The Preps / Scott Howard-Cooper : It Was a Big Step for No. 2 Millikan

On paper, at least, the Millikan High School basketball team seemed innocent enough.

The Rams from Long Beach went 13-11 last season and were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round.

Only one player with any substantial amount of playing time shot better than 50% from the field, just two averaged in double figures in scoring, and only two others exceeded eight points a game, and one of those was a senior.

Bill Odell is basically coaching the same team this season, in personnel at least. In results, the story is much different.

Millikan is a year older and, somewhat quietly, has become one of the top teams in the area and has a 14-1 record following Friday night’s 66-51 victory over Long Beach Wilson in the Moore League opener. The Rams have become The Times’ No. 2-ranked team in the Southern Section without a “name” player to lead the way, either on the court or in publicity.

“They’re names to me,” Odell said.

Yes, well, not name players in the real sense of the word.

“True, we don’t have the great superstar,” Odell continued. “But Kenny Jarvis has done a lot of things for me. He plays a lot of different positions on the court and does a very good job. He is our leading rebounder (now second best), but he may also be our second-best point guard.

“And Shawn Williams, he is a scoring machine. We don’t get a lot of big numbers because we are so balanced, but he’s very tough offensively.

“Jarvis and Williams were all-league, but they didn’t go to the Superstar Camp or any of those, so they’re not as well known or publicized.

“Probably neither one will predict (make the Proposal 48 requirements for college), so coaches come in to look at them and unfortunately I have to tell them that. So when it comes time to pick the Best in the West, they don’t get considered much, since that is picked by coaches.”

The Rams, while outscoring their opponents by an average of 71.6 to 55.2, are getting 18 points a game on 53% shooting from Williams, a 6-3 senior forward, and 16.3 points from Jarvis, a 6-4 senior forward. They also have four players with 84 rebounds or more, an average of at least six a game--Williams with 84, 6-6 1/2 junior Frankie Edwards with 90, Jarvis with 95, and 6-5 senior Eddie Carswell with 97.

“We have a lot of talent spread out pretty evenly,” Williams said after scoring 28 points in Wednesday’s 72-44 win over Huntington Beach, a game the Rams trailed by a point at halftime. “That takes some of the pressure off.”

Millikan’s only loss was by one point to another Long Beach school, St. Anthony. That was in the first round of the Fountain Valley tournament a week after the Rams had won the previous match-up between the two by 12 points in the Cerritos-Gahr tournament, and a week and a half before they beat St. Anthony again in a nonleague game.

Prep Notes Lynwood, after losing to Woodland Hills Louisville, has dropped out of the USA Today girls’ basketball top 25. The Knights are in “Others to Watch,” along with two other California teams, Ventura Buena and Point Loma. . . . Running back George Hemingway of Colton and linemen Scott Spalding of El Toro and Terrance Powe of Wilmington Banning have been named to the 24th Parade All-American football team. Tommy Booker of Vista, Patrick Rowe of San Diego Lincoln and Junior Seau of Oceanside were also selected, giving California six representatives, second only to Pennsylvania and Texas, which had seven each.

Russell White, the Encino Crespi running back who this week was named the Big Five Conference player of the year, is the first sophomore ever to win the award in the major division. He has also been named the state player of the year by Cal-Hi Sports. He is the fourth consecutive running back to win, following Terry Rodgers of National City Sweetwater, Aaron Emanuel of Quartz Hill and Ryan Knight of Riverside Rubidoux. Calvin Jones of San Francisco Balboa, in 1967, is the last nonsenior to win the award and Harold (Brick) Muller of San Diego, in 1916, the last sophomore. Hemingway was named the top senior in California and defensive back/wide receiver Sean McQuown of Cerritos Valley Christian player of the year for small schools. Lancaster Antelope Valley’s 21-20 win over Canyon Country Canyon to break the Cowboys’ 46-game winning streak was rated as game of the year.