Sports Roundup: Marcus LoVett Jr. shines early, UFC’s Jose Aldo visits Burbank, Daniel De La Torre wins state and a local legend retires

Marcus LoVett Jr., the Providence High School’s 5’10 sophomore shooting guard who led the nation in scoring among freshmen last season, has already caught the attention of college scouts and the national media, and in the Pioneers’ 2012-13 season opener, he showed why.

The reigning CIF Southern Section Division V-A, Liberty League and All-Area Player of the Year picked up right where he left off, scoring 37 points and added 10 steals, 6 assists and 3 rebounds (all before the reserves took the floor after the third quarter) en route to a 86-21 victory over the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies.

LoVett did not play in the Providence Pioneers’ most recent game of the season (a 70-60 loss to Salesian) due to illness, and he is “doubtful” for their next contest, but expect more big news from the young star when he returns to the court.

Not far from LoVett’s Providence High School, Morton’s Steakhouse in Burbank, which has become somewhat of a UFC media hub in recent years, hosted featherweight champion Jose Aldo to discuss his upcoming bout with Frankie Edgar, perhaps the “top pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC.”

This would be the fourth title-defense for the 26-year-old Brazilian fighter, and Aldo has already expressed interest in moving up in class should this bout go in his favor.

Back to high school, congratulations are in order for La Salle High School’s Daniel De La Torre, who overcame a 14-second deficit to capture the CIF Division IV cross-country title. De La Torre is La Salle’s first ever’s state cross-country champion, and he rallied to overtake last year’s champion, Sir Francis Drake’s John Lawson, to do it.

Finally, longtime St. Francis High School football coach and San Marino High School alum Bill Redell announced his retirement as head coach at Division III Occidental College after one season at the helm. Redell, a College Football Hall of Famer and NFL draftee, won eight CIF Southern Section Championships at Oaks Christian and Crespi, compiling and overall coaching record of 233-65-3.

--Peter Madden, Times Community News

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