Pollard, Nygaard Honored as Players of the Year

Scot Pollard, Vanessa Nygaard, Greg Lanthier and Jay Trousdale walked away with the top awards Sunday as The Times honored its all-county team at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina.

They were selected by Times staff writers who cover San Diego County high school sports.

Pollard and Nygaard were named the top boys’ and girls’ players, respectively, and Lanthier and Trousdale were honored for their coaching.

All four played pivotal roles as the 1991-92 basketball story played its course.

Pollard, a 6-foot-11 junior from Torrey Pines, averaged 18.5 points per game for the Falcons, the San Diego Section’s Division II boys’ champion. An intimidating inside force, he averaged five blocks and 12 rebounds a game for Torrey Pines, which went undefeated in games against San Diego opponents.

After the presentation, Pollard spread around the accolades.

“I couldn’t have done it without the rest of my team,” he said. “(Guards) Craig (Brown) and Eddie (Montalvo) did a great job of getting me the ball inside and protecting our inside game. If they didn’t provide such a good outside game, we wouldn’t have had the kind of inside game that we did.”

Brown was also named to the all-county team.

Like Pollard, Nygaard (6-0) is a junior post player who led her team, Carlsbad, to the Division II championship. The best big player in San Diego since Vista’s Chris Enger in 1986-89, Nygaard averaged 15.3 points per game and 15 rebounds with her intense, aggressive style. This also is her second year on the Times’ team.

Lanthier was named the boys’ coach of the year for doing so much with something so little. He directed Vista to an 18-11 season, their best since the early 1980s, and the Panthers ascended to the fifth position in the Times Top 10; not bad for a team that had only two players as tall as 6-2. He developed a fast-breaking, three-point shooting scheme that allowed the Panthers’ five-guard offense to overcome its height deficiency and reach the Division I semifinals, losing in that game to Poway on a controversial basket at the buzzer.

If not the most entertaining team in the county under Lanthier, the Panthers were certainly one of the most dangerous. They led the section in scoring (80 ppg) and lost twice to Torrey Pines by a combined five points, the closest any local team came to beating the Falcons. Lanthier’s program was not only successful on the court, but scored points in the stands as well, capturing the imagination of a school and community that has long been married to the football program.

Trousdale was named the girls’ coach of the year. He guided Poway to its second consecutive Division I championship and a 27-4 record. His program, which returns six players next year--including two starters--went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the Times’ poll. The Titans lost twice to the No. 1 team in the nation, Rolling Hills Peninsula (state Division I champion), and once to Brea-Olinda (state Division II champion) and Mt. Carmel, the Division I runner-up in San Diego.

Poway finished the year ranked seventh in the state among all schools, the only San Diego team--boys’ or girls’--to be included among the top 10. In the five years of Trousdale’s tenure, the Titans are 108-32, including a 15-11 season his first year.

Charles O’Bannon of Lakewood Artesia and Charisse Sampson of Washington were selected the top boys’ and girls’ high school basketball players of the year in Southern California by The Times.

The two were honored Sunday, along with all-star team members from 12 circulation areas at separate banquets. O’Bannon is on The Times’ Southeast team and Sampson on the Central-City squad.

O’Bannon, a 6-foot-6 junior forward and younger brother of UCLA player Ed O’Bannon, was presented the George Yardley Award. Sampson, a 5-11 senior forward, was presented the Cheryl Miller award. This is the second year those awards have been given.

O’Bannon averaged 20 points and nine rebounds this season in leading Artesia to the State Division II title.

Sampson, who will attend Kansas, completed her high school career as the City Section’s all-time scoring and rebounding leader. She averaged 27 points and 17 rebounds this season in leading Washington to its fourth consecutive Division 4-A title.

The top honorees:

Orange County--Reggie Geary, Mater Dei, sr. (boys’ player); Rich Prospero, Santa Ana Valley (boys’ coach); Jody Anton, Brea-Olinda, sr. (girls’ player); Bob Becker, Rancho Alamitos (girls’ coach).

Central City--Brandon Martin, Washington, sr. (boys’ player); Sam Sullivan, Fremont (boys’ coach); Charisse Sampson, sr., Washington (girls’ player); Phil Chase, Washington (girls’ coach).

Glendale--Jimmy Evans, La Canada, sr. (boys’ player); Tom Hofman, La Canada (boys’ coach); Melissa Lord, La Canada, jr. (girls’ player); Drew Lord, Eagle Rock (girls’ coach).

Inland Empire--Quincy Brewer, Riverside North, sr. (boys’ player); John Gorham, La Sierra (boys’ coach); Darlene Wilson, Rubidoux, sr. (girls’ player); Becky Light, San Bernardino Christian (girls’ coach).

San Fernando Valley--Marquis Burns, Reseda, sr. (boys’ player); Stuart Mason, Faith Baptist (boys’ coach); Rachel Corelli, Alemany, sr. (girls’ player); Melissa Melton, Alemany (girls’ coach).

San Gabriel Valley--Cameron Murray, Glendora, soph. (boys’ player); Gary Prestesater, San Dimas (boys’ coach); Davette Williams, Walnut, sr. (girls’ player); Paul Reed, South Hills (girls’ coach).

South Bay--Stais Boseman, Morningside, jr. (boys’ player); Lamont Henry, South Torrance (boys’ coach); Kristen Mulligan, Peninsula, sr. (girls’ player); Wendall Yoshida, Peninsula (girls’ coach).

South Coast--Jamal Lawrence, Lynwood, sr. (boys’ player); Jim Ferguson, Long Beach Wilson (boys’ coach); Ja’net Davis, Lynwood, sr. (girls’ player); Maurice Roberson, Lynwood (girls’ coach).

Southeast--Charles O’Bannon, Artesia, jr. (boys’ player); Larry Shelton, Downey (boys’ coach); Faye Hagan, Glenn, sr. (girls’ player); Eleanor Dykstra, Cerritos Valley Christian (girls’ coach).

Ventura--Lance Fay, Buena, sr. (boys’ player); Ed Chevalier, Thousand Oaks (boys’ coach); Michelle Palmisano, Thousand Oaks, sr. (girls’ player); Joe Vaughan, Buena (girls’ coach).

Westside--James Gray, Westchester, sr. (boys’ player); Ed Azzam, Westchester (boys’ coach); Alan Collins, University, sr. (girls’ player); Ed Aronin, Notre Dame Academy (girls’ coach).