1993-94 TIMES ALL-VALLEY BOYS’ BASKETBALL TEAM : PLAYER OF THE YEAR : Lopez Got Respect for Campbell Hall

The calendar is a canard. A bunch of bunk. Complete hooey.

Schoolteachers have been rounding off the truth for decades. There aren’t 365 days in a year.

There are, in fact, 365 1/4. Ask Galileo, Copernicus or that elongated basketball player from Campbell Hall High.

Every fourth year, a full day--Feb. 29--is added to the calendar to erase the quarter-days that have piled up.

Four quarters? And it’s commonly called Leap Year? Curious that one of the area’s best-known basketball players was born on Feb. 29.

Alex Lopez, a 6-foot-11 center, completed the final quarter of his high-profile career in impressive fashion by leading the Vikings to the Southern Section Division V-AA championship last month.

“There’s no question Alex brought a lot of notoriety and respect to the program,” said his former coach, Joe Jackson.

Not to mention those championship banners. In Lopez’s four seasons on the Campbell Hall varsity, the Vikings played in a Southern Section final three times, winning twice.

At Campbell Hall, quantum -Leap Year came in 1990, when Big Alex enrolled as a freshman.

Upon his arrival at Campbell Hall, Lopez was a gangly 14-year-old who was known for one reason: He already was 6-9 and played basketball, which tends to turn heads to the point of whiplash.

Some noggins did the Linda Blair 360-degree spin when Lopez announced he was enrolling at Campbell Hall, a private school with an enrollment of 265 and almost no athletic tradition. Campbell Hall’s gym is located a stone’s throw from the Ventura Freeway, but athletically, it was down at the end of Lonely Street.

In a way, so was the introverted, self-conscious Lopez. Getting a complete sentence out of him as an early teen was next to impossible. In the presence of adults, he spent plenty of time staring at his size-18 feet.

“I didn’t like to talk then,” he said. “I’ve grown in a lot of ways.

Lopez didn’t talk the talk or walk the walk, so in retrospect, Campbell Hall probably was his ideal destination.

Lopez, who at the time lived in the Kennedy High attendance area, decided Campbell Hall offered the best chance to play immediately and grow socially. The school’s strong academic program also was a strong selling point, and Lopez will graduate with a B average.

At best, the school had a B-grade basketball team before the arrival of Lopez and junior guard Austin McKellar in 1990-91. The boys’ basketball team had never recorded a winning season.

Put a solid player or two on the floor in Division V-AA, and voila , instant contender.

“Alex is to Campbell Hall what Mitchell Butler was to Oakwood a few years ago,” Jackson said. “After Alex, the school was able to attract student-athletes, not just students.”

Lopez and McKellar, a talented transfer from St. Monica, led the Vikings on a storybook journey. They defeated powerful North Hollywood in a tournament game and advanced to the Southern Section Division V-AA final at Occidental College, where they lost to Brentwood, 64-49.

Bumps began to appear along the way, though. The team advanced to the Southern California regional tournament, but the team bus driver got lost in the fog near Fresno and the Vikings showed up late and lost a first-round game.

Jackson believes some administrators lost their internal compass as well. After the season ended, Jackson was ordered to clean out his desk at mid-semester. Jackson was too brusque to suit the tastes of many Campbell Hall parents, but was popular with many students.

Players and students who opposed the dismissal picketed the entrance to the conservative school, carrying placards that read, “Just Say Joe.”

The school said no and replaced Jackson with the professorial Jon Palarz, who led the team to a pair of Division V-AA titles. Campbell Hall later made an out-of-court settlement with Jackson for an undisclosed sum. The tiff, however, lasted several weeks.

Hardly everyday stuff.

Lopez helped put Campbell Hall on the map, all right. In a way, the Gargantuan in the post position created a monster of a different kind by the level of expectation that he raised.

Lopez recalls being somewhat overwhelmed by it all. From the “finger pointing” that Lopez said took place when he and McKellar enrolled, to Jackson’s dismissal, it was a feast-or-famine season.

“It was hard,” Lopez said. “I just didn’t understand what was going on.”

He says he had plenty to learn on the floor as well. Despite being one of the tallest teens around, at the time he was Alexander the Not-So-Great.

Some believe Lopez remains a work in progress, that the project isn’t quite finished. He feels he has progressed to the point where he needs only a light sanding before he shellacks the opposition in college. He will attend Washington.

“I was skinny, I wasn’t as fast a runner, I didn’t have a shot or anything, no power game,” Lopez said, ticking off deficiencies he has worked hard to eliminate. “I needed all of that, and I feel I’m on my way now.”

Those familiar with Lopez’s game felt that he improved considerably over the summer, when he played on a traveling all-star team that included Jason Hartman of Thousand Oaks and Arthur Lee of North Hollywood.

College recruiters, always on the lookout for front-court players with size, took note.

Lopez traded elbows over the summer with some big names and bigger bodies--such as UCLA signees omm’A Givens and J.R. Henderson--and soaked up the experience like a sponge.

“I feel that if I get in the post, man-on-man, I can’t be stopped,” said Lopez, who averaged 18.4 points and 3.3 blocked shots as a senior. “I can get to the hoop. That’s a big step from where I was my freshman year.

“I guess my motto is, ‘Take it up, strong.’ ”

Lopez and his mates were taken down, strong, during his junior season. Campbell Hall was ranked first in the state in Division V when the roof caved in.

The Southern Section received a tip that Campbell Hall transfer Rowan Pearson was maintaining two residences, a rules violation. Administrators Stan Thomas and Dean Crowley went to extreme measures to verify the information--they staked out Pearson’s home at dawn--and Campbell Hall was ordered to forfeit eight games.

Again, highly unorthodox stuff.

“It’s sad,” Lopez said. “We had something taken away because somebody neglected their responsibilities.”

After the forfeits, the Vikings didn’t have enough victories to qualify for the playoffs, but school administrators didn’t give up without a fight. But playoffs, jurisprudence and section bylaws were largely uncharted waters.

Campbell Hall administrators sought a restraining order that might have cleared a path into the playoffs, but their attorney filed the petition in the wrong courthouse. Red-faced, Campbell Hall finally dropped the matter.

“There have been a lot of things that happened in the last four years,” Lopez said, shaking his head. “Strange things.”

Strange days, indeed. But life has never been an off-the-rack proposition for the big fella.

For almost as long as Alex can remember, he could tell when a person had dandruff before the flakes hit their shoulders. Finding clothes has always been a challenge. Lopez’s suit was special-ordered from a big and tall catalogue.

When he was younger, former UCLA forward Tracy Murray passed his game-used high-tops down to a grateful Alex, a big foot if ever there was one.

“Oh, he gave me a lot of shoes,” Lopez said, grinning. “You know, it’s impossible to walk into Foot Locker and get size 18s.”

Now that Lopez is finished at Campbell Hall, filling those jumbo sneakers won’t be easy. His four years went by with incredible speed--and the Vikings piled up accomplishments at commensurate pace.

“It has gone by very fast,” Lopez said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”

Boys’ Basketball Team

Charles Adams / G

Senior / El Camino Real

Rival coaches use terms like “explosive” and “area’s best pure player” to describe Adams, a two-time selection to the All-City Section 3-A Division team. The 6-4 Adams averaged 24.6 points on outside shots and explosive drives to lead area City players.

Trenton Cross: / G

Senior / Reseda

Bound for Cal State Northridge, the two-time member of the All-City Section 3-A Division squad helped his team earn top seeding in the playoffs before he suffered a broken bone in his foot. Cross averaged 17.4 points, 3.3 assists and is a two-time All-Valley pick.

Pharoah Davis: / C

Senior / Highland

The best offensive player in the Antelope Valley landed a scholarship to George Mason University, where he will play for former Laker Coach Paul Westhead. The 6-6 post player reigned in the High Desert, averaging 22.6 points and 11.0 rebounds.

Al Lairson: / F

Senior / Palmdale

A great athlete who also excelled in football, Lairson averaged 16.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and shot 57.4% from three-point range. Palmdale (24-4) was ranked No. 1 in the area by The Times after advancing to the Southern Section Division I-A semifinals.

Arthur Lee / G

Junior / North Hollywood

The 6-foot Lee averaged 17.7 points, 4.5 assists and 3.3 steals and is one of the top guards in the City Section and top juniors in the area. College recruiters initially interested in senior teammate Fantasia Johnson seemed to focus as much on Lee.

Alex Lopez: / C

Senior / Campbell Hall

Lopez, the Valley Player of the Year, led the Vikings to their second Southern Section Division V-AA title in three years. Lopez, who has signed with Washington, averaged 18.4 points and 3.3 blocked shots for the only area team to win a section title.

Greg Minor / G

Junior / Canyon

Minor set school records for points in a season (619), game (33) and career (1,138), and for three-point field goals in a season (67) and career (140). The point guard led the Cowboys in assists (4.2) and steals (2.5) and made 83.1% of his free throws.

Damon Ollie / C

Senior / North Hollywood

This 6-5 post player was dominant inside. Ollie averaged 18 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots, both highs in the region. He also ranked among City scoring leaders with a 20.1 point average. North Hollywood was 68-10 in Ollie’s three seasons.

Richard O’Neill / G

Senior / Crescenta Valley

O’Neill’s season began with a 41-point game against El Rancho, and did not end until surprising Crescenta Valley advanced to the state playoffs. The 6-foot O’Neill led the team with a 23.0-point scoring average in his first season as a starter.

Cody Patterson / C

Senior / Hart

Patterson, a 6-6 center, led a team that finished 20-2 and won a third consecutive Foothill League championship. Patterson, who will play at BYU, averaged 15.2 points and 7.9 rebounds. He has a great knack for turning offensive rebounds into points.

Times’ All-Star Basketball Rosters

All-Valley Boys

FIRST TEAM

P Player School Yr G Charles Adams El Camino Real Sr. G Trenton Cross Reseda Sr. C Pharoah Davis Highland Sr. F Al Lairson Palmdale Sr. G Arthur Lee N.Hollywood Jr. C Alex Lopez Campbell Hall Sr. G Greg Minor Canyon Jr. C Damon Ollie N.Hollywood Sr. G Richard O’Neill Crescenta Vly. Sr C Cody Patterson Hart Sr.

Coach of the Year: John Goffredo, Crescenta Valley

SECOND TEAM

P Player School Yr G Brock Jacobsen Crescenta Vly. Jr. F Ricky Steele Taft Sr. F John George Littlerock Jr. C Eddie Miller Chatsworth So. G Brian Laibow Agoura So. C Lamarr Thompson Sylmar Sr. F Jason Collins Har.-Westlake Fr. G Jerome Payton Palmdale Sr. F Jelani Janisse Kennedy Jr. G Kenyatta Niles Monroe Sr.

All-Ventura Boys

FIRST TEAM

P Player School Yr G Steve Aylsworth Westlake So. F Damian Cantrell Santa Clara Sr. G Manuel Escamilla Santa Paula Jr. F Jason Hartman Thousand Oaks Sr. F Robbie Knight Buena Sr. G Peter Lauer Thousand Oaks Sr. F John-Ryan Kern Ventura Sr. G Mark Sebek Nordhoff Sr. F Nathan Simmons Simi Valley Sr. G Shawn Williams Oak Park Jr.

Coach of the Year: Lou Cvijanovich, Santa Clara

SECOND TEAM

P Player School Yr F Sean Britt Rio Mesa Sr. F Eric Carlsen Royal Jr. G Jewells Eubanks Oxnard Sr. F Ryan Garth Oak Park Sr. G Micah Hansen Moorpark Sr. C Scott Ireland Newbury Park Sr. G George Jones Hueneme So. G Kevin Nathaniel Camarillo Sr. C Vernon Simmons Simi Valley Sr. F Rod Tepesano St. Bonaventure Sr.