1969-70: Many Could Hoop, Not Just Bill

No team could match, or come close to, the withering pace of Bill Walton and the Helix Highlanders, but individual play was at an all-time high.

Eleven players, meeting a minimum of 15 games, averaged at least 23 points.  Eleven also scored more than 600 points.

By comparison, just 10 players averaged 23 points or more from 1960-69.  The table below includes annual leaders in points and averages from the inaugural San Diego Section season in 1960-61 through 1960-69.

Second table will show how scoring in 1969-70 was dramatically higher than in any of the first nine seasons of the decade.

More teams, more games and more players contributed to the increased level of points, but scoring average comes from better shooting, which continued to evolve, dating from the vintage, “running set shot” to today’s pure jump shot.

*Next highest scorer had 553.

1969-70:

Reed, Christian, 16×391, 24.4. Pharr, La Jolla Country Day, 18×361, 20.0.                  Sander, San Miguel, 16×324, 20.3. Western, San Miguel, 10×239, 23.9.

HELIX OR MOUNT MIGUEL?

Bill Center of The San Diego Union posed the question to 10 area coaches.  Which is better, this year’s Helix team, 19-0 at the time of the poll, or the 1967-68 Mount Miguel team that was 32-0?

Five coaches voted for Helix, 2 for Mount Miguel, two abstained, and one didn’t reply.

The consensus was “Mount Miguel was great, but Walton….”

Madison coach John Hannon (18-11): “I used to say that Mount Miguel was the best around in a long time, but (Bill) Walton makes me think twice.  If you stress the word TEAM I like Mount Miguel…but I think Helix would win the game.”

Lincoln’s Bill Peterson (23-6): “Mount Miguel was a five-man effort, while Helix is four men working towards one.  It’s a better year (talent wise in the area) than it was then.  I think Helix is a better club.”

Wayne Colborne, Kearny (11-15):  “Mount Miguel.  (Mike) Ela and (Kenny) Greenman supplied the outside shooting you need to beat a good big man.”

Pal Pruett, Hilltop (19-9):  Mount Miguel was the more demoralizing of the two and had better personnel.”

Tom Curran, Santana (20-9):  “I don’t think Mount Miguel’s press would have worked.”

Tom Williams, Morse (18-11):  “(Helix) is a fine team without Walton.  It’s a great team with him.”

Tom Snow, Castle Park (23-7):  “This is a sport that a big man can dominate.  Walton dominates.’

BEFOULED

La Jolla Country Day’s 92-78 win over Christian had an interesting angle.  Six of the seven players on the Christian roster fouled out in the fourth quarter.  The game was called with 1:42 remaining when the Patriots had one man on the court.

SPARTANS & RANDY ON FIRE

Randy (Shooter) Schutjer of Chula Vista drained all 10 of his field goal attempts but his 23 points were just a complement to Chula Vista’s 79-69 victory over Hoover (13-14).  Teammate Bob Tagye scored 24 points and the hot Spartans knocked down 32×44 attempts from the field, a fiery 73 per cent.

SHAULES-ERA RECORD FALLS

Tom Shaules, Sammy Owens, Raul Martinez and company set a St. Augustine scoring record in a 105-34 victory over La Jolla in 1957-58.  This season’s squad (28-4) surpassed that once-unapproachable mark in a 109-46 stomping of El Capitan (6-18).  Tom Davis (29), George Evans (19), Ron Wrigley (18), and Gary Monahan (12) led the way.

Francis Parker’s Scott Braly almost outscored San Marino Southwestern Military with 25 points in a 48-25 victory.  Braly scored 28 in a rematch in Municipal Gym as the Lancers prevailed again, 62-36.

TOURNAMENTS

KIWANIS

–Madison’s 6-foot, 4-inch Dave Smith set a school record with 45 points, bettering Phil Edwards’ 43 in 1968-69, with 16 field goals and 13×15 free throw shooting in the Warhawks’ 97-43, first-round romp over Mount Miguel in the 23^rd annual.

–Smith had 15 field goals and 33 points the next night but Madison fell to Helix, 87-65.

–Helix defeated San Diego (13-11), 89-45, for the Unlimited Division title.  Castle Park topped Lincoln, 65-52, for the Limited, and El Centro Central beat Mission Bay(12-12), 59-49, for the Classified.

—La Jolla’s Steve Higgins scored 37 points in the 15-12 Vikings’ 84-64 win over Carlsbad (12-14) for third place in the  Limited Division.  Higgins broke Chet Guthrie’s school record of 35 in 1960-61.

UNIVERSITY

Tenth-grader Steve Seidler had a game he could talk about the rest of his life.

Point Loma, 4-5, upset 7-4 Santana, 59-57, in overtime in the opening round.

Seidler scored 24 points, a notable achievement, but which took a backseat.

–Seidler scored the Pointers’ last 10 points in regulation play.

–With Santana stars Terry Forster and Kyle Hypes out with fouls, Seidler keyed a Pointers zone press that overcame a 12-point Sultans lead in the fourth quarter.

–Seidler rebounded a teammate’s missed shot and scored with three seconds left to tie the game, 55-55, and send it into the extra session.

–Seidler’s 20-foot jump shot with two seconds left in overtime lifted the Pointers to victory.

–Clarence Brown’s 31 points were enough for Lincoln to beat St. Augustine, 72-64, for the championship.

EL CENTRO ELKS

–Clarence Thomas, averaging 34.9 points for 10-0 Blythe Palo Verde scored 41 points and Art Harris, averaging 21.6, added 27 as the Yellowjackets overcame Dave Smith’s 38 to topple Madison, 96-95.

–Cedric (Ric) Reed scored 43 points the following evening as Morse eliminated Palo Verde, 123-72.  Harris scored 38 but Thomas was held to 19.

–The 12-0 El Centro Central Spartans outscored Morse, 19-9, in the fourth quarter to win the championship, 65-53.  Blythe beat Crawford, 84-75, for third place and Madison earned fifth place, 65-51 over Orange Glen.

VILLA PARK

La Crescenta Crescenta Valley topped Oceanside (20-7), 81-48. Oceanside won the consolation championship defeating Redondo Beach Redondo, 76-64, and Palos Verdes Miraleste, 77-72.

JIM MITCHELL (FORMER MUSTANG OPTIMIST)

Mar Vista (12-13)claimed the championship, 68-57, over Carlsbad as Don Wade and Kenny Carlsen each scored 21.

NEWPORT HARBOR

La Jolla’s Steve Higgins was injured in pregame warmup and didn’t play but the Vikings defeated Yuma KOFA, 64-63.  Lancaster Antelope Valley defeated La Jolla, 81-58, in the semifinals and Monte Vista (21-7) advanced, 73-65 over Newport Beach Newport Harbor after trailing, 50-49, entering the final quarter.

CHINO

Chula Vista won its opening game, 68-65, in overtime against Pomona and then lost to Pomona, 94-85.  Ganesha ousted Chula Vista from the consolation bracket, 73-70.

LA PUENTE NOGALES

Bonita defeated Marian, 70-50, Rowland Heights Rowland sent the Crusaders home, 67-50.

COVINA

While Helix was dominating, Poway advanced in the consolation bracket, 69-65, over Los Angeles Cathedral after an 83-73 loss to Pasadena La Salle.

BULLDOGS BITE

Ramona (18-7) won the Class A championship by defeating 10-8 La Jolla Country Day, 103-55, and Army-Navy (13-8), 84-55.  Army-Navy had knocked out 9-12 Mountain Empire, which practices outside and does not have a gym, 64-50 and ‘Day topped ‘Empire, 70-57, for third place.

QUICK KICKS

St. Augustine, with  12-0 record, became the first Eastern League team to run the table since Hoover was 10-0 in 1959-60…the Saints had clinched with two games to remaining, knocking down Morse, 78-69, behind George Evans’ 30 points…Patrick Henry(12-15) clinched a more successful second season when it won an early December game against Santana, 59-55, to improve to 3-0…the Patriots were  2-23 in 1968-69…coaches’ sons included La Jolla’s Gary Kloppenburg and University’s Jack McMahon…Bob Kloppenburg coached Cal Western University and Jack McMahon, Sr., mentored the San Diego Rockets of the NBA…all 11 Santana players scored in the Sultans’ 91-63 victory over Point Loma….future major league pitcher Terry Forster led the Santee club with 11 points…Chula Vista’s Bob Tagye converted a free throw and scored on a follow shot to give Chula Vista a 68-65, overtime win against Montclair in the Chino Tournament…future football coach Gene Alim on Mar Vista also could hoop…Alim scored 26 in an 86-82 loss to Bonita Vista…Granite Hills (5-19) dropped an 88-61 decision to Grossmont (8-16) despite 40 points from Tim Doerr…Mount Miguel, destined for a 2-22 finish won its first game of the season in the University event by overcoming a 40-point effort by Randy Larson and defeating Clairemont (5-20), 71-68…Roy Garcia converted 15×16 free throw attempts and Hoover upended Morse, 62-53…La Jolla converted 35×44 free throws in an 81-68 win over University (19-9)…James Ross, a transfer from Denver, Colorado, sank two free throws with 15 seconds left in regulation and drained a 22-foot shot at the buzzer in overtime to give Kearny a 57-55 win over Point Loma (8-16)….

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