Pajaud’s return sparks Compton Centennials’s upset victory

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How valuable is Marc Pajaud to the Compton Centennial boys’ basketball team? The results speak for themselves. The Apaches’ senior guard sat out three consecutive games with an ankle injury and Centennial lost all three. He was back in the lineup Wednesday night and showed no signs of rust, finishing with 31 points, nine rebounds and two blocks as Centennial upended first-place North Torrance, 75-70, in a Pioneer League clash.

Pajaud, a senior wing/forward averaging 15 points a game, scored 14 of the Apaches’ 24 points in the fourth quarter. He’s become the foundation of a proud program still reeling from the loss of 11 players to graduation. No one understands Pajaud’s importance more than Apaches’ first-year Coach Chris Francis.

‘Marc’s our most versatile player and the only returning starter with experience,’ said Francis, who previously coached at King-Drew for seven seasons. ‘He’s the last piece left over from [former coach] Rod Palmer’s program, and I’m relieved to have him back.’

Palmer, now an assistant at Long Beach State, built Centennial into a regional power and mentored, among others, UCLA’s Arron Afflalo (drafted in the first round by the Detroit Pistons in 2007) and USC’s Gabe Pruitt (drafted in the second round by the Boston Celtics). In fact, the Apaches hadn’t lost a league game in six seasons before Francis’ arrival. They’ve lost four already this season.

Still, with Pajaud healthy again and three league games left, don’t write off Centennial’s season just yet.

-- Steve Galluzzo

-- Image from www.gototem.com