Summer Games Offer Muir a Chance to Showcase Talents

The Muir High boys’ basketball team made impressive strides in its first season under Coach Rocky Moore last season.

The Mustangs were 10-0 in Pacific League play, reached the CIF Southern Section Division II-AA semifinals and finished 23-5.

So Moore and the Mustangs have every reason for high expectations going into the start of the 24th annual LA Watts Summer Games on Saturday and Sunday at sites throughout Los Angeles.

It also helps to have one of the top players in the state in six-foot point guard Jacque Vaughn.

As a sophomore last season, Vaughn averaged 21.3 points, nine assists, four steals and four rebounds and earned Pacific League most valuable player honors. He was also listed among the top 15 players at the Superstar Camp at UC Santa Barbara last summer.

The Mustangs also return a good supporting cast, including guards Demetrius Collier and Semaine Stewart and forward Donald McIntyre, which helps explain why they are the 10th-seeded team in the 114-team tournament.

Muir will have a bye in Saturday’s first round and will play either Compton or San Pedro in the second round at 10 a.m. Sunday at L.A. Jordan High.

The Mustangs are one of nine teams from the San Gabriel Valley that will compete in the tournament. The only other seeded team from the valley is Diamond Bar at No. 32.

The Brahmas, coached by Bill Murray, finished 17-8 after reaching the Division I-AA playoffs last season and return an outstanding front line. The leaders are Keith Van Horn (6-6), Olin Chamberlain (6-5) and Damon Hendrick (6-4).

All three will be juniors next season. Chamberlain is nephew of NBA Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain and Hendrick’s brother, Brian, plays at UC Berkeley.

Diamond Bar will meet Western in the opening round at noon Saturday at El Camino College and the winner will play either Westlake or Bell Gardens in the second round.

After Muir and Diamond Bar, the best threats from the valley may be cross-town rivals Ganesha and Pomona.

Pomona is coming off its best season in school history, having won its first Division III-AA title and reached the state Division III regional final under Coach Ed Taylor.

The Red Devils, who finished 24-7 last season, will have to replace forward Johnny McWilliams--two-time All-Division III and The Times’ San Gabriel Valley Player of the Year. But Pomona returns another outstanding player in 6-4 forward Dedrique Taylor, the coach’s son.

Ganesha also enjoyed success in its first season under Coach Mel Sims. Sims, who guided the Muir girls to the state Division II final two seasons ago, guided Ganesha to a 16-12 record and the Division III-AA semifinals last season.

In first-round games Saturday, Ganesha will play 27th-seeded Serra at noon at Crenshaw High and Pomona will play L.A. Banning at 9 a.m. at Banning.

Other first-round games include Walnut vs. Brethren at 10 a.m. and Bosco Tech vs. Venice at 11 a.m. at Fremont High; La Salle vs. St. Francis at 2 p.m. at El Camino; Blair vs. Taft at 3 p.m. at Dorsey High, and South Hills vs. Pacifica at 3 p.m. at Crenshaw.

Preliminary rounds are Saturday and Sunday and the tournament concludes June 29 and 30 at El Camino.

Five teams from the valley are also entered in the 64-team girls’ basketball tournament that starts Saturday. Topping the list are Diamond Bar and San Gabriel.

Diamond Bar, which will face 14th-seeded Crenshaw in its opener at 10 a.m. Saturday at Manual Arts High, returns two top players--guards Amy Fu and Krista Ullmann--from a team that finished 18-10 and reached the second round of the 1-A playoffs last season. Fu averaged 13 points and eight rebounds as a junior and Ullmann--the all-time CIF leader in three-point baskets--averaged 15 points and five rebounds.

San Gabriel, which will meet Alemany in the first round at noon Saturday at Los Angeles High, went 23-6 and reached the second round of the 1-AA playoffs. The Matadors are led by guard Pat Sencion, who averaged 13.7 points and 4.5 rebounds as a sophomore last season.

Other first-round games at Los Angeles High on Saturday include San Marino vs. seventh-seeded L.A. Banning at 1 p.m., Glendora vs. 16th-seeded North Hollywood at 3 p.m. and Charter Oak vs. Long Beach Poly at 4 p.m.

The valley also has strong representation with five schools in the 32-team baseball tournament that starts Saturday. Heading the list are perennial powers Glendora, which won the Baseline League title last season, and Gladstone, which placed first in the Montview League.

First-round games Saturday include Glendora vs. Grant at 9 a.m. at Grant; Gladstone vs. Riverside Poly at noon at Serra High; Pomona vs. Westchester at 9 a.m. at Westchester; Sierra Vista vs. Chatsworth at noon at Westchester, and Pasadena Poly vs. University at 3 p.m. at Redondo High.

Two-time defending 2-A Division champion South Pasadena heads a list of nine valley schools that will compete in the 32-team water polo competition. The Tigers will face Downey in their tournament opener at 4 p.m. Saturday at USC.

Other first-round matches include Muir vs. Gahr at 1 p.m.; Los Altos vs. Newbury Park and Baldwin Park vs. San Gorgonio at 2 p.m. and San Marino vs. Long Beach Poly at 4 p.m. at USC; Pasadena vs. Santa Monica at 9 a.m.; San Dimas vs. Costa Mesa at noon; Nogales vs. Alta Loma at 2, and Workman vs. Mira Costa at 3 at El Camino.

Seven teams from the valley are also entered in the 50-team passing league football tournament that starts Saturday at North Torrance High.

First-round games include San Gabriel vs. St. Genevieve, Bassett vs. South Torrance and Pasadena vs. University at 10:15 a.m. and Monrovia vs. Westchester and Workman vs. Long Beach Wilson at 11:30 a.m. San Marino and Arcadia have first-round byes.

There are also 13 valley teams competing in the 64-team boys’ soccer tournament that starts Saturday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The teams are Glendora, South Pasadena, Pasadena, Maranatha, Sierra Vista, La Salle, Bishop Amat, Blair, Pasadena Poly, Arcadia, Muir, La Puente and Claremont.

In addition, the valley has three schools competing in pool play in boys’ volleyball and five in girls’ volleyball that starts Saturday at Torrance and South Torrance high schools and El Camino College.

The boys’ teams are Arcadia, Bosco Tech and Temple City and the girls’ squads are Arcadia, Temple City, Rowland, La Puente and Bonita.