Monarch Sophomore Boseman Soars, Scores : Basketball: Flashy guard is making an impact with his play this summer. He’s already being compared to Laker guard Byron Scott.

Morningside High phenomenon Stais Boseman is the first to admit that his basketball style is a bit on the flashy side.

He knows he doesn’t have to do a fancy reverse dunk whenever he gets a breakaway. He just enjoys it.

“I like to dunk with authority whenever I can,” the 6-foot-3 Boseman said. “I love to get my teammates enthused with a great dunk.

“I try to get the crowd going and to intimidate the other team.”

But, make no mistake; despite his flair for theatrics, Boseman is a serious player. And he’s very coachable.

In a recent game at the Carson Grand Finale tournament at Carson High, for instance, Boseman was bringing the ball up court when a coach yelled, “Work for your shot.” Boseman’s response: a shoulder fake, a nifty behind-the-back dribble, two big steps and a layup.

Later, Boseman was admonished, “You’re dribbling too much.” His reaction? He picked up his dribble and sank a three-point shot while being fouled.

Style, skill and adaptability are all part of the Boseman package. But it’s another attribute--his youth--that’s particularly exciting to college scouts watching him this summer.

Boseman is a member of Morningside’s Class of ’93. As a freshman last season, he was the top reserve for the Monarchs, who went 24-4.

“He was an important part of that team,” Morningside Co-Coach Carl Franklin said. “He often scored in double figures, although not every night, but he did so many other things well, too.

“This year I expect him to be in double figures just about all the time. The sky’s the limit for him.”

Although most players would be satisfied just to have the opportunity to play varsity basketball as a ninth-grader, Boseman said the 1989-90 season left him with “a bad taste.” After winning the Ocean League championship, the top-seeded Monarchs were upset by Lompoc in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section 3-AA playoffs.

“I’m disappointed at the way our season ended,” said Boseman, who turned 16 in March. “I didn’t like the way we lost, so I’m on a mission this year.

“And it all starts in the summer.”

Complacency did in the talented Morningside team, he said.

“We tend to take teams too lightly,” said Boseman, who plays both guard and forward. “At least since I’ve been here, we seem to start slowly and take things for granted.

“You can’t do that against a good team. We have to be more consistent, especially in rebounding.

“Losing to Lompoc was actually a good experience for all that we learned.”

And learning is first and foremost on Boseman’s mind. He’s taking classes at Morningside this summer to stay on course for entrance into college.

And on the basketball court, he’s learning to play point guard after spending most of his younger days as a front-court player and most of last season as a swing man.

“We’ve looked at him mostly as a small forward or an off-guard,” Franklin said. “But he’s a versatile player and a decent ball handler.

“I don’t necessarily think he’ll be used a lot at point guard, but it’s interesting to see him there.

“It’s too early to evaluate him, to say, ‘This is what he can do and this what he can’t do.’ That’s not fair because his precise direction isn’t clear.”

Boseman, who played mostly point guard in the Carson Grand Finale, said his future may indeed be at the point.

“You look at college and the pros, and there are a lot of big (point guards), guys who are 6-4 or 6-5,” he said. “And I feel very comfortable handling the ball.

“It doesn’t matter to me too much where I can play, as long as I’m helping the team. I feel like I can play any position.”

Boseman would be delighted to keep growing, even in the unlikely event that gets up to Magic Johnson territory at 6-9. But he feels fortunate to be as tall as he is now.

“When I was in the fifth grade, a doctor told me the tallest I’d ever get was 6-1,” said Boseman, who played at 6-2 last year and whose mother is 6 feet tall. “So I don’t go by that anymore.

“I’ll just let the Lord take care of it. I guess every inch I get now is a bonus.”

Boseman is standing tall in the reviews he’s getting this summer. Co-Coach Ron Randle said his soon-to-be sophomore doesn’t need to take a back seat to any Morningside athlete from the past, including Olympic volleyball star Flo Hyman, 1990 prep All-American basketball player Lisa Leslie and Laker veteran Byron Scott.

One day, Stais Boseman will also rank as a great name in sports history, Randle said. In fact, Franklin said, Boseman is more advanced at this stage of his career than Scott was.

But it’s not just his own coaches who are Boseman believers. Less-biased observers are also heaping praise upon him.

“I don’t think there’s been a freshman player with his type of impact in the league in a long time, several years certainly,” said Coach Steve Shaw of Ocean League rival Redondo. “He’s going to be a nice player, and I know his coaches are very high on him.

“Unfortunately, we’re going to be in the same league with him for the next few years.”

“He’s awesome, like a man among boys,” Carson Coach Richard Masson said. “He’s only going to be a 10th-grader, but he does some things that are unbelievable.

“He’s as developed as most seniors going into college. He has a good work ethic, and if he continues to improve, he could just be unreal.”

When asked if he could remember any Los Angeles-area player being as good as Boseman at such a young age, Masson replied: “Maybe John Williams at Crenshaw.” (Williams is now a star forward for the Washington Bullets.)

Masson went on to enumerate Boseman’s strengths: pressure defense, three-point shooting, dunking, passing. . . . He concluded simply: “This guy is darn good.”

It hasn’t taken long for college coaches to get the word on Boseman, either. In fact, he was getting congratulatory letters from college programs as early as the beginning of last season, when he made Morningside’s varsity team.

“A lot of the college scouts will come up and ask me his name after they see him play,” Franklin said. “They’re usually very surprised that he’s going to be just a sophomore.

“He looks mature physically, and he plays with a calm demeanor and confidence. He’s a rare talent.”

Indeed, without self-assurance Boseman wouldn’t be anywhere near where he is as a basketball player. His belief in himself has been evident since he first set foot on the Morningside campus.

“I felt I could contribute as a freshman, but I didn’t know if I would get the opportunity to make the team,” Boseman said. “When I got my turn, I made the most of it.

“After I talked to the coaches, they thought I should try out for varsity. I figured it was worth a try.”

Boseman easily made the team but took a little time to establish himself as a vital member of the Monarchs. Early in the league season, he had a high-scoring game at Mira Costa.

“I had a big second quarter, about 13 points, I think,” he said. “That’s when I felt like I proved myself as a varsity player.

“Up till then, I wasn’t quite myself. I wasn’t doing the things I had done in junior high.

“From then on, I didn’t feel any pressure. I was relaxed, and I just played.”

Boseman had been used to starting ever since he began playing organized basketball at age 10 in a local park league. Last season, with the experienced Morningside team starting four seniors and junior post player Arthur Savage, Boseman got just one start.

“It was kind of hard to adjust to coming off the bench at first,” Boseman said. “But I got used to it.

“Everybody on the team kind of picked me up and helped me along. They helped me off the court, too--how to get along in my classes and everything else.”

And Boseman, who said he is taking “as many academic classes as possible,” has enjoyed his non-athletic experiences at Morningside as much as basketball.

“I really like Morningside, even though I’ve had people try to tell me it’s a bad school,” he said. “In fact, I almost went to Hawthorne because of what people were saying.

“I had people tell me I was a fool for going to Morningside instead, that I was stupid. But I’ve liked it.

“My mom convinced me to stay in Inglewood and go to Morningside. She said that because I developed my skills in the parks nearby ever since I was in the fourth or fifth grade, that I should stay in the community and not go to another city.”

Boseman added that he is proud to be an emerging part of Morningside’s outstanding athletic tradition. The success of former Monarch basketball players offers inspiration to current players, he said.

“With two Morningside graduates on the Lakers (Scott and 1990 draft choice Elden Campbell) and Tyrone Paul going to Clemson, it shows guys on our team what can happen,” Boseman said. “But it’s so hard to be make professional sports that you have to be realistic about it.

“Even if you’re a great player, there’s not that good a chance. Still, it’s neat to have a guy that you’ve talked to a little bit and seen around some make it all the way.”

Boseman said improvement in his three-point shooting is one of his top priorities this summer as he strives for his ultimate goal, a college scholarship.

“I’m inconsistent,” he said. “I’ll make a bunch one game, then make only one or two the next time.

“That’s a big part of the college game, and I know that’s where I want to be. And I know I can’t afford to go to college without a scholarship.”

Boseman is also seeking improvement in a less tangible area of basketball skill.

“I want to work on my leadership abilities,” he said. “That’s the most important thing, I think.

“You might not even be a very good player, but you can always contribute as a leader. Actually, I don’t like to lead verbally too much.

“My style is more to try to lead with my play. I don’t talk a whole lot to my teammates, and I don’t talk trash to the other team.

“But I love making a statement with a dunk, to do it with a little flair. Last year, I would have breakaway opportunities and not really do anything special.

“But my friends kept telling me to dunk. Finally, this summer I’ve started to dunk with a little more authority.

“When I get a breakaway or I have a dead-eye lane to the basket, I’ll always try to dunk.”