Los Angeles Times : 1990 ALL-STARS : Meet the Kings and Queens of the Court : Team Shows Trend to Quick, Small

The all-star boys and girls teams, each consisting of 10 members, their coaches and parents will be guests of the Times at 9 a.m. Sunday, April 1, at the annual Times High School Basketball Awards Brunch where all-star teams from 12 circulation areas will be honored at the Anaheim Hilton. The players and coaches of the year from each area will be announced.

The teams were chosen on the basis of a poll of area coaches, who are asked to fill out ballots nominating their own players and opponents, plus the observations of college scouts and sportswriters. Each player will receive the traditional Times golden basketball plaque and award certificate.

Call it a team for the ‘90s.

Without a true post player, The Times South Bay All-Star Basketball Team reflects the trend toward quicker, smaller lineups that emphasize the three-point shot, such as that of Loyola Marymount.

The 10-player squad consists of seven guards, including the area’s most prolific three-point shooters, and three small forwards. The tallest all-star is 6-foot-6 forward Tyrone Paul of Morningside High School.

That might leave this team vulnerable inside if it ever took the court. But it wouldn’t lack scoring power. Six players boasted averages of more than 20 points per game, and one, Torrance guard Rick Robison, averaged 34.5, the third-highest mark in the state.

Robison is the team’s only repeat selection. Morningside, with Paul and guard Martell Bland, is the only school with more than one all-star.

Rounding out the squad are guards Steve Clover of Rolling Hills, Darrell Daniel of Bishop Montgomery, Kenny Davis of Serra, Bobby Kelly of Carson and Scott Panfil of El Segundo, and forwards Reggie Bell of Hawthorne and Adrian McCovey of Leuzinger.

A position-by-position look at the best in the South Bay:

GUARDS The Shooters: There was no shortage of three-point shooting specialists in the area this season. No California high school player has ever been more productive from beyond the 19-foot, 9-inch stripe than Rolling Hills’ Clover.

A 6-4 senior who signed early with Pepperdine, he set state records for most three-pointers in a career (288), season (140) and game (11 against Torrance) despite playing against box-and-one defenses most of the year.

Clover averaged a team-leading 24.4 points a game for Rolling Hills, which rebounded from a slow start to tie for third in the rugged Bay League and reach the second round of the Southern Section 3-AA playoffs. A three-year starter, he was named to the all-league first team for the second straight season.

Robison rivaled Clover as the Bay League’s and the area’s most impressive shooter. He drained 86 three-pointers this season to give him 180 in his two-year varsity career, unofficially the third-highest mark in the Southern Section behind Clover and former Glendora star Tracy Murray, now at UCLA.

Robison hit for a career-high 52 points in a game early this season against Huntington Beach and averaged 32 points as a varsity player. He was named Most Outstanding Player in the Bay League and led Torrance to two Southern Section 4-AA playoff appearances.

Panfil filled it up for El Segundo, averaging a team-leading 19.6 points and earning a spot on the All-Camino Real League first team. His consistent shooting was a big reason the Eagles posted a surprising fourth-place finish, including a six-game winning streak that included victories over traditional league powers St. Anthony, Serra, Verbum Dei and St. Bernard.

A resident of Playa del Rey, Panfil was at his best against his hometown team, St. Bernard, scoring 28 and 23 points in two meetings. He also helped out as a rebounder, averaging five per game on the season.

Panfil continued his hot shooting in the Southern Section 2-A playoffs, scoring a game-high 26 points in an 80-63 quarterfinal victory over Orange Lutheran. El Segundo lost in the semifinals to Laguna Beach, 67-55.

The Creators: One of the best things that ever happened to Bishop Montgomery’s basketball team occurred two years ago when Daniel transferred from St. Bernard.

He made an immediate impact with the Knights, averaging a team-leading 18 points a game as a junior. This season, he blossomed into a star.

After signing early with St. Mary’s and former El Camino College Coach Paul Landreaux, Daniel proceeded to guide Bishop Montgomery to its best season in recent memory under first-year Coach Doug Mitchell.

The 6-1 playmaker averaged 23.5 points and 5.5 assists a game. His efforts earned him the Most Outstanding Player award in the competitive Angelus League, which produced the State Division I (Mater Dei) and Division III (Servite) champions. Bishop Montgomery reached the Southern Section 4-A quarterfinals before losing to San Marcos of Santa Barbara, 73-66.

Kelly was an all-around performer for Carson’s Pacific League-champion team, leading the Colts in scoring (20.3 points a game), assists (4.2) and steals, and ranking second in rebounds (6.7).

He demonstrated his scoring ability early in the season with a 42-point effort against Locke. Behind Kelly’s play, Carson excelled in a tough league and reached the quarterfinals of the L.A. City 4-A playoffs before losing to Dorsey. He was named to the All-City 4-A first team and was selected Pacific League Most Valuable Player.

Serra’s Davis may have been the most athletic guard in the area. Armed with outstanding leaping ability and a dangerous jump shot, he averaged 28.8 points a game, the second-best mark in the South Bay, and came within one vote of the Camino Real League’s Most Valuable Player award.

Davis also showed his strength as a passer and defensive player, averaging 5.6 assists and 3.1 steals. Serra was one of seven Camino Real League teams to make the Southern Section playoffs. The Cavaliers lost in the second round of the 2-A playoffs to Miraleste, 67-64, in overtime.

The Defender: Morningside’s Bland quietly earned a reputation as one of the area’s best all-around guards. Expected to come off the bench this season, he moved into the starting lineup when Daniel Taylor was sidelined with a broken finger a week before the season.

Bland took advantage of the opportunity, averaging 18.5 points, seven assists and a team-leading six steals a game to earn the Ocean League’s Most Outstanding Player award. He defended the opposing team’s top scorer and held many players below their average. Included in that group was Rolling Hills’ Clover, who scored a season-low eight points against Bland in the semifinals of the Pacific Shores Tournament. Bland was also a shooting threat, hitting a school-record seven three-pointers against Brea-Olinda.

FORWARDS

The Leaper: In terms of generating excitement, Morningside’s Paul was unmatched in the South Bay.

Blessed with a 46-inch vertical leap and possessing a fundamentally sound game, Paul helped Morningside occupy the state’s No. 1 ranking in Division III most of the season. He averaged 20.5 points on a balanced team and frequently brought fans to their feet with spectacular dunks.

First and foremost, however, he was a team player. In addition to dunks, he contributed seven rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots a game as the Monarchs stormed to a 14-0 Ocean League record and their sixth league title in seven years. Morningside (24-4) was upset in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section 3-AA playoffs by Lompoc, 83-80.

Paul, selected the league’s Most Valuable Player, is being recruited by several Division I colleges, but still needs an NCAA-qualifying score of 700 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

The Enforcer: Scoring-wise, Hawthorne’s Bell doesn’t rank with most of the players on the all-star team. He averaged 13.6 points a game.

But judging Bell purely on his point production would be an injustice. His strengths covered a wide range of areas, most notably rebounding and defense.

He averaged 10.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.1 steals for the Cougars, who rebounded from a 7-16 season to finish one game out of first place in the Bay League and reach the second round of the Southern Section 5-AA playoffs before falling to No. 4-seeded St. Monica, 65-62. Hawthorne finished with a 19-9 record.

Bell was at his best in some of Hawthorne’s biggest games. One of his most memorable moments came in the closing seconds of a close win over league champion Beverly Hills when he blocked two shots on two consecutive possessions. He was selected Bay League Co-Most Valuable Player with Beverly Hills center Peter Micelli.

The Double Threat: Leuzinger’s McCovey, a transfer from the strong Fremont High basketball program, was perhaps the most versatile offensive player in the South Bay.

A graceful athlete, McCovey demonstrated that he could strike from the outside as well as inside by making 45 three-point shots and 48 dunks. He finished with a team-leading 18.6 scoring average.

McCovey was even better in Bay League play, averaging 22 points to help Leuzinger tie Rolling Hills for third place. His most productive game came against rival Hawthorne when he had 36 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

He scored 16 points or more in a quarter in four games, and had 12 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 26-point effort in a 65-56 victory over St. Anthony in the Southern Section 5-AA playoffs.

The 6-5 McCovey also contributed in other areas, averaging 6.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.7 blocked shots and steals a game. He was selected to the All-Bay League first team.

Boys Prep Team: Name: Reggie Bell School: Hawthorne Year: Senior Height: 6-3 Average: 13.6 Name: Martell Bland School: Morningside Year: Senior Height: 6-3 Average: 18.5 Name: Steve Clover School: Rolling Hills Year: Senior Height: 6-4 Average: 24.4 Name: Darrell Daniel School: Bishop Montgomery Year: Senior Height: 6-1 Average: 23.5 Name: Kenny Davis School: Serra Year: Senior Height: 6-1 Average: 28.8 Name: Bobby Kelly School: Carson Year: Senior Height: 6-3 Average: 20.3 Name: Adrian McCovey School: Leuzinger Year: Senior Height: 6-5 Average: 18.6 Name: Scott Panfil School: El Segundo Year: Senior Height: 6-2 Average: 19.6 Name: Tyrone Paul School: Morningside Year: Senior Height: 6-6 Average: 20.5 Name: Rick Robison School: Torrance Year: Senior Height: 6-2 Average: 34.5 SECOND TEAM BOYS

Name, School Year Height Average Jabari Anderson, Banning Jr. 6-3 22.0 Roger Hendrix, Rolling Hills Jr. 6-6 24.3 Chris Hobbs, Mira Costa Sr. 6-3 15.9 Anthony King, Hawthorne Sr. 6-3 12.0 Steve King, Inglewood Sr. 6-5 22.0 Robin Kirksey, Gardena Jr. 6-5 16.9 D’Mitri Rideout, Narbonne Jr. 6-2 15.3 Don Sanders, Morningside Sr. 5-11 9.0 David Terrell, Miraleste Sr. 6-3 20.5 Larry Williams, Chadwick Sr. 6-5 19.5