ORANGE COUNTY ALL-STAR BASKETBALL : South Boys Have Had a Tough Week

It hasn’t been the best week for of Irvine High School’s Steve Keith, who will coach the South team at 7:30 tonight in the 24th Orange County All-Star basketball game in UC Irvine’s Bren Center.

During a scrimmage Monday, Keith watched his players futilely attempt to execute a complicated passing offense that he has utilized to win 203 games in 12 seasons at Glendale and Irvine.

“We challenged the players verbally, telling them it’s got to get better or we’re in for a long game come game night,” Keith said.

On Tuesday, Keith dropped the game’s tallest player, 6-foot-10 center Rick Swanwick of Trabuco Hills, from the team for failing to attend practices. Swanwick said he had to study for final examinations, but then he also failed to show up for a school ceremony in which his jersey was retired.

On Thursday, Keith nearly fell out of his chair at a pregame dinner when local sportswriters picked the South as a one-point favorite to extend their series lead to 14-10.

“I’m only half kidding when I say that 10 practices are just enough to screw up this team,” Keith said. “Traditionally, all-star games are wide open and that appears to suit the North’s style. You could see the winning team score 130 points, and I’m used to giving up about 50 a game at Irvine.”

The North has been sharper and more cohesive throughout their workouts under Saddleback Coach Pat Quinn. The North was very impressive in a 118-113 victory over Fullerton College last week. Afterward, Fullerton Coach Roger See said it was the first time a North team had defeated Fullerton College in 15 years.

Forwards Malru Dottin and Craig Marshall, who led Saddleback to a 51-8 record over the past two seasons, will start for the North. Marshall has been the standout player of both camps.

“He’s playing equally well on both ends of the court,” Quinn said. “There’s no doubt he’s the best player on this team.”

The North also will have a bruiser, 6-foot-6, 240-pound Tim Tillman of Savanna, at center. Tillman has been on a rigorous weight-training program since the basketball season ended and plans to play football at Fullerton College.

Andy Thompson of Huntington Beach will start at point guard for the North and could be the deciding factor in the game with his aggressive style and fine passing.

The game features several distinct changes. The boundaries for selecting the players were radically changed. The Garden Grove Freeway had been the dividing line. Now, one needs a map to determine the boundary that runs from the 57 Freeway south to the Interstate 5 to the 55 Freeway to Newport Boulevard.

The rosters were expanded from 12 to 15 players and the game will have 15-minute quarters instead of 20-minute halves.

All-Star Notes

Starting lineup for the South: forwards Brian Spratt of Corona del Mar and Khari Johnson of El Toro, center John Lloyd of Dana Hills, and guards Bryan Allred of Irvine and Bill Mazurie of Capistrano Valley. For the North: forwards Malru Dottin and Craig Marshall of Saddleback, center Tim Tillman of Savanna, and guards Andy Thompson of Huntington Beach and Tom Weaver of Fountain Valley.

The girls’ and boys’ games will be broadcast on KORG (AM-1190) beginning at 5 p.m. with Rob Halvaks doing the play by play and former UCI Coach Tim Tift providing analysis. . . . The South boys defeated the North, 109-100, last year with Woodbridge’s Adam Keefe named the game’s most valuable player. Keefe, now at Stanford, has been selected to play for the West squad in the Olympic Festival. . . . Scholar-athlete award winners were Ralphael Molle of Irvine and Kristen Bevis of El Toro for the South and Mike Morris of Mater Dei and Wendy Carlson of Katella for the North.