Center Is a Thoroughbred Among Mustangs : Basketball: Mira Costa High’s Davis has improved his strength and endurance to become one of the South Bay’s top high school players.

Mira Costa High basketball Coach Glenn Marx is frequently asked the same question concerning Chris Davis, the Mustangs’ 6-foot-8, 235-pound center: How good can he get?

Marx can only speculate. He knows the answer will come sometime, perhaps several years, after Davis graduates from high school.

Entering his senior year, Davis is just beginning to tap his potential as a basketball player. Moreover, he doesn’t turn 17 until March, making him a year younger than most of his classmates.

And his size 16 shoes indicate there is potential for additional growth.

“As for the future, he could be excellent,” scout Don Mead said. “All the ingredients are there.”

Already rated a mid-level college prospect, Davis enhanced his chances of attracting a major university with an impressive summer. He was selected one of the top 15 players at the Nike West Coast All-Star Basketball Camp at Cal Poly Pomona and he was chosen most valuable player after leading Mira Costa to the championship of the Pepsi Grid-Hoops Festival last month at El Camino College.

With the summer behind him, Davis will wait to see what college offers come his way. Mead said coaches usually begin lining up home recruiting visits late in September. Many of the best high school seniors will sign letters of intent during the early one-week signing period in November.

“He’s being heavily recruited,” Mead said of Davis. “He’ll get a fairly high college scholarship. Maybe not as high as he should, because he’s a late developer.”

Davis, who averaged about 9.5 points a game last season, scored 32 points July 21 in the festival semifinals against Serra and 30 in the final against Banning. He considered the games the best performances of his budding career.

“Last year, I wasn’t too aggressive,” Davis said. “But something’s happened. I guess I’ve grown up and gotten more physical.”

Marx has witnessed the transformation of his standout player from a pudgy, asthma-weakened sophomore to a muscular, confident senior with satisfaction.

He predicts big things for Davis next season, when Mira Costa competes in the realigned Ocean League with Morningside, Rolling Hills, Palos Verdes and Redondo, all formidable opponents.

“If someone wants to contend with Chris Davis on the high school level next year, it’s going to cost them 30 points to do it,” Marx said. “He is going to be accountable for 30 points a game, whether he is getting the ball and scoring or allowing one of our shooters to get open.”

Davis displayed his improved offensive skills in the North Torrance Summer League, which concluded play last week. Bill Atkinson, North’s interim coach, said Davis was clearly the most impressive player in the 20-team league.

“I feel he’s one of the top five players in the South Bay,” Atkinson said. “I noticed at the beginning of summer league that he’s finishing his shot a lot better. Before, he was a little bit tentative. But now it doesn’t matter if people are hanging onto him. He’s going up and dunking the ball.”

Said Marx: “I saw him miss a lot of dunks in the regular season. But he’s putting them down now.”

Davis credits his improved strength and endurance to conditioning programs implemented by Marx when he became coach two years ago. They include a weight training program overseen by fitness authority Marv Marinovich, father of USC quarterback Todd Marinovich.

“Marv Marinovich and his weight program have developed (Davis) to a point where it’s not uncommon for him to catch a ball in the box, take one step and slam on people,” Marx said. “He does it regularly.”

The workouts have also helped Davis fight his asthma, which in past seasons preyed on his stamina and forced frequent benchings.

“It used to be impossible for me to play a whole game,” he said. “But it’s starting to get better.”

Because of his asthma, Davis is allowed to attend Mira Costa on a medical permit although he lives in Lynwood. His family used to live in Manhattan Beach, but moved after his freshman year.

“The air is better out here for my asthma,” he said. “It’s too smoggy in Lynwood.”

The Lynwood air didn’t stunt Davis’ growth, however. He grew four inches to 6-7 between his freshman and sophomore years and earned a starting spot on the varsity, helping the Mustangs to a 7-15 record in 1989 and a late-season upset over playoff-bound Redondo.

Davis’ improvement as a player has mirrored Mira Costa’s improvement as a team. Last year, with Davis playing a more prominent role, the Mustangs were 15-9 and earned a CIF playoff berth with a third-place finish in league.

But Davis had to share the spotlight in 1990 with Chris Hobbs, the team’s All-CIF shooting guard, and forward Canyon Ceman.

Rest assured, that won’t be the case next season, Marx said.

“Last year we were more balanced,” he said. “We weren’t as focused in getting (Davis) the ball. This year we’ve become focused, and that’s why he got 30 and 32 (points). He’s come into his own.”

Marx, a former coach at St. Bernard High who has worked with many of the Southland’s best prep players over the years, said Davis compares favorably with several of the top big men to come out of the South Bay.

“Looking at the South Bay in the last 10 years, you can mention Ed Stokes, Leonard Taylor (both of St. Bernard) and maybe Bill Laimbeer (of Palos Verdes) going years back,” he said. “He’s in that mold.”

Marx sees Davis developing into a dominant offensive player, similar to an accomplished big man with the NBA champions.

“The one player who comes right to mind is James Edwards of the Detroit Pistons,” Marx said. “He has the same ability to get the ball in the post and use his body to get his shot off. He can step out and hit a 10-footer.”

Addressing his weaknesses, Davis said he needs to improve his perimeter defense and foot speed.

“Physically, he needs to get rid of some baby fat,” Mead said.

But the veteran scout said that Davis’ strengths outweigh his weaknesses, including a solid academic standing. Davis carries a 2.6 grade-point average and has scored an NCAA-qualifying 800 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

“He’s a very intelligent kid,” Mead said. “He has the right kind of attitude and he’s well-coached, which helps.”

The soft-spoken Davis said he will consider every college that shows an interest in him. Early suitors include schools from the Pacific-10, Big Eight and Western Athletic conferences. “It doesn’t matter where,” he said.

Marx said whoever signs Davis will be getting a player whose value appears to be increasing each day.

“He’s a different player than he was in February, a radically different player,” Marx said. “One reason is that he is 16 years old. Why shouldn’t a kid who’s just turned 16 be blossoming?”

That’s one question Davis seems to have answered this summer.

THE CLASS OF 1990-’91*

PLAYER SCHOOL HT. POS. Jabari Anderson Banning 6-3 Shooting guard Chris Davis Mira Costa 6-8 Power forward Rick Famuyiwa St. Bernard 6-4 Shooting guard Roger Hendrix Rolling Hills 6-6 Small forward Wyking Jones St. Bernard 6-6 Small forward Robin Kirksey Gardena 6-4 Shooting guard LeRoi O’Brien Westchester 6-8 Power forward D’Mitri Rideout Narbonne 6-3 Shooting guard Michael Stith Inglewood 6-2 Shooting guard Frank Willis Leuzinger 6-8 Power forward

*-South Bay’s top 10 college basketball prospects and potential positions, according to scout Don Mead, head of Irvine-based Don Mead and Associates. Players listed in alphabetical order.