Los Angeles Times 1988 ALL-STARS : Boys Basketball All-Stars Pegged by College Scouts; Half Are Undergraduates

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, May 1, at the annual Times High School Basketball Awards Brunch where all-star teams from 12 circulation areas will be honored at the Anaheim Hilton. The featured Speaker will be Loyola Coach Paul Westhead. 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.

UCLA-bound Darrick Martin and Frankie Edwards, another of the much-scouted prep players plucked by big-time collegiate schools, are on the boys 1988 Times All-South Coast High School Basketball Team.

Martin is the St. Anthony High All-American with a season scoring average of 33.4. The lone All-South Coast repeater scored 54 in one game for a personal high.

Edwards, the tall, shot-blocking star of Millikan High, is headed for California State University, Long Beach.

Three other seniors on the 10-man Times team are Mike Coffin of Brethren High, Tyrone Julks of Long Beach Jordan and Deon Robinson, also of Millikan. A number of community colleges, noted for grooming transfers to major universities, are interested in them. Coffin, however, could wind up at The Master’s College, a small Baptist school in Santa Clarita (formerly Newhall).

One Is a Sophomore

Undergraduates make up the other half of the All-South Coast squad that was selected primarily from an opinion poll of coaches in the area that covers Long Beach, Compton, Lakewood, Lynwood and Paramount.

One is a shot-making sophomore, Ed O’Bannon of Artesia High. The Camper cousins, Brian and Victor of Lakewood High, are juniors making the team as are DiJon Bernard, a Dominguez High action guard, and Russell May, who deftly dropped ‘em into the scoring bucket for Mayfair High.

Balloting coaches were asked to comment on their selections. Their remarks on the all-stars included:

On Martin: “Passer, scorer, stealer, ball handler; he can do everything!”

Edwards: “At 6-8 and with his jump and those long arms up, it’s like having to shoot over a tall building.”

Bernard: “He moves good and fast and knows how to find a location for his sure-fire set shot.”

Brian Camper: “A good shooter. Oh, he’s even better than that!”

Victor Camper: “He’s an aggressive 6-8 now. And he’s still growing.”

Coffin: “A fine all-around player with speed and visual sense to see the whole field of players before him.”

Julks: “He’s 6-2 but plays like 6-6 with his leap.”

May: “He’ll dominate the play.”

O’Bannon: “One of the best sophs in America!”

Robinson: “Very athletic and really gets into the air for spectacular dunks!”

Here are some more of opposing coaches’ comments about the players:

Martin: He sparked St. Anthony to the Camino Real League title. His 33.4-point average for 25 games led the CIF Southern Section. A team player with 8.5 assists a game, Martin also excelled at stealing the ball.

Edwards: He helped Millikan go undefeated (10-0) for the Moore League championship. Edwards averaged 11.2 rebounds in 24 games. Besides his shot-blocking, he also fashioned a good jump shot.

Bernard: His presence helped Dominguez to a three-way share of the championship in the San Gabriel Valley League.

Brian Camper: A mainstay on the Lakewood team that finished third in the Moore League but went further in the playoffs (5-A semifinals) than any other team in the South Coast Section. He led the Moore League in scoring.

Victor Camper: The other Lakewood mainstay. He and cousin Brian figure to be an even more powerful nucleus for Lakewood basketball in the 1988-89 season.

Coffin: He hit 35 three-point field goals. His high-point game was 38. Season totals also included 143 assists and 86 steals. His rebound average was 7.1 a game. An all-around performer.

Julks: He is one of the premiere players of the Moore League, which comprises half the selections for All-South Coast. His play for Long Beach Jordan, runner-up in the Moore League, caught the eye of virtually every rival coach.

May: Mayfair was an also-ran team in the Suburban league, but Russell was clearly a scoring standout for the team. Eighteen teams beat Mayfair during the season, but found the dominating May an unstoppable scorer.

O’Bannon: He established exceptional ability to shoot and defend in his sophomore season. He led Artesia High to the Suburban League title. Besides his 20-point scoring average, he played the center role for 12.8 rebounds a game.

Robinson: At 6-8, like teammate Edwards, Robinson was the other tower of power for champion Millikan. Unusual agility and jumping ability for his size were among his strong points that earned him a Times all-star berth.

BOYS PREP TEAM Name: DiJon Bernard School: Dominguez Year: Junior Height: 6--4 Average: 17.4 Name: Brian Camper School:Lakewood Year: Junior Height: 6--5 Average: 17.6 Name: Victor Camper School: Lakewood Year: Junior Height: 6--8 Average: 15.0 Name: Mike Coffin School: Brethren Year: Senior Height: 6--4 Average: 22.6 Name: Frankie Edwards School: Millikan Year: Senior Height: 6--8 Average: 17.4 Name: Tyrone Julks School: Long Beach Jordan Year: Senior Height: 6--2 Average: 13.5 Name: Darrick Martin School: St. Anthony Year: Senior Height: 6--0 Average: 33.4 Name: Russell May School: Mayfair Year: Junior Height: 6--6 Average: 24.5 Name: Ed O’Bannon School: Artesia Year: Sophomore Height: 6--7 Average: 20.0 Name: Deon Robinson School: Millikan Year: Senior Height: 6--8 Average: 11.3