Los Angeles Times 1988 ALL-STARS : Kings and Queens of the Court : Westside Squad Proves You Don’t Always Have to Be a Big Fellow to Stand Head and Shoulders Above the Rest

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.

Whoever said that basketball is a big man’s game would be surprised by how many small men made the Times All-Westside high school basketball team.

The team has seven guards, a small forward and only two players who could be considered legitimate big men: 6-7 Chris Mills of Fairfax High and 6-7 Zan Mason of Westchester.

The small forward is 6-3 Chuck Hegeman of University, and the guards are 5-9 Sam Crawford of Westchester, 5-10 Jamie Dudley of Palisades, 6-4 Steven Jeter of Culver City, 6-2 Jason Joe of St. Monica, 6-3 Keith Neal of Santa Monica, 6-1 1/2 Derek Patton of Beverly Hills and 6-1 Michael Victor of Brentwood.

It is evident why Mills and Mason, the team’s only repeaters from last year, were named to the all-star team.

Mills, an All-American headed for the University of Kentucky, is one of the best players that Fairfax, long a power in Los Angeles City basketball, has ever had. He led the Lions, who lost a lot of talent to graduation last year, to an 18-5 record and was named the state boys player of the year by Cal-Hi Sports.

Mason, an All-City selection as a sophomore last year, was named the state’s outstanding junior by Cal-Hi Sports. He starred for a Westchester squad that played in the City’s Central League, perhaps the state’s best conference. The Comets finished with a 20-6 record, advancing to the City 4-A semifinals before losing to Manual Arts, which went on to win a state championship.

It is not clear why so many smaller players were dominant in Westside basketball, but each was either a big reason why his team had a successful season or was a strong player on a not-so-strong team. Each of the smaller players received support from their coaches and from opposing coaches in balloting for the all-star team.

Crawford, though ill with the flu, scored 33 points in the semifinal loss to Manual Arts and carried his team after Mason injured his ankle in the first quarter and was unable to continue.

Palisades Coach Jerry Marvin called Dudley the “best pure point guard in the Central League” in the last two years.

Hegeman was the leading scorer and rebounder on a University team that had four starters who averaged double figures in scoring. The Warriors advanced to the City 3-A semifinals and finished with a 19-5 record.

Culver City’s Jeter is tall for a guard, but he often had to go against taller players when pressed into playing forward and center on a team that had few experienced substitutes.

For much of his career, Joe played in the shadow of guards Earl Duncan, now a sophomore at powerful Syracuse University, and Jason Matthew, a freshman with strong Pittsburgh.

Neal was Santa Monica’s steadiest player, and Patton was the spark plug of a 22-4 Beverly Hills team. Victor, a four-year starter, led Brentwood (18-6) to a tie for first place in the Delphic League with Santa Monica Crossroads, last year’s state Division III champion.

Capsule descriptions of each player:

Crawford--A smart, tough player with quick reflexes, he averaged 18 points, 9.4 assists and nearly 3 steals a game.

Dudley--A steadying influence on his team, he averaged 14.4 points, 8 assists, 3 steals and 3 rebounds as a back court player.

Hegeman--An All-City 3-A selection and a standout on a team of near-equals, he averaged 10.2 rebounds and 12.9 points.

Jeter--Defenses would generally double and triple-team him, but he still averaged 20.5 points, 10 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3 steals.

Joe--One of the CIF-Southern Section’s top scorers, he made nearly 56% of his three-point shots (51 of 93). His averages: 25 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds.

Mason--Averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds. Chosen All-City 4-A for the second straight year. Hard to stop inside.

Mills--A player’s player, a coach’s player. His averages: 32 points, 13.3 rebounds, 3 blocked shots, 3 assists. He hit 78.4% of free throws and was 57.3% from the field.

Neal--A tough defender as well as an offensive threat, he averaged 18 points and 8 rebounds.

Patton--He averaged 16 points, nearly 9 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 2 steals a game. He was the Ocean League’s most valuable player.

Victor--The Delphic League player of the year, he averaged 16.5 points, 5 assists, 4 steals and 6 rebounds.

Honorable mention:

Beverly Hills--Chris Plummer.

Crossroads--Joe Perkovich, Mike Arnold.

Fairfax--Andre Durity, Ilan Levy-Mayer.

Hollywood--Shawn McGuire.

Palisades--Robert Biggs.

University--Raymond Pickett, Miko Garcia, Greg Spector, Eric Clark.

Venice--Chris Cook.

Westchester--Mike Brown.

Yeshiva--Elisha Rothman.

BOYS PREP TEAM Name: Sam Crawford School: Westchester Year: Junior Height: 5-9 Average: 18.0 Name: James Dudley School: Palisades Year: Senior Height: 5-10 Average: 14.4 Name: Chuck Hegeman School: University Year: Senior Height: 6-3 Average: 13.0 Name: Steven Jeter School: Culver City Year: Senior Height: 6-4 Average: 20.5 Name: Jason Joe School: St. Monica Year: Senior Height: 6-2 Average: 25.0 Name: Zan Mason School: Westchester Year: Junior Height: 6-7 Average: 19.0 Name: Chris Mills School: Fairfax Year: Senior Height: 6-7 Average: 32.0 Name: Keith Neal School: Santa Monica Year: Junior Height: 6-3 Average: 18.0 Name: Derek Patton School: Beverly Hills Year: Senior Height: 6-1 1/2 Average: 16.0 Name: Michael Victor School: Brentwood Year: Senior Height: 6-1 Average: 16.5