Joey Araujo's assessment last week was dead on.

He and his Righetti teammates had just scored a first-round win in the CIF Southern Section Division II-A basketball playoffs. “We're all role players to Randy,” Araujo said to a Santa Maria Times reporter.

Araujo was speaking of 2006-7 Times All-Area Team and PAC-7 League MVP Randy Hunter, a 6-foot-5-inch senior.

Make no mistake. Others have contributed mightily to Righetti's second consecutive PAC-7 championship and 22-5 season run. Araujo has come on strong lately and is averaging around 10 points a game. He, Casey Smith and Richard Easton have given the Warriors some timely points. Araujo and fellow point guard Dominik Hitch, among others, have given Righetti some timely defense and floor work.

However, “The rest of the team feeds off of what Randy does on the court,” said Righetti coach Kevin Barbarick.

Hunter averages 18 points and 11.8 rebounds a game. His scoring average is about the same as last year. His rebounding numbers are up.

Besides all that, Hunter is a top defender for Righetti. He can score from the perimeter - something he wasn't called on to do much of last year. He can make the pinpoint pass, break a press with his ball-handling and he is one of the Warriors' best defenders.

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In short, he can do it all. Hunter did say, “My passing and dribbling are what's improved most from last year,” he said. “Coach Tuckness really worked with me this summer, and on the travel ball team I played in this summer I went against some better players.

“When they stripped the ball from me, I learned.” No one's stripped the ball much from Hunter this season.

“His turnovers are way down,” said Barbarick. “Coach Jeff Tuckness worked with Randy this past summer, including on his shooting because we knew in college they'd be using him outside a lot more. Jeff is one of my best friends. We talk three or four times a week. He's in our gym a lot.”

Tuckness is a veteran coach in the area. The past several years, he coached at Santa Maria High School and was an assistant at Hancock College.

Hunter popped in 24 points and snared 18 rebounds as Righetti won at Anaheim Katella in the second round Tuesday night. The fifth-seeded Warriors play fourth seed Santiago High of Corona tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Righetti's Warrior Gym.

“We're confident that if we go out there and play together, hold their big guy, we can go out there and get the win,” said Hunter.

The big guy Hunter referred to is a Santiago center he and Barbarick say is 6-feet-9. “They like to penetrate and get it into him a lot, then have him kick the ball back out,” to the perimeter, said Barbarick.

“They really force the issue with penetration. They didn't take many jump shots in their last game. Most of the time the guy who got the ball after it was kicked out would pump fake and then drive some more.”

Barbarick said, “They don't have a guy who averages 25 points, but they have a lot of guys who average around 10. In their last game a guy came off the bench who'd been averaging eight points a game. He scored 28.”

As for Hunter, “He's one of the best I've ever coached, and he's definitely the best player I've coached here,” said Barbarick. He is in his 10th season as Righetti's head coach.

“When I coached in San Diego, I coached a kid who was a McDonald's High School All-American and scored 32 points in a game,” said Barbarick. “But he didn't have Randy's athleticism.

“Randy has a very good vertical leap (he's dunked in gamed before), he has a seven-foot wingspan and his lateral movement is great. He's the best at moving side-to-side that I've ever coached.”

Hunter has visited Biola University, Cal State Northridge and Metro State University in Denver. However, the youngster may be SEC-bound.

“The University of Auburn has come into the picture lately,” said Barbarick. “We've talked with one of their assistants, and he's very interested in Randy.

“What really has college coaches excited about Randy is his reach, the way he can move on defense and that he can shoot from outside. Plus, he's young. He turned 17 last October, so he can still grow (literally) and keep learning the game.”

Wherever Hunter ends up, “I think a full-ride scholarship will come out of it,” said Barbarick. “No offers have come yet. We asked everyone to hold off because Randy wants to wait until the season is over to make a decision.,” on a university.

Hunter has played for Barbarick the last two years. The Santa Barbara native attended Bishop Diego his freshman year. He played junior varsity ball for St. Joseph his sophomore year and then transferred to Righetti.

“I feel really fortunate about the way the guys here took me in,” he said.

“The thing that really stands out most about Randy is that he is a terrific person,” said Barbarick.

“He's very quiet and shy, but he leads by what he does on the court. He's very unselfish. Sometimes, actually, I wish he'd be a little more selfish. But he'll make the good pass, do whatever it takes to help the team win.”

February 22, 2008