ATHLETE OF THE WEEK : Is He a Guard? Is He a Forward? He's Westlake's Paul Keenan

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK : Is He a Guard? Is He a Forward? He’s Westlake’s Paul Keenan

L.A. Times Archives

Dec. 31, 1986 12 AM PT

Paul Keenan, a senior on the Westlake basketball team, mystifies his coach. Roy Gilmore isn’t sure what position Keenan should play. Is he a guard or forward?

And he has no idea how to describe him. When asked, Gilmore stammered, paused and finally blurted out, “I don’t know.”

“Paul’s quiet,” Gilmore said. “He’s not a showboat, not a holler guy. He doesn’t do one thing outstanding, but he does a lot of things well. His problem is he’s one of those in between guys.”

Some problem. Keenan, 6-4, is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 17.5 points through the first 11 games. He started the season at forward and moved to guard at the start of the Hart tournament last week. He responded to the move with his best games of the season.

In a 90-76 win over Canyon, he scored a season-high 32 points and followed with a 22-point effort in Westlake’s 77-72 win over San Fernando, converting 14 of 15 free throws.

Gilmore moved Keenan, an All-Marmonte League forward last season, as much for the good of the player as for the team.

“If he’s going to play in college, he’ll play as a guard so he needs to improve his ball-handling,” he said.

Keenan, an honors student with a 3.3 grade-point average, said the position change was an easy one, matching him in the back court with Rick Welch, a teammate since grade school. The hardest part was playing against San Fernando, Westlake’s quickest opponent.

“I wasn’t really nervous,” he said. “I try to be calm. I know I need the work if I’m going to play in college.”