COLLEGE NOTES : Dominguez Hills Slugger Has Pop in His Bat, Speed to Boot

The name is the same, and so is the game. But that is where the similarities end. George Scott III, who plays outfield for Cal State Dominguez Hills, is indeed the son of George Scott, the one-time American League home run champion who hit 271 homers during a 14-year major league career.

When his dad played he was known as the Boomer because he weighed 225 pounds.

The younger Scott, a trimmed-down version of his dad, was a track standout in high school who didn’t begin playing baseball until his senior year. He has a sprinter’s speed and is vying for the Toros’ lead in stolen bases. “We list him at 180 pounds but he’s probably closer to 165,” said a school official. He’s known to teammates as the Baby Boomer.

Scott grew up in Massachusetts while his father gained fame with the Boston Red Sox. After playing at New Bedford High in the Boston area, he attended Miami-Dade’s community college, where he stole 53 bases in two seasons.

His parents divorced and his mother, Malvine, became engaged to an employee at Dominguez Hills. Scott followed last summer and showed up as a walk-on for baseball, a pleasant surprise for Coach George Wing.

Wing described Scott as “electrifying . . . George’s speed is an intimidating factor.”

Scott agrees that speed is his game. “My dad is a power hitter,” he said. “He’s a home-run hitter and an RBI man. I’m a leadoff batter and known more for my speed.”

But Scott had a power-hitter’s swing when he arrived at Dominguez Hills, a problem Wing has tried to correct. The work to shorten his swing is paying dividends, as Scott is hitting .349, has a team-high 52 hits and has stolen 14 bases, one behind team leader Robert Campbell. Thirteen of Scott’s 22 RBIs have come with two outs. The Toros are 13-19 going into tonight’s game at Cal State Los Angeles.

Wing has also worked with Scott, a right-hand batter, on switch-hitting. He hasn’t tried it in a game.

Scott is making a name for himself in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. and, he hopes, beyond. If he follows his father’s footsteps, it will be done with speed, not strength.

Loyola Marymount basketball standout Bo Kimble made a strong showing at the Orlando Classic, an all-star series in Florida last week showcasing college seniors for pro scouts.

Kimble was named to the all-tournament team after leading in steals. He also got a chance to play point guard in a practice to show he is comfortable in a set-up game, which Loyola has rarely played.

“My goal was to show scouts a universal game, everything but offense,” Kimble said. “I didn’t concentrate on scoring at all. I think I surprised some scouts, that I can play good halfcourt man-to-man defense. They never had a chance to see me play that way.”

Kimble managed to rank among the top scorers, leading the West team in two of three games. He played with a sprained left thumb suffered in the semifinal.

Kimble, who led the nation in scoring with a 35.7-point average and had an outstanding NCAA tournament, didn’t need to play in the all-star series. But Kimble and his agent, David Spencer, thought it would enhance his standing for the June draft.

“I think I guaranteed myself a lottery pick,” Kimble said. “I moved up in the draft. It worked out to my best interest.”

Spencer, who recruited Kimble out of high school for USC, said: “I don’t think there’s any question he helped himself. It was a chance for people to see him in a more normal-type game than a Loyola game. One (NBA) general manager told me, ‘You’ve got the best guy here.’ ”

Musician P.R. Paul, a fan of Loyola basketball, has written a song called “Hank’s House” as a tribute to the late Hank Gathers. The folk-style song is available on cassette by mail as a fund-raiser for the Hank Gathers Memorial Fund that was established by the school.

The tape is available for $4.75 from: Hank’s House, P.O. Box 83413, Los Angeles 90083. Paul said all money will go to the Gathers fund.

Former El Camino College and University of Nevada-Las Vegas soccer standout Dom Militello got his pro career off to a good start on Friday the 13th. Playing in the Salt Lake City Sting’s opening game, the Palos Verdes native scored three goals in a 3-1 victory over the New Mexico Chiles. The Sting plays in the American Pro Soccer League, which includes the South Bay-based L.A. Heat. Militello, who was the South Coast Conference player of the year and a community college All-American at El Camino, recently graduated from UNLV, where he helped the Rebels win a Big West Conference championship and qualify for the NCAA playoffs for two consecutive seasons. Militello will play locally on July 13 when the Sting visits the Heat.

Some former Dominguez Hills players also made their debut in the league last week. Joe Flanagan is playing for the Heat, Chris Wilson and Lucky Temisanren for the California Emperors, who play at University of Redlands, and Glen Strachan for the San Diego Nomads.

Stat of the week: The Loyola men’s programs are at an all-time best. Last week, the basketball team was ranked eighth in the final poll, the baseball team was ranked ninth and the volleyball team was ranked eighth.

Loyola outfielder Tony Kounas was named West Coast Conference baseball player of the week after hitting three home runs in a game at San Francisco and knocking in nine runs in a three-game sweep of the University of San Francisco. . . . Cal State Dominguez Hills basketball Coach Dave Yanai signed two players, trying to improve the Toros’ inside game. Albert Kiilehua, a 6-foot-7 graduate of Leuzinger High in 1988, and 6-8 Alex del Hierro of Bell High, will join two redshirt Division I transfers, guard Keith Billingslea from Northern Arizona and Harbor College and swingman Brian Jones of Cal State Long Beach. . . . Dominguez Hills softball players Jennifer Boen and Melissa Punch are battling for the team leadin batting. Boen started the week at .387 and Punch was at .383. Punch has a team-high 22 RBIs, two ahead of Maria Romero.