PREPS / CAP CAREY : Torrance Guard Dean Was a Star Among Stars at Classic

Torrance’s Micheal Dean scored 28 points, had 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals to lead the Blue squad past the Red, 111-109, in the third annual South Bay Athletic Club all-star classic Friday night at South Torrance High.

Dean rebounded a free throw by Banning’s Bryan Hill and dribbled the length of the court to score the game-winning basket on a layup with 24 seconds remaining.

The 6-foot guard played only 23 minutes but nearly matched his season scoring average. Dean averaged 33.6 points to lead the state in scoring, 11.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists.

Dean scored 18 points in the fourth quarter.

“I had not seen him play much but he is very unselfish when he’s in a team framework,” said Redondo Coach Jim Nielsen, who was co-coach of the Blue with retiring Peninsula Coach John Mihaljevich. The Red squad was coached by Bishop Montgomery’s Doug Mitchell and El Segundo’s Rick Sabosky.

Dean had a good time even when he was not playing. He was giving instructions to teammates on the court, offering strategy to the coaches and signing autographs.

“He really had a blast,” Nielsen said. “He was always making cute comments.”

Dean was able to sneak in an extra slam-dunk during the pregame exhibition. He did not compete in the pregame three-point contest, which was won by the Blue squad, but he was passing the ball to whomever was shooting and counting the score loud enough for everyone in the gym to hear. During player introductions, he was already at center court before the public address announcer had introduced him.

“This game was more for the fans than for us,” Dean said. “I usually don’t talk as much as I did during this game.”

Dean, and his Blue teammates started slowly, and for most of the game trailed the Red squad, which was led by San Pedro’s Raymond Tutt, who finished with 35 points and eight rebounds. Tutt scored 12 points in the fourth quarter.

The Red led, 43-35, at halftime, and 80-68 after three quarters. Officials decided to play 10-minute quarters in the second half after playing eight-minute quarters in the first.

Late in the third quarter, after a Tutt made a three-point basket to give the Red a 12-point lead, Dean, sitting on the bench, tapped his teammates on the shoulders and said, “When we get back in there let me stick Raymond.”

Tutt and Dean had been involved in a heated race for area scoring honors during the season, with Tutt finishing second at 32.5.

Dean was happy for the opportunity to showcase his game.

“Everybody knows I can score, I wanted to show I can pass the ball,” Dean said.

Dean’s most spectacular pass was in the second quarter. He tossed an alley-oop pass to Inglewood’s Givon Hester, who slammed the ball through the hoop.

“That alley-oop to Hester, that’s my game,” Dean said. “I’d rather pass the ball, it’s more fun that way.”

Dean said he will play in several postseason events in hopes of earning a scholarship to a Division I school.

“I will not go to a (community college), that’s not the place for me, but I would go to a (Division II or III) school and be a big fish in a small pond,” he said.

Other notes from the game:

* Hester scored 25 points and had seven rebounds and Sentinel teammate Chris White, who played for the Red squad, had 24 points. Mira Costa center Frank Zeno scored 17 points and had seven rebounds for the Blue squad. Bryan Hill of Banning had 10 points and nine rebounds and Red teammate Darren Mitchell of St. Bernard had 16 points.

* The Blue team won the five-man three-point shooting contest, 46-39. Peninsula’s Matt Acres and Bishop Montgomery’s Jason Jones each made 12 shots in the 45-second span and Zeno had 11.

Nielsen hopes to start a holiday boys’ basketball tournament in December with an added twist: a four-level tournament with varsity, junior varsity, sophomore and freshmen teams.

The Sea Hawk Classic will continue for the lower levels and Nielsen hopes to attract an additional seven to nine varsity teams to compete in the planned Dec. 27-29 event. Nielsen wants to base the seedings on the record of each team at the time of the tournament.

“It is definitely going to happen (at the varsity level) in the future, although we hope it happens this year,” Nielsen said. “We’d like to attract some teams from outside the (South Bay), although a problem at Christmas time is transportation and cost.”

The Carson girls’ track team opened the Southern Pacific season by snapping a 10-year losing streak to Dorsey. The Colts won, 63-54, Friday at Dorsey. Carson senior sprinter Mercedes Blunt won the 100 and 200-meter dashes.