comp305

SoCal High School & Prep Report

Southern Section Playoffs: Division II-AA
Compton Update--(March 5, 1998)

Most of you already know that the Compton v. Santa Margarita game, pitting the No. 1 and No. 2 seeded teams in Division II-AA against each other in the Divisional finals is set for tonight, opposite the UCLA game. While the Bruins will be taking on the Sun Devils, hoping to salvage their season, and maybe get a no. 5 seeding instead of a no. 6 seeding, if they even make it to the dance (yeah, we know they'll make it, but watch how much they move toward the bubble if they lose two at home to the Arizona contingents tonight and Saturday), Compton will be trying for it's first title since the Tarbabes won successive CIF major division titles in 1968 and 1969. Compton then went another 21 years before making the 1990 championship game, but in that one they came up short, finishing second. We've already done a preview of this game, but here's an update.

This figured to be a very competitive game, but it may turn out to be a heartbreaking experience if Compton's star C/PF, 6'-9" David Hamilton is out of the lineup. Many of you may have heard what happened, and some may not have heard. Here's the report as published in the LA Times yesterday:

David Hamilton Shot

A 16-year-old boy was killed and three of his companions, including David Hamilton, a senior and standout player on Compton High's basketball team, were wounded, one critically, in a drive-by shooting Tuesday afternoon in Compton, police said. The dead boy's name was withheld pending notification of next of kin. He was pronounced dead at Martin Luther King Hospital.

Hamilton, a center who was scheduled to play with the Tarbabes against Santa Margarita High in the Southern Section Division II-AA playoffs on Thursday, suffered a minor wound to the back, said Lt. William Wallace of the Compton Police Department. The shooting occurred at 5:20 p.m. in the 1200 block of South Whitmarsh street. As the 6-foot-9 Hamilton and the other three victims sat in a parked car, three men drove alongside and opened fire, Wallace said.

Wallace said police have a suspect in custody.

Since that time, we've spoken with several sources, as has Jason Day, and we've been informed that David was reportedly struck in the back by a bullet which passed through one of the other boys who was shot; the injury is minor, and David is "day-to-day" at this point. It is not known whether he can, or will play tonight.

Here's the latest word from the Long Beach Press-Telegram, which is reporting that he is "doubtful" for the game. They've got a bit more information about his condition including the circumstances of the shooting. Here's the report from todays P-T:

Compton High center David Hamilton is doubtful for tonight's CIF Southern Section II-AA boys basketball championship game, which will be played 48 hours after he was grazed by a bullet during a drive-by shooting in which a 16-year-old Compton youth died and two others were wounded.

Hamilton, 17, was grazed in the back in the shooting. He did not practice Wednesday and, according to Coach Rod Palmer, probably won't play when Compton faces Santa Margarita tonight at 7:30 at UC Irvine.

"I don't expect him to play at this point," Palmer said. "He's OK physically, but is shook up (emotionally). The game is really not that serious in the state that he's in."

Hamilton, a 6-foot-9 senior who has signed to play at Auburn, averages a team-high 16 points and 11 rebounds and was expected to match up with 6-7 Dekker McKeever of Santa Margarita. He had 14 points and 20 rebounds in a semifinal win over Brea Olinda on Friday.

Investigators continued Wednesday to seek information about the shooting.

Compton Police Lt. William Wallace said investigators suspect the fatal shooting was gang related. He said five people were sitting in a car in the 1200 block of Whitemarsh Avenue late Tuesday night when a car pulled up next to them and someone opened fire on the group.

Hamilton was rushed to a local hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.

Compton police would not release the name of the 16-year-old who died. He was shot in the chest and face, dying almost instantly. Two men, Milton Williams, 26, and Clarence Maronny, 23, were hit by bullets as well. Williams, shot in the left shoulder, is listed in stable condition. Maronny was hit in the stomach and police said he was listed in critical condition.

Investigators would not discuss details about a person detained for questioning Tuesday night.

UC Irvine campus police have been notified of the shootings, but as of Wednesday afternoon had not decided whether to increase security at tonight's game.

What a tragedy. Some people actually initially questioned why a player like David, from Southern California, would sign with a school like Auburn, saying "it's not the first place I'd think of if I was from Compton". This came from one recruiter who also said to us at the Vegas Reebok tourney in December that he suspected some sort of "funny business" when he heard that David had signed with Auburn. "Not the first place I'd think of if I was from Compton" he said, insinuating that he had some sort of improper incentive given to him to go down South.

I don't know about you, but the above example is plenty of incentive to get the hell out of Dodge if we were this young man. This type of incident is becoming an all-too often occurrence on the streets of Compton, and you can understand why this young man wanted to get out. Auburn is not a place you hear about drive-by shootings, at least not in this lifetime.

Obviously, if David plays tonight, he won't be at 100%; and even if he does play, his condition will possibly influence the outcome of this game; we hope not, and trust that the other guys will step up. And if he's not there, then it's a whole different world for Compton, and they may have no real answer for 6'-7" Dekker McKeever unless Milton Riley and the rest can really go to work without David. Santa Margarita is a team that has won 27 of 29 games with depth. The Eagles generally play nine or 10 guys with 6'-7" Dekker McKeever leading the way. Santa Margarita's first guy off the bench is usually 6'-5" Carson Palmer, who is headed to USC to play quarterback.

But Compton has done it before without Hamilton, (when David got benched) and they can do it again.

This is truly a tragedy one way or the other, and we wish David all the best, including a speedy recovery, and we want to wish Compton well on their quest. And we're sure that this is not the way Santa Margarita wanted to go into this game either. If they win, they'd probably like to be able to say that the beat the best.

Good luck to everyone and get well David, the guys will miss you if you're not there.

The game tip-off time is at 7:30 at the Bren Center on the campus of UC Irvine. Be there.