THE TIMES’ 1994 ALL-COUNTY BOYS’ BASKETBALL TEAM : Billingsley, Barons Overcome Adversity : Coach of the year: He leads Fountain Valley to unexpected league title.

The Baron boys’ basketball team and its coach, Gordon Billingsley, had a rough ride through the 1993-94 season.

But it was a fun ride.

Injuries and defections depleted the roster, and vandals ruined the Fountain Valley High gym floor. The Barons didn’t have a home gym to practice in until January.

Despite the adversity, Fountain Valley won the Sunset League championship for the first time in Billingsley’s five-year tenure.

“Some teams you really have to get after, but this team always played hard,” said Billingsley, The Times Orange County boys’ coach of the year. “It got to the point that as a coach, you say to yourself, ‘Hey, this is a lot of fun.’

“I had a great group of kids. . . . I was just along for the ride.”

Billingsley’s selfless attitude and emphasis on teamwork was something mirrored in his team.

The team’s persona took shape after a 43-40 overtime victory over Ocean View Jan 19.

“At some point, every team gets a mental image of itself,” he said. “And this team got the image that they could win every game.”

That victory over Ocean View began a 12-game winning streak.

The Barons didn’t have a marquee player, but Brandon Leimbach, Phil Domingo and Danny Hoppie led their teammates into the Southern Section Division I-AA quarterfinals.

It took a buzzer-beating basket by Long Beach Poly, the eventual Division I-AA champion, to beat the Barons, 50-48.

While the loss ended the Barons’ season, it didn’t dampen Billingsley’s enthusiasm.

“I wouldn’t trade this team for a million bucks.”

Schea Cotton

Mater Dei; Forward Fr.; 6-5; 20.5 ppg Maybe the best high school freshman in the nation. He transferred from Bellflower St. John Bosco in December, making a good Monarch team a great one. He possesses incredible leaping ability, which makes him a force inside. He can also step outside and hit three-pointers. He averaged nine rebounds.

Gil Gonzales

Orange; Guard Sr.; 6-2; 14.3 ppg One of the top shooters in the county. He made 79 three-pointers this season and 171 during the past two seasons. The main reason the Panthers finished as co-champions of the Century League. He had 22 points and made five three-pointers in a 64-58 victory against Santa Ana Valley.

Tony Gonzalez

Huntington Beach; Forward Sr.; 6-6; 25.6 ppg At 6 feet 6, 230 pounds, the California-bound forward was the county’s most dominating inside player. Gonzalez, who also will play football for the Golden Bears, became Huntington Beach’s career scoring leader with 1,533 points, surpassing Mike Contreras, who graduated in 1969 after scoring 1,477 points.

Doug Gottlieb

Tustin; Guard Jr.; 6-0; 18.0 ppg Gottlieb is one of the county’s best playmakers, averaging 8.1 assists in the regular season to help the Tillers tie Santa Margarita for the Sea View League championship. Gottlieb, the league’s MVP, led Tustin to the Division II-A semifinals, where they lost to Compton Dominguez, 70-35.

Thomas Harmon

Century; Center Sr.; 6-4; 18.0 ppg Harmon’s tremendous quickness and leaping ability made him a force in the post. He earned Pacific Coast League co-player of the year honors with Trabuco Hills’ forward Ryan Karnoff and led Century to its first playoff victory, a 63-61 Division I-A first-round triumph over University.

Tim Lin

Los Alamitos; Guard Sr.; 6-0; 16.7 ppg Moved from point guard to off-guard this season and helped the Griffins win the Empire League title. He has great range and actually shot for a higher percentage on three-pointers than on regular field goals. He made 101 of 207 three-pointers. He also averaged 4.8 assists and had 73 steals.

Olujimi Mann

Santa Ana Valley; Guard So.; 6-4; 21.9 ppg Mann, a transfer from Mater Dei, pushed the Falcons all the way to the Southern Section I-AA semifinals. Quick and aggressive, he was one of the top defenders in the county. He made 73 three-pointers and shot 44.5% from behind the three-point line. He had 116 steals and averaged 7.2 assists and 6.6 rebounds.

Miles Simon

Mater Dei; Guard Sr.; 6-4; 21.0 ppg One of the top high school seniors in the nation. He has signed with Arizona. Improved his game in the past year, becoming a better ballhandler. He moved to point guard, where his passing skills were more effective. He helped the Monarchs reach the Southern California Regional Division I final.

Chris Vlasic

Pacifica; Forward Sr.; 6-5; 20.0 ppg Vlasic usually didn’t start in Coach Bob Becker’s two-platoon system, but the senior was always a clutch fourth-quarter performer. Vlasic, who led the team in scoring, three-pointers and free-throw percentage, helped Pacifica reach the State Division III finals and win its first Southern Section title.

Demitrius Zeigler

University; Guard Sr.; 6-3; 26.2 ppg Zeigler led the county in scoring for the second consecutive season and set the school’s career scoring record, finishing with 1,470 points in three seasons. Several Ivy League schools are interested in Zeigler, who was equally effective outside (151 career three-pointers) and driving to the basket.

THE SECOND TEAM

Pos. Player School Yr. Hgt. PPG F Greg Abbott Troy Sr. 6-5 18.2 F Brad Finneran Santa Margarita Sr. 6-5 13.7 F Brian Finneran Santa Margarita Sr. 6-5 13.6 C Shaun Jackson Mater Dei Jr. 6-7 13.8 G Ryan Karnoff Trabuco Hills Sr. 6-3 20.0 F Micah Kroeger Edison Sr. 6-6 17.4 G Clay McKnight Mater Dei Jr. 6-2 15.5 F Damian Raibon St. Margaret’s Jr. 6-3 23.8 F Ryan Staniec Los Alamitos Sr. 6-7 16.4 F Jon Surface Pacifica Sr. 6-8 15.0