Los Angeles Times 1987 ALL-STARS : Pasadena, Monrovia and Muir Place Two Sparklers Each Among Stars for ’87

Good things must come in pairs for the girls basketball teams at Muir, Pasadena and Monrovia high schools.

Each landed two players on the 1987 Los Angeles Times All-San Gabriel Valley girls high school all-star team.

Muir placed 6-3 junior center Tasha Bradley and 5-10 junior guard Angela Grant; Pasadena has 5-6 senior guard Rachonne Jones and 5-7 junior forward Anitra Wilkins, and Monrovia added 5-4 senior guard Lisa Crosskey and 6-2 senior forward Eular Carlyle.

The rest of the team: 5-11 senior swing man Stephanie Coons of Wilson, 5-8 junior guard Julie Garcia of Rowland, 6-0 senior center Charleen James of San Dimas and 6-4 junior center Rachel Norris of San Gabriel.

Coons, Crosskey, Jones and Norris are repeaters from last year’s team.

With the graduation of twins Pauline and Geannine Jordan, who starred at Muir for four years, much of the offensive burden for the Mustangs fell on Bradley, and she responded nicely.

One of the most dominant inside players in the valley, Bradley averaged 24.7 points and 20.3 rebounds to rank among the leaders in the CIF Southern Section. She also averaged 7.5 assists.

Bradley was co-player of the year in the Pacific League and made all-star teams at the Santa Barbara and Morningside tournaments. She has interested USC, Nevada-Las Vegas, Washington, Oregon State, North Carolina and Iowa.

It was a good year for Monrovia, which reached the Southern Section 2-A quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Lompoc, and Carlyle played a key role.

A strong inside player, Carlyle took advantage of her 175-pound frame to average 16.4 points and 15.6 rebounds. A two-time All-Rio Hondo League selection, she is considering Georgia Southern for college.

Coons turned in outstanding back-to-back seasons at Wilson and was named the Sierra League most valuable player for the second year in a row. She has averaged about the same in scoring and rebounding the last two years: 22 points and 10 rebounds as a junior and 20 points and 12 rebounds this season. She also averaged 4 assists.

She played an important part in Wilson’s success. The Wildcats have won or shared the league title the last five years. She was recruited by several colleges but has decided to stay close to home and attend Cal Poly Pomona.

Another player who has won her league’s most valuable player award the last two years is Monrovia’s Crosskey, a smooth ball handler who averaged 21.4 points and 6.9 assists. Crosskey displayed her versatility by averaging 5.2 rebounds and 7.1 steals.

Crosskey, who led Monrovia to a 20-8 record and is the school’s all-time leading scorer, has been recruited by many colleges headed by nationally ranked Ohio State.

There was a change for the better at Rowland where the Raiders improved from 10-13 last year to 15-6 this season and made the 3-A playoffs. Perhaps the biggest reason was the development of Garcia.

Selected to the All-Sierra League team, Garcia was her team’s leader in most departments. Most surprising was that she averaged a team-leading 8.6 rebounds despite her size. She also led with averages of 17 points and 3.7 assists.

One of the most versatile players in the valley was Grant, who combined with Bradley to give Muir strength inside and outside. A two-year starter for the Mustangs, Grant averaged 15.2 points, 10.8 assists, 9 steals and 7.2 rebounds.

An All-Pacific League selection, she has been recruited by USC, Oregon State, Nevada-Las Vegas, Washington, North Carolina and Iowa although she is only a junior.

James has not received as much attention as other standouts but is a top scorer and rebounder. A strong player underneath the basket, James averaged 21.3 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists to lead San Dimas to a 21-4 record and the second round of the 2-A playoffs.

James, selected the Montview League’s most valuable player after making all-league as a junior, also made all-star teams at the San Dimas and Ontario tournaments.

Perhaps the top outside shooter in the valley is Jones, co-player of the year in the Pacific League. Jones averaged 21.2 points, 5.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.6 steals.

An All-CIF selection who has made her all-league team for three straight years, Jones is being recruited by Washington State, Oregon State and Cal State Los Angeles.

There are not many players in Southern California as imposing as San Gabriel’s Norris, one of the most heavily recruited juniors in the valley. A two-time all-league player, 180-pound Norris has been recruited by USC, Long Beach State, UCLA, Louisiana State and Stanford.

Not surprising considering that she averaged 24.5 points and 17 rebounds to lead her team to an 18-7 record and the second round of the 3-A playoffs. After missing five games with an injury, Norris helped San Gabriel to victory in 18 of its last 20 games.

Wilkins is one of the shortest players on the all-star team but is a leaper and quick. She averaged 13.4 points and 10.7 rebounds to help lead a small Pasadena team to a 20-7 record and the Pacific League title.

Players receiving honorable mention are Kelly Collins of Marshall Fundamental, Vivian Perez of Nogales, Susan Peters of Los Altos, Stephanie Bennett of Pasadena, Kim Hansen of Edgewood, Tammy Delva and Candy Konop of Charter Oak, Lori Thompson of Monrovia, Alice Enriquez and Danielle Zampiello of St. Lucy’s, Lisa Cindrich of Walnut, Tracie Bergquist of San Dimas, Cecilla Casillas of Bassett, Paige Hashimoto of Alhambra and Grace Tellez of Sierra Vista.

The all-star boys and girls teams, each consisting of 10 members, their coaches and parents will be guests of the Times at 9 a.m. Sunday at the annual Times High School Basketball Awards Brunch where all-star teams from 10 circulation areas will be honored at the Anaheim Hilton. The featured Speaker will be first-year USC Coach George Raveling. The players and coaches of the year from each area will be announced.

The teams were chosen on the basis of a poll of area coaches, who are asked to fill out ballots nominating their own players and opponents, plus the observations of college scouts and sportswriters. Each player will receive the traditional Times golden basketball plaque and award certificate.

GIRLS PREP TEAM

Name School Year Height Weight Average Tasha Bradley Muir Junior 6-3 170 23.7 Eular Carlyle Monrovia Senior 6-2 175 16.4 Stephanie Coons Wilson Senior 5-11 130 20.0 Lisa Crosskey Monrovia Senior 5-4 110 21.4 Julie Garcia Rowland Junior 5-8 126 17.0 Angela Grant Muir Junior 5-10 135 15.2 Charleen James San Dimas Senior 6-0 165 21.3 Rachonne Jones Pasadena Senior 5-6 115 21.2 Rachel Norris San Gabriel Junior 6-4 180 24.5 Anitra Wilkins Pasadena Junior 5-7 110 13.4