Laguna Beach’s Hanour Will Sign With Arizona

Travis Hanour, a Times Orange County first-team selection from Laguna Beach, will sign a letter of intent today with Arizona, Artist Coach Bret Fleming said Tuesday.

The 6-foot-6 guard, who averaged 25.7 points and 9.7 rebounds last season, originally made a verbal commitment to USC but then visited Arizona and Utah.

Teammate Chris Manker, a 6-10 center who was a first-team All-Pacific Coast League selection, will sign with Oregon State, Fleming said. Manker averaged 20.9 points and 12.8 rebounds.

* Cal State Fullerton hasn’t hired a women’s basketball coach to replace Denise Curry, but the Titans are expected to get a new recruit today.

Marina High’s Nikki Lee, a 6-1 forward, said she intends to sign with the Titans.

“She wanted to stay close to home, and wanted to be part of a team in the making,” Lee’s mother, Karen, said Tuesday. “She also met the players at Fullerton and really liked them.”

Two of Curry’s assistants, Tina Krah and Trimeka Jackson, have continued to recruit since Curry announced that she would not return as coach.

The Titans have three scholarships available. Trilena Amos of Crenshaw, Jennifer Tessier of San Diego Parker and Tamara Quinn of Bishop Montgomery committed during the early signing period.

Lee has started since her sophomore year when the Vikings won the 1997-98 Southern Section Division I-A title. She averaged 14.3 points and seven rebounds a game this season.

* Mike Hood, a 6-3 guard from Southern Idaho, is expected to sign a letter of intent today to play men’s basketball at UC Irvine, Golden Eagle assistant coach Brian Hancock said.

Hood, a native of Beaverton, Ore., was a two-year starter as a shooting guard at Southern Idaho and is expected to fill a void in the backcourt that could occur if Anteater sophomore guard Zamiro Bennem redshirts.

Hood averaged 11.3 points and 4.8 assists a game for Southern Idaho and made 48% of his three-point attempts this season, despite missing nine games with injuries.

* Kevin Stipp has resigned as Santa Ana Valley’s boys’ basketball coach to explore opportunities closer to his home in Murrieta, Athletic Director Leon Smith announced.

Stipp’s Falcon teams compiled a 63-76 record, won a Century League title and made three playoff appearances. Stipp also served as the defensive coordinator for the varsity football team.

FOOTBALL

Esperanza High’s Ryan Murray, a Times Orange County first-team All-Orange County wide receiver, has received the All-American Scholar Athlete Award from the National High School Athletic Institute.

Murray, who has a 4.0 grade-point average and will attend Pennsylvania in the fall, had 66 receptions for 1,129 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Aztecs.