Bryan McSweeney Does It All for Dana Hills High

There’s little more Bryan McSweeney can do for his school--Dana Hills High.

McSweeney, a 6-foot 7-inch senior center, is the Dolphins’ best basketball player, averaging 20.4 points and 10.4 rebounds a game. He also is the student body president and has earned a 3.8 grade point average.

McSweeney helped the Dolphins win two of three tough South Coast League games last week--games they needed to stay in contention for a Southern Section playoff berth.

He did it during finals week. McSweeney spent more time studying about chemistry and calculus than fretting about the big games.

“(Last week) was tough,” McSweeney said. “I didn’t get much sleep. First it was academics, but for two or three hours each day I turned it off and concentrated on basketball.

“I keep a balance among things. It’s not easy--sometimes one thing or another is going to falter.”

The Stanford-bound McSweeney put his books aside long enough to score 14 points in a 66-40 loss to league-leading Mission Viejo Monday and add 32 and 26 points in wins over Capistrano Valley and El Toro.

For his efforts he was named Times Player of the Week.

McSweeney signed a national letter of intent to attend Stanford in early November and has been able to concentrate on completing his senior year.

“(Signing early) probably took the pressure off me,” he said. “I can concentrate on playing. If I were to go on a recruiting trip it might take away from the team. But now I don’t have to worry about what’s going on outside.”

It has made his senior season more relaxing, according to Coach Steve Thornton. “I think it was the best thing for him,” Thornton said. “He wanted the kind of education he could get at Stanford.”

McSweeney has spent seven summers at North Carolina Coach Dean Smith’s basketball camp. His father, Bryan Sr., played with current NBA coaches Billy Cunningham and Doug Moe under Smith from 1961-64.

Even so, he wasn’t leaning toward becoming a Tar Heel.

“Stanford was always my first choice,” he said. “They offered a scholarship to me, and I had nothing to lose, so I took it.”

He is not counting on a professional basketball career, prefering to rely on his academic talents.

“He’ll be a success in whatever he does,” Thornton said. “He’s liable to do well in business even if he’s not a big-time basketball player.”