THE TIMES 1991 ALL-COUNTY BASKETBALL TEAMS : BOYS’ CAPSULES

MUSTAPHA ABDI, Huntington Beach guard Abdi was an all-county selection as a sophomore at Savanna, when he was named the most valuable player of the Orange League. He transferred to Huntington Beach for his junior year and was an honorable-mention pick last year. He was the most improved player in the county this year, making a successful transition from a post player with his back to the basket to a shooting guard. Abdi averaged 24.1 points and 12 rebounds in leading Huntington Beach to a Sunset League tri-championship with Marina and Edison.

J.J. BALLESTEROS, Mater Dei guard Ballesteros was the outside threat in Mater Dei’s drive to the No. 1 ranking in Orange County, averaging 15.4 points and three assists. Ballesteros’ best game came against Servite in the second meeting between the Angelus League rivals. Ballesteros, a 6-foot-1 senior, missed his first shot and was then 10 for 11 from the field, including five three-pointers. He finished with a career-high 27 points. Ballesteros was the co-most valuable player of the Angelus League with teammate Reggie Geary.

TOM BARRAZA, Western guard A true leader, Barraza helped Western win its second consecutive Orange League title. He averaged 17.5 points, 5.2 assists and five rebounds and was named the league’s most valuable player. Barraza is the only four-year varsity player ever at Western and played on a team that won 76 games during that span without the benefit of a college Division I-caliber player. “Tom has the ability to pull people together,” Western Coach Greg Hoffman said. “He’s an absolute winner.”

DAVID BEILSTEIN, Tustin guard The county’s premier point guard averaged 21.3 points and five assists. Beilstein was named the Sea View League’s most valuable player. He is the school’s single-game, season and career scoring leader and a three-year varsity starter. Beilstein’s best game came against Edison in a Southern Section quarterfinal, in which he scored 27 points and had 12 assists. “David played with such an aura of confidence that it spread to the rest of the team,” Tustin Coach Tom McCluskey said.

JOSH BORELLA, Laguna Beach guard Borella helped Laguna Beach win 41 games in two seasons as a starting guard and was named the co-most valuable player of the Pacific Coast League this year with Estancia’s Matt Fuerbringer. A prolific shooter, Borella is the school’s single-game (46), season (870) and career (1,335) scoring leader. He developed into a quicker player and improved his shooting range in his senior year.

JERMAINE GALLOWAY, Kennedy center Galloway’s improvement this year was remarkable as he led Kennedy to its second consecutive Garden Grove League title as a junior. He averaged 24.4 points and 11 rebounds and was named the most valuable player of the eight-team league. “Jermaine’s best basketball is still ahead of him,” Kennedy Coach John Mayberry said. “He’ll be attending some national camps this summer and should be a force next season.”

BRANDON JESSIE, Edison forward Easily the county’s best junior, Jessie continues to improve with every game. He averaged 21.4 points and 13 rebounds in leading Edison to a tri-championship in the Sunset League. He added the dimension of a three-point shot to his offensive arsenal and will be the county’s best player next year. Jessie is also a standout wide receiver for Edison’s football team.

JOHN MOLLE, Irvine forward Molle helped Irvine win its first league championship (South Coast) since the school opened in 1976 by averaging 28.1 points and 8.2 rebounds. Molle played his best game against Capistrano Valley in the battle for the league title, scoring 28 of his team’s points in a 50-48 victory. He was also a prolific free-throw shooter, making 83% of his attempts. Molle will attend San Diego State in the fall.

CHEROKEE PARKS, Marina center Parks established a school single-game scoring record with 44 points against Alta Loma in the first round of the Division I-A playoffs and continued on a two-week roll in postseason play. He had 18 points in a second-round victory over Capistrano Valley; 22 points against top-seeded San Bernardino; 30 points against Mater Dei and 19 points in his final high school game against Santa Barbara.

TES WHITLOCK, Loara guard Whitlock broke Art Worthy’s 80-year-old county record of 58 points set in 1910 at Huntington Beach High by scoring 68 in a victory over Saddleback in the Irvine World News Tournament. He later had 58 points in an Empire League victory over Katella. Whitlock finished his four-year career with 2,096 points in 83 varsity games, averaging 25.2 points.

THE BOYS’ ROSTER FIRST TEAM

P Name School Yr. Ht. Pts. F Mustapha Abdi Huntington Beach Sr. 6-3 24.1 G J.J. Ballesteros Mater Dei Sr. 6-1 15.4 G Tom Barraza Western Sr. 6-2 17.5 G David Beilstein Tustin Sr. 5-11 21.3 G Josh Borella Laguna Beach Sr. 6-0 30.6 C Jermaine Galloway Kennedy Jr. 6-9 24.4 F Brandon Jessie Edison Jr. 6-5 21.4 F John Molle Irvine Sr. 6-5 28.1 C Cherokee Parks Marina Sr. 6-11 28.8 G Tes Whitlock Loara Sr. 6-1 33.5

SECOND TEAM

P Name School Yr. Hgt. Pts. F Adam Anderson Servite Sr. 6-3 15.2 F Kevin Carlson Katella Sr. 6-5 21.5 F Thomas Clayton Tustin Sr. 6-1 15.0 F Matt Fuerbringer Estancia Jr. 6-5 16.5 G Reggie Geary Mater Dei Jr. 6-1 13.5 G Bryan Hakala Los Alamitos Sr. 6-1 14.5 F Rob Johnson El Toro Sr. 6-5 24.4 F Paul LaMott Laguna Hills Sr. 6-5 24.1 F Brett McCorkle Capistrano Valley Sr. 6-6 15.0 F Chauncey Woolridge Santa Ana Sr. 6-5 27.1