Honeycutt stays on court, just a different one

For those who want to see what a true All-American looks like, go watch 6-foot-8 Tyler Honeycutt of Sylmar play volleyball.

He was named to the Parade magazine All-American basketball team this month, has a scholarship waiting for him at UCLA and could be the key recruit for Coach Ben Howland this fall.

Most teenagers in his situation would be focusing day and night on preparing for his freshman year of collegiate basketball.

Honeycutt lifts weights every day and spends an hour in the gym shooting jump shots by himself, but he refuses to abandon the friends he made on the volleyball team four years ago when he was a no-name freshman.

“I made a commitment,” he said.

And so there he is, the top volleyball player at Sylmar and perhaps in the City Section, playing a sport he will probably never compete in again, just so he can help the Spartans win a championship.

It’s his way of showing loyalty, and it’s a breath of fresh air in an era where standout teenage athletes are always in a hurry to get their first big paycheck or make it to the NBA, the NFL or the major leagues.

Honeycutt wants to reach the NBA, but there’s nothing wrong with him taking some time to enjoy his final months of high school. And just because he’s playing volleyball doesn’t mean his basketball skills are being stifled.

He’s doing so much jumping that it might help him in basketball. He knows that Howland wants him to be a physical rebounder, intimidating shot blocker and dependable defender when he arrives.

“I know I have to bulk up, but it will come,” he said.

Every night after volleyball practice, he works on improving his strength with weight training.

But he won’t apologize for enjoying himself in volleyball, in which he towers over opponents and thrives on sending balls crashing to the ground.

His volleyball coach, Soheil Mashhoud, a UCLA graduate, can’t wait to see him put on his Bruins basketball jersey, but he’s glad Honeycutt is playing volleyball.

“He’s able to put the ball away from anywhere on the court,” he said. “He has the ability to be the player of the year in the City.”

Sylmar is 25-1 in volleyball and could be the No. 1-seeded team for next month’s City Section playoffs. No one, however, should doubt Honeycutt’s commitment to basketball.

He remembers as a 7-year-old standing on a bed at home and telling his mother, “One day, I’m going to play basketball for UCLA.”

His dream is coming true, and more important, his character and work ethic are coming through.

A pitcher to admire

There are so many quality pitchers in Orange County this season that if a college coach were able to sign the top five, he’d have a potential College World Series team.

One pitcher who has thrust himself into contention as one of the best is senior left-hander Paul Strong from Huntington Beach Marina. He’s a UC Irvine recruit who struck out the first nine batters in a game against Huntington Beach Edison. He also threw a no-hitter against Anaheim Esperanza.

He possesses a wicked curveball and entered last week with a 4-1 record and 1.38 earned-run average, including 50 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings.

Marina, with a 16-2 overall record, could be the team that No. 1-ranked Santa Ana Mater Dei (16-2) should fear most in the Southern Section Division I playoffs.

USC wants more running backs

How many running backs does it take for Pete Carroll to feel comfortable at USC? The Trojans already have a commitment from junior running back D.J. Morgan of Woodland Hills Taft, and now they have offered junior running back Trajuan Briggs from West Valley League rival Lake Balboa Birmingham.

If Briggs commits to the Trojans, what side of the field will Carroll be on when Birmingham plays Taft this fall?

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eric.sondheimer@latimes.com