St. Bernard’s Hickmon and University’s Booker to Play Basketball for Navy

St. Bernard guard Terrell Hickmon and University forward Hassan Booker will continue their basketball careers at the Naval Academy.

Hickmon and Booker each averaged 21 points and were selected to The Times’ Westside All-Star team last week.

“Terrell has gotten better and better as a player through the years,” Navy assistant Doug Wojcik said. “His greatest asset is that he can play defense. He also can shoot it, whether off the screen or off the dribble.”

Booker, a 6-foot-3 forward, averaged 12.9 rebounds for the Warriors.

“I love Booker,” Wojcik said. “He plays harder than anyone I’ve seen. Booker will be a big success athletically. He can guard a 6-10 center or a 6-0 point guard. He is that fast and that strong.”

Both players will attend a Naval Prep School in Newport, R.I., before beginning their collegiate careers at the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md.

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Taking a shorter route: A talented group of sprinters has made University High a candidate to win a City Section girls’ title.

University took first place in its heat of the 400-meter relay at the Arcadia Invitational on Saturday. Yolanda Arrington, Dorneisha Lewis, Dora Gyarmati and Shelli Hardemion combined to run 49.08 in the open event. It was the fastest time in the City this year.

The Warriors also set the best mark in the City this season in the 1,600 relay. Arrington, Lewis, Lorraine Persons and Hardemion ran 4:07 to finish eighth in the event.

Hardemion, a senior, has been a sprinter for the Warriors since her freshman season. The other runners have little experience. Coach Ralf Latham discovered Arrington and Lewis in a physical education class, and Gyarmati is a transfer student from Hungary.

“Dorneisha ran against the boys in the 50-yard dash and beat them all,” Latham said. “I asked her if she can do that again and she did. Yolanda did the same thing.”

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Searching for answers: Santa Monica and University highs expect to announce new football coaches by the end of this month.

The Vikings are searching for a replacement for Ron Guercio, who was fired March 29 after two seasons. Guercio’s team was 0-10 in 1992 and 5-5-1 in 1991. The school lost to Hawthorne, 72-6, last season.

Athletic Director Frank Nishimura said the school is looking for an on-campus teacher to replace Guercio.

“We need more educators in the coaching area,” Nishimura said.

Former St. Monica Coach Danny Escalera and current St. Monica Coach Norm Lacy are teachers and former football assistants at Santa Monica. Escalera applied for the job, according to Nishimura, but Lacy said he is not interested.

“I’m happy at St. Monica,” said Lacy, who applied for the job when Tebb Kusserow resigned in 1990. “I walked away from the Santa Monica program two years ago and my life went on. I’m happy where I am now.”

Escalera is the likely candidate to replace Guercio. He teaches world history at the school and has held assistant positions at Loyola and University. He coached the Vikings’ sophomore team last season.

Nishimura is also searching for baseball, soccer and water polo coaches.

The application deadline for the football position is Friday.

University is trying to find a replacement for Brad Ratcliff, who resigned in March after his team finished 0-10. Kenji Mochizuki, a co-coach and teacher at Van Nuys, also resigned.

Hewitt Hornbeck, administrator in charge of athletics, said he has received seven applications.

Hornbeck is also looking for an on-campus teacher to assume the position.