1992-93: The Prep Year In Review : Confessions of New Girls’ Basketball Junkie

The memories from a high school sports season are limited only by the number of people taking it all in. The members of The Times Orange County prep sports staff have provided the commentaries on these two pages about the people, events and issues that made the greatestimpression on them in the last 10 months.

I have a confession.

I have always enjoyed baseball--Little League, high school, college, professional. I understood it and appreciated it beyond what is normal. It is a living chess match, each move dependent upon another, changing from pitch to pitch, based upon the individual strengths and weaknesses of the knights, the pawns, the bishops. It has always been my favorite.

Until this year.

The reason? Girls’ basketball.

Maybe it happened while I was watching Huntington Beach’s 86-82 double-overtime victory over Edison and Joan Paje, who scored 50 points that night.

Or maybe it was when I watched Michaela Ross collect 33 points against Inglewood Morningside in the Southern Section Division III Regional semifinals, a 54-50 loss for Newport Harbor.

Or maybe it was the playoffs, where Olivia DiCamilli scored 44% of Costa Mesa’s points en route to the Division III-A title and a State final appearance.

Or maybe it was delivering electronic messages to my co-workers, writing play-by-play of Brea-Olinda’s 42-41 victory over Fair Oaks Bella Vista off a delayed radio broadcast, my final message reading something like the call of Bobby Thomson’s pennant-winning home run: “Brea wins, Brea wins, Brea wins!!! Nicole Erickson validates her selection as player of the year with 12-footer with 3 1/2 seconds left. Oh my gosh, I can’t breathe. Brea wins!!!”

Or something like that.

After watching 30 basketball games this year--and only one boys’ game--when the season concluded, I concluded basketball was my favorite sport.

Not only does that say something about the sport, but about those who play it.

Like Capistrano Valley’s Angie White, who was in her element against Lynwood, USA Today’s seventh-ranked team nationally, and pulled no punches in the aftermath of a 58-41 loss in the section I-AA final. “They’re a good basketball team, but they’re kind of dirty,” she said. “They didn’t have much class.” She had scored 17 and blamed herself for the loss.

Like Rancho Alamitos’ Akilah Rodgers, about whom I had my doubts when Coach Bob Becker told me she was the best non-starter in the state, then proved it.

Like Huntington Beach’s Clare Walker, whose fluid jump shot and athleticism made her my favorite.

Confessions of a girls’ basketball junkie.

I’ve become more interested in seeing girls play with their fierce intensity and not take themselves too seriously afterward. I’ve seen too many cry to believe they aren’t as competitive as any of the boys.

There’s too much posturing in baseball. Arrogance begins early.

I’ve finally been turned off. And on.

Basketball’s better.