Notebook / Mitch Polin : Altadena Cager Shoots Way Into Dominguez Record Book

It didn’t take long for former Muir High School basketball star Tony Akins to set the record straight at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

In only his second game with the Toros, the 6-5, 210-pound freshman from Altadena broke the school scoring record with 35 points against Biola University. That surpassed Richie Allen’s mark of 32 points set Feb. 20, 1979.

Not that big things weren’t expected from Akins when he enrolled at Dominguez Hills. Akins had an outstanding senior year at Muir, averaging 24 points and 8 rebounds and earning the Times San Gabriel Valley Player of the Year award.

Before the season started Toro Coach Dave Yanai said of Akins: “Tony is perhaps one of the most talented players ever to come into our program. He can be as good as he wants to be.”

But after the early season success of Akins, Yanai does not hesitate to call him the most talented freshman ever at Dominguez Hills.

It hasn’t exactly been a perfect transition from high school to college for Akins. After the record-setting performance against Biola, Akins suffered through an 0-for-10 shooting night and finished with two points against UC Davis.

That was the exception, though. Akins is averaging a team high of 20.5 points and also leads the team in field-goal (51%) and free-throw (81%) percentage through four games.

With the prep football season concluding this week, the boys basketball season is beginning to heat up with major early season tournaments.

Two of the biggest are the 14th annual San Dimas Tournament of Champions and the 7th annual Tartan Tip Off Tournament; both start Monday. The Tournament of Champions will be played at Cal Poly Pomona, and the Tartan Tip Off is at Glendora High.

Both tournaments will showcase many of the top players and teams in the nation.

No San Gabriel Valley team is entered in the Tournament of Champions. But with 16 of the top teams in Southern California competing, it is still a basketball fan’s delight.

Among the top players competing are 6-8 forward Trevor Wilson from Cleveland of Reseda, who has signed a national letter of intent to attend UCLA next season; 6-9 forward Stuart Thomas and 6-10 center LeRon Ellis from Mater Dei of Santa Ana; 6-8 forward Sean Higgins from Fairfax of Los Angeles, and 6-7 forward Ricky Butler from Ocean View of Huntington Beach.

The Glendora tournament, which will include valley schools Bishop Amat, Claremont, Pasadena, Sierra Vista, West Covina, Wilson and Glendora, is not short in talent, either.

Players such as 6-10 center Scott Williams of Wilson, who will play for North Carolina next season, and UCLA-bound Kevin Walker, 6-11 center of Brea Olinda, will be competing.

Other top teams in the Glendora tournament include Gahr of Cerritos, Centennial of Inglewood and defending champion Lynwood.