Recruiting Puts Bright Smile on Coach of Toros

Early returns on the letter-of-intent race indicate a bull market for Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Toros basketball Coach Dave Yanai, who signed three players on Wednesday--the first day for recruits to sign the binding commitments--is ecstatic with his influx of talent, calling it his best class since the days of Eddie Fitzpatrick and James Shaw a decade ago. And Yanai may have more recruits to announce before the signing period is over.

Yanai signed sharpshooting All-South Bay guard Ray Bennett of Carson, then got 6-foot-7 center Cesar Uballe of Bell High and 6-5 forward Norm Francis from Fairfax. Uballe, who averaged 16.7 points and 12.8 rebounds this season, led Bell to three Eastern League titles and distinguished himself in the playoffs, single-handedly outplaying Los Angeles High’s taller front line. Uballe was also pursued by Oregon.

Francis averaged 13.5 points and 7.8 rebounds for Fairfax.

The pair should help replace the 20 points and 10 rebounds per game lost with Anthony Blackmon’s graduation.

Dominguez Hills women’s Coach Van Girard was also active, signing guards Allison Krause of Marina High and Laronda Poydras of Trade Tech. The 5-6 Krause, from Huntington Beach, was a three-year starter and an all-Orange County selection at Marina where she averaged 10 points and eight assists.

Poydras, an all-South Bay guard at Morningside High in 1984, played briefly at the University of Utah before returning to Los Angeles. Poydras, 5-7, averaged 14.3 points and eight assists and was all-South Coast Conference this season.

Two South Bay community college standouts signed with four-year schools. Forward Zlatko Josic of El Camino College will play at Clemson while guard James Anderson of Marymount College will attend Cal State Los Angeles. Josic, a 6-5 player noted for his defense as well as ability to score--he averaged about 10 points--will join former El Camino teammate Kirkland Howling and one-time Morningside High standout Elden Campbell at Clemson. He’s a graduate of San Pedro High. Anderson, 6-3, was the state’s third-leading scorer this season at 25.9 points per game and ranked sixth in rebounds with an average of 12.