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SoCalHoops High School Reports

High School Team Preview:
Compton High Tarbabes--(Oct. 5, 1998)

Compton High plays in Division IIAA of Southern Section CIF, and last year won the Moore League before being eliminated in the Southern California Regionals by Santa Margarita not once, but then again in the Division II State Regional Finals to the eventual state Champions. This year's team will be exciting and, as always is a well-coached squad. Rod Palmer is the head coach, and he's been the head coach for the last eight years. Rod (no relation to Ron Palmer, the coach at Long Beach Poly) has been coaching Compton since he was 23 (he's now 31). He teaches US History. When it comes to the coaching, he gets some assistance from James Miles, a great assistant, and from more than a few others. Rod likes an up-tempo game, and most of the time, his run-and-gun fast-break guys will give it to him. Rod is a very hard-working coach, and he instills the principles of hard work in his athletes. Compton has had some great athletes over the years, and Rod has coached many of them leading them on to Division I careers. The last two to go D-I out of Compton were last year's stars DeAundre Moore (5'-8" PG) now at Vanderbilt and David Hamilton (6'-9" PF/C) now at Auburn. This year's top D-I prospect is Tito Maddox (6'-4" Sr. PG), who is looking hard at ASU, UConn and Michigan. There are several other Division I quality players on the team as well. What the team lacks this year in overall height, they will more than make up for in speed. While tryouts are still going on (and we hear that one or two really "big" guys might yet show up) we expect that this is what the roster will look like when the season officially gets underway:

Dony Legans (6'-1" Jr SG)
Ellis Myles (6'-4" Jr. SF)
Lanere Anderson (6-0 Sr. PG)
James Cummings (5'-10 Sr. PG)
Tito Maddux (6'-4" Sr PG)
Leroy Dawson (6'-1" Sr. SG)
Jamal Barnes (6'-3" So. SG)
Jeremiah Thompson (6'-4" So PF)
Terry Hosnedove (6'-4" Sr SF)
Antuane McGinnis, (6'-6" Jr. PF)
Demetrius Clark (6'-1" Jr. SG)

Last season, with Deandre running the point, Tito was a two guard. Over the course of the spring and summer, he's evolved into perhaps one of the best combo point guard/ prospects on all of the west coast, and certainly one of the top 2 or 3 point guards in SoCal. With his size and great court vision, and his superlative skills and good handle, he really does it all. And he does something that we rarely see in a point guard who has a big reputation: He uses the bounce pass better than anyone in the class, making great down-court passes, pushing the ball, and creatively getting the ball to where it needs to go, whether that's to one of his teammates, or straight to the hole, and Tito has one of the quickest first steps around.

Ellis Myles is also turning out to be one of the best small forwards in the class, and he can slash and drive to the basket, has a pretty good shot out to the arc, and can play defense very well. Legans and Anderson are quick, tough, and smart players, who will alternate at the one or two spots depending upon where and when Tito is feeling the power, along with Cummings who will also spell at the point for the Tarbabes and will perform quite well as he has in summer and at the Long Beach Fall Hoops Classic. In the absence of a truly "big" man at the post, Terry Hosendove will be called upon to play the center position, and he'll do it well, as he's developed a decent post move, but we look for Compton to go more with a three guard rotation, and they've got plenty to choose from, including some very athletic guys like Jamal Barnes, and transfer Leroy Dawson both of whom are quick shooters with great releases, very active on the floor with and without the ball. The frontcourt will pretty much see a rotation between Terry cleaning the class, Jeremiah, who didn't get a lot of attention last year but who really stepped up when he was needed, and Ellis, who we predict will emerge at the end of the season as the next great D-I player to come out for the Tarbabes.

Look for Compton to finish well ahead of the pack in Moore League, go deep into the playoffs, and possibly take it all in Division II this year.