Crenshaw Has 5 on All-Central City Team

Crenshaw High School, whose boys’ team won the State Division I title for the second year in a row and whose girls’ team reached the City 4-A semifinals, has placed five players on The Times’ All-Central City basketball team, the most of any of the nine schools represented this year.

Awards for coach of the year and player of the year will be announced this morning at a breakfast at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. All players from The Times’ 10 circulation areas will be given a trophy and certificate. Coach Jim Harrick of Pepperdine will be the guest speaker.

Guard Stephen Thompson, the two-time City player of the year who is bound for Syracuse University, leads the Crenshaw contingent. Dion Brown and Ronald Caldwell join him, as do Yolanda Kelley and Maria Elzy from the girls’ team.

“Having three players good enough to play Division I (in college) is a compliment to any team,” said Willie West, coach of the Cougar boys’ team. “They have been a steadying force for the three years they have been here.”

Washington is the only other school with more than one player on either team. The Washington girls’ team, which beat Banning in the semifinals before losing to Granada Hills Kennedy in the title game, is represented by Ayesha Brooks and Demetra Johnson. The Generals’ John King made the boys’ team.

“Ayesha is the type of person who makes everyone else on her team look better because she always gets the ball to the open player,” Washington Coach Phil Chase said. “This year, that player often was Demetra. She had a good habit of getting open and then being able to take advantage of it.”

Five teams--Dorsey, Locke, Jordan, Fremont and Jefferson--have two representatives each.

Thompson, who averaged 34 points a game in leading the Cougars to a 25-2 record and the No. 8 ranking in the nation, and Lafayette Dorsey of Dorsey, who had 22.3 points and 11.5 rebounds a game, are the only repeat selections on the boys’ team. Kelley, Brooks and Linda Broomfield of Fremont were all on the girls’ team last year.

TIMES ALL-CENTRAL CITY BASKETBALL TEAMS

BOYS’ FIRST TEAM

Name (School) Year Pos. Ht. Avg. Stephen Thompson (Crenshaw) Sr G 6-3 34.0 Lafayette Dorsey (Dorsey) Sr G 6-4 22.3 Lamont Burns (Locke) Sr G 5-1 15.5 Ronald Caldwell (Crenshaw) Sr F 6-8 20.2 Kevin Williams (Verbum Dei) Jr G 6-3 22.0 Dion Brown (Crenshaw) Sr F 6-4 13.0 John King (Washington) Sr G 6-2 16.0 Vander Myres (Jordan) Sr G 6-0 20.1 Brad Ware (Fremont) Sr G 5-1 15.0 Derrick Williams (Jefferson) Sr G 6-2 16.2

GIRLS’ FIRST TEAM

Name (School) Year Pos. Ht. Avg. Ayesha Brooks (Washington) Sr G 5-9 17.8 Ruth Aguilar (Lincoln) Jr F-C 5-1 24.0 Demetra Johnson (Washington) Jr F 5-8 16.6 Latrese Hunter (Jordan) Jr C 5-9 16.0 Linda Broomfield (Fremont) Sr C 5-1 25.0 Yolanda Kelley (Crenshaw) Sr F 5-1 23.3 Pamela Kirkwood (Locke) Sr F 5-7 27.5 Maria Elzy (Crenshaw) Sr G 5-6 16.5 Dametra Johnson (Dorsey) Sr F 5-1 15.0 Amalia Carter (Jefferson) Sr F 5-7 19.2