South-Central Stars Team Up for Sun Devils : Local Basketball Standouts Had to Sign With Arizona State to Finally Get Opportunity to Merge Talents

They have crossed paths before. They come from the same city and have the same goal.

Now, Marcell Capers and Isaac Burton, who starred on the hardwood floors of two South-Central high schools, have united in the desert as Arizona State’s starting backcourt.

Not bad for a couple of little-noticed junior college transfers who have managed to make their presence known in a conference brimming with quality guards.

“We’ll be very competitive in the Pac-10,” said Capers, the Sun Devils’ chief ballhandler. “Our guard play is very strong, and we need that since our only big man is (center) Mario Bennett.”

Their shared goal is to win the conference championship and advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. It will be tough to do with UCLA, Arizona and Cal standing in the way, but the Sun Devils have made a good start, chalking up a 7-2 record going into the Christmas weekend. Victories over perennial powers Michigan and Maryland in the Maui Invitational have been the attention-grabbing wins so far.

Capers, who graduated in 1990, transferred to Manual Arts from Crenshaw. He left because he was told he was not good enough to make the varsity as a sophomore.

Burton was a standout at Washington who graduated in 1991.

Although the pair grew up within miles of each other, they never played against each other before high school.

“I knew that he (Capers) was a good point guard in high school,” Burton said. “He played great defense. They won the City 4-A championship when I was a junior at Washington and they beat us twice that year. The second time was in the quarterfinals of the playoffs.”

Said Capers: “Isaac’s a great player, a good friend, and I have nothing but good things to say about him. He’s very athletic, and has great ability”

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When Capers led Manual Arts to the City 4-A title, the Toilers beat Crenshaw, the school he had left.

“To me, it was just another game we had to win, but beating them was great since it was Crenshaw,” Capers said of the city’s powerhouse program.

Burton said he looked forward to finally playing in the same backcourt with Capers this season.

“No doubt about it,” he said. “He’s a great point guard and I think we are the best backcourt in the nation.”

Before sitting out last season with a fractured left foot suffered in the first game, Capers was described in one college basketball preview as “the most underrated player in the Pac-10.” He’s on a pace to become the all-time assist leader among two-year players at ASU. During the 1992-93 season, he set the school’s single-season assist record with 200, finishing second in the conference to California’s Jason Kidd.

“Marcell played a lot of minutes for us and did a great job,” Coach Bill Frieder said. “He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, and that is what you need out of your point guard.”

After his sophomore year at College of the Sequoias, he was listed as the country’s No. 2 point guard prospect by the Sporting News.

Burton was named the Pac-10 non-freshman newcomer of the year last season after averaging 13.8 points per game. He played in all 28 games, including 23 as a starter. This season his average has soared to 16.8 points per game and his shooting percentage (55%) is the best among Pac-10 guards.

“Isaac is a big guard with all-around basketball qualities,” Frieder said. “He can shoot, score, pass and penetrate. He made an immediate impact in our program last year, and we look for an even better year this year.”

Burton’s career high came in the first game last season against BYU when he posted 28 points in a 106-95 victory.

While beating Maryland on Maui, 97-90, Burton led Arizona State with 23 points; Capers added 13, with six assists.

Before signing with Arizona State, Burton spent two seasons at East Los Angeles College and was the Southern California Conference most valuable player for the 1992-93 season. During that campaign, Burton averaged 24 points, 11 rebounds and six steals per game.

Currently, Arizona State is ranked 15th in the Associated Press poll.

And if Capers and Burton have anything to say about it, the Sun Devils might rise even higher.