Faces to Watch Next Season:

HIGH SCHOOLS Chris Alexander, Hawthorne track--The state’s dominant track team continues to produce blue-chip talent. The latest could be Alexander, who was on the state champion relays last June as a freshman. He also plays football, but a broken arm ended his season early.

Piper Hahn and Kristal Attwood, Mira Costa volleyball--Mira Costa bowed out in the CIF 5-A finals, but then this was a rebuilding year with an entirely underclass lineup. Hahn figures to be one of the top prep players in the nation next year, with Attwood not far behind.

Steve Clover, Rolling Hills basketball--The junior guard has blossomed into one of the Southland’s top 3-point shooters and will be a coveted college recruit next year when he will be out of John Hardy’s shadow.

Lisa Leslie, Morningside basketball--College coaches will have to wait for the next dominating center, because she’ll only be a high school senior next year. The 6-foot-5 Monarch is already rated in the top handful of female players in the nation.

Nkosi Littleton, Carson football--The Colts’ all-star defensive tackle may be the most athletic lineman around next year. The only non-senior on the All-City first team, the 6-2, 210-pound junior is also one of the school’s best basketball players.

John Ma’ae and Derek Sparks, Banning football--Opponents have to cringe at the thought of quarterback Ma’ae, who will be a three-year starter, handing off to the powerful running back Sparks, who emerged this year as a sophomore.

COMMUNITY COLLEGES Marcel Bridges, Harbor College football--It was difficult for a receiver to stand out in Harbor’s offense, but the talented freshman earned all-conference honors and all-state honorable mention. Now if the Seahawks can only find a quarterback. . . .

Frank Dolce, El Camino College football--El Camino has been “Quarterbacks R Us” for most of the decade, and Dolce will return with some impressive stats. Most impressive--he led the Warriors to their second straight PONY Bowl title.

Raul Haro, El Camino College soccer--The L.A. high school player of the year wasted no time establishing himself on the community college level, leading the Warriors to the Southern California Conference title while earning SCC Player of the Year honors.

UNIVERSITIES Devon Akita, Dominguez Hills volleyball/basketball--Two programs trying to establish themselves are counting on the 5-7 sophomore. She may have the talent to earn all-conference honors in both sports.

Robert Barksdale, Dominguez Hills basketball--In Dick Vitale slang, the Toro sophomore guard is a “Dow Joneser”--up and down. But by the time he’s a senior the 6-foot-1 Barksdale could be the best shooting point guard in school history.

Miah Bradbury, Mike McNary and Tim Williams, Loyola Marymount baseball--The Lions have had a string of All-Americans in recent years, and this trio is bidding to join them. Bradbury, a strong-armed, heavy-hitting catcher, was one of the hitting stars of the NCAA Regionals last spring. McNary, a poised sophomore right-hander, toils in lefty Steve Surico’s shadow but figures to be a staff mainstay. Line drives jump off the bat of Williams, also a sophomore, who is looking for a home either at first or in the outfield.

Chuck Donlon, Loyola Marymount volleyball--The Lions’ men’s team is trying to turn the corner, and Donlon may be the cornerstone in becoming more competitive. The 6-6 sophomore may be Loyola’s best player since Olympian Paul Sunderland in the 1970s.

Joe Flanagan, Dominguez Hills soccer--The Toro forward was outshined this year by the scoring of transfer Willie Ayala--who also returns--but Flanagan figures to end his senior year leading the Toros in virtually every career offensive category.

Terrell Lowery, Loyola Marymount basketball--Hank Gathers, Bo Kimble and Jeff Fryer figure to be filling up the basket again next season, but the key man in Paul Westhead’s offense is the point guard, and the slender freshman figures to be the one getting them the ball.

Kristi White, Dominguez Hills soccer--The midfielder has earned post-season honors for the Toros, but Coach Marine Cano is still waiting for her to develop the scoring touch he anticipated. If she blossoms as a senior, the Toros could have a devastating attack.