1985-86 ALL-VALLEY BASKETBALL TEAMS : The ‘84-85 Boys First Team, a Year Later

Back and head problems kept Brian Capp from having the kind of season he wanted at Glendale College this year.

The back problems were a nagging injury he first experienced three years ago while attending Crespi High. They caused him to miss five Glendale games.

The head problems were something new, brought on by a trip to Europe last summer. They caused him to rethink his priorities.

“The first part of the season, my head wasn’t in it. I went to Europe over the summer and had the time of my life,” Capp said. “I realized there was more to life than basketball. I didn’t want to work. I was really flaked out.

“Then, when I finally got my head into it, my back started hurting me.”

Capp still averaged 7.8 points a game for the Vaqueros and had a high of 19 points in the season opener against Valley College.

“I kind of started flaking out after that game,” Capp said. “I kind of expected to start after that, but I didn’t, so I got an attitude problem I guess.”

Capp’s head and back are feeling fine now, and he’s looking forward to next season at Glendale.

“I’m going back to Europe this summer, but I’m not going to let the same thing happen,” he said.

Capp is one of three 1984-85 Times All-Valley boys basketball team members who played this season for a junior college. Three others played at four-year colleges, one redshirted at a four-year school, two finished their high school careers and were honored on this year’s All-Valley team, and one didn’t go out for basketball.

Where are they now?

Steve Banales, Camarillo--Banales followed his Marmonte League MVP season of 1984-85 by being named to the All-Western State Conference second team at Ventura College this year. He averaged 8.4 points in the WSC, hitting 50% of his field-goal attempts and 83% of his free throws.

Banales started the season as Ventura’s point guard but was switched to his natural position as off guard just prior to WSC play. The Pirates finished as WSC tri-champions.

“When I was playing point guard, I was getting frustrated because I was scoring four or five points a game,” Banales said. “When I moved over to off guard, I started scoring in double figures every game.”

Todd Bowser, Montclair Prep--The 6-8, 270-pound center led the Mounties to the Alpha League title last year, averaging 23.2 points and 14.8 rebounds. This season, Montclair could only tie for second place, and “The Bowz” only made second-team All-Valley.

Bowser averaged 20.9 points a game this year and led the Valley in rebounding with a 15.2 average.

Joe Campanella, Crespi--The 6-3 guard went to Columbia University in New York because he said it was the “best package I could get in academics and athletics.” Hopefully, Campanella is getting his fill of academics, because he saw little in the way of athletics this past season.

The former Celt sharpshooter played in only five games at Columbia. He scored six points, had five rebounds and two assists.

“It was frustrating all the way around, both for me personally and for the team (Columbia was 12-14),” Campanella said. “I’m really looking forward to next season. I’m a lot more confident in my abilities now. I think I’m really going to contribute next year.”

Desmond Cerceo, Granada Hills--Cerceo led the Highlanders to a league basketball championship his senior year, then accepted a football scholarship to San Diego State. He planned to redshirt his first year, but when Aztecs Coach Doug Scovil was fired, his assistant, Brian Billeck, coaxed Cerceo to go with him to Utah State, where the former Granada Hills quarterback hopes to start next year.

“I’m sure our basketball coach would love to have him,” Billeck said, “but I think Cerceo is committed to football. I think that’s his first love.”

Anthony Cook, Van Nuys--The two-time All-Valley selection took his act to Arizona, where he helped lead the Wildcats to a 23-9 record and their first Pac-10 championship.

Cook started 32 of 33 Arizona games and averaged 6.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists a game. The 6-8 forward also set a school record of 50 blocked shots.

Cook’s season high was 11 points, which he accomplished against Oregon State and Washington State He shot 50% from the field and 65.8% from the line.

Tyrone Mitchell, Cleveland--The Cavaliers’ career assist leader won a scholarship to Arizona State, but chose to redshirt his freshman year. A two-time All-Valley pick, Mitchell suited up for the first two Sun Devil games, but did not play.

Mark Robinson, Simi Valley--It was grades, not ability, that kept Robinson from attending a four-year college this school year. “He had every college in the U.S. looking at him, but none of them could touch him because of his grade-point average,” said Mark Robinson Jr., father of the former Pioneer star.

The 6-5 Robinson wound up at City College of San Francisco, where he started and averaged 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds a game. San Francisco, which lost to Sacramento City College in the state final, finished 33-3.

“Robinson improved as much in one year as any kid we’ve ever had here,” said Coach Brad Dugan. “He didn’t play very well in the state tournament. But he played great as a total player for the whole year.”

Robinson had a season-high 29 points against Laney College. He scored 12 points in the championship game against Sacramento but had just two in a semifinal victory over Santa Barbara.

Gerald Thomas, Faith Baptist--Thomas spurned a number of other offers and followed his faith to Liberty in Lynchburg, Va. The 6-5 forward played in 30 of 31 games, starting four, and averaged 15 minutes per game.

Thomas averaged 3.9 points and 4.2 rebounds a game, helping Liberty to an 18-13 record and third-place finish in the Mason-Dixon Athletic Conference. He shot 50.5% from the field and 52.9% from the line.

Thomas also had 19 assists, 13 steals and five blocked shots.

Trevor Wilson, Cleveland--Last season’s Valley Player of the Year missed five games with an injured ankle but came back to average 25.7 points and 15 rebounds a game.

Wilson led the Cavaliers to a share of the Valley 4-A League title and into the City 4-A championship game against Crenshaw, where the 6-8 forward gave a good account of himself in defeat, scoring 27 points and grabbing 20 rebounds.

Wilson had a season high of 46 points against Calabasas.

Boys Second Team

Name School Ht. Yr. Pos. Scoring Todd Bowser Montclair Prep 6-8 Sr. Ctr. 20.8 Shelton Boykin San Fernando 6-5 Jr. Ctr. 12.0 Sean Davis El Camino Real 6-4 Jr. Fwd. 16.7 Jerry Dawson Rio Mesa 6-7 Jr. Fwd. 13.9 Shawn DeLaittre Simi Valley 6-4 So. Fwd. 15.2 Robert Dodson L.A. Baptist 6-1 Sr. Fwd. 16.0 Damon Greer Cleveland 6-0 So. Grd. 10.0 Butch Mettinger Canyon 6-6 Sr. Fwd. 21.2 Pat Meyer Van Nuys 6-0 Sr. Grd. 17.0 Tom Neumayr Thousand Oaks 6-3 Sr. Grd. 17.8 John Perak Notre Dame 6-6 Sr. Ctr. 18.2 Jorge Ramos Poly 5-8 Jr. Grd. 12.1 Adam Sacks El Camino Real 5-10 Sr. Grd. 14.5 Steve Tanin Crespi 6-3 Sr. Fwd. 10.1 Brent Tapia Royal 6-0 Sr. Grd. 18.1

The Times’ All-Valley basketball teams were selected by a panel of 11 Times sportswriters who covered games in the Valley area. Awards to first-team selections will be made Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Disneyland Hotel. Players, their families and coaches are invited to attend. Information: 818-701-3345.