NOTEBOOK : Issac Burton Headed to ASU

East Los Angeles College basketball star Isaac Burton signed a letter of intent April 14 to attend Arizona State University next fall.

The 6-foot-4 Burton, who was named co-Most Valuable Player of the Southern California Athletic Conference, averaged 24 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and three assists a game last season for ELAC.

“Coach (Bill) Frieder told me that I would see a lot of action if I came out and worked hard,” Burton said. “(Arizona State) plays a run-and-gun style that will best suit my game.”

Burton will receive a full-scholarship throughout the 1993-94 basketball season. He will also walk-on for the Sun Devils’ baseball team.

“Isaac is the greatest athlete I have ever had the pleasure of being around,” East L.A. baseball coach Al Cone said.

Although Burton has an affinity for both basketball and baseball, if he had to make a choice one day it would be an easy one: “Definitely baseball, because that’s where the money is.”

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Coming home--Linebacker Joe Kelly, a seven-year NFL veteran, will be back wearing a hometown uniform.

The former Jefferson High star signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Los Angeles Raiders on April 14.

Kelly, 28, last played for the Democrats in 1981 and played college football for Washington, where he earned a degree in criminal justice.

He was a No. 1 draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1986 and played four seasons for them. His last three seasons were with the New York Jets.

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Golden Gloves--Salvador Jasso, a Roosevelt High sophomore, has advanced to the state finals of the Golden Gloves tournament.

Jasso, 132 pounds, defeated Enrique Herrera of San Diego by unanimous decision in a lightweight match at the Southern California finals April 17 at Lincoln Park Recreation Center.

In the heavyweight division, Lamon Brewster of Los Angeles lost a split decision to Juan Craig of San Diego in the single elimination tournament.

Jasso, 17, fought Saturday night in the state championship at Lincoln Park for the opportunity to qualify for the national tournament in Little Rock, Ark., May 10-15.

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Add signings--Danny Tapia, the 1991 State Junior College champion in the pole vault for East L.A. College, has made a verbal commitment to attend Cal State Los Angeles. Tapia, who has a best of 15 feet, 6 inches, is currently competing for Cerritos College.

Bell High swimmer Helen Salcedo, the City runner-up in the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard breaststroke, has signed a letter of intent to attend UC Berkeley.

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Surprise guests--What were Arizona Coach Lute Olson, UCLA Coach Jim Harrick and several other Division I basketball coaches doing with their free time Wednesday night?

Would you believe watching pickup basketball games at Fremont High?

Olson and Harrick were among eight coaches trying to get an early start watching next year’s crop of recruits. A “dead” recruiting period began Friday, meaning coaches cannot be in contact with players from the class of 1994 until July.

Pathfinder assistant coach Keith Young runs a spring league on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Among the top players competing are Tremaine Fowlkes of Crenshaw, Toby Bailey of Loyola and Miles Simon of Mater Dei.

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Turning pro--East L.A. College soccer star Jose Umana has signed a two-year contract with the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers of the American Professional Soccer League.

The 23-year-old was selected from 32 college players nationwide during tryouts March 19-21.

Umana’s contract is for $1,300 a month plus incentives for his first season with the team. The following season he’ll get a 10% increase and an option to sign for a third season with the Strikers.

The sweeper began training with the team April 4 and was projected to be a starter for a match May 21 against the Los Angeles Salsa. But a thigh injury during the tryouts sidelined Umana, said Rick San Martin, assistant coach at East L.A. and Umana’s adviser.

As two-year team captain for East L.A., Umana lead the Huskies to a state championship in 1990 and was voted California’s MVP that year.

In 1986, when he moved to California from Santa Ana, El Salvador, he was captain of the North Hollywood High squad for two years and twice named MVP.

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Add soccer stars--Bell Gardens midfielder Carlos Farias has been named to the Southern Section Division III first team. The sophomore helped Bell Gardens (17-6-1) win the Almont League title and reach the second round of the Division III playoffs. Rodolfo Sarmiento of Salesian, a senior midfielder, was named to the Division V first team.

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Poll watching--The Cal State Los Angeles men’s track team is the top NCAA Division II team in the latest California-Nevada Dual Meet ratings. The Golden Eagles, who will compete in the UC Irvine Invitational today, are ranked seventh.

California and UCLA hold the top two spots, followed by Fresno State, USC, Cal State Northridge and Cal State Long Beach.

UCLA is the No. 1 team in the women’s ratings. The Cal State L.A. women, the defending California Collegiate Athletic Assn. champions, are 11th.

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Keeping track--Marsha Guialdo of Cal State L.A. won the invitational 100-meter hurdles in 13.31 at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays last weekend. Teammates Janet Hill and Bryan Bridgewater were third and fourth in the invitational discus and 200 meters with marks of 182-6 and 20.68.

Competing in the open 5,000 meters, Cal State L.A.’s Kim Ojeda clocked 17:03.0 to qualify for the Division II national meet. In the men’s race, Jose Padilla lowered his Division II provisional qualifying time to 14:36.22 to move into ninth on the school’s all-time list.

Enrique Lavin, Kirby Lee, Charles Smith and Sean Waters contributed to this report.