Inside info

Arenas could have played at Bell-Jeff

During Sunday night’s NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Washington Wizards, Gilbert Arenas received his share of attention.

Many times during the game, the local commentators mentioned that Areans was from Grant High in Van Nuys.

However, if things would have gone a little differently in his prep career, Arenas might have been known for coming out of Bellarmine-Jefferson High in Burbank.

Arenas deserved all the publicity Sunday, as he scored 60 points — the most in the NBA this season and a Washington Wizards franchise record — in leading his team to a 147-141 overtime victory at Staples Center.

“I saw Gilbert when he was in high school, and he was a very good player,” said Bell-Jeff boys’ Coach Eli Essa.

“He went to Birmingham High as a freshman, but was looking for a different high school. He came to Bell-Jeff and wanted to come here, but the financial burden was too much for his family.

“Even before his junior year [Arenas’] dad contacted us about him coming to Bell-Jeff.”

Essa said along with being a fine basketball player, Arenas was a good student and a nice young man. He added the player learned about Bell-Jeff after Arenas’ friend, Kent Dennis — who played for the Guards — told him about the school.

“He came to a lot of our basketball games to watch us play,” Essa said. “He was at the school a lot.”

Essa, whose program developed college star Ruben Douglas, said he could only imagine how successful his Guards could have been with Arenas.

“We would have been very good,” he said.

After Sunday’s output, Arenas was third in scoring in the NBA with a 29.4 average.

Teams enjoying successful seasons

Some local squads are having fine years in the early going of the winter season.

Burbank High girls’ soccer Coach Loi Phan has his Bulldogs (6-0-1, 1-0-1 in the Pacific League) playing well, as they are undefeated.

Another success story is the Burroughs High girls’ basketball team. Despite losing in the championship of their own tournament Saturday, the Indians are still 7-1.

The Indian boys’ basketball team, fresh from a championship in the Bell-Jeff Holiday Classic on Saturday, is 6-2.

The Providence boys’ basketball team has its sights set on a Liberty League title after starting the season 7-1, 1-0. Its two losses have been by a total of five points.

— Jeff Tully