O’Bannon, Pantoja Are Players of Year Among Southeast Preps

Artesia High School junior Ed O’Bannon has been named the Southeast boys prep basketball Player of the Year.

O’Bannon, who is being recruited by 150 colleges, averaged 29 points and 14.5 rebounds a game this season.

The girls Player of the Year is sophomore Brenda Pantoja of Bell Gardens High, Co-MVP of the Whitmont League. She averaged 16 points and six assists.

Bob Brown of Whittier Christian was named boys Coach of the Year. In his first year as coach of the Heralds, Brown’s team was 23-7 and CIF Southern Section 2-AA champions.

Ken Popkin and Gilberto Limon, co-head coaches at Bell Gardens High, won as girls Coaches of the Year. Bell Gardens went through the Whitmont League undefeated for the second straight season.

The selections were announced at The Times’ annual basketball awards breakfast Sunday at the Anaheim Hilton.

In the South Coast area, the Players of the Year are Lakewood High School senior Brian Camper, who averaged 20.3 points and was MVP of the Moore League, and Lynwood junior Linda Watson, a Parade magazine first-team All-American who averaged 22 points and set a CIF record with 72 three-point shots.

Bill Odell of Millikan High, who led the Rams to the CIF 5-AA title, was named boys Coach of the Year.

Girls Coach of the Year is Margaret Bos, who led St. Joseph of Lakewood to a 21-7 record.