THE TIMES’ ALL-COUNTY BOYS’ BASKETBALL TEAM : Big Men in the Middle Move to the Forefront This Season

Three talented centers and two prolific scorers head the 16th Times’ All-Orange County boys’ basketball team.

Cherokee Parks, a 6-foot-11 junior at Marina High School, and seniors Robert Conlisk of Los Alamitos and Bill Martineau of Edison drew the interest of college coaches and scouts with their play this season.

Parks, the county’s most publicized big man since Stanford’s Adam Keefe played at Woodbridge two years ago, has been compared to former UCLA standout Bill Walton. Parks, with his fluid style, averaged 22.1 points. Many are predicting that he will be the most highly recruited player in county history next season.

Conlisk (6-11) and Martineau (6-10) have earned Division I college scholarships. Conlisk will attend Arizona State in the fall and Martineau will go to UC Santa Barbara.

The county’s top two scorers--Keith Walker of Brea-Olinda and Tes Whitlock of Loara--also were selected to the all-county team. Both players scored 50 or more points in a game this season, with Walker getting 50 points against Loyola in the Tournament of Champions and Whitlock scoring 54 against Los Alamitos in an Empire League game.

Walker was the county’s leading scorer, averaging 32.6 points. Whitlock wasn’t far behind, averaging 29.8 points. Whitlock and Parks are the only underclassmen on the all-county team.

Scott McCorkle, Capistrano Valley’s versatile forward, is the only repeater from last year’s all-county team. Huntington Beach’s Mustapha Abdi, who made the team as a sophomore last year, was an honorable mention choice this season.

Mater Dei, which had 34 victories en route to the State Division I championship, is the only school with two players on the team. Forwards Charlie Andres and Andy Karich were selected; guard David Boyle was an honorable mention.

The squad was selected from ballots submitted by the county’s 57 coaches. The players were chosen regardless of position or class.

The 10 players will be honored by The Times at a brunch on April 1 at the Anaheim Hilton and Towers. They will receive certificates and a gold plaque. The player and coach of the year also will be announced at the ceremonies.

Charlie Andres

Mater Dei * 6-7 * Senior

Andres averaged 11.1 points and 10 rebounds a game to help lead Mater Dei to the State Division I title. He had some of his best games in the postseason, with 15 points and 14 rebounds in the Southern Section 5-A title game and 11 points and 14 rebounds in the state championship game.

Sam Sabbara

Western * 6-1 * Senior

Sabbara broke Western’s single-season scoring record that had stood for 24 years. He scored 554 points to lead the Pioneers to a share of the Orange League championship. He averaged 23.8 points and 5.6 assists and was an 81% free-throw shooter. Sabbara will attend Cypress College in the fall.

Robert Conlisk

Los Alamitos * 6-11 * Senior

Conlisk averaged 17.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and four blocked shots and made 59% of his field-goal attempts to lead Los Alamitos to the Empire League championship. He was named the most valuable player of the Empire League and has been selected to play in a national all-star game in Tucson.

Andy Karich

Mater Dei * 6-6 * Senior

Karich was Mater Dei’s most consistent player throughout the season, averaging 10.1 points, five rebounds and 4.6 assists a game. He was named most valuable player of the Angelus League and will attend the University of Santa Clara in the fall. Karich is an honor student with a 4.2 grade-point average.

Scott McCorkle

Capistrano Valley * 6-6 * Senior

McCorkle is the only repeater from last year’s All-County team. He averaged 24.4 points and 7.7 rebounds and made 52% of his field-goal attempts this season. He was named most valuable player in the South Coast League two consecutive seasons and will attend Syracuse University in the fall.

Keith Walker

Brea-Olinda * 6-6 * Senior

Walker was the county’s top scorer, averaging 32.6 points a game. He set a single-game scoring record in the Tournament of Champions with 50 points against Loyola; his lowest point total of the season was 22. Walker’s brother, UCLA center Kevin Walker, was an all-county selection in 1986.

Agustin Heredia

Estancia * 5-10 * Senior

Heredia led Estancia to the Southern Section 3-AA division title, scoring 32 points in a 51-49 overtime victory over Servite in the championship game. He also had 32 points in a triple-overtime victory over Lompoc in the semifinals. Heredia averaged 19.8 points and was co-MVP of the Sea View League.

Bill Martineau

Edison * 6-10 * Senior

Martineau averaged 14.1 points and 6.3 rebounds and made 57% of his field-goal attempts despite playing with a nagging back injury most of the season. He led Edison to the Southern Section 4-AA Division semifinals and the tournament titles at Santa Maria and Estancia. He will attend UC Santa Barbara in the fall.

Cherokee Parks

Marina * 6-11 * Junior

Parks, the most publicized player in the county, averaged 22.1 points, 13.4 rebounds and five blocked shots. He made 80% of his free throws and 59% of his field-goal attempts. He was named most valuable player in the Sunset League after leading Marina to the league championship.

Tes Whitlock

Loara * 6-2 * Junior

Whitlock scored 54 points against Los Alamitos, the third-highest single-game mark in Orange County history. He averaged 29.8 points and 7.8 assists and made 50% of his field-goal attempts. Whitlock was selected most valuable player in the Garden Grove and Pacifica tournaments.

ALL-COUNTY ROSTER

Name School Hgt Year Statistics Charlie Andres Mater Dei 6-7 Sr. 11.1 points/game Robert Conlisk Los Alamitos 6-11 Sr. 17.9 points/game Agustin Heredia Estancia 5-10 Sr. 19.8 points/game Andy Karich Mater Dei 6-6 Sr. 10.1 points/game Bill Martineau Edison 6-10 Sr. 14.1 points/game Scott McCorkle Capistrano Valley 6-6 Sr. 24.4 points/game Cherokee Parks Marina 6-11 Jr. 22.1 points/game Sam Sabbara Western 6-1 Sr. 23.8 points/game Keith Walker Brea-Olinda 6-6 Sr. 32.6 points/game Tes Whitlock Loara 6-2 Jr. 29.8 points/game

Honorable Mention: Mustapha Abdi, Huntington Beach junior; David Boyle, Mater Dei senior; Daryl Cole, Orange Lutheran senior; Brandon Jessie, Edison sophomore; Rob Johnson, El Toro junior; Chris Kostoff, Capistrano Valley senior; Steve Marusich, Servite senior; John Molle, Irvine junior; Jared Rice, Cypress senior.