Three to Attend Basketball Showcase

Three Southland high school basketball players have committed to attend the four-day Adidas Superstar Camp USA, beginning Wednesday at Suwanee, Ga.

Jordan Wilkes, a 6-foot-10 senior center from Los Angeles Loyola, whose father is former NBA player Jamaal Wilkes, will be joined by Anthony Goods, a 6-4 senior guard from Corona Centennial, who has committed to Stanford, and 6-8 junior forward Alex Stepheson of North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake.

The camp will feature athletes from across the nation and from Africa, China, France and Guyana. The first Superstar Camp was held in Shanghai in May and the next will take place in Berlin on July 20-24.

Track and Field

Shalonda Solomon of Long Beach Poly has been selected SchoolSports magazine’s national high school track and field athlete of the year.

Solomon, who will attend South Carolina in the fall, anchored the Jackrabbits’ 400- and 1,600-meter relay teams that set national high school records of 44.50 seconds and 3:35.49, respectively, and won state titles for the third consecutive time.

Volleyball

The AAU Beach Volleyball program will hold its national championships Saturday and Sunday at Hermosa Beach. About 120 boys’ and girls’ doubles teams are expected for age-group competition ranging from under-10 to under-19.

For information and registration, go to www.eteamz.com/

aaubeach.

Miscellany

Richard Benavente of Bellflower St. John Bosco and Tim Forgione from Anaheim Servite are the winners of the CIF Spirit of Sport Award for the spring.

The statewide award recognizes student-athletes who have demonstrated leadership within their schools and communities.

Benavente competed on the wrestling and football teams despite being born with a condition that prevented his right arm from fully developing. He is the student body vice president at St. John Bosco and holds the same office for the National Honor Society.

Forgione, a basketball and volleyball player, is an original member of Servite’s Teens Improving the Environment Club and, like Benavente, is involved with service through his church.

Bob Rohwer

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Fourteen people were honored recently at the Stadium Club at Dodger Stadium as part of the Character Counts partnership between the Los Angeles City Section and the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department.

Among those honored for exemplifying the principles of “Pursuing Victory With Honor” were football player Marcus Hammond of L.A. Marshall; boys’ soccer Coach Norma Escobedo of Bell; Athletic Director Kim Mc- Ewen of Sun Valley Poly; Frank Bush, a parent of a Reseda student; and Gene Selznick, a volunteer at Palisades.

-- Eric Sondheimer