BRIEFLY : Rockfish Represent State in Junior Olympics
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The Los Angeles Rockfish, a club team featuring some of the best high school basketball talent in Southern California, will represent the state in the AAU Junior Olympics National Basketball tournament, 17-and-under division, in Memphis, Tenn. The tournament will run Monday through July 20.
The Rockfish, coached by David Benezra and Doug Mitchell, won two spring leagues, Slam ‘N’ Jam and American Roundball Court. The team, which is 24-2 in all-star competition, earned a berth in the national event with a victory in a local AAU tournament.
The Rockfish features Earl Duncan (6-3) of St. Monica in Santa Monica; Scott Williams (6-10) of Wilson High in Hacienda Heights; Kevin Holland (6-8) of Cerritos; Steve Florentine (6-7) of Redondo; Keith Billingley (6-3) of South Gate; Mark Rudolph (6-0) of Crossroads in Santa Monica; Derek Strong (6-8) and Victor Malbrough (6-6), both of Palisades High; Michael Courtney (6-5) of Westchester, and Eric Jordan (6-2) of Inglewood. All will be seniors in the fall.
There are two juniors on the team: Josh Oppenheimer (5-11) of Notre Dame in Sherman Oaks and Barry Howard (6-5) of Etiwanda.
Best Softball Team Ever Assembled?
Call it a Murderers’ Row, recreation-league style.
The Orlando Cepeda All-Pro Stars, a Burbank softball team, features a lineup that reads like a who’s who of baseball: Tommy Davis, Orlando Cepeda, Luis Tiant, Wes Parker, Dick Simpson and Dock Ellis.
Cepeda’s club will be going for its fifth straight victory Sunday at 12:15 p.m., when it takes on the KTLA employees at Pacific Park in Burbank.
Cepeda, the 1958 National League Rookie of the Year and the NL Most Valuable Player in 1967, formed the team three months ago. The team is undefeated in four exhibition matches against, among others, the cast of Magnum P.I. and the NBC staff.
Rounding out Cepeda’s crew are former USC and NFL running back Sam Cunningham, and ex-major leaguers Carmen Fanzone (Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs) and Roman Mejias (Pirates).
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