Younger Siblings Enjoy Emulating Their Elders

The region’s next 6-foot-11 center is only 10 years old and the ball boy for Chaminade High’s basketball team.

“He thinks he’s Coach [Jeff] Young’s No. 1 assistant,” center J.J. Todd said of his brother, Cameron. “He’ll walk up to players [and say], ‘Why did you take that shot?’ He’ll walk into the locker room before games and the team will beat him up and he loves it.”

What a life being the little brother in a family of athletes.

Cameron is 5-5--already taller than his 6-11 brother was at the same age. Another brother, Jonathan, is a 6-6 freshman at Chaminade.

What a scene it was Saturday night when J.J. began dominating Alemany in the last three minutes of a Mission League game at L.A. Baptist.

Jonathan, videotaping the game from the top row of the bleachers, began screaming and yelling after J.J. delivered a thunderous dunk.

“He was so excited he dropped the camera,” Young said.

Cameron rushed up to J.J. and gave him a hug during a timeout.

It was a defining moment for J.J., who received a scholarship to UC Santa Barbara based more on potential than his performances. The Alemany game was a glimpse of what he is capable of doing. For his brothers to see what he accomplished serves as powerful motivation to follow in the same path.

“Every day, Cameron is running up [and saying], ‘Let’s play one-on-one,’ ” J.J. said. “It shows he wants to be a good basketball player and he will [be].”

Earlier in the day, at Cal State Northridge, Trevor Arroyo, 12, watched his brother, Tim, a freshman outfielder from Kennedy High, get his first college hit, a grand slam in the bottom of the 11th inning that gave Northridge a 10-6 baseball victory over San Francisco.

“It was real exciting,” Trevor said. “I stood up and started clapping.”

Of course, positive sibling influences aren’t limited by gender.

Teresa Cooper, a freshman basketball player at Simi Valley, is the sister of Tawnee Cooper, a guard at UC Santa Barbara.

“She’s the one I looked up to all my life,” Teresa said. “She inspired me. We shot together in the front yard.”

Teresa is teaching the game to her little sister, Adrienne, 9.

“She’s really aggressive for her age and doesn’t know what the word means yet,” Teresa said.

Francesca Enea, 10, and Robin Kontra, 11, are top softball players learning from their older sisters, Christina Enea, a sophomore catcher at El Camino Real, and Lindsey Kontra, a sophomore pitcher at Hart.

“Each sibling is supportive and critical of their older sister,” said Enea’s father, Sal.

Unlike little brothers who get beat up by their older brothers, the big sisters use a subtle form of persuasion--bribery--to keep the little sisters in line.

“Do this for me and I’ll do this for you,” is the secret to maintaining sisterly love.

At Alemany, Kate Beckler is playing basketball with sister Kelly, a freshman. Another Alemany player, center Karina Siam, is waiting for the arrival of sister Kayla, an eighth-grader.

At Buena, the star basketball player is Kelly Greathouse, sister of Nicole, a center at UC Santa Barbara.

High school coaches discovered long ago the importance of filling their rosters with players from athletic families. When brother after brother or sister after sister come through a program, the chances are good they’ll be successful.

Usually the youngest athlete in a family develops into the best because he or she launch their sports careers at a younger age while receiving guidance and inspiration from older siblings.

Jonathon Brewster, set to start at quarterback next season for Notre Dame High, is the youngest of three brothers who have played football for the Knights.

“You’ll get an argument from the other two, but he’s better,” said assistant coach Joe McNab of Notre Dame. “I think it’s a big advantage [being the youngest]. You’re exposed to sports earlier and try to emulate what they do.”

Notre Dame’s athletic program thrives on athletic families, from the Brewsters to the McDowells to the Stromsborgs. Coming soon is another Puccinelli, another Piedra and maybe another Fargas.

“I’m waiting for [Justin Fargas’] nieces and nephews to get older,” McNab said.

Pitcher Jamie Shields of Hart is the third brother to play baseball for Coach Bud Murray and projects as the best.

“They get a chance to see how it’s done and find out the good side and bad side,” Murray said. “And there’s competition. If the youngest is good at all, he’ll probably be better.”

Linebacker Anthony Foli, Marmonte League defensive player of the year from Newbury Park, followed three brothers and a sister into sports.

“They taught me and pushed me,” he said. “Now I’m getting my little brothers ready.”

Justin Cassel, an eighth-grader, could have trouble surpassing oldest brother, Jack, a pitcher at Loyola Marymount, and middle brother, Matt, a football and baseball player at Chatsworth. But he’s part of a wave of younger brothers set to reach the high school ranks next fall.

Expected to arrive at Chaminade are basketball players Dion Cook and Jeff Stewart, younger brothers of Cayce Cook and Justin Stewart. Coming to Agoura is Braden Lepisto, brother of football player Garrett Lepisto. Enrolling at Newbury Park is Dominic Foli, Anthony’s brother.

Still years off is Khaled Holmes, 9, brother of Alex Holmes, tight end at Harvard-Westlake. Khaled is so big he has to lose five pounds to play tackle football with 11- and 12-year-olds.

The halftime entertainment at the Alemany-Chaminade basketball game was provided by Jimmy Clausen, 11, brother of quarterbacks Casey and Ricky Clausen of Alemany. He was hitting three-pointers.

“I can already tell you he’s going to be better than his older brothers,” football Coach Jim Bonds said.

It’s not difficult to imagine in the year 2005 that 6-11 Cameron Todd of Chaminade will be taking on 6-5 Jimmy Clausen of Alemany.

Soon, they won’t be so little anymore.

Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422.