Culver Coach, Fairfax Senior Garner Top Cage Honors

Warren Flanagan, who guided the Culver City High School girls basketball team to a a 24-2 record, one of the state’s best, and Fairfax High senior star Shameil Coleman received top Westside honors this week at The Times’ second girls basketball awards ceremony.

The program, in Harry Chandler Auditorium at Times Mirror Square, saluted 90 prep all-stars from nine Southern California areas.

Flanagan, who spent 20 years as a Culver football coach before going into semiretirement in 1980, added his basketball coach of the year award to a Times football coaching award.

In 1978, he and Dick Billingsley (now at Beverly Hills High) were named Westside coaches of the year after their Culver team went 13-0 and won the CIF Northwestern Conference championship. Culver football teams won six Ocean League titles when Flanagan was either head coach or an assistant.

Won Title First Year

Flanagan has had strong girls cage teams at Culver. His first team won a league championship in 1976, and his 1979 team won a CIF 1-A title. Last year his squad was 21-4.

Westside player of the year Coleman, who played guard and forward, was an All-City selection last year when she helped Fairfax to a 20-5 record and a 3-A City championship by averaging 19.5 points and 15 rebounds.

This year Coleman was even better and was named the 3-A City player of the year. On a team that was weakened by the loss of Dora Dome, now playing at UCLA and last year’s 3-A City player of the year, Coleman set a City scoring record by averaging 31.2 points. She also averaged 18.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 4.3 steals as Fairfax, coached by Jo Ann Heller, made it to the 3-A finals and finished 15-9 overall.

Welcomed by Glenn Davis

At the awards ceremony, the players and their guests were welcomed by Glenn Davis, Times director of special events, and his assistant, Will Kern. Times sportswriter Don Snyder narrated the awards presentation.

Joan Bonvicini, coach of the Cal State Long Beach women’s basketball team, was the principal speaker and presented certificates and gold hoop-and-ball plaques to players. She also awarded trophies to the players and coaches of the year from eight other Times circulation areas.

Besides Coleman, members of the 1985 All-Westside team are Culver City’s Lynn Richardson, Shari Netzel and Stacey Schipper; Demetrice Davis and Michelle King, both of Fairfax; Christina (Missy) Kurt of Notre Dame Academy, Shulanda Lang of Venice, Stacie Washington of Palisades and Kimberly Turner of Crossroads.