Pruitt Picks Himself Up

Gabriel Pruitt, a sophomore guard from Compton Centennial High, covered his face with a warmup jacket as he slumped on the floor dejected.

His 28-0 team had just lost to two-time state champion Torrance Bishop Montgomery, 57-55, in the Southern Section Division III-A final Saturday at the Arrowhead Pond.

One by one, Bishop Montgomery players went onto the court to accept their championship plaques as Pruitt lay motionless under the basket.

“It was hard,” he said. “Even though I’m young, I felt like a senior. My coach has been at it for a couple of years and I wanted to give him a first championship. I felt I didn’t do all I could to help us win. It hurt.”

Not until Coach Rod Palmer walked up to Pruitt and tugged at his jersey did he decide to get up and head for the locker room.

Pruitt was feeling the pain of defeat but already preparing for the future.

“I was thinking [about] what I have to do to get them next time,” he said.

Resiliency often separates average athletes from the great ones.

Pruitt is one of the resilient ones. By the end of the day, his healing process was at work.

“I was still down when I left the Pond, but I was driving around with my cousin and he was telling me I couldn’t just sit there and mourn that loss,” Pruitt said.

On Sunday, rather than sit at home, watch television and wallow in misery, Pruitt went to a gym and worked on his basketball fundamentals.

There are many games ahead for the 6-foot-2 Pruitt, who has a devastating three-point shooting touch and flashes a constant grin on the court that leaves no doubt how much he cherishes playing basketball.

“I love it,” he said. “I can’t get away from it. I have to do it.”

It all started when his family moved near a park in West Los Angeles. By age 7, he was spending all his free time at the park. A coach spotted him, invited him to play for a team and he hasn’t stopped.

This season for Centennial, he averaged 17 points in the regular season and 20 points in the playoffs. His shooting skills are exceptional for someone who once didn’t consider himself a good shooter.

“It is a lot of practice,” he said. “I realized you have to be a good shooter if you want to be a good player. I wasn’t really a good shooter when I was younger.”

Said Palmer: “He’s becoming an all-around player. His [court] awareness is improving. He’s understanding where his best shots are coming from. He stays on an even keel all the time, and I think that’s good for a basketball player.”

Pruitt displays a calmness and comfort level that’s unusual for a 15-year-old.

“I don’t get nervous when I play,” he said. “I know if I get tense, that leads to bad things. I try to stay calm and hopefully my staying calm will help my teammates get that good chemistry, where we’re all playing together.”

Centennial opened the Division III state tournament Wednesday with a 63-51 victory over Bakersfield East. The Apaches (29-1) could end up playing Bishop Montgomery for the Southern California Regional championship.

That’s why Pruitt covered his face last weekend. He was plotting his redemption.

“I was visualizing the game and what I’ll do,” he said.

Whatever happens to Centennial, Pruitt’s basketball future is certain.

“I’ve learned you have to have confidence because there’s a lot of people who don’t believe they can do something,” he said. “Every day, I try to build my confidence.”

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As if college coaches didn’t have enough reasons to pursue junior guard Omar Wilkes of L.A. Loyola, add class to his list of attributes.

Wilkes’ basket with 11 seconds left gave the Cubs a 61-58 victory over Thousand Oaks in the Division I-A final at the Pond. More than 30 minutes after the game, Wilkes decided to board the Thousand Oaks’ bus and shake hands with every Lancer player.

It was sportsmanship at its best.

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One of the early standouts of the high school baseball season is junior right-hander Eric Hale of La Habra Sonora. He was 7-0 with a 1.18 earned-run average as a sophomore. This season, he has pitched two shutouts, including a 1-0 victory over Santa Ana Mater Dei.

His fastball is a consistent 88 mph and he doesn’t walk many batters.

“He can get guys out,” Coach Pat Tellers said.

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Freshman left-hander Mike Robbins of Sun Valley Village Christian had an impressive varsity debut this week. He threw a no-hitter against Sierra Madre Maranatha, striking out 14 and walking none. He retired 21 of 23 batters.

He’s 6-0 and 180 pounds, and throws a fastball, curveball and knuckleball.

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The Internet is helpful for research and entertainment, but it can be misused to spread false rumors. Sophomore Bryce Taylor of North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake has been the subject of repeated comments on a basketball message board speculating that he might transfer.

Taylor said there’s no truth to any of the rumors. He’s already getting his classes finalized for next year. Sorry, Westchester fans.

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