Basketball Has Been Like Dream for Quinn

When two boys decide to invite a girl to join their basketball team, it usually means the girl is pretty good.

Omar Wilkes and Fred Washington were first-graders at Westchester Lutheran School in 1991 when they saw the new girl, Noelle Quinn, shooting baskets.

Immediately, she was added to their team.

And what a team it became.

“It was called the ‘Dream Team,’ ” Quinn said. “We’d play the whole school, us against everybody.”

Added Wilkes: “Somehow, every recess and lunch, we’d find a way to win. We dismantled everyone.”

Predicting how a 6-year-old might turn out in sports is as difficult as picking winning lottery ticket numbers. But in this case, everyone hit the jackpot.

On Wednesday, Quinn will sign with UCLA, Wilkes with Kansas and Washington with Stanford, proving that they really were a “dream team.”

Quinn and Washington attend Torrance Bishop Montgomery High and Wilkes goes to L.A. Loyola.

The three have stayed close friends and marvel how each became a basketball standout.

“Thinking back on it and where we are now,” Quinn said, “that was the foundation where we started.”

In some ways, the 5-foot-11 Quinn has surpassed the boys in achievements because of her two-sport focus. She has led the Bishop Montgomery girls’ basketball team to three consecutive Division III state championships. In volleyball, she has played on two Southern Section finalist teams. She might be the best two-sport female athlete in California, although basketball will be her college sport.

“It’s almost amazing to think that [volleyball] is her second sport because they know she’s an All-American basketball player, but I don’t see any reason she can’t be an All-American volleyball player too,” Bishop Montgomery volleyball Coach Kim Willeman said.

But the boys haven’t fared too badly, either. Washington has played on two state Division III championship teams and three section title teams. Wilkes helped Loyola win the Division I-A championship last season.

“They’ve gotten a lot better,” Quinn said of her former teammates. “I’m so proud to see everyone doing well.”

Wilkes and Washington sensed Quinn’s uniqueness from an early age because she is different. She follows in the tradition of her favorite player, Magic Johnson, in making sure she’s always having fun.

“It’s like a passion for me,” she said. “I love it so much. On the basketball court, [Magic] always got his team involved and when it’s his turn, he’ll take over a game. He’s always entertaining the crowd, and that’s what I like to do.”

It’s not just on the court where Quinn excels. In the classroom, she’s an A student and could have chosen Stanford as her college. She has received strong support from her mother, Golden, a sixth-grade teacher.

“A lot of things inspire me,” Quinn said. “My friends inspire me to do good. My family is always inspiring me. I have little nieces who I’m a role model for. That inspires me.”

In this era of specialization, some assumed Quinn would have dropped volleyball by now to focus on basketball. But volleyball has helped her improve skills for basketball, such as jumping. And she would never think of letting teammates down by quitting a sport.

“I think she felt she helped build something in volleyball and wanted to follow through,” basketball Coach Lisa Cooper said. “For her to quit volleyball knowing her team counted on her, that wouldn’t have made her happy.”

Last season, Quinn averaged 21.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 2.3 blocks. She impressed college recruiters at a prestigious summer camp. She has been dribbling a basketball since she was 3. She can rebound, hit three-pointers, drive and make pinpoint passes.

“Basketball has always been there since I can remember,” she said. “It’s like a part of me. God wanted me to play basketball. It teaches you a lot about life. You have to learn to work with other people.”

The “Dream Team” won’t discuss who’d win a one-on-one game, but understand that Wilkes and Washington have complete confidence in Quinn.

“She’s still one of the greats,” Wilkes said.

Added Washington: “She’s like a female [Michael] Jordan.”

Quinn has every intention of following through with something she has done since the first grade.

“No matter what,” she said, “I promise I’ll always have a smile.”

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