Kaluz’s emergence helps bolster Corona del Mar

male athlete of weekThe sophomore post player is the leading rebounder and second-leading scorer for second-place Sea Kings.Corona del Mar High’s Stefan Kaluz may only be a sophomore, but at times he plays years beyond his age.

Last week was such a time for the 6-foot-7 forward/center, who tallied 29 points and 14 rebounds in Corona del Mar’s 74-67 Pacific Coast League victory over University Jan. 25.

Kaluz was born in Slovakia and moved to California in the sixth grade. He already knew a little bit of English from living in England for three years, so when he arrived here, he picked up the language -- as well as basketball -- rather quickly.

He showed in Corona del Mar’s victory over University how he’s capable of taking over a game on the varsity level, despite being relatively inexperienced. He had the hot hand early, scoring 22 of his 29 points in the first half.

“In the first half, I just started shooting and all of my shots were going in,” Kaluz said.

He didn’t feel like he was “in the zone” or on his game in any special way, but the numbers kept piling up.

“Just another night, but more points,” he said.

“In the first half, he kept us in the basketball game,” Corona del Mar Coach Ryan Curry said. “He got us off to a great start until other guys found their way offensively. He was the dominating factor in the basketball game.”

Adding some bulk as he gets older will surely make Kaluz an even more dominant rebounder, but he already goes hard to the glass and often outrebounds bigger players.

Kaluz is first on the team in rebounds (7.4 per game) and second on the team in points (13.9 per game) and blocked shots (46), quite a feat for a sophomore on varsity. Even Curry is surprised at the pace of his development.

“I didn’t think he’d be this good this soon,” Curry said. “He’s really come along fast. He’s a very good rebounder and he’s really become a scorer for us. We look for him in key situations.”

Kaluz is no slouch defensively, but said there is plenty of room for improvement.

“My weaknesses are my quickness and guarding people on the perimeter,” Kaluz said. “And I need to get stronger.”

As a sophomore, he has plenty of time to work on those aspects of his game. But if you take him as is, you could do a lot worse.

“He’s big defensively for us. When people get beat on the perimeter, here comes Stefan with his long arms coming at you,” Curry said. “He makes people shoot over him and alters shots.”

Kaluz, whose favorite shot is the jump hook, said he likes the way the Sea Kings (14-8, 7-2 in league) have played their way into second place in league.

“I’m really happy with where we are,” Kaluz said. “Hopefully we can take it away from Northwood. We’ve played pretty well up until now.”

The Stefan Kaluz File

Hometown: Corona del Mar

Height: 6-foot-7

Weight: 210

Sport: Basketball

Position: Forward/center

Coach: Ryan Curry

Favorite food: Pizza

Favorite movie: “40-Year-Old Virgin”

Favorite athletic moment: “Scoring 29 points against University last week.”

Week in review: Kaluz had a career night, tallying 29 points and 14 rebounds in Corona del Mar’s 74-67 victory over University High on Jan. 25. Kaluz netted 22 of his 29 points in the first half.20060203631NJT75No Caption20060203iu35jwncDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)