Artesia, Glenn Standouts Named Southeast’s Top Players : Boys: Artesia swingman Charles O’Bannon is named player of the year. This season’s Southeast all-star squad is dominated by underclassmen.

Underclassmen dominate The Times’ 1992 Southeast Prep Boys All-Star Basketball Team.

The selection of six juniors and one sophomore, including the area’s player of the year, highlight the 10-person team.

Charles O’Bannon, a 6-foot-6 junior swingman for Artesia High, was chosen the player of the year.

Downey High’s Larry Shelton, who guided the Vikings to a second-place finish in the rugged San Gabriel Valley League, was named coach of the year.

Members of the team will be honored during a breakfast at 9 a.m. Sunday at the Sheraton Hotel in Cerritos.

The team was chosen primarily on the basis of ballots cast by area coaches. Here is the Southeast boys team:

Charles O’Bannon, Artesia--A near-unanimous choice as player of the year. The 6-foot-6 swingman averaged 20 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.6 blocked shots. He raised his average to 28 points and 12 rebounds in the CIF Division II state playoffs as the Pioneers won the state championship. “He’s one of the best we’ve ever played against,” Lakewood Coach Tim Sweeney said.

Ken Fitzpatrick, Bell Gardens--A “prolific scoring machine,” according to Lancer Coach Charlie LoCommare. The 6-foot-7 senior center averaged 22 points and 18 rebounds. He also plays first base and pitches for the school baseball team and is expected to sign a professional baseball contract later this spring.

Darius Rutledge, Downey--A 6-foot-5 senior swingman who averaged 17.1 points and 10.4 rebounds. “He is an outstanding athlete,” Coach Larry Shelton said. He also was chosen for the first team of the all-San Gabriel Valley League.

Michael O’Quinn, Pius X--Most valuable player of the Camino Real League for the second year in a row. He averaged 22 points and 8 rebounds. The 6-foot-4 junior can play forward or guard. He was equally proficient at scoring inside and from behind the 3-point line.

Jacobi Thompson, Pius X--Keyed the Warriors’ inside game by averaging 18 points and 8 rebounds. “He has the ability to run the court and fill the lane,” Coach Dennis Gienger said. Thompson is a 6-foot-4 junior forward.

Kelly Hambrick, La Mirada--A 6-foot junior guard who averaged 18 points and almost 5 assists for the Matadors. He is a first-team all-Suburban League choice. “He came through when we needed him,” said Coach Roger Williams, who guided La Mirada to a second-place finish in the league.

Miguel Villegas, South Gate--The lone City Section player on the team. A 6-foot-1 junior guard, Villegas is an inspirational leader who helped get the Rams into the 3-A title game, where they lost to Fremont. He averaged 12 points and 8 assists. “We won so many games right down to the last minute, and he’s the guy who kept us going when we were dead tired,” Coach Tak Aoki said.

Scott Williams, Cerritos--A 6-foot-6 senior who averaged 18.9 points and 8.6 rebounds. “He’s a pounder and a banger,” Coach Jim Chapel said. “He works real hard and is aggressive inside.” Williams is thinking about playing at Azusa Pacific University.

Erik Kennady, El Rancho--Only a sophomore but one of the area’s stars. The 6-foot-6 center averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds and was selected first-team all-Whitmont League. “He’s got an excellent shot, and for a young kid he knows the game real well,” Coach Mike Lawler said.

Avondre Jones, Artesia--A 6-foot-11 junior center who averaged 18.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.2 blocked shots. A good inside player, he helped lead the Pioneers to the CIF Division II state championship.

Coach of the year:

Larry Shelton, Downey--In his fourth season, he took a team that was 13-12 two years ago and had it on the threshold of winning the San Gabriel Valley League title. Less talented man-for-man than other teams in the league, the Vikings nevertheless were the only league team to defeat league champion Lynwood. They also defeated every team in the league at least once. They shared second place in the league with highly-touted Dominguez at 8-4. Downey finished the season at 19-8 overall.

Times staff writer Mike Coil contributed to this story.