Boys basktball: Daily Pilot Dream Team 2001

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - Newport Harbor High senior Aaron Yarnal, who

helped the Sailors boys basketball team reach the CIF Southern Section

Division I-A quarterfinals, tops the Daily Pilot’s All-Newport-Mesa

District Dream Team as Player of the Year.

Yarnal, a 6-foot guard who averaged 15.7 points per game and was Coach

Larry Hirst’s top defender, is joined on the nine-man squad by junior

teammate Tony Melum, Costa Mesa standouts Steve Whittaker, David Conte

and Mike Payne, Estancia stalwarts Eliasar Maldonado and Micah Young, as

well as Corona del Mar seniors Eric Snell and Idean Shahangian.

Bob Serven, who guided Costa Mesa to a share of its first league title

in its 41-season varsity history, is Coach of the Year.

Yarnal, a two-year starter and the only repeat all-district selection,

scored 439 points in 28 games for the Sailors, including a season-high 26

in a nonleague victory over Estancia. He made 155 of 319 field-goal

attempts (46.8%), hit 97 of 113 free-throw attempts (85.8%) and connected

on 32 of 96 from behind the three-point line (33.3%).

Typically assigned to guard the opposing team’s best offensive guard,

Yarnal’s defense was also key to the Sailors’ 21-7 season, which included

a second-place finish in the Sea View League.

Yarnal averaged three rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals.

“Aaron played both ends of the floor,” Newport Harbor Coach Larry

Hirst said.

Melum, a 6-6 center, led Newport-Mesa scorers with 18.5 points per

game, amassing 518 in 28 games. His season high of 32 keyed the Tars’

72-69 second-round overtime upset of Pacific, a game in which he added 17

rebounds.

Melum’s strength and leaping ability gave him a pivotal inside

presence and he also showed a soft shooting touch from the perimeter. He

averaged 9.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and shot nearly 51% from the field

(193 of 379). He netted 115 of 179 free throws (64.2%) and is already

receiving some recruiting interest from Division I college programs.

“Tony showed what kind of player he is in that Pacific game,” Hirst

said. “He has the potential to have a lot of games like that next

season.”

Whittaker, a 6-0 senior guard, was among Orange County’s most

dangerous three-point shooters, connecting on 80 of 229 attempts behind

the arc (34.9%). His nine three balls in a tournament win over a team

from Washington, tied the district single-game record shared by two other

players. His 331 points in 27 games gave him an average of 12.3 and he

also chipped in 5.6 rebounds per contest.

And then there were his intangibles.

“Steve was our captain and was a really good leader for our team,”

Serven said. “He was our hardest worker and I didn’t really have to say

much to him. He played hard the entire game, every game.”

Conte, a 5-10 junior point guard, stepped up his game in the second

half of the season to help the Mustangs drive toward the CIF Division

III-AA playoffs. Conte averaged 13.7 points the final 12 games, including

a team-high 16 in the second-round playoff loss to La Canada and a

career-high 24 in a PCL-opening win at Estancia, to finish at 12.2 ppg

for the season.

Extremely quick, Conte was a catalyst in transition and also broke

down opposing defenses in the half court, creating his own shot or

opportunities for his teammates. He averaged 5.8 assists, made 49

three-pointers and drained 36 of 42 fouls hots (85.7%).

“He ran our team on the floor,” Serven said. “I think he’s going to be

one of the better point guards in Orange County next year.”

Payne, a 6-7 post project who blossomed early in the league campaign,

was a big reason for the success of the Mustangs’ smothering two-three

zone defense. He blocked 108 shots (four per game), altered countless

others and improved as an offensive threat throughout the campaign.

After averaging just 4.3 points as a junior, Payne averaged 8.4

through the league opener. But, from there on, he averaged nearly 14

points to finish with a 10.6 season average.

He shot 51.5% from the field (122 of 237) and shot 59% against league

competition. He also collected 8.8 rebounds per contest.

“He was the guy we set our defense up around,” Serven said. “He’ll be

equally hard to replace as (Whittaker). He is 6-7, but he played much

bigger.”

Maldonado, the only returning varsity player for the Eagles, showed

leadership with his play and his work ethic. The 6-0 senior averaged 17.7

points, beginning the season as the shooting guard, before assuming the

point guard role. His move to point coincided with a late-season PCL run

that nearly propelled the Eagles to their 13th straight postseason.

His 424 points included a career-high 28 in a PCL win over Laguna

Beach. He hit 58 three-pointers and collected more than half of his 76

assists after becoming the floor general.

“What he did for us down the stretch was huge,” Estancia Coach Chris

Sorce said.

Young, a 6-2 junior post, was another huge contributor for the Eagles.

He averaged 17.9 points, despite being hampered by a severe ankle injury

sustained in the PCL opener, which limited him the rest of the season.

Despite the injury, he poured in a career-high 39 points in a 73-65

upset of league co-champion University. His athleticism and determination

allowed him to flourish in the lane, despite his size disadvantage. He

shot 68% from the field, averaged 7.5 rebounds and led the team with 38

steals.

“He really grew up and became much more of a well-rounded basketball

player,” Sorce said. “He was one of the top players in our league.”

Snell, a 6-0 guard, is also an all-district honoree in football and

baseball. Termed “my defensive stopper” by Coach Paul Orris, Snell also

became a valuable cog in the Sea Kings’ balanced offensive attack. He

averaged 11.5 points to help Coach Paul Orris’ squad advance to the CIF

Division III-AA playoffs.

A threat from three-point range, he also could get to the basket. The

latter point, he illustrated by making a game-winning runner in the lane

for the difference in an 84-82 league triumph at Uni.

Shahangian, a 6-1 guard, averaged a team-leading 12.9 points for the

Sea Kings, including a three-game span just prior to league in which he

scored 72.

A gifted offensive player, adept at creating his own shot, Orris said

his ability to play within the structured CdM system was a big factor in

the Sea Kings’ march to the playoffs.

None of the all-district seniors have solidified college plans for

next season.