SoCalHoops Tournament News

San Diego Union Tribune All-San
Diego Section Boys Teams--(April 6, 1999)

If you thought the Southern Section had a lot of   "all-this" or "all-that" selections, not to mention the LA Times' multiple All-Area teams, and the OC Register's "All-Orange County" teams, and the other selections from the other papers, like the Riverside P-E, the Santa Barbara News-Press (which we never managed to get hold of), or the Daily News' All-Valley/Ventura County teams, the San Diego Section of CIF isn't far behind.  We've already posted the "All-CIF SDS" Division teams and Athletes of the Year, and the Hall of Champions "All-San Diego" teams (1st, 2nd, & 3rd Teams).  But then we came across the San Diego Union Tribune All-San Diego boys & girls teams.  And because we know that in a few days these will be pulled off the U-T's own website, we're posting them up here (hey, remember "Fair Use" guys, we don't make a nickel off this, and we'd urge everyone to buy your paper anyway, but for most of us it's outside the area where we can buy anything but the Sunday edition which gets flown in to most airports in SoCal).  Anyway, here's who the San Diego Union Tribune picked for their "All-San Diego" teams:

The Union Tribune also did nice bios on each of the first team players.  Here they are:

Aaron Abrams (6'-3" Sr. SG) Rancho Buena Vista, 19.6 ppg

The Palomar League's Player of the Year, Abrams finished as the county's ninth-leading scorer while leading the Longhorns to their fifth consecutive league title. Abrams, who has committed to San Jose State, was part of two section championship teams at RBV during his four-year varsity career. He
scored 25 or more points eight times

Mike Hausmann (6'-7" Sr. F) Bishop's,  22.3 ppg

Hausmann was unstoppable late in the season, averaging 29.8 points a game after the regular season despite being a marked man. Hausmann scored 23 of his team's 45 points in a loss to Horizon for the section Division IV title and added 28 in a four-point loss to Gardena Serra in the first round of the Southern California Regionals.

Roy Morris (6'-2" Sr. G) Bonita Vista, 18.1 ppg

Morris, the co-Player of the Year in the Metro League, was instrumental in leading the Barons to their first-ever section title. In addition to his duties as point guard, the USD-bound Morris was a force on the boards, collecting 12 rebounds in the Division I championship game against Metro League rival Southwest.

Andre Porter (5'-11" Sr. PG) St. Augustine 15.7 ppg

A point guard supreme, Porter guided the Saints to a 14-6 record after returning to the lineup after missing the early part of the season. A three-year starter, Porter had a deadly outside shot and a keen sense of the court, leading St. Augustine in assists. His highest scoring game was a 29-point
effort against La Jolla.

William Waggoner (6'-1" Jr. SG) Helix, 18.6 ppg

The Highlanders were the surprise team of the 1998-99 season and Waggoner, the Grossmont South Player of the Year, was the main reason. Despite losing all four starters to graduation and transfer, Helix still compiled a 22-6 record in advancing to the section playoffs as the No. 2 seed behind the quick, lithe, deadly accurate Waggoner.

Jarrah Bolden (6'-0" So.SG/SF) Horizon,  8.9 ppg

After watching for most of the preseason on the senior-dominated Horizon team, Bolden jumped into the starting lineup late in the season and made an immediate impact. Despite his small stature, Bolden could jump with players a foot taller, giving the Panthers another rebounder as well as inside scoring threat. The athletic Bolden specialized in dramatic blocked shots.

And the Union-Tribune also carried a nice story, by Steve Brand and Mick McGrane (who are UT Staff writers) about Detrick Watts and the Girls' player of the year, Kendrick Rhea.  We've edited the story to present the stuff pertaining only to Detrick, and here it is, from the March 22, 1999 Union-Tribune:

Numbers. One player just doesn't worry about them. . . Horizon's Detrick Watts was a unanimous pick as Union-Tribune' high school basketball player of the year.   For Watts, numbers like scoring and rebounding averages really didn't matter. The bottom line was record, who you beat and if you lived up to expectations. 

Guiding Horizon to its fourth straight Southern California Regional championship game and No. 1 section ranking was important. Beating Los Angeles Crenshaw, Long Beach Jordan and other Division I schools was special.  "It really didn't matter to me if I was the team's top scorer or No. 1 rebounder," said Watts, who averaged 14.2 points as the Panthers finished with a 25-3 record. "Winning Division IV was special, but nothing like if we could have gone up to Division III. That's what we wanted, to play teams like USDHS and St. Augustine."

The 6-foot-2 Watts' role has changed over the years. This season his leadership and ball-handling were in demand. He didn't disappoint, bringing the ball upcourt flawlessly against the best and providing the rock-steady guidance the Panthers needed. "I'm the general on the court,? is how he put it. SI wasn't looking to shoot a lot. I first looked for the open teammate and then if the shot was there, I'd take it.

"More important to me was to be a good example on the court to the little kids who watched me play. That meant not getting any technical fouls or doing things that would reflect badly on me or the team."

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