Prep Review / Tom Hamilton : Four Basketball Players Expected to Sign Early

The early signing period that allows high school basketball players to select the college of their choice is scheduled for Nov. 13-20 this season, and several Orange County players are expected to sign national letters of intent.

The one-week period was designed 1982 to help both the student-athlete and the universities. The player had the option to sign early and eliminate the pressures of recruiting during the spring, the height of the prep basketball season.

The schools had the opportunity to sign a recruit early and reduce the time involved and the cost of recruiting him. The period was introduced with a one-year trial basis and later adopted by the NCAA.

Kevin Walker, a 6-foot 10-inch center from Brea-Olinda, and Bob Erbst, a 6-6 forward from Katella, are the two Orange County players sought most.

Both are listed as prep All-Americans in the new issue of Street & Smith magazine. Both also said they have narrowed their choices of institutions and expect to sign early.

Walker, who has excellent range and a nice shooting touch, has narrowed his choices to UC Irvine, UCLA and California. He also considered USC, Arizona, Washington and New Mexico, but made visits to only the three finalists.

“Those were the three I thought I would be most happy with,” Walker said. “I will probably sign early to take the pressure off. Things got pretty hectic in August. It was fun at the beginning, and I’m enjoying myself more now that I’ve narrowed my choices.

“I feel I’ll be able to make a solid decision in the next two weeks. It’s wide open. I plan to sit down and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each school before I make a decision.

“All three are UC-system schools, so I can’t lose. The academics are strong at each school. I also plan to consider the basketball programs and the amount of playing time available at each school.”

Walker spent the off-season adding 25 pounds and weighs 212. He said the added weight has given him new confidence, especially with rebounding.

Walker said the ultimate decision will be his.

“(Brea) Coach (Gene) Lloyd gave me a little advice and guided me in the right direction,” Walker said. “My mother sat back and let me run the recruiting and plan the trips. It will be my decision.”

Erbst, the county’s most talented player, is considering four Pacific 10 schools--USC, UCLA, Arizona and Washington--and Syracuse.

His father, Dave, was a scholarship football player at Drake and has assisted his son in the recruiting process. He said his son receives seven or eight phone calls every evening and has resorted to going to the library or brushing up on his shooting skills at Des Flood’s home to escape the calls.

“He will definitely sign early so that he can enjoy his senior year at Katella,” Dave Erbst said. “It’s wide open at the moment.”

Erbst, a 3.0 student, plans to major in communications or marketing. Syracuse is being considered because of the school’s communications department.

Stuart Thomas, a 6-8, 215-pound forward at Mater Dei, is another player who has been recruited heavily. Gary McKnight, the Monarchs’ coach, said the left-hander has narrowed his choices to Arizona, UCLA, Stanford and UC Irvine.

“I think he’ll decide this week,” McKnight said. “I know Stu drove up to Westwood to watch a UCLA practice on his own and then visited there this weekend, so I think the Bruins are in the forefront.”

Thomas, who played in the shadows of Tom Lewis and Mike Mitchell last year, had an excellent summer. He was named the Most Valuable Player in the Basketball Congress International summer tournament in Phoenix.

Still another standout, Bryant Walton of Saddleback, ended the suspense weeks ago when he announced that he was committing to Cal. Walton is expected to sign with the Bears on Nov. 13.

Gary Blate, girls’ basketball coach at Loara, filed a class-action wage discrimination suit last week in Orange County Superior Court against the Anaheim Union High School District.

Blate, an attorney, said that he was paid $326 less than Loara’s boys’ basketball coach during the 1984-85 season. Blate, 34, led the Saxons to a 22-7 record last year and has coached girls’ basketball teams for eight years.

Blate, who filed the suit on behalf of the eight girls coaches in the district, is seeking three times the difference in pay as compensation for himself and other affected coaches.

“The length of seasons, frequency of practices, number of games, working conditions and preparation are equal and the same,” Blate said. “The difference in pay is based on the gender of . . . the participants.”

Last year, Brian Daly, the Saxon boys’ coach, earned $1,483 for the season. Blate earned $1,157 for the same period.

Prep Notes Trabuco Hills won its first football game ever with a 24-23 win over Bassett. Jeff Dooley kicked a 22-yard field goal with 1:15 left to play to give the Mustangs the win. Earlier in the week, Dr. Bill Brand, Trabuco Hills principal, requested and was granted by CIF Southern Section officials that the Mustangs’ football, basketball and baseball teams be designated as junior varsity squads this season so that 14-year-old freshmen could participate. The Mustangs’ games against varsity teams will be recognized by the Southern Section. . . . San Clemente quarterback Alex Baker is out for the season after suffering a dislocated shoulder against Irvine. After Baker missed most of his junior season with a broken wrist, Triton Coach Allie Schaff went to the wishbone offense in an effort to protect Baker, who dislocated his shoulder making a tackle from his free safety position. Brad Zell has replaced Baker. . . . Lost in the fanfare of Valencia running back Ray Pallares’ record-breaking night against Savanna was another county record tied by Tiger kicker Brian Elliott. Elliott kicked nine conversions in the 63-0 win, tying Dave Spencer (Canyon, 1983) and Art Kuechel (Orange, 1919) for the county mark of most PATs in one game.

Ocean View’s basketball team has been ranked 30th in the nation in a preseason poll by Street & Smith magazine. . . . College basketball coaches Lute Olson (Arizona), Paul Westhead, (Loyola Marymount) and Bill Mulligan (UC Irvine) head the list of speakers scheduled for the Orange County basketball coaches clinic on Saturday at the Anaheim Stadium club. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the clinic concludes with a free buffet lunch at 1 p.m. The clinic is free to all county coaches. . . . Myron Pines, former baseball coach at Pacifica, has been appointed the baseball coach at Santiago. Pines also is assisting the Cavaliers’ varsity football team. . . . Canyon quarterback Todd French threw for 234 yards in Thursday night’s 35-13 loss to Villa Park to set the single-season school passing record. French, who has 1,678 yards on the season, broke David Hannemann’s record of 1,471 yards, set in 1983.