Hall of Fame: Byron Ball (basketball)

Richard Dunn

Playing for Vanderbilt University in the 1980s, Byron Ball didn’t

celebrate on an NCAA championship basketball team or become an NBA

lottery pick.

But the 6-foot-8 Newport Harbor High product, who transferred to Ocean

View his senior year in 1982-83, learned plenty about life’s principles.

“I really had a great experience there,” said Ball, who played four

years under Vanderbilt Coach C.M. Newton and thrived academically.

Ball, who attended law school at Pepperdine and is now a successful

trial lawyer in Los Angeles, played for Newton from 1984 through ’87.

“(Newton) came to our house and promised a good education and put a

lot of value on education,” Ball said. “He wanted everybody to graduate

and basketball was secondary, and he really lived up to that. The whole

time I was there he followed those principles ... he also said what’s

important is the relationships you make.

“We had some tough years (at Vanderbilt), but he never vacillated from

the principles he told us about when he was recruiting us. He was a great

guy to play for, and it was a great school. It was a lot of fun.”

As a high school senior, Ball played center for Ocean View Coach Jim

Harris on a solid team that also featured 6-7 Dave Ferris, 6-6 Steve

Moser and 6-4 Mike Judge.

Ball was a first-team All-Sunset League choice and Ocean View’s

leading scorer, averaging 15.5 points per game, as the Seahawks finished

third in league and advanced to the second round of the CIF Southern

Section 4-A playoffs, losing to second-seeded Mater Dei, which had an

all-star cast in Matt Beeuswaert, Tom Lewis, Chris Jackson and Mike

Fielder.

“They were just fabulous,” Ball said of Coach Gary McKnight’s

Monarchs, who lost in the CIF 4-A finals that year to Long Beach Poly in

overtime, 45-44, kick-starting the Mater Dei basketball dynasty.

“I can’t remember our record (it was 15-11), but I can remember never

quitting and working hard, and having Coach Harris instill that in us,”

Ball said. “When you’re 18, you don’t think much about it, but now, at

35, that’s all you can remember.”

Ball, who grew up in Newport Beach, said he “peaked early on,”

sprouting to about 6-5 as an eighth grader with good coordination. He was

later recruited by several colleges, before accepting a scholarship to

play for Vanderbilt’s Commodores.

“I only grew another two inches after the eighth grade,” he said.

“Fortunately, I had parents (Grant and Helen) who never let me put too

much emphasis on sports, or get bigheaded. They always stressed school.”

Ball started on Newport Harbor’s varsity as a sophomore and junior

when the Sailors went a combined 29-19 under Coach Jerry DeBusk. Ball was

one of the Sea View League’s top players as a junior in 1981-82, then

transferred his senior year.

“I (transferred to Ocean View) for a lot of reasons, but basically, at

the time, I wanted to play against the best competition and play for

Coach Harris,” Ball said. “I thought he’d be a wonderful guy to play for

and it turned out he was. He’s a great coach and a great person.

“To this day, I’m really grateful that I got a chance to play for

Coach Harris. He instilled a lot of things in us that has lasted long

after basketball, and it was the same way with Coach Newton. I think

there are some things (a coach) can emphasize and some things you don’t

have to. (Harris) was a tough coach, but he had a great perspective in

life.

“I was lucky to play for Harris and C.M. Newton. They were two guys

who meant what they said and provided continuity beyond winning and

losing.”

These days, Ball, the latest honoree in the Daily Pilot Sports Hall of

Fame, lives in South Pasadena with his wife of five years, Marni, and

1-year-old daughter, Alexandra.

Instead of hoops, Ball can usually be spotted on the golf course at

San Gabriel Country Club, where he plays to a 15 handicap.

“I think team sports are fabulous,” Ball said. “It builds character

and teaches a lot of people about life ... I think the best thing coming

out of team sports is that you learn to win and lose and keep moving on.”

After finishing law school in 1990 and passing the bar, Ball was hired

at Hill, Farrer & Burrill. In 1999, he made partner of the firm and has

been in the courtroom since.

“It’s just another form of competition,” Ball said.