Stassel shines in all-star game
IRVINE — While Charlie Stassel warmed up, his Newport Harbor High boys’ basketball coach showed up to watch him one more time. Bob Torribio made it to the second annual Open Gym Premier Orange County High School All-Star Game for seniors on Wednesday, despite hurting his jaw during an accident the day before in his classroom that left him with stiches near his right chin.
Torribio said he cannot move his jaw that well, but his jaw sank a little after seeing what Stassel pulled off 10 minutes after Torribio entered the gym at Irvine Valley College.
Stassel’s first try in the slam dunk portion of the event was jaw-dropping. He completed a 360 dunk, getting the fans off their feet. Being the shortest of the four participants did not stop Stassel, who is 5-foot-11, from displaying his hops.
Stassel is more than a high-flying act, and the guard exhibited more of his talents for the South All-Stars. The lone representative from Newport-Mesa started strong, scoring nine first-half points, but the North came back to win, 112-104.
“It was good,” Stassel said. “It was really fun and good to see everybody come out and play.”
Stassel was one of three locals invited to take part in the showcase, the other two were Corona del Mar forward Matt Ctvrtlik and guard Sam Kobrine. Sea Kings Coach Ryan Schachter said Ctvrtlik and Kobrine, who are standouts in volleyball as well, didn’t play because of their volleyball commitments to CdM, which has a big Pacific Coast League match at home against Beckman on Thursday.
There were a couple of other local faces in attendance, former Costa Mesa head coaches Dan Krikorian and Mike Molina. The two are now assistants at Chapman University, guiding the program to the NCAA Division III men’s basketball tournament earlier this month.
Krikorian and Molina, as well as other coaches from junior college and NAIA programs in Southern California, came to evaluate the talent on the court. The best college prospect was Los Alamitos’ Eyassu Worku, who is heading to UC Irvine.
Stassel is all too familiar with Worku, as the two starred in the Sunset League. Worku, the league MVP, and the Griffins swept the two-game series with the Sailors, who finished in second place at 6-4, behind undefeated league champion Los Alamitos.
Los Alamitos has owned the Sailors, who last beat the Griffins during the 2012-13 season.
In this matchup, Worku, a 6-2 guard, had some work to do against a team with Stassel on it. He had to get his North team back in, seeing its 15-12 lead dissipate early.
The South went on a 20-4 run. During the spurt, Stassel knocked down a three-pointer in the corner and finished a fastbreak with a dunk.
Stassel was on the court for most of South’s surge. He took a seat with 10:38 left in the first half, and by then the South built a 32-19 lead.
Like most All-Star games, no one plays any defense. The North roared back, going ahead, 45-44.
Stassel put the South back on top. He went in for a layup with 3:25 to go, and he added another layup almost two minutes later. In the first half, Stassel made four of five shots, contributing to the South taking a 58-51 lead into halftime.
The momentum stayed with the South, which outscored the North, 19-2, in the first 4:12 of the second half. The North called a timeout, and when play resumed, Stassel saw his first action in the second half with the South up, 77-53.
Six seconds are how long it took Worku to respond with a jumper. Worku rallied the North, with the assistance of Los Alamitos teammate Pepe Garcia.
Each nailed a three-pointer to bring back the North around the seven-minute mark. Then Worku came up with a steal and sent a no-look pass to Garcia, who threw it down to cut the deficit to 95-94 with less than four minutes remaining.
There was no stopping Worku, who finished with a game-high 22 points and earned the All-Star Game MVP award. The North took the lead for good on a drive to the basket by Servite’s Cameron Griffin, who was on the winning side of the game and dunk contest.
“We had this game and it got away from us,” said Stassel, who is talking to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo about possibly walking on its men’s basketball team next season.
Stassel said he was happy that Torribio was there to see him, knowing his coach took a scary fall in his classroom on Tuesday morning. Torribio told Stassel that he wouldn’t miss his last game representing the Sailors, who went 21-8 overall, recording their seventh 20-win season in the program’s history.
“It’s great to have a player like him recognized in a big-time event like this,” Torribio said of Stassel, a first-team all-league member who averaged 15.5 points and 2.6 steals per game, and shot 45% from the field, 35% from three-point range and 70% from the free-throw line. “It makes your life a lot easier as a coach when your best player is your hardest worker on the court and off the court.”
