Instant Replay: Stories That Stood Out in ’88

The South Bay’s top sports stories in 1988:

Lions on the Loose--Basketballs were flying and scoring records were falling as Loyola Marymount Coach Paul Westhead found the perfect lineup for his all-out fast break and added a devastating full-court press. The result was Loyola led the nation in scoring at 110.3 points per game, just missing the NCAA record, and Westhead produced the best season in school history: a 28-4 record, a perfect 14-0 mark in the West Coast Athletic Conference, the school’s first-ever Top 20 ranking and a thrilling 119-115 victory over Wyoming in the NCAA Tournament.

The Lions placed four players on the all-conference team--seniors Corey Gaines and Mike Yoest and sophomores Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble.

Westhead’s Lions picked this season up where they left off, setting or tying numerous NCAA records in their season-opening 164-138 victory over Azusa Pacific.

The Unnatural--Eyebrows were raised when Malibu Beach kid Perry Klein and his family announced they were taking an inner-city apartment near his father’s business and Klein, who had led the state in passing as a quarterback at Palisades High as a junior, was transferring to Carson. The Colts’ Coach Gene Vollnogle’s immediate reaction was to declare he already had a quarterback, and Klein would have to earn a job.

After further clouding matters by considering returning to Palisades early in the season, Klein stayed put and everything worked out for him and the Colts. Vollnogle installed a rotating quarterback system that kept Klein and counterpart Fred Gatlin busy, and Klein earned his teammates’ grudging respect as well as All-City honors in leading Carson to the City 4-A title.

Have Title, Will Travel--Paul Landreaux led El Camino College to its third California community college title in 9 years, then was wooed by new UCLA Coach Jim Harrick to join his staff as his top assistant in charge of defense. Landreaux had passed up a number of jobs over the years waiting for a good Division I offer. “This is a guy who absolutely should be a major college head coach,” says broadcaster Dick Vitale whenever he gets the chance.

Landreaux’s legacy at El Camino: 3 state titles, 6 conference titles, 5 appearances in the state tournament final four and 21 or more victories in all 9 seasons. His teams, featuring Landreaux’s trademark zone defense, also led the nation’s community colleges in defensive average several times.

PONY Tale Worth Repeating--El Camino College’s football program has long been known for its offensive fireworks, and this season was no exception. But Coach John Featherstone has introduced an aggressive defense--the team’s best player was Niu Sale, a J. C. Grid Wire first-team All-American defensive back--to the team’s pro-style offense, a mix that led to a Mission Conference title and a second straight victory in the PONY Bowl, this time 49-22 over Saddleback. The Warriors established six PONY Bowl records. This is clearly one Feather with a deft touch.

Harbor at Low Tide--A 2-7-1 season was hardly something football Coach Chris Ferragamo expected when he was lured away from Banning High School to coach Harbor College in 1987. So Ferragamo put the Seahawks on an extensive weight-training program in the spring and summer. They entered the season with great expectations--then got the dickens beat of them on the way to going 1-10.

Along the way the team’s quarterbacks were lost to injury--at one point reducing Ferragamo to using his punter to call signals--there was internal strife and Ferragamo was left at times to doubt his own talents. Clearly, at the end of the season this was a team without heart--something Ferragamo has had trouble transplanting from Banning.

Open Door Policy--After several years of relative stability at Cal State Dominguez Hills, the school’s athletic department started making changes about as often as Imelda Marcos changes shoes. Baseball Coach Andy Lopez, who took the Toros to an appearance in the Division II World Series in 1987, left for Pepperdine. Athletic Director Sue Carberry decided to get out of athletic administration. Women’s basketball Coach Alice Textor followed suit. Most recently, Jennifer Gorecki resigned after the women’s volleyball season.

In all the sudden hubbub, Dan Guerrero rose from associate athletic director, and sports information director Tom Neff found himself filling several roles, including recruiting players for teams that had no coaches. The two islands of coaching stability remain Dave Yanai, the men’s basketball coach for more than a decade, and Marine Cano, who coaches both men’s and women’s soccer.

Snow Drifts South--The Loyola Marymount baseball program had been adrift for years when Dave Snow blew in as coach in time for the 1985 season. A year later, the Lions were winning 50 games and appearing in the College World Series. Over his last three seasons Snow averaged 45 victories and his teams were frequently ranked in the Top 10. In 1988 he again led Loyola to an NCAA Regional, where the team won two playoff games before bowing to eventual regional champion Oklahoma State (which was playing on its home field). With much of the pitching staff and lineup returning, the Lions were already looking forward to next year.

But in a stunning move upon the team’s return from Oklahoma, Snow announced that he was moving on to Long Beach State to try to turn around another struggling program. The optimism was quickly transferred to new Coach Chris Smith, a former Snow assistant.

Great Scott--The right-hander showed promise and poise at Redondo Union High from the day he took the mound as a slender freshman, but by the time Scott Davison graduated last spring he owned many of the CIF’s career hitting statistics as well as an impressive list of pitching accomplishments. Davison, whose pitching performances over the last two seasons drew scores of professional scouts as well as overflow crowds to Redondo’s field, began his assault on the hitting records in earnest as a junior, playing shortstop when he wasn’t pitching.

By the end of his senior year Davison was the CIF’s career leader in hits (149) and runs batted in (142), as well as season leader in RBIs with 58. Davison was also a pretty fair pitcher: his 48 victories are second in state annals behind major leaguer Scott McGregor (51 wins for El Segundo). His 511 strikeouts are second in CIF career totals. His 18 victories and 218 strikeouts as a senior both rank second in CIF season totals. Davison helped Redondo to a best-ever 30-3 season last spring before the team was knocked out in CIF semifinals. He was drafted and signed with the Montreal Expos.

Brett-Taking Comeback--It was a good year for El Segundo’s Brett brothers. Slugging third baseman-turned-first baseman George had his best year in several seasons for the Kansas City Royals, hitting .306 with 42 doubles, 24 homers and 103 runs batted in and making the All-Star team in his best performance since 1985. And C. J. Brett’s, the brothers’ restaurant and sports hangout in Hermosa Beach (George and older brothers Bobby and Ken are all involved financially, and Bobby is one of the active partners), was named by USA Today the best gathering spot to watch sports in Southern California.

The brothers also made their mark in baseball administration, buying the minor league Riverside Red Wave and winning a Class A league title in its first year of existence, with Bobby acting as general manager.

Olympic Highs and Lows--Former Mira Costa High runner Jeff Atkinson was a surprise winner in the 1500 meters to qualify for the Seoul Olympics. Former Aviation High pole vaulter Tom Hintnaus competed for Brazil, but don’t look for him in future Olympics. Hintnaus competed in a post-Olympic track meet in South Africa and is banned from most coming competitions.