SoCalHoops High School News

The Los Angeles Times on Thursday announced that Casey Jacobsen (6'-6" Sr. SG/SF) from Glendora, who will play at Stanford next season, won the LA Times Athlete of the Year award, otherwise known as the George  Yardley Award.  

Leilani Estavan  of Pacific Palisades girls' team won the female Player of the Year award as well, which is named after Cheryl Miller. Estavan will play at Oregon State next season.

We've heard most of the stats on Casey Jacobsen far too often, but a few bear repeating: He's the Southern Section's all-time scoring leader,   and  led Glendora to the Southern Section Division I-A title in 1998.  He was named the Division I player of the year as a junior in 1998. This last season, he averaged 31.2 points and helped the Tartans advance to the I-A final, where they lost to Santa Ana Mater Dei. He was chosen by Cal-Hi Sports, along with Artesia's Jason Kapono, as division I co-players of the year. Jacobsen was selected state player of the year by Cal-Hi Sports.  Jacobsen finished his career with 3,284 points, eclipsing the section record of 3,053 set by former Glendora standout Tracy Murray in 1987-90. Jacobsen is second on the state scoring list behind Darnell Robinson of Emeryville Emery, who scored 3,359 points in 1990-93.  Jacobsen scored 22 points in the McDonald's All-American game and had 31 against an international all-star team at the Hoop Summit in Tampa, Fla., during the Final Four weekend. 

Estavan, a 5-6 guard who led Palisades to the City Section girls' basketball title and the Division I state championship game, is the recipient of the Cheryl Miller Award, presented annually to the top girls' player. Estavan, the City player of the year, averaged 14.0 points, seven assists and led Palisades to its second consecutive City championship game and its first girls' basketball title this season. In the City final against Washington, Estavan made four of five
three-point shots and finished with 20 points.  In the state final against San Jose Archbishop Mitty, Estavan gave Palisades its first lead by driving the length of the court for an acrobatic layup with nine seconds left. Mitty made a shot in the closing seconds for the victory.  Estavan was also named to the all-state team. 

The Times also published the recent past winners of both awards:

BOYS: GEORGE YEARDLEY AWARD WINNERS
1999: Casey Jacobsen, Glendora
1998: Tayshaun Prince, Compton Dominguez
1997: Baron Davis, Santa Monica Crossroads
1996: Corey Benjamin, Fontana
1995: Paul Pierce, Inglewood
1994: Jelani Gardner, Bellflower St. John Bosco
1993: Jacque Vaughn, Pasadena Muir
1992: Charles O'Bannon, Lakewood Artesia
1991: Cherokee Parks, Huntington Beach

GIRLS: CHERYL MILLER AWARD WINNERS
1999: Leilani Estavan, Palisades
1998: Michelle Greco, Crescenta Valley
1997: Michelle Greco, Crescenta Valley
1996: Maylana Martin, Perris
1995: Jody Parriott, Cerritos Valley Christian
1994: Olympia Scott, Playa del Rey St. Bernard
1993: Timicha Kirby, Lynwood
1992: Charisse Sampson, Washington
1991: Tamika Phillips, Ontario Chaffey

So who is George Yardley, anyway?  Well, we went looking and found out that he's a bald, 6-foot-5 scoring machine who helped revolutionize the NBA.
Like you didn't know that already.

The Pasadena Star-News ran a very nice article on Yardley about a month ago, and here's some of what they wrote:

It's been 40 years since Yardley rewrote the NBA record book as a high-scoring forward for the Detroit Pistons. His numbers aren't awe-inspiring by current standards. But in his day, he broke basketball's equivalent of the 4-minute mile when he scored 2,001 points for the 1957-58 Pistons.  "The 2,000 figure was just a number to me," said Yardley. "The thing I was happy about was breaking George Mikan's season record of 1,932 points. Mikan was Mr. NBA in those days, and breaking one of his records really meant something. Now, looking back, I realize it (scoring 2,000) was a real milestone for the league. Of course, after I played, along came a fellow named Wilt Chamberlain, and he wiped me right out of the record book."

[Yardley, 70, appeared a few weeks ago at the Paralysis Project of America's 8th annual "Great Sports Legends Awards Dinner" at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Pasadena. He was honored along with other sports figures, such as auto racing champion Bobby Rahal, baseball Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, Raiders great Fred Biletnikoff, jockey Kent Desormeaux and women's hockey pioneer Cammi Granato.   The event raised funds for spinal cord injury research.  "It's a great cause," Yardley said, "and I'm honored to be selected. As an engineer, I've always been interested in how to repair nerve damage and make the body work again. I believe if we can focus enough attention on the causes of paralysis, we can find a way to repair spinal cord injuries."] 

Yardley is a bit of an expert on tough causes. His basketball career was a case of beating the odds.  "My dad was an All-American basketball player at the University of Chicago, but I certainly didn't come from a basketball hot bed," Yardley said. "This sounds like a joke, but the truth is I learned my basketball playing in the back alleys on Balboa Island. I guess, to this day, I am the only NBA player to come out of Newport Harbor High, which isn't exactly the basketball capital of the world." 

After graduating from high school in 1946, Yardley walked on at Stanford. He wound up playing four years of varsity basketball in Palo Alto. He did well enough at Stanford to be drafted by the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Pistons of the fledging NBA in the first round of the 1950 draft.  Yardley had started graduate school at Stanford and was reluctant to leave the West Coast, however. Instead of signing with the Pistons, he stayed in school and played AAU ball for the San Francisco-based Stewart Chevrolet team. Led by Yardley, Stewart Chevrolet won the 1951 AAU title.

"That experience made me believe I could play and be successful in the NBA," said Yardley. "However, Uncle Sam had other plans."   Yardley spent 1952 and '53 in the U.S. Navy. While his military service delayed the start of his pro career, it also left him with a lasting legacy.  "For some reason, I lost all my hair while I was in the Navy," said Yardley. "And no matter what I tried, it didn't grow back. 

"When I became successful in the NBA, fans and opposing players claimed I deliberately shaved my head to gain a psychological edge. While it may have worked out that way because, with my bald head, I looked to be about 50 years old when I was only 25 I definitely would have preferred a full head of hair.  "I have no idea if Michael Jordan got the idea from me. I kind of doubt it, don't you?"

Yardley joined Ft. Wayne in 1953 and played four years in that small Indiana town and loved it.  "Being from California, my wife and I had our doubts about being able to adjust. But it turned out the folks in Fort Wayne were just great to us. And we reached the NBA finals twice in those four years, so it was a very enjoyable time. I, for one, was sorry to see the team move to Detroit." It was in 1957-58, in the Pistons' first year in Detroit, that Yardley made a lasting impact on the game. He led the league in scoring, averaging 27.8points per game during the 72-game season. In Game70, he passed Mikan's record and went on to become the first player to score 2,000 in a season. 

Yardley finished his NBA career in 1960, playing for the Syracuse Nationals. He then joined the Los Angeles Jets of the newly formed American Basketball League.  "My wife and I had started a family by then, our eldest daughter was in school and I did not want to uproot her. So, I worked out a deal with the Jets where I only had to play home games. I got paid $500 for each game, which was good money back then, and averaging over 19 points per game. And I got to play for Bill Sharman, who was a great coach and a great guy.  "The only problem was, most of those $500 checks bounced. The Jets then folded and, shortly after that, the whole league folded. I would have loved to continue playing, but I took that as a sign to get out of athletics. I took my engineering degree from Stanford and put it to work." 

Yardley founded a successful engineering equipment and supplies company in Orange County and returned to his roots, settling in Newport Beach. He still puts in a 40-hour work week with his firm.  "Love the work, love living in Newport Beach," said Yardley. "My three kids are all grown now. But they all live right here in the area, so I am surrounded by family and friends.  "And I still watch NBA games every chance I get especially Lakers games. As far as I'm concerned, the more scoring, the better. The fans pay to see scoring. I hate to think what the NBA was like before the perfection of the jump shot and the installation of the 24-second clock."

 
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