SPORTS NOTEBOOK / DICK WAGNER : Logan Uses Flash to Make His Points

Steve (Show Time) Logan is living up to his nickname at Compton College. Logan, a sophomore guard, is leading the nation’s junior-college scorers with an average of 39.1 points a game and is poised to become the school’s all-time leading scorer.

“I had no idea I’d score this much,” said Logan, who averaged 22.7 points for the Tartars last season.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound former Dominguez High School player scored a career-high 53 points against San Diego City College early this season. He has 1,600 points as a Tartar and needs to average about 25 in the remaining eight regular season games to break Larry Hollyfield’s record of 2,050. Hollyfield played at Compton from 1969-71 and later was on two NCAA champion teams at UCLA.

In addition to shooting 53.4% from the field, 44.5% from three-point range and 80.3% from the free-throw line, Logan is also averaging 4.6 steals a game. He made a school-record 10 three-point baskets this season against Marymount College of Rancho Palos Verdes.

“He’s exceeded all expectations,” said Compton Coach Richard Lee. “When he first came here, we didn’t really feel he was capable of the numbers he’s putting up now. He came in at 6-1 and 150; he’s grown and put a little weight on.”

Logan was the leading scorer in the Southern California Athletic Conference last season with an average of 22.7. That Compton team had two other good guards--Gerald McDonald, now at UC Irvine, and Andre Stovall, now at Hawaii.

Admitting that he did not take school seriously while at Dominguez, Logan said his grade-point average at Compton is 2.9, up from 2.7 in his freshman year.

“In high school, all he wanted to do was play sports,” said Dominguez Coach Russell Otis. “He was a quiet kid who never missed practice. He wanted to be good, and he’s made himself good by going to the gym every day.”

Logan is only part of Compton’s success this season under Lee, a former assistant coach at Los Angeles Trade Tech. Before Wednesday night’s game against East Los Angeles, the Tartars were 17-6 overall and 5-0 in the SCAA. They lead the state in scoring with an average of 102.6 points a game.

Wun Versher, a forward from Dominguez, is averaging 22 points a game. Casey Brown, a 6-7 sophomore from Long Beach Jordan, leads state community college players in blocked shots with seven a game. Derrick Thomas, who last year was at Ventura College, is averaging 11.5 rebounds. And former Dominguez guard Anton Curtis is averaging 6.4 assists.

But it is Logan that fans and recruiters are coming to see.

“He’s very fun to watch,” Lee said. “He’s very flashy on the court, but as a person he’s kind of introverted and pretty humble. Wherever he plays he should be successful.”

Carrier, Barbara to Be Honored

Mark Carrier of the Chicago Bears and former Cal State Long Beach baseball star Don Barbara will be honored as athletes of the year by the Long Beach Century Club at the club’s annual banquet Feb. 6 at the Golden Sails Hotel in Long Beach.

Carrier, a former star at Long Beach Poly High School, led the NFL with 10 interceptions in his rookie season.

Barbara was a first-team All-American as a first baseman at Long Beach last spring. He signed with the Angels and batted .291 in 66 games for Palm Springs.

The Century Club will also induct Ed Ratleff, Monte Nitzkowski and the late Lauren Proctor into its hall of fame.

Ratleff was a two-time All-American basketball player at Cal State Long Beach and was co-captain of the 1972 U.S. Olympic team. He holds the 49ers’ record for career scoring average with 21.4 points a game.

Nitzkowski, who coached the Long Beach City College water polo team from 1954-88, won five state titles. He also coached the U.S. Olympic water polo teams in 1972, 1980 and 1984.

Proctor, who died last year at 79, was a longtime basketball coach who also owned a sporting goods store in downtown Long Beach.

49ers to Play Utah State

The Cal State Long Beach men’s basketball team will play Utah State in a Big West Conference game tonight at 7:30 in the university gym.

The 49ers, 6-9 overall and 2-4 in the Big West, are 5-0 at home. They broke an eight-game road losing streak Tuesday night with a 94-76 victory over Cal State Fullerton as forward Kevin Cutler scored 26 points and grabbed 18 rebounds.

Utah State is 7-8 and 4-2.

Track Starters Sought

The Southern California Track Starters Assn. is looking for people to serve as starters at high school track. For more information, call Herman Moreno at (213) 548-5663.