For Washington coach, an old-school matchup

When it comes to teaching basketball fundamentals to guards, Coach Leonard Johnson of Los Angeles Washington said, “That’s my specialty.”

He was the City Section 3-A player of the year in 1978 at Los Angeles Fairfax, where he played point guard. And now, in his second year of coaching the Generals, he has two talented junior guards in Michaelyn Scott and Chris Brown, who have taken Washington (21-6) to within one victory of advancing to the City Division I semifinals for the first time since the early 1990s.

But look who’s standing in the way of the Generals. There’s a Wednesday quarterfinal matchup against Fairfax, and Johnson, who turns 50 on March 8, is having flashbacks to his high school days.

“It brings back tons of memories,” he said.

His coach at Fairfax was Steve Miller, who’s coaching golf at North Hollywood and calls Johnson “my favorite player” in 33 years of coaching.

“He taught me about life in the inner city and about relationships to players,” Miller said.

And Johnson said he learned from Miller the “team concept.”

“The team concept stays in my head so much,” he said.

Scott is averaging 18 points and was selected the Marine League player of the year. Brown, a transfer from Manual Arts, has been consistent in handling the ball and showing court leadership.

The winner of Wednesday’s 7 p.m. game earns an automatic berth to the Division I Southern California regionals and also a spot in Friday’s semifinals at USC’s Galen Center, with No. 1 Westchester the likely opponent.

Ever since Washington knocked off highly regarded Los Angeles Price two weeks ago, the Generals have been considered a team on the rise, and their coach can’t wait to see how his players respond under pressure.

Inland Empire showdown

Corona Centennial has scored 99, 103 and 106 points in its last three games. Etiwanda has held its last three opponents to 52, 41 and 34 points. It’s going to be great offense versus great defense on Tuesday when Centennial (25-4) faces host Etiwanda (21-8) in a Southern Section Division 1AA quarterfinal game.

“We’ve been preaching defense all year,” Etiwanda Coach Dave Kleckner said. “Our kids have really bought in. They’re up for the challenge.”

Said Centennial Coach Josh Giles: “We will not score 100 points against Etiwanda.”

Centennial’s guard trio of Gelaun Wheelwright, Michael Caffey and Dominique Dunning is one of the best in Southern California.

“They’re so explosive in transition,” Kleckner said.

Centennial won a Dec. 2 game against Etiwanda by two points.

Kleckner is one of the best teachers of man-to-man defense in the Southland. His teams haven’t played a single second of zone defense in his 18 years of coaching. “I believe we are getting the kids ready for the next level,” he said. “That’s part of the reason to my madness.”

Lesson learned

A year ago, point guard Ervin Ware would show up at Cerritos Gahr playoff games and sit in the bleachers wondering about what could have been. He was a starter as a sophomore at Gahr, then became ineligible last season after transferring to Long Beach Cabrillo. He ended up spending most of the school year attending Lakewood Artesia.

“I just made a mistake trying something new,” Ware said. “It was tough. I should have stayed.”

Gahr Coach Bob Becker welcomed him back this season with no apologies needed, and Ware responded by being named the San Gabriel Valley League most valuable player.

“I’m trying to forget about last year and make the most of this year,” Ware said.

Canyon vs. Canyon

There was confusion but lots of fun last week when the Canyon Cowboys from Canyon Country faced the Canyon Comanches from Anaheim in boys’ basketball.

“It was pretty funny going back and forth with the crowd,” Cowboys Coach Chad Phillips said.

The most popular chant: “We’re the real Canyon.”

Someone should come up with a tournament matching all the schools with the same names; then everyone can compare logos and clothing to see what looks better. The matchups: Chula Vista Mater Dei versus Santa Ana Mater Dei; Riverside Notre Dame versus Sherman Oaks Notre Dame; Los Angeles Roosevelt versus Corona Roosevelt; Sun Valley Poly versus Pasadena Poly; Burbank Burroughs versus Ridgecrest Burroughs; Corona Centennial versus Compton Centennial.

The winners get T-shirts that say, “We’re the real. . . .”

eric.sondheimer

@latimes.com

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