournaments
Players to watch
| Name | School | Year | Comments |
| Josue Amaya | Valhalla | Sr. | 1st-team all-league. |
| Rami Angel | Mission Bay | Sr. | Getting small-school offers. |
| Devon Arlington | San Marcos | Sr. | 1st team All-CIF. Committed to Yale. |
| Jared Balaoing | Scripps Ranch | Sr. | Returning all-leaguer. |
| Jayden Barnet | Hoover | Sr. | High-flying guard. |
| Vincent Burlucci | La Costa Canyon | Jr. | 6-5, returning starter. |
| J.J. Bartelloni | Torrey Pines | Jr. | Ready to step up. |
| Mateus Behrend | Maranatha Christian | Sr. | Returning all-leaguer. |
| Marc Begin | La Jolla Country Day | Sr. | Getting small-college offers. |
| EliJah Black | Mt. Miguel | Sr. | Drawing college interest. |
| Boston Bonifay | Cathedral Catholic | Sr. | 6-8 big man must step up. |
| Mason Bowers | Carlsbad | Sr. | Getting small-college offers. |
| Christian Brown | La Costa Canyon | Jr. | 6-5 had breakout year as soph. |
| Brady Burman | Pacific Ridge | Sr. | 2-time all-league. Headed to Sarah Lawrence. |
| Ben Camargo | Oceanside | Sr. | Athletic guard. |
| Nicky Clotfelter | Bishop’s | Sr. | 6-6 captain. Ready for a breakout season. |
| Jakari Cooper | El Camino | Sr. | Plays great pressure defense. |
| Jordan Cooper | Mission Bay | Sr. | Getting small-college offers. |
| Joe Angel Cruz | Madison | Fr. | PG with a huge upside. |
| Euan Davis | El Camino | So. | Was starting PG as freshman |
| Ian de la Rosa | St. Augustine | So. | Already drawing college interest. |
| Jurian Dixon | St. Augustine | Jr. | 1st team All-CIF player. |
| Tre Edmond | Granite Hills | Sr. | Returning 1st-team all-leaguer. |
| Vinny Ferrelli | Francis Parker | Sr. | Averaged 13.4 points and 4.3 assists. |
| Jesus Figueroa | Bonita Vista | Jr. | Top player back from 17-7 team. |
| Miguel Figeroa | San Ysidro | Sr. | College prospect. Averaged 18.1 points. |
| Shea Fiztgerald | Cathedal Catholic | Jr. | PG must step up. |
| Martin Flores | San Ysirdo | Sr. | All-CIF. Averaged 25.5 points. |
| Sebastian Flores | Lincoln | So. | True PG. Quick. |
| Kevin Garcia | Valley Center | So. | Saw big minutes as freshman. |
| Luke Gibson | West Hills | Jr. | 3rd year on varsity. |
| Angelo Gil | Mission Bay | Jr. | Getting big-time college offers |
| KJ Gonzalez | Mater Dei Catholic | Jr. | Drawing college offers. |
| Kris Gonzalez | Mater Dei Catholic | Jr. | Drawing college offers. |
| Marley Gonzalez | Escondido Charter | Sr. | 1st-team all-leaguer with college offers. |
| Nico Gonzalez | Southwest | Sr. | Returning starter. |
| Lucas Gordon | San Marcos | Sr. | Drawing college offers. |
| Jake Hall | Carlsbad | Fr. | Highly touted prospect. |
| Miles Harris | San Diego | Jr. | Returning starter. |
| Ben Hilstock | Vista | Sr. | 3-year starter. |
| Ubay Hussen | Kearny | Sr. | Two-time all-leaguer. |
| Logan Huston | Torrey Pines | Sr. | Role player steps into PG spot. |
| Owen Isachsen | San Dieguito Academy | Sr. | Returning all-leaguer. |
| Vishal Jayanthi | Sage Creek | Sr. | 1st-team all-leaguer. |
| Ali Johnson | Point Loma | Sr. | All-Eastern League returnee. |
| Marland Jorgensen | Madison | Sr. | Returning all-leaguer. |
| Kylin King | Lincoln | So | Varsity player as a freshman. |
| Otto Landrum | Torrey Pines | Sr. | Returning All-CIF. Signed with Boston U. |
| Carter Lankford | Rancho Bernardo | Sr. | Academic colleges are on him. |
| Stevin Latimer | Mission Vista | Sr. | Biggest player in the county at 6-11. |
| Jax Leatherwood | Scripps Ranch | Jr. | 6-8 QB on football team. |
| Jaden LeBel | Cathedral Catholic | Sr. | Top-flight college recruit. |
| Connor Little | Coronado | Jr. | Returning guard. |
| Alexis Marmolejos | Army-Navy | Sr. | Averaged 25.0 as a junior. |
| Cam Marshall | Patrick Henry | Sr. | All-leaguer. Averaged 17 points. |
| David Mathews | Mt. Miguel | Sr. | Drawing college interest. |
| Jaden Matuslem | Mt. Carmel | Sr. | 1st-team all-league. |
| Max McCall | San Marcos | Sr. | 1st-team all-league. |
| Camden McCormick | Francis Parker | Sr. | Returning All-CIF player. |
| Sebastian Medina | San Ysidro | Sr. | Averaged 19.2 points, 8.0 assists. |
| Chase Newman | Ramona | So. | All-league player as a freshman. |
| Bona O’Quinn | Helix | Sr. | Returning all-leaguer. |
| Nick Payne | Escondido | Sr. | Returning all-leaguer. |
| Nico Peerenboom | Del Norte | Sr. | Must help in move to Division I. |
| Patrick Perez | Christian | Jr. | Returning starter. |
| Garrett Poleman | Santa Fe Christian | Sr. | Starter on 20-4 team. |
| Max Raulston | La Jolla | Sr. | Returning all-leaguer. |
| Nolan Reuter | Coronado | Jr. | Returning SG. |
| Lolo Rudolph | St. Augustine | So. | Already drawing college interest. |
| Orion Samikoglu | Francis Parker | Sr. | Averaged 8.4 points, 5.1 rebounds. |
| Josiah Scott | Mar Vista | Jr. | League MVP. Averaged 17 points. |
| Vinnie Signorelli | Victory Christian | Sr. | Signed with San Diego Christian. |
| Jesse Snider | Rancho Buena Vista | Sr. | 6-5 1st-team all-leaguer. |
| Charlie Stallings | Fallbrook | Sr. | Team’s top scorer and rebounder. |
| Jeffrey Temicho | Mar Vista | Jr. | Averaged 15 points, 1st-team all-leaguer. |
| Tedrous Teshome | Montgomery | Sr. | All-Mesa League selection. |
| Brandon Tully | Monte Vista | Sr. | Grossmont Valley League MVP. |
| Jaylen White | Mission Hills | Sr. | Averaged 9.0 last season. |
| Justin White | Mission Hills | Sr. | All-leaguer. Averaged 11.5 points. |
| Elijah Williams | Grossmont | Sr. | Returning all-leaguer. |
| Jack Williams | Del Norte | Sr. | Will help in move to Division I. |
| Markees Williams | Helix | Sr. | 1st-team all-leaguer. |
| Miguel Yniguez | Canyon Crest Academy | Sr. | 6-5 returning all-leaguer. |
Preseason top 10
| 1. St. Augustine | 14-7 | 4 | Consensus No. 1 among coaches polled. |
| 2. San Marcos | 25-2 | 3 | Great player surrounded by a lot of really good players. |
| 3. Torrey Pines | 30-1 | 1 | Defending Open Division champs have plenty left. |
| 4. San Ysidro | 24-7 | NR | Cougars are big, fast and can shoot it. |
| 5. Mission Bay | 17-10 | 10 | Bucs are back after great summer. |
| 6. Francis Parker | 11-9 | NR | Lancers play fast and can shoot the ball. |
| 7. La Costa Canyon | 13-11 | NR | Pair of 6-5 studs lead the way. |
| 8. Mater Dei Catholic | 18-11 | 8 | Gonzalez brothers are back. |
| 9. Mission Hills | 16-9 | 10 | Talented and always well coached. |
| 10. San Diego | 16-4 | Guinn, Wade and a whole lot more. |
Others considered: Carlsbad (14-10), Cathedral Catholic (17-3), Del Norte (13-8), El Camino (24-6), La Jolla Country Day (13-10), Madison (19-8), Montgomery (7-9), Mt. Carmel (11-16), Ramona (16-10), Sage Creek (17-11), Santa Fe Christian (20-4)
Last year’s champions
Open Division: Torrey Pines
Division I: Mater Dei Catholic
Division II: Coronado
Division III: Sage Creek
Division IV: Maranatha Christian
Division V: Crawford
League predictions
Avocado: Canyon Crest Academy
Central: Madison
City: Hoover
North County Coastal: Torrey Pines
Coastal: Francis Parker
Eastern: Lincoln
Grossmont Hills: Helix
Grossmont Valley: Steele Canyon
Metro Mesa: San Ysidro
Pacific: Pacific Ridge
Palomar: San Marcos
South Bay: Mar Vista
Valley: Mt. Carmel
Western: St. Augustine
Milestones
San Marcos’ Dante Carey is 3 wins away from 300
Valhalla’s Keith Jackson is 16 wins away from 250
Sweetwater’s Jesse Aguirre is 17 wins away from 250
Cathedral Catholic’s Will Cunningham is 20 wins away from 250
Montgomery’s Ed Martin is 2 wins away from 200
Mission Bay’s Marshawn Cherry is 2 wins away from 100
Valley Center’s Jon Jones is 10 wins away from 100
Key tournaments
Jeff Armstrong Memorial
Nov. 17-Dec. 4 at West Hills
Key teams: Cathedral Catholic, Mater Dei Catholic, Torrey Pines, Grossmont.
Key games: Torrey Pines vs. Mater Dei Catholic, Nov. 30, 6 p.m.; Torrey Pines vs. Cathedral Catholic, Dec. 4, 6 p.m.
San Diego Tip-off Challenge
Nov. 18-20 at Montgomery HS
Key teams: Mission Bay, St. Augustine, San Ysidro, San Diego, Carlsbad, Sierra Canyon (No. 1 in nation)
Key games: St. Augustine vs. San Ysidro, 6 p.m. Nov. 18; San Ysidro vs. Sierra Canyon, 8 p.m. Nov. 19; Cathedral Catholic vs. San Ysidro, 6 p.m. Nov. 20; Sierra Canyon vs. St. Augustine, 8 p.m., Nov. 20.