Selections Dominated by Seniors : Of 10 Players, Oceanside Forward Seau Is the Only Junior

Except for a junior named Junior, The Times’ 1985-86 San Diego Section all-county boys’ basketball team is dominated by seniors.

Nine of the 10 players on this year’s team are seniors. The lone exception is Oceanside High School forward Junior Seau, who scored 17.5 points per game while leading the Pirates to the 2-A final.

“The best thing about him is that he’s only a junior,” Oceanside Coach Bill Christopher said of Seau. “I’ll get him again next year.”

The other teams with all-county players won’t be so lucky. Hardest hit next season will be Poway and Serra. Both will lose two all-county selections.

Poway, the 3-A champion for the third straight year, is represented by 6-foot 6-inch forwards Jud Buechler and Dominick Johnson. Serra, which lost in the final to Poway, is represented by Steve Smith and Anthony Moore.

Johnson, who also made last year’s all-county team as a junior, was the only player to repeat this year.

Here’s a look at The Times’ all-county team:

Jud Buechler, 6-6, senior, Poway--Buechler, a strong all-around player, led the county in scoring with a 23-point average to help the Titans win the section championship again. In Southern Regional playoff games against Muir and Crenshaw, he scored 31 and 30 points, respectively. Buechler, a member of the West volleyball team in last summer’s National Sports Festival, wants to play basketball and volleyball in college. He is one of the most highly recruited players in the San Diego area. His leaping ability enabled him to score seven dunks in Poway’s 74-66 3-A title win over Serra.

Kenny Crawford, 6-5, senior, El Camino--Crawford was the top player on a Wildcat team that won its first 2-A championship. He averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds, scoring 19 points in El Camino’s 61-35 win over Oceanside in the 2-A final. “When we needed a big basket, Kenny always seemed to come up with it for us,” El Camino Coach Ray Johnson said. “He really showed what kind of a player he was during the playoffs.”

Against Lincoln in a 2-A semifinal game, Crawford scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to help the Wildcats hang on for a 70-68 victory. “If he was on another team, he could have scored even more,” Johnson said. “But we had a lot of talent and he learned how to play an entire floor game.”

Sean Giles, 6-2, senior, University--Giles established himself in a City Western League playoff game against Kearny when he scored 31 points to help the Dons qualify for the playoffs. Kearny used a box-and-one defense to try and stop Giles, but it didn’t work. Giles, a great shooter, continually frustrated the Komets by making long jumpers. His feet were nearly out of bounds when he made one important shot late in the game. Giles scored 17.5 points per game but averaged 25.3 in four key games against Kearny.

Chris Jeter, 6-10, senior, Morse--Jeter, the only center on the team, led Morse to the playoffs. The Tigers may have advanced past the first round had Jeter not suffered a broken ankle prior to Morse’s opening-round game against El Capitan. Jeter injured the same ankle last year and missed the whole season. He averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds this year.

“I think he’s got the potential to be quite a college player,” Morse Coach Ron Davis said. “If he puts on a little more weight (he’s 190 pounds now), he’ll be tough to stop.” Davis said that Jeter is being recruited by Georgetown, Syracuse, Nevada Las Vegas and Missouri.

Dominick Johnson, 6-6, senior, Poway--Johnson, an all-county selection last year and a three-year starter for the Titans, was second in the county in scoring this year with a 22.5 average. Johnson had one of his finest games in the 3-A final against Serra when he scored 28 points and had 19 rebounds. He scored 24 in Poway’s first-round Southern Regional playoff win over Muir. Johnson, a tough inside player, is the son of former major league baseball player Deron Johnson.

Anthony Moore, 6-1, senior, Serra--Moore, the Conquistadors’ point guard, seemed to get better as the season went on. In one game against Point Loma, he made 8 of 8 shots from the field. In his next game against Mira Mesa, he made seven straight after missing his first shot. Moore finished with a 16.6 scoring average and shot 56% from the floor. “He’s a very intelligent player and once he got his confidence level up, he was almost impossible to stop,” Serra Coach Tom Williams said. Moore also excelled in the classroom, where he earned a 3.7 grade-point average.

Eddie Moreno, 6-3, senior, Castle Park--Moreno was the Trojans’ leading scorer (14.3 points) and rebounder (11.1) and shot 54% from the field. He led Castle Park to a 22-1 regular-season record and the Metro-South Bay championship. “Offensively, he’s a finesse player and he was able to utilize his quickness to get his shots off against taller players inside,” Castle Park Coach Forest Partch said. Moreno also average 2.2 steals per game and 2 assists.

Junior Seau, 6-3, junior, Oceanside--Seau averaged 17.5 points to lead the Pirates to the 2-A final for the third consecutive season. Seau, a strong rebounder, earned a reputation for making the big play in his career at Oceanside. As a sophomore, in Oceanside’s semifinal playoff win over Chula Vista, he blocked a shot at the buzzer to clinch the win. “He’s a very intense player,” Christopher said. “But the best thing about him is that he’s a joy to teach.” Seau has a 4.0 grade-point average this year.

Steve Smith, 6-1, senior, Serra--Smith, who averaged 18 points, was the key player on a Conquistador team that won its first City Eastern League championship and advanced to the 3-A title game before losing to Poway. He is a tremendous leaper and, although only 6-1, jumped center for Serra. “The thing I feel strongest about was that he was such an unselfish player,” Serra Coach Tom Williams said. “He’s a natural guard but, because we had so little size, we had to use him at forward. From there, he led our team in assists.”

Mahlon Williams, 6-3, senior, Sweetwater--Williams was third in the county in scoring with a 22-point average while leading the Red Devils to the Metro-Mesa League championship. He scored a season-high 51 points against Montgomery. “Mahlon was the type of player who was always going to get his points,” Sweetwater Coach Dave Ybarra said. “He started scoring 20 points a game early in the season and he never stopped. He was very difficult to guard because he had an uncanny ability to get his shot off. A lot of times, people thought he was out of control, but he made those kind of shots all season long.”

Pos. Name School Ht. Class Avg. F Jud Buechler Poway 6-6 Sr. 23.0 F Kenny Crawford El Camino 6-5 Sr. 20.0 G Sean Giles University 6-2 Sr. 17.5 C Chris Jeter Morse 6-10 Sr. 18.0 F Dominick Johnson Poway 6-6 Sr. 22.5 G Anthony Moore Serra 6-1 Sr. 16.6 F Eddie Moreno Castle Park 6-3 Sr. 14.3 F Junior Seau Oceanside 6-3 Jr. 17.5 F Steve Smith Serra 6-1 Sr. 18.0 F Mahlon Williams Sweetwater 6-3 Sr. 22.0