Wilkes a Rising Son on Court

A smorgasbord of notes, quotes and opinions from across Southern California:

Steve Lavin’s job as UCLA basketball coach could be secure for years to come if he’s successful at recruiting the sons of former Bruin players.

From Mike Bibby to Luke Walton, the sons of players once coached by John Wooden are making it to the college level and higher.

Omar Wilkes, a 6-foot-3 junior guard at Los Angeles Loyola High (10-0), is the latest son of a former Bruin apparently on the path to basketball success.

After Wilkes’ 31-point performance last week against Lakewood Mayfair, Monsoon Coach Dave Breig compared him to his former Mayfair all-star, Josh Childress, a freshman at Stanford.

“He’s a lot like Josh,” Breig said. “He shoots the ball real well. He’s legitimate.”

Wilkes was known primarily as a scorer last season, but he spent time in the off-season improving his range.

“I’d shoot almost 200 jump shots a day,” he said. “I have this weird feeling when I’m not playing, someone else is getting better than me. I’m more confident. I was never a terrible shooter. Now when I shoot, I expect to make it.”

Wilkes and his younger brother, Jordan, a 6-8 freshman on Loyola’s junior varsity, are trying to establish their own identities after the success of their father, Jamaal, a UCLA and NBA standout.

“He’s not like one of those dads fulfilling his dreams through his sons,” Omar said. “He’s already fulfilled his. I’m proud of him, but I want to do my thing.”

UCLA, USC, Stanford, Maryland, Duke and Kansas are among the schools Wilkes says he’s interested in.

Sitting in the bleachers during the Irvine tournament championship game last weekend was Darren Daye, the 1979 City player of the year from Granada Hills Kennedy who was a freshman on UCLA’s 1980 NCAA final team, spent five years in the NBA and nine years playing in Europe.

He’s a stockbroker living in Orange County. And he has a 13-year-old son, Austin, who’s a 5-foot-10 seventh grader with a promising basketball future.

“He’ll be a better shooter [than his father was],” Daye said.

Daye and his father, Harry, who lived in the San Fernando Valley for 35 years before moving this year to Las Vegas, were sitting together, watching Santa Margarita, one of the schools Darren is considering for Austin to attend.

Asked if he’s more nervous watching his son play than playing himself, Daye said, “Much more. When you’re watching, you have no control.”

Santa Margarita (12-0) pulled off the biggest upset of the prep season on Wednesday night in San Diego with a 59-55 victory over Los Angeles Fairfax.

For high school baseball fans, the 48-team Brea tournament this weekend offers an early glimpse at top players and teams.

The tournament runs through Sunday, with the championship games at 2 p.m. at Brea and La Habra Sonora.

Defending City champion Chatsworth is entered. Other schools have individual players competing on independent clubs.

Among the players on the South Bay Sharks, for instance, is junior shortstop Chris Valaika of Newhall Hart, a member of the gold-medal winning U.S. team at the World Youth Championships last summer.

The prep portion of the Los Angeles Invitational indoor track meet is scheduled for Feb. 23 at the Sports Arena....

The heater in the gymnasium at West Hills Chaminade is under repair, so coaches are showing up in jackets. Oak Park Coach Ed Chevalier, there for an early-morning tournament game, said, “It feels like Mammoth in here.” ...

When it comes to improved basketball players, senior guard Chad Eichten of Canyon Country Canyon ranks among the best. He’s averaging 19.9 points and doing everything but filling the water bottles for the 10-3 Cowboys. “As Chad goes, we go,” Coach Chad Phillips said....

Senior guard Dave Conte of Costa Mesa is off to a terrific start. He’s averaging 21 points in 11 games, with a high game of 43....

Life has its ups and downs for former college basketball coaches who have returned to the prep ranks. Former Loyola Marymount Coach John Olive is 10-0 at San Diego Torrey Pines. Former Cal State Fullerton Coach Bob Hawking is 0-11 at Anaheim. They were good coaches in college and they remain good coaches in high school, regardless of their records....

Get ready for the arrival of the younger brothers in prep football. Jimmy Flanagan, younger brother of Huntington Beach Edison all-star receiver Denny Flanagan, will be a freshman next fall.

Josh Morgan, younger brother of former Woodland Hills Taft state hurdles champion Chris Morgan, also arrives in 2002.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.