BASKETBALL : Team California Wins Boston Shootout

Team California, a traveling basketball squad laden with L.A. talent, won the 22nd annual Boston Shootout played at Boston Garden.

The team, which included UCLA’s Toby Bailey, Kris Johnson, omm’A Givens, and USC’s Cameron Murray and Cal’s Tremaine Fowlkes, was the first California team ever to win the tournament, held July 15-27. Teams from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, New York and Virginia also participated. The California team is coached by Donovan Blythe, a Nike-sponsored AAU coach from Northern California.

Bailey, Johnson and Murray all made the All-Tournament team. An interesting footnote: Every member from Team California will attend a Pac-10 school in the fall.

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Here’s a look at the all-tournament team for the 1994 Nike Slam-N-Jam, which concluded last weekend: Corey Benjamin (Team Nike), Chauncey Billups (Oakland Slam-N-Jam), Mark Blount (Belmont Shore), James Brown (Team Nike), Tyrone Brown (New York Riverside Church), Schea Cotton (Values for a Better America), Manny Dies (KC Blue), Mark Donhouser (South Riverside), Vasile Estinov (NYRC), Jeff Johnson (Salt Lake City), Raheim Johnson (New York Super Sophomores), Derek Hood (KC Blue), Jelani McCoy (VBA), Kevin Morris (NYSS), Jonathan Nelson (Southern Cal. QBL), Richard Parker (NYRC), Paul Pierce (K-Swiss), Tim Pitts (Indiana), Tommie Pollie (Washington, D.C.), Tommy Prince (Compton), Jamar Reed (Carson), Shawnta Rogers (Baltimore), Matt Sunbald (Iowa) and Steven Woods (North Houston).

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USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett and Roman Catholic Cardinal Roger M. Mahony broke ground for a new gymnasium and athletic field at Verbum Dei High on July 18.

The J.F Shea Co., a Southern California-based construction firm, made the renovation possible.

Jerome R. Porath, archdiocese superintendent, said, “Thanks to the Shea gift, current and future generations of youth residing in South-Central will continue to have the advantage of a quality Catholic school education, including developing the foundation necessary for success throughout their lives.”

The final phase of building plans calls for construction of a new state-of-the-art basketball gym along with an up-to-date football and soccer facility.

Founded in 1962, Verbum Dei has never had a home field or home court advantage because it lacked facilities that would meet the standards set by the California Interscholastic Federation.

Other participants in the ceremonies included Los Angeles City Councilman Rudy Svorinich Jr., John Shea, president of the J.F. Shea Co., and Verbum Dei Principal Deacon Marvin Threatt.