Los Angeles Times 1987 ALL-STARS : Hot Shots and Playmakers Lead the Way for Glendale Boys, 6 Average 18 Points

Scorers and playmakers make up The Times’ all-Glendale Section boys basketball team.

Six of the 10 all-stars from high schools in Glendale, northeast Los Angeles and foothill communities averaged 18 points or better: 6-foot Barrie Eget of Crescenta Valley, 5-9 Joe Velasquez of Hoover, 6-4 John Epps of Eagle Rock, 6-6 Bert Cooper of Flintridge Prep, 6-7 Bryan Duffy of St. Francis, an all-star repeater, and 6-5 Michael Tozour of Marshall.

Two guards on the team, Mike McDowell of Glendale High and Eagle Rock’s Jerry Lew, both 5-9, are described by coaches as fine pressure floor leaders.

A still-growing 6-6 sophomore, Chad Givens of La Canada High, also earns all-Glendale as does 6-5 Alex Berry, the sure-shooting center of the Glendale High team that finished with the area’s best record, 20-4.

Berry averaged only 14 points a game and McDowell, another with deadeye shooting ability, only 13 for Coach Steve Keith’s disciplined Dynamiters, who played with such teamwork that four players averaged in double figures. Keith was Times Glendale-area coach of the year two seasons ago when Glendale went undefeated in 28 games.

Flintridge Prep, 17-7; Crescenta Valley, 16-10; Eagle Rock, 15-7, and La Canada, 14-9, also had winning seasons. Three were league runners-up, Glendale in the Pacific League, Flintridge in the Prep League and Eagle Rock in the Northern.

Out-of-ordinary happenings to three all-stars came:

- When Eget sank 33 consecutive free throws over two games to tie the Southern California record. The state mark is 42 in a row and the all-time national mark is 126.

- When McDowell twice sank winning field goals at the final buzzer. He was named all-tournament three times, tournament most valuable player once.

- When Lew closed his career with 207 assists for a school career record.

Givens is the first sophomore to be named all-league in the long history of the Rio Hondo League.

Epps garners his honor after older sister Tina. She was Times 1986 all-Glendale player of the year in girls’ basketball.

The coaches talk about their stars:

Keith, Glendale: “McDowell was our floor leader. It was exciting to watch Mike operate, particularly on the open floor. He made the big plays, setting up a play, on a pass to a teammate or on a shot to the basket. Berry played the role of big man. We’d look to feed Alex, especially for a low-post score.”

John Goffredo, Crescenta Valley: “Eget is a score-from-anywhere player. KABC named him player of the week. He deserved the honor. In successive games he scored 47 and 40 points.”

Bill Whiting, Eagle Rock: “Epps twice made all-tournament teams. John played forward and had unusual positioning ability. Besides his 20.8-point average, he averaged 9.4 on rebounding, 3.1 on shot-blocking. He’s eyeing either Glendale or Pasadena Community College for next year. Lew was the team spark plug and Epps’ chief feeder. Jerry’s assist average of six a game tells of his ability to handle the ball.”

Alex Rivera, Flintridge Prep: “Cooper was the big force in our middle. He’s strong at 6-6 and 225. No wonder he dominated play (37 points in one game, 20 rebounds in another).”

Kirt Kohlmeier, Hoover: “Velasquez scored 34 points in our opening game. It established a scoring pattern that lasted the whole season. Joe’s a typical ‘gym rat,’ a player who can’t get enough practice.”

Tom Hofman, La Canada: “Givens has been a star since his elementary years. He scored 58 points in an eighth-grade intramural game. Chad is growing strong at 6-6 and 210. He’ll be worth watching the next two seasons.”

Henfred Brard, Marshall: “Tozour played center. He had a fine shot within 12 feet. Three years of hard work has seen him develop into a fine inside player.”

Drew Sorensen, St. Francis: “Duffy has put a lot of time developing into a fine player. Inside or outside, Bryan is a dominating performer.”

The all-star boys and girls teams, each consisting of 10 members, their coaches and parents will be guests of the Times at 9 a.m. Sunday at the annual Times High School Basketball Awards Brunch where all-star teams from 10 circulation areas will be honored at the Anaheim Hilton. The featured Speaker will be first-year USC Coach George Raveling. The players and coaches of the year from each area will be announced.

The teams were chosen on the basis of a poll of area coaches, who are asked to fill out ballots nominating their own players and opponents, plus the observations of college scouts and sportswriters. Each player will receive the traditional Times golden basketball plaque and award certificate.

BOYS PREP TEAM

Name School Year Height Average Alex Berry Glendale Senior 6-5 14.0 Bert Cooper Flintridge Prep Senior 6-6 19.8 Bryan Duffy St. Francis Senior 6-7 19.0 Barrie Eget Crecenta Valley Senior 6-0 25.4 John Epps Eagle Rock Senior 6-4 20.8 Chad Givens La Canada Sophomore 6-6 15.0 Jerry Lew Eagle Rock Senior 5-9 12.3 Mike McDowell Glendale Senior 5-9 13.0 Michael Tozour Marshall Senior 6-5 18.7 Joe Velasquez Hoover Junior 5-9 22.0