Arenas Brings Unique Kind of Magic

By ERIC SONDHEIMER

Jan. 3, 1999 12 AM PT

With the NBA season going, going . . . perhaps gone, thank goodness for Gilbert Arenas of Grant High.

You don’t need to pay $850 for a courtside Laker seat when you can stop by a Grant game to watch one of the most entertaining, most exciting 16-year-old basketball players in Valley history.

See him once and you’ll want to go back a second time, then a third and a fourth.

Watch the reaction of fans in the bleachers after Arenas blocks a shot, slams home a dunk or makes a three-point basket. Teenagers smile and offer high-fives. Adults shake their heads in amazement.

“I marvel at his talent,” Coach Howard Levine of Grant said.

“Man, sometimes I have to keep reminding myself he’s just 16,” teammate Daniel Tarr said.

There is plenty of Magic Johnson-like charm in Arenas, a 6-foot-4 senior who did a cartwheel after he made a shot with six seconds left in double overtime to beat Crespi earlier this week.

When he connected on an off-balance three-point shot at the buzzer to send the game into the second overtime, one of the officials commented, “Is that guy amazing?”

Blake Tibbetts, the Crespi defender who followed Arenas all over the court, concluded, “He’s unbelievable. I was in his jock all night and he still scores 33 points.”

With fingers as long as E.T. and arms to match, quick feet and magnificent basketball instincts, Arenas is averaging 36.5 points after 13 games. He is shooting 55.4%, including 46 three-point baskets.

“He’s the best offensive player that’s been in this Valley, maybe forever,” Levine said.

Last week, a visit was made to the Amateur Athletic Foundation library in Los Angeles to examine All-City teams from the last four decades and compare Arenas to the greatest City Section players in Valley history.

The starting point in 1961 was guard Gail Goodrich, an NBA Hall of Famer from Poly High. He averaged 23.2 points his senior season. He won a City title, an NCAA championship with UCLA and an NBA championship with the Lakers.

There was Greg Lee, the City player of the year in 1969 and 1970 at Reseda and assist man to Bill Walton at UCLA. Gavin Smith of Van Nuys averaged 27.0 points in 1973. Chris Lippert of Cleveland was a 6-5 forward who averaged 32.1 points in 1975. Alan Taylor, a 6-9 center, averaged 26 points for Kennedy in 1976. Darren Daye, a three-time All-City player from Kennedy, averaged 26.6 points during his varsity career from 1976-79.

Stuart Gray was a 7-foot center from Kennedy who averaged 31.3 points in 1981. Trevor Wilson was a three-time All-City player from Cleveland who averaged 21.6 points in 1986. Kevin Franklin of Taft could shoot from all over in 1987. Lucious Harris and Adonis Jordan were future NBA players when they were at Cleveland in 1989.

As an offensive player in high school, Arenas is just as good--if not better--than all of them. His ability to improvise and create shots through his athleticism and instincts is startling for someone who turns 17 on Wednesday.

At any moment during a game, Arenas is capable of doing something so unexpected that no spectators should feel comfortable leaving their seat for fear of missing a memorable play.

“His presence of mind up in the air is incredible,” Levine said. “His athleticism is remarkable. He made a move with his feet, where he froze five people, then went up from five feet and made a jumper.”

Opponents of Arenas, beware. Never say anything that might attract his attention, for that’s the inspiration he frequently uses to take his game to the highest level.

“I like a good game when the other players are talking trash,” he said.

Arenas isn’t a complete player just yet.

At times, he cruises on the court.

“Sometimes I get lazy,” he said.

His defensive intensity could use improvement, and he would come up with more open shots if he worked harder without the ball.

But when he’s focused, there’s no one like him. He has so much fun on the court he can play a game and interact with people in the stands at the same time.

“It helps me out,” he said of crowd reaction. “I know I’m doing something good.”

Arizona signed him to a letter of intent last November, and just wait until the Wildcats see what they’re getting.

He’s 6-4 but plays like he’s 6-8. He has one-on-one moves that nobody can duplicate. He’s a team player, a hard worker and a good person.

“He reminds me of Kobe Bryant,” Tarr said. “He plays with explosiveness and mental toughness.”

A major off-the-court test for Arenas came last summer, when he thought about transferring to Sylmar. Had he left, he would have made the Spartans an immediate City title contender. But he regained his sense of priorities and chose not to jeopardize his academic standing for college.

It sets the stage for two titanic games against Sylmar in East Valley League play, Feb. 3 at Grant and Feb. 12 at Sylmar.

“It will be exciting,” he said.

Like a surfer searching for the perfect wave, Arenas is working toward the day he plays a perfect game. No one knows how good he can become.

Levine is certain about one thing.

“He’s a special player,” he said.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The Arenas File

Here are the basketball statistics for Gilbert Arenas of Grant after 13 games this season:

POINTS: 475

THREE-POINT AVERAGE: 46

SCORING AVERAGE: 36.5

REBOUNDING AVERAGE: 7.5