Bankhead Relishes No. 1 Role

Last season, Shawn Bankhead was option No. 5 in the Cleveland High basketball team’s pecking order. The Cavaliers were talented with a haymaker scoring punch, but if there were five fingers in the Cavaliers’ fist, Bankhead was the thumb.

The offensive index finger was junior forward Brandon Martin, who averaged 25 points a game. The rest of the digits followed in close order, all of them in double-digits, in fact. Point guard Kenny Collins averaged 17.1 points, off-guard Carlos Vasquez rolled up 14.3 and forward Kayheed Murray added 13.9.

Bankhead, a sophomore at the time, poked his way along at 6.5 points. While his mates were as irritating as a jab in the eye, Bankhead was about as troublesome as a hangnail. “It was kind of frustrating,” he said. “I never touched the ball unless I went up and got it.”

His game is definitely in an upward cycle. Seniors Vasquez, Collins and Murray graduated and Martin transferred to Washington High. This season, Cleveland has banked on Bankhead, and he has paid huge dividends.

Bankhead, a 6-foot-6, 190-pound center-forward, is averaging 29 points and 12 rebounds as the lone returning starter for the Cavaliers (4-9). He also averaged 31 points in three games of the Artesia tournament last week.

His 1991-92 scoring average is the highest in several seasons for Cleveland, better than such storied former Cavs as Kevin Holmes (DePaul), Trevor Wilson (UCLA), Adonis Jordan (Kansas), Lucious Harris (Cal State Long Beach), Eddie Hill (Washington State) or Rich Branham (Cal).

The aforementioned players were on Cleveland teams with vastly superior depth, which diluted their scoring totals. For Bankhead, Cleveland’s struggles have been a mixed bag. Sure, he is expected to score most of the points, but defenses have been tailored to prevent that from happening.

Bankhead’s consistent production has forced him to expand his horizons. When he cuts loose from outside, it is more than a typical wing-and-a-prayer fling.

“When I started scoring, they put a man behind me, a man in front of me,” he said. “When that happens, I just go out to the wing or up around the free-throw line.”

While Bankhead scores the majority of his points inside, he has demonstrated that he can play without his back to the basket, which pleases college scouts and concerns opposing coaches.

“He scores lots of points on put-backs,” said Taft Coach Jim Woodard, who scouted Cleveland earlier this season. “He hits the offensive boards hard, but I saw him make a three-pointer too.”

Bankhead picked up a few tips from his fellow starters last season. Of course, he had plenty of time for observation.

“I learned a lot from those guys,” he said. “They hustled. I had to hustle just to stay with them.”

Although Cleveland has sputtered, Bankhead has been superlative. In consecutive losses in the Amador tournament at Pleasanton, Calif., last month, Bankhead scored 37, 33 and 35 points to set a tournament scoring record.

Cleveland does not play again until Jan. 24, but don’t expect Bankhead to get rusty during the semester break. He received a portable basket for Christmas and he sets it up on the Pacoima cul-de-sac on which he lives. Neighborhood kids, most of whom stand about waist-high to Bankhead, beg permission to play.

“They get pretty excited when I dunk,” he said.

As usual, he draws a thumbs-up sign from all in attendance.