oc athletes of the week

SoCal Prep & High School Report

LA Times & O.C. Register
Athlete(s) of the Week--(February 3, 1998)

It's pretty rare when the LA Times Orange County edition and the Orange County Register actually agree on something. And it's even rarer when they agree on their "Players/Athletes of the Week". This week they did. Wonder of wonders. They were Duc Nguyen and Jerry Inzunza.

Both the Orange County Register and the LA Times Orange County Edition consensus "Athlete of the Week" was Duc Nguyen of Bolsa Grande. (6'-0" Sr. SG)

The Times noted that Nguyen averaged 27 points and five assists in two league victories, including a 31-point performance to help end Los Amigos' four-game winning streak, 66-53. He scored 13 points in the first quarter and made 13 of 16 free throws to help seal the victory. He had 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists in a 64-59 victory over La Quinta. The O.C. Register noted that in compiling 54 points last week he also collected 11 rebounds, 10 assists and six steals, and that he shot 16 of 24 from the field and 18 of 22 free throws for the week.

For the season, Duc is averaging 20.5 points, 4.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game, and he's shooting 81 percent from the free-throw line, 45.4 percent from the field, and 43.2 percent from three-point range.

Duc is a three year starter, has scored in double figures 62 of the past 63 games he's played in and last season hit his career high of 42 points against Righetti, which this year is a pretty high scoring team itself. In tournament play earlier in December this season, he was named to the All-Fullerton Tribe Classic Team and the Katella Classic All-Tournament team.

His coach Mike Anderson told the Register "Duc's the player that everyone tries to stop. He has shown that he can score against anyone."

The Register only had one boy's basketball "athlete of the week" (the other was girls' basketball star Sarah Fister of Sonora, who herself scored 39 points, 23 rebounds and 5 blocked shots, and stands 6''-3", averaged 18.2 per game, and leads the Freeway league this season). The Times had two boys' basketball athletes of the week.

The other Times Athelete of the Week was Jerry Inzunza, a senior at Troy. This past week he averaged 28 points in victories over Buena Park and Fullerton for the third-ranked Warriors.

Congratulations to both Duc Nguyen and to Jerry Inzunza, The Times and Register Athletes of the Week.