Anaheim Might Be Better Choice for State

Considering the lagging attendance at the State basketball tournament at the Oakland Coliseum Arena last weekend, can a change in venue be far off?

Thomas Byrnes, CIF commissioner, said he has no interest in moving the tournament, which has been held in Oakland 12 of the last 14 years. But there is a growing movement to give the new Anaheim Arena a try.

The State tournament had a two-day attendance of 18,204. In contrast, the Southern Section drew a record 25,739 for two sessions of title games at the Anaheim Arena on March 5, and the Southern Regional finals the following week drew an estimated 16,000 at the same site.

The State tournament was held in the Sports Arena in 1983, but it drew poorly. Strong numbers for the Anaheim Arena, however, indicate that the Southland can support such an event.

“At this point, I do not see a need for a change,” Byrnes said. “We’ve tried to geographically spread out State events to build support throughout California. I think we have a good following in the Bay Area. But that’s not to say I won’t change my mind.”

If fans continue to flock to Anaheim Arena next season, watch for the State basketball tournament to make a move.

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Things are looking up financially for the CIF, which has been without a major corporate sponsor since last July, when Reebok chose not to renew its contract.

Marketing and Financial Management, which is representing the CIF in marketing endeavors, is expected to sign a three-year contract with Toyota in the next few weeks. The deal reportedly will be for close to $2 million, making Toyota a title sponsor.

M&FM; recently signed Vons to a three-year deal worth $300,000, which includes many in-store promotions.

Live television coverage is also expected to expand, with Channel 9 considering covering the State track and field meet in June. The station recently showed the Southern Regional boys’ basketball final between Crenshaw and Santa Ana Mater Dei and had favorable ratings.

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John Hattrup stepped into one the most attractive, yet difficult, coaching positions last summer when he took over the girls’ basketball program at Brea-Olinda.

Hattrup’s predecessor, Mark Trahk, had built the Ladycats into a power that won four State titles in five years. Many of his players received college scholarships.

Anything less than a perfect season might have meant Hattrup was not up to the task.

Brea-Olinda responded by capping a 33-0 season with a 54-44 victory over San Jose Archbishop Mitty on Saturday. The Ladycats have won 54 games in a row and four consecutive State titles.

“I never let the pressure bother me this year,” Hattrup said. “I inherited a great team, and I expected to do what we did. If we hadn’t won it all, I would have been disappointed.”

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When Lori Pawinski took over the girls’ basketball program at Playa del Rey St. Bernard five years ago, she wanted her team to run up and down the court as fast as it could until it ran out of gas.

“I called it the run-and-gun, modeled after what Paul Westhead was doing (at Loyola Marymount),” she said.

The philosophy slowly began to change, however, when 6-foot-2 Olympia Scott and 6-4 Marte Alexander joined the team. With the tallest inside duo in the state, Pawinski slowed things down.

The result is two consecutive State Division IV championships, the second achieved last Friday with a 53-43 victory over Grass Valley Bear River.

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The Times will honor the top boy and girl basketball players in the Southland next month. The awards are named after George Yardley and Cheryl Miller, who attended Newport Harbor and Riverside Poly, respectively.

Finalists for boy player of the year:

Toby Bailey, Loyola--The 6-6 forward averaged 25 points in leading Loyola to its finest season in years. He has signed with UCLA.

Tremaine Fowlkes, Crenshaw--The 6-6 center, who is headed to Cal, led his team to a second consecutive State Division I title, averaging 26 points and nine rebounds.

Jelani Gardner, Bellflower St. John Bosco--The 6-6 guard-forward was the key player on a team that won the Southern Section II-A title. He is unsigned, but is considering UCLA and Arkansas, among others.

Paul Pierce, Inglewood--The only junior in the group, a 6-5 center who averaged 23 points and nine rebounds. The Sentinels won the Southern Section II-AAtitle.

Miles Simon, Santa Ana Mater Dei--The Arizona-bound 6-4 guard averaged 20 points as Mater Dei won its second consecutive Southern Section I-A title.

Finalists for girl player of the year:

Nicole Erickson, Brea-Olinda--The 5-6 guard has been a starter on three State championship teams. She averaged 16 points and eight assists this season after signing with Purdue last fall.

Timicha Kirby, Lynwood--The 5-11 forward-center led the Knights to a 63-2 record the last seasons, including a State Division I title in 1993. The Iowa-bound senior averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Mimi McKinney, Palos Verdes Peninsula--A rare four-year starter on one of the area’s top teams. The 5-9 guard, who is unsigned, averaged 21 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.

Olympia Scott, Playa del Rey St. Bernard--The 6-4 center capped a tremendous senior season with a second consecutive State Division IV title. The Stanford-bound senior averaged 18 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Times’ Top 20 Basketball Polls

The Times’ final top 20 high school basketball polls, with teams from the City and Southern Sections.

BOYS

School Sect. Div. Rec. LW 1. Crenshaw City 4-A 29-2 1 2. Mater Dei SS I-A 33-1 2 3. Inglewood SS II-AA 30-4 3 4. LB Poly SS I-AA 26-7 4 5. JW North SS II-AA 29-2 5 6. St. John Bosco SS II-A 28-3 6 7. Dominguez SS II-A 28-4 7 8. Fontana SS I-AA 26-1 8 9. Santa Barbara SS II-AA 28-3 9 10. Verbum Dei SS IV-A 26-3 10 11. Westchester City 4-A 23-5 11 12. Glendora SS II-AA 27-3 13 13. Pacifica SS III-A 30-2 12 14. Loyola SS I-A 22-6 14 15. Fairfax City 4-A 21-6 15 16. Fremont City 4-A 21-7 16 17. S. Ana Valley SS I-AA 26-4 17 18. Los Alamitos SS I-AA 22-5 18 19. Edison SS I-A 19-11 19 20. Dorsey City 4-A 16-9 20

GIRLS

School Sect. Div. Rec. LW 1. Brea-Olinda SS III-AA 33-0 1 2. Lynwood SS I-AA 32-2 2 3. Woodbridge SS II-AA 32-1 3 4. Alemany SS II-A 30-1 4 5. St. Bernard SS IV-AA 28-4 6 6. Buena SS I-A 25-3 5 7. Peninsula SS I-AA 25-5 7 8. Mater Dei SS I-A 24-5 8 9. San Bernardino SS II-A 26-6 9 10. Cypress SS II-A 26-4 10 11. Bishop Amat SS II-A 24-2 11 12. Ventura SS II-A 21-6 12 13. B. Montgomery SS III-AA 23-8 13 14. Gahr SS II-AA 13-16* 14 15. Newport Harbor SS III-AA 24-8 15 16. Santa Ynez SS IV-AA 26-6 16 17. Valley Chr. SS IV-A 27-3 17 18. Newbury Park SS III-AA 23-5 18 19. Diamond Bar SS I-AA 23-2 19 20. Lompoc SS III-A 24-5 20

* Indicates 10 losses by forfeit.