Now It Is Charles O’Bannon’s Turn : Prep basketball: The 6-6 junior leads Artesia to the State final after playing a secondary role two years ago.

The last time Lakewood Artesia High played in the State Division II boys’ basketball final two years ago, Charles O’Bannon was merely a role player.

As a 6-foot-2 freshman guard, he started but did not score as the Pioneers won the championship.

O’Bannon’s status will be considerably different Friday when Artesia meets Danville San Ramon for the State Division II title at the Arco Arena in Sacramento.

“Starting in a State final as a freshman was a great experience, but I was very nervous at the time,” the 6-6 junior said. “I’m looking forward to scoring my first points in a State final.”

Scoring Friday should not be a problem for O’Bannon, who has been a force during the State playoffs. In the Pioneers’ three victories, O’Bannon has averaged 26 points and 13 rebounds, including a 23-point, five-rebound effort as Artesia beat Glendora, 59-54, in the Southern Regional final last Saturday at the Sports Arena.

After losing to Glendora in the Southern Section II-AA Division final, O’Bannon had problems eating for the next couple of days, but his inspired play was a key in the rematch.

“We were embarrassed, and it hurt that we had gone the whole season fighting to get to the final and then lost,” O’Bannon said.

In the rematch, O’Bannon quickly established with his defensive play that he was ready to play. Along with his impressive scoring and rebounding, he had five steals, four assists and three blocked shots.

“Charles really turned his game up three or four notches,” Artesia Coach Wayne Merino said. “After all the publicity (from) the first game, there was enough motivation to have another shot at Glendora.”

What made his performance more noticeable was that it came against Glendora’s Cameron Murray, whose brother, Tracy, plays for UCLA along with Charles’ brother, Ed.

A stirring moment occurred in the fourth quarter when both older brothers entered the Sports Arena to support their prep alma maters, after UCLA’s Pacific 10 title-clinching victory over Arizona State earlier that day in Westwood.

“I loved it when Ed and Tracy came down during the game and went to the sidelines with their teams,” said Ed O’Bannon Sr., Charles’ and Ed’s father. “It was a great game in which Charles took it to another level.”

Even though the younger brothers are friends, O’Bannon did not like the buildup their confrontation received.

“I think that it was over-hyped because we are just two ballplayers who wanted to win, who happened to be brothers of two UCLA players,” he said. “We are two different players.”

Improving as a player is what O’Bannon has steadily done since his freshman year, when he was part of a supporting cast for his brother Ed, who earned All-State honors that season.

Charles O’Bannon’s role then was to play defense and rebound. He did it well despite having to face older varsity players.

Last season, he began to look for scoring opportunities but still was not considered one of the leaders on the team. He helped the Pioneers win the Southern Section II-AA Division title, but they lost in the Southern Regional final to Tustin.

In the off-season, O’Bannon grew two inches and scored higher than the NCAA-required 700 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

This season, O’Bannon has become one of the Pioneers’ leaders, both on the court and off.

“Coach Merino told me before the season that I would have to up my play because we didn’t have any vocal leaders anymore,” said O’Bannon, who is an honor student with a 3.8 grade-point average. “So, I knew that we had to build to get the team together to get some victories.”

With this new attitude, Artesia has compiled a 28-4 record, and O’Bannon has turned in his best season yet. He is averaging 21 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocked shots a game.

“I think he is coming along just perfect,” Ed O’Bannon Sr. said. “He’s improved quite a bit and he’s getting to the point where he can dominate a game when he wants to.”

Charles O’Bannon is already considered one of the nation’s top future college recruits in a junior class that is rated as one of the best in years.

Although it has been rumored that he is headed for UCLA to join his brother, O’Bannon said he does not plan to decide on a college until his senior year and considers his choices wide open.

One thing is for sure: He will continue to be a force at the high school level, which is good for Merino. “If he continues to improve on his skills in the off-season like he has and becomes even more of a leader, he will definitely go on to the next level,” the Artesia coach said.