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Basketball: Sidney, Oliver among finalists for Naismith awards

Los Angeles Times staff writer Ben Bolch
By Ben Bolch
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Fairfax senior center Renardo Sidney and Long Beach Poly senior center Monique Oliver were among the finalists announced today for the Naismith high school player of the year awards. Winners will be announced in early March.

The other boys’ finalists: Kenny Boynton of Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage, DeMarcus Cousins of Mobile (Ala.) Le Flore, Derrick Favors of South Atlanta and John Wall of Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God Christian Academy.

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The other girls’ finalists: Kelsey Bone of Sugarland (Texas) Dulles, Skylar Diggins of South Bend (Ind.) Washington, Brittney Griner of Houston Nimitz and Cokie Reed of Waco (Texas) Midway.

Sidney committed to USC on Sunday. The lists were compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, comprising journalists and basketball administrators from across the country.

--Ben Bolch

Varsity Times Insider
Ben Bolch

Ben Bolch has been a Los Angeles Times staff writer since 1999. He is serving his second stint as the UCLA beat writer, which seems fitting since he has covered almost every sports beat except hockey and horse racing. Bolch is also the author of the recently released book “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.” He previously covered UCLA basketball from 2010-11 before going on to cover the NBA and the Clippers for five years. He happily traded in gobs of hotel points and airline miles to return to cover UCLA basketball and football in the summer of 2016. Bolch was once selected by NBA TV’s “The Starters” as the “Worst of the Week” after questioning their celebrity journalism-style questions at an NBA All-Star game and considers it one of his finer moments.

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