Borchart Has Debut to Savor

A smorgasbord of notes, quotes and opinions from across the San Fernando Valley and its surrounding communities:

One of the best parts of covering high school sports is identifying real phenoms, then following their progress to see if they can fulfill their early promise.

Remember these high school debuts?:

March 11, 1980: Sophomore Bret Saberhagen hits a two-out, run-scoring single in the seventh inning to give Cleveland High a 2-1 win over West Valley League title favorite Chatsworth.

Sept. 20, 1985: Running back Russell White of Crespi’s freshman team rushes for more than 200 yards in a 28-8 victory over Esperanza.

Dec. 4, 1985: Sophomore Don MacLean scores 23 points in Simi Valley’s 106-38 victory over Fillmore.

Dec. 1, 1993: Freshman Jason Collins scores 22 points and grabs 10 rebounds and his twin, Jarron, adds four points in Harvard-Westlake’s 63-60 victory over Brentwood.

Add Dec. 2, 1997, to the list. It was the varsity basketball debut of 6-foot-7 freshman Scott Borchart of Chaminade.

Only 14 years old, Borchart scored 21 points and had 17 rebounds in a 78-53 victory over Santa Barbara.

Borchart figures to grow to 6-9 or 6-10. He plays the game like MacLean--he’s aggressive, never gives up and is mature beyond his years. At one point, he took a charging foul, which is unusual for a freshman big man. He has better post moves than some seniors.

Like MacLean, Borchart prepared for high school by playing against older players on youth club teams.

“It teaches you to play against stronger, quicker and tougher guys, so when you get to high school, it’s about the same thing,� he said.

Three years from now, Borchart will be one of the region’s top post players. . . .

Another impressive debut was turned in this week by Harvard-Westlake sophomore guard Russell Lakey. He scored 21 and 24 points in victories over Antelope Valley and Moorpark. The 5-10 Lakey made 17 of 26 shots from the field and all eight of his free throws.

“What’s so fun about him is his quickness and how he creates things for himself,� Coach Greg Hilliard said. . . .

There’s an excellent group of junior guards in the region, but Grant’s Gilbert Arenas deserves No. 1 status. He scored 36 points in his season debut.

“He’s got tremendous instincts and tremendous athletic ability,� Coach Howard Levine said. . . .

Notre Dame tailback Justin Fargas has scheduled a recruiting trip to UCLA next weekend. He said he also plans to visit USC, Michigan, Stanford and Northwestern in the coming weeks.

Commenting on this season with the Knights, Fargas said, “It’s been my favorite year just because there’s been some tough games. We had to work through adversity from the two losses earlier in the season and bounce back. It definitely will be the season I remember most no matter the outcome the next two weeks.�. . . .

Sylmar’s baseball team is excited about the winter play of sophomore outfielder Eddie Camacho. . . .

The next Troy Glaus could be El Camino Real sophomore third baseman Conor Jackson. He’s 6-2, has a great work ethic and can hit with the best. . . .

The Southern California Stealth 16-and-under team won a Thanksgiving softball tournament in Chino. Hart sophomore pitcher Amanda Fortune threw two shutouts, Canyon sophomore Justina Kahaku batted .583 and Calabasas sophomore Sara Hall went five for 10 with a grand slam. . . .

Former Louisville outfielder Becky Witt, a freshman at Fresno State, has been selected to play at the USA Softball Women’s National Team Festival on June 9-13 in Fort Worth, Texas. . . .

Former Taft baseball star Robin Yount will have to wait one more year before he’s voted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. He’ll be on the ballot in 1999 with an elite group of first-timers that includes Nolan Ryan, George Brett and Carlton Fisk. . . .

Former Crespi pitcher Keith Evans is 3-3 with a 1.93 earned-run average in the Hawaiian Winter League. . . .

Freshman outfielder Bill Scott from Alemany is contending for a starting spot at UCLA. “He has power to all fields,� Coach Gary Adams said.

UCLA signed the nation’s No. 1 college prospect in right-handed pitcher Josh Karp from Bothell, Wash. The question is how much money will Karp be willing to turn down after the June amateur draft. . . .

Trying to enter an Alemany football game this season without a pass required the person to get past gatekeeper Kathy Troisi, the sister of Athletic Director Dudley Rooney.

Said Rooney: “She wouldn’t let the Pope come in if he didn’t pay.� . . .

Crescenta Valley has chosen an architect for its new gymnasium. The school received $22 million from a bond measure for campus improvements. Former basketball coach John Goffredo said he hopes the gym will be built within “a couple of years.� He said the school is looking at Hart’s new gym as a facility to emulate. . . .

One of the best girls’ basketball games of the early season is set for Thursday night, when Harvard-Westlake plays host to North Hollywood.

Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesdays and Sundays. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422.