Hanour Spurned USC Once; Hopes to Hurt Trojans Again

Travis Hanour is pretty excited about this week.

A graduate of Laguna Beach High, Hanour is a freshman guard on the Arizona men’s basketball team. The reason for his eagerness? His first chance to play USC and UCLA.

Before signing with Arizona, Hanour made an oral commitment to USC, then backed out of it.

“I didn’t know Arizona was interested when I [decided I] was going to USC,” Hanour said last week. “Since I signed here, USC has been talking, saying I should have come there. I can’t wait to play against them.”

Hanour, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, gets his chance on Thursday when the Trojans arrive at McKale Center. The Wildcats host UCLA on Saturday.

Hanour is averaging a little more than nine minutes per game when he gets into the lineup. He missed two games with a sprained ankle and two more with the flu. When he played against Washington State last Thursday in an 84-51 Pacific 10 Conference victory, it was Hanour’s first game since before Christmas. He scored two points, on one-for-four shooting, and looked rusty.

He has played in eight games and is averaging three points and 1.6 rebounds. He has mostly backed up Gilbert Arenas, but occasionally spells small forwards Richard Jefferson or Luke Walton.

Arizona began the season ranked No. 1 in the nation but has since dropped. The Wildcats are 17th in the Associated Press poll.

Injuries aren’t the only things that have dogged Hanour and his teammates. The illness and eventual death of Bobbi Olson, wife of their coach, Lute Olson, also caused an emotional upheaval.

“It has been really hard,” Hanour said. “I think we’re just starting to regroup. It’s hard, but at the same time, it makes it easier with such a good team and great group of guys.”

Last week’s trip to Washington, he said, was a godsend: “I think it was good to get out of town. We played five straight games there [in Tucson] and we lost two [of the last three]. It’s good to be on the road and get some wins, get our confidence back.”

At Laguna Beach, under the direction of former Artist Coach Bret Fleming, Hanour averaged 25.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists. He shot 40% from the three-point line as the Artists finished 19-7.

“It’s been tough going from playing every minute of every game and being the only guy who’s going to do it, to a guy who practices and then sits and waits to be on the floor,” Hanour said. “That’s been the hardest part, as far as basketball is concerned. But the transition to college life has been pretty easy.

“I knew I was coming into a team with everyone returning and would be fighting just to get time on the court. I expected to play a little more than I am now, but I’m fine with playing my role and waiting my turn.”

GRADE-A

The volleyball-playing days of Cathy Cook and Carolyn Kittell are over. The seniors at Oklahoma, teammates in club volleyball when they attended high school in Orange County, were honored last month. Cook was named the Sooners’ outstanding offensive player and Kittell the most valuable player.

Kittell, who attended Laguna Beach High, closed her career fourth on Oklahoma’s all-time assists list with 3,361.

Cook, a middle blocker from Irvine High, led the team in three categories: kills per game (4.37), hitting percentage (.331) and total block solos (17). She also is the Sooners’ all-time hitting percentage leader with a career average of .343.

Both players were named co-captains, and both made the Academic All-Big 12 team.

Cook carried a 4.0 grade-point average for the semester, 3.53 through her career.

“Academics has always been really important to me,” Cook said. “Athletically, volleyball is something I love to do and the awards are special. It’s always nice to get an award, but education is priceless.”

Said Kittell, who had a 3.3 GPA and majored in marketing: “Volleyball is just a part of my life, and there’s so many more things that are going to be coming that depend more on my academics than my athletics.”

Oklahoma was less successful on the court than Cook and Kittell were in the classroom. In their first season under Coach Kalani Mahi, a rebuilding season at that, Oklahoma went 7-21 overall, 2-18 in conference. In their last season under former coach Miles Pabst, who was fired after more than 20 seasons, Oklahoma went 8-22, 3-17.

Cook began her career at Portland, but was unhappy at what she described as “High School, Part 2.” At the urging of Kittell, her setter in club ball, Cook transferred to Oklahoma.

Unlike others who left after Pabst was fired, Cook couldn’t bring herself to move again.

“I did perform up to my personal goals and that was satisfying,” she said, “but the awards, I would exchange those for a better season.”

*

If you have an item or idea for the alumni report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at martin.henderson@latimes.com