The Preps / Scott Howard-Cooper : Arizona’s Lute Olson Is Leader of the Pac on the Recruiting Trail

With the early signing period for basketball prospects one week away . . . Arizona has become the recruiting force to reckon with for West Coast schools, mainly thanks to Lute Olson, the dapper dresser who has amazed even fellow coaches with signing coups in recent years.

This season, the Wildcats already have verbal commitments from center Sean Rooks of Fontana and guard Matt Muehlebach of Kansas City, a transfer from Oakland Bishop O’Dowd, and is still in the running for local prospects Brian Williams of Santa Monica St. Monica and center Mark Georgeson of Huntington Beach Marina as well as John Carty, the No. 1 big man in a down year in Oregon.

“He’s like a man among boys,” one West Coast coach said of Olson’s knack for recruiting. “It’s a joke. Nobody compares to him.”

Best in the West?

“Right now, you’d have to feel that way,” USC Coach George Raveling said. “He’s doing a great job. He’s ahead of everybody right now.”

Raveling is not in bad shape, though. His first full recruiting effort for the Trojans--he brought in Chris Munk of San Francisco Riordan without much time last April--has obtained verbal commitments from small forward Ronnie Coleman of Compton Dominguez, guard Duane Cooper of Lakewood and swingman Calvin Banks from St. Francis de Sales High in Toledo, Ohio.

With as many as three more scholarships to give, Raveling is still in the running for guard Gerald Madkins of Merced.

“We still have some holes to fill,” Raveling said Tuesday. “I’m waiting to see what’s going to come around in the next week or so. We’re still involved with eight kids, and we’ll see what happens. I think we’re going to come out in good shape.”

At least one Pacific 10 Conference coach figures USC is still going to end up with center LeRon Ellis of Santa Ana Mater Dei, who long ago announced he would sign with Kentucky.

“I’m not giving up, if that’s what you mean,” Raveling said.

UCLA, with four scholarships to give, is also looking good. Guard Kevin Williams of Verbum Dei has committed, Madkins is very interested, and chances appear to be good that Sean Higgins of Fairfax, one of the top prospects in the country, will pick the Bruins.

“We started real well last year, too,” Bruin Coach Walt Hazzard said late last week. “Most of the West Coast coaches want to try and get the good players to stay home, and we want to get our share early, get some good commitments from good players as soon as possible. It would lighten the burden.

“I’d like to get a commitment from the No. 1 player (Higgins), I’d like to get it soon and I’m not going to be happy until I do, with him or with any of the other kids we’re after.”

Carty, a 6-9 shooting forward with solid UCLA ties, also gave the Bruins a look early on, but appears to be leaning toward the two Arizona schools, even though he had to pay his own way to Tempe for a visit with the Sun Devils on probation.

His father, Jay, was an assistant to John Wooden during the Lew Alcindor years, but is also a good friend of Arizona State Coach Steve Patterson. Arizona is on the agenda this week and California is also in the running.

Pepperdine, which signed a bunch last April, is looking to sign only one player, preferably a big man who rebounds. Georgeson, a 6-foot 10-inch, 218-pounder, has been to Jim Harrick’s camp the last two years but is also still looking at Cal, Washington, UC Irvine and Arizona.

Washington already has three commitments, including one from guard Anthony Jenkins, who averaged 21.9 points last season at Pius X of Downey. He joins in-staters Eric Brady, a forward, Todd Lautenbach, a center.

Ricky Butler of Huntington Beach Ocean View will visit Loyola Marymount this weekend and will then decide among the Lions, Tulsa and Kansas.

The North Coast Section, the second-largest body of the California Interscholastic Federation, has run into insurance problems and may not hold sectional playoffs this school year, which means the section may not be sending any teams to state tournaments.

Officials, who switched policies after the cost doubled to $1 million, are trying to get coverage for postseason injuries and possible punitive damages, and are also having schools check for individual policies.

Girls’ volleyball will be the first sport affected in the playoffs.

Terri Mann of Point Loma is the only Californian to have made the girls’ All-American first-team prep basketball team in Street & Smith magazine, but Carrie Egan of Brea-Olinda and Andrea Knapp of Woodland Hills Louisville were named to the third and sixth units, respectively.

Molly Wampler of Cerritos Gahr, Mandy Hannah of Compton, Teresa Palmisano of Ventura Buena and juniors Rachel Norris of San Gabriel and Trice Jackson of Lynwood made honorable mention.

Dominic Sandifer, the outstanding senior kicker at Harvard of North Hollywood, had a 59-yard field goal last Friday, tying him for third-best in Southern Section history. Eric Affholter, formerly of Oak Park, kicked one 64 yards and Luis Zendejas, formerly of Chino Don Lugo made one from 60 yards out. Cle Kooiman, then at Ontario Chaffey and now with the Major Indoor Soccer League’s Lazers, also kicked one 59 yards.

Prep Notes

John Winnek, a 5-10, 185-pound battering ram of a running back at L.A. Loyola, broke two bones on his left leg while scoring a touchdown last Saturday against Encino Crespi and will be out for the season, a major setback for the Cubs. He had been averaging 6.9 yards a carry.