COUNTDOWN TO THE CIF FINALS : No Decision : Colleges Must Wait as Augmon, Muir Set Sights on 4-A Title

Friday nights usually are hectic for Stacey Augmon, star center of the Pasadena Muir High boys basketball team.

But one might have been the busiest.

It started with his team’s CIF 4-A Division playoff game against Warren in Altadena, where Augmon scored 30 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and had 7 steals to lead the Mustangs to a first-round win.

Shortly after the game, Augmon was getting ready for the second part of his long day.

Augmon, 6-8 and 196 pounds, had just enough time to go home, change clothes, pack bags and board a red-eye special at Burbank Airport for a flight to Kansas.

The heavily recruited senior had scheduled the third of five allowable recruiting visits, this one to the University of Kansas in Lawrence. He had already visited the University of Washington and Texas-El Paso.

Augmon, a preseason prep All-American, is one of the few blue-chip prospects in Southern California who has not selected a college. Most of the top prospects settled the matter during the NCAA’s early-signing period last November.

But at that time the 17-year-old Augmon wasn’t close to making his decision.

“The reason I didn’t sign early is because I wanted to see where all the good players in the area were going first,” Augmon said.

Augmon averaged 10 points a game last season, and said that hard work may be the biggest difference between last season and this year.

“I had the ability last year but didn’t know how to put it together,” Augmon said. “I was mostly trying to look fancy and make the impressive shots.”

So Augmon spent most of the summer working on problem areas, and the result has been impressive.

Augmon was listed No. 28 in the nation on the Sporting News preseason All-American team and earned high honorable mention on the Street & Smith squad. He is averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds a game and was the biggest factor in his team’s winning the Pacific League title and going 24-2 during the regular season.

Muir, now 27-2 following Wednesday night’s victory over Compton Dominguez--in which Augmon scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds--faces Simi Valley in the 4-A championship game tonight.

All of Augmon’s success has come despite facing special defenses.

“That’s the way it’s been all season,” Muir Coach Mike O’Connor said. “He has been double- and triple-teamed every time he has the ball.”

O’Connor says improved attitude had a lot to do with the dramatic improvement in Augmon.

“He wasn’t a leader at all last year,” O’Connor said. “He was a strong competitor but he got too emotional at times. This year he is definitely our leader.

“He’s one of the best high school players I’ve ever seen as a coach or fan,” O’Connor said. “He just makes so many moves that I’ve never seen. As a coach, I just sit there open-mouthed at times.”

O’Connor said more strength and weight may be the only two things that Augmon needs to become a standout in college.

“He’s still relatively thin and they’ll put more muscle on him in college,” O’Connor said. “When you put a player like him on weights, there’s no telling how good he can get.”

His slender build has not deterred scouts, who have swamped Augmon with letters and phone calls.

“I have certain set times when I have scouts call me and I try to leave enough time to do other things.”