The Jordan Rules: Keep Playing All Day Long

Jordan Cameron and Jordan LaSecla could be mistaken for brothers, considering they hang out together so much, have long blond hair and insist on playing three sports at Newbury Park High.

Classmates call them J.C. and J.L., Big Dog and Little Dog. A basketball player ran into them at the gym and decided their names should be Luke and Anakin, as in Skywalker.

Girls tease them, coaches adore them and scouts are intrigued by them.

Their devotion to playing three sports provokes debate about the wisdom of spreading their valuable time so thin.

Neither is budging.

“We believe in ourselves,” Cameron said.

Added LaSecla: “We know what we can do.”

It was an exhausting, sometimes stressful summer, but Cameron and LaSecla emerged as two of the most improved athletes in Southern California despite their hectic schedules.

Cameron, a 6-foot-5 senior basketball, football and volleyball athlete, committed to Brigham Young last month because of his shooting, dribbling and jumping skills. He has a 37-inch vertical leap and caught a touchdown pass as a receiver on the first play of his first varsity football game last season.

LaSecla, a 6-3 senior football, basketball and baseball player, is preparing to start his third year at quarterback for the Panthers armed with a stronger arm and better insight on reading defenses. He passed for 2,247 yards as a junior and could be the No. 1 quarterback in the pass-happy Marmonte League.

Their summer schedules were filled with games and practice sessions. Cameron would have a basketball camp in the morning, football practice or passing league in the afternoon, then a basketball game in the evening.

“I was playing the whole summer nonstop,” Cameron said. “Every night, I went to the gym and shot, shot, shot.”

LaSecla had almost an identical schedule, though he pitched in two baseball games and didn’t compete in club basketball like Cameron.

“I realized I had to be a leader, and for our team to win games, I had to get stronger and improve my arm strength to get the ball where it needs to be,” LaSecla said.

Cameron, in particular, was under close scrutiny because one of his most vocal fans in the gym was USC quarterback Matt Leinart, the Heisman Trophy winner who’s dating his sister, Brynn, a starting guard on the USC women’s basketball team.

“He’s cool,” Cameron said. “He yells the whole game.”

Leinart has been offering football tips to Cameron and younger brother Colby, a sophomore quarterback at Newbury Park who is also playing three sports.

Here are other athletes who made dramatic improvement over the summer:

* Brett Krill, Aliso Viejo Aliso Niguel, Jr.: A 6-4, 195-pound center fielder, Krill played junior varsity baseball last season. He earned a spot on the U.S. Youth national team in June by hitting two grand slams in one game. Suddenly, top college programs know his name and intend to recruit him after seeing him hit home runs off pitchers throwing 88 to 92 mph.

“It was a chance for people to see the real me,” he said.

* Freddie Freeman, Orange El Modena, Jr.: The 6-4, 195-pound right fielder led the U.S. Youth national team with a .548 batting average and 16 runs batted in. He had two hits against Cuba in the World Youth championship game and stamped himself as a top college prospect for 2007.

* Chad Manis, Los Alamitos, Sr.: As the backup quarterback to Jimmy Barnes, the 6-5 Manis has patiently waited his turn. Finally given the chance to start, he showed an accurate arm and big-time scrambling skills in summer workouts. In his season opener, he passed for 219 yards and ran for 49 yards.

* Sam DeMartinis, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Jr.: The baby fat is gone from the 6-6, 250-pound offensive tackle. He lost 15 pounds, increased his strength and set the stage for what could be a dominating season.

* Deon Thompson, Torrance, Sr.: There was a time in the summer when the 6-8 Thompson didn’t know if he would receive any big-time scholarship offers. Then came an unforgettable July, in which he played so well that UCLA, North Carolina and Kentucky stepped forward to offer basketball scholarships.

* Jarred DuBois, Westchester, So.: A point guard who was a reserve on last year’s Division I state championship team, DuBois is poised to become a top shooter and defender. “I think he’s going to be a terrific player,” Coach Ed Azzam said.

* Darnell Gant, Crenshaw, Jr.: The 6-8 forward was a junior varsity player last season. His performance in summer camps and competitions put him on the radar as a rising basketball prospect.

* Rheya and Rhaya Neabors, Fullerton Troy, Sr.: These 6-1 twins elevated their girls’ basketball skills to the point they have become Pacific 10 prospects.

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