ESPN’ Gottlieb can talk a good game as well as play one

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Get your ears in gear if you’re planning to watch the boys’ game, the nightcap of the McDonald’s All-American doubleheader, at 6:30 tonight on ESPN. That’s because one of the game’s analysts is Doug Gottlieb, who was The Times’ Orange County boys’ basketball player of the year in 1995, when he was a senior at Tustin High.

I remember coordinating the photo shoot for that team, which took place at University High in Irvine. The 10 best boys and girls players were in the gym that night, but Doug stood out -- because he never stopped talking. Never.

But I had to cut the guy some slack because we did attend the same high school, though I was there just a few years before Doug. (Anybody remember the old main building at Tustin, well, I started there the year after that was torn down -- nope, not gonna tell you the year.) We’ll just mention that he attended Notre Dame before winding up at Oklahoma State, where he led the Cowboys on a nice March run.

Anyway, should be a great boys’ game tonight. I’ve yet to see Compton’s DeMar DeRozan play, other than via YouTube videos, so am looking forward to see if he can duplicate some of those amazing dunks.

-- Editor Bob

-- Image from www.espnradio.com