Breitbard Stars of the Month, February, 2006

PROFESSIONALS

JIMMIE JOHNSON (Auto racing, El Cajon) – The NASCAR driver won the Super Bowl of his sport by winning the Daytona 500 on Feb. 19 in Florida. Johnson worked his way to the front in a two-lap sprint to the finish for the victory. The win capped a roller-coaster week that saw NASCAR suspend his crew chief. Johnson also took second a week later at Fontana to finish the month leading the Nextel Cup standings.

JOHN LYNCH (Football, Denver Broncos/Torrey Pines High) – The veteran strong safety made his seventh Pro Bowl appearance in the NFC’s 23-17 win over the AFC in Honolulu. Lynch, a 6-foot-2, 220-pounder, recorded two tackles and intercepted a pass for the AFC. He was named following a 2005 season that saw him help lead the Broncos to the AFC championship game.

SHAWNE MERRIMAN (Football, Chargers) – The rookie outside linebacker led six Chargers who appeared in the Pro Bowl in Honolulu in the game won by the NFC over the AFC, 23-17. Merriman, a 6-foot-4, 272-pounder named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year for the 2005 season, started for the AFC in his first Pro Bowl and finished the game with three tackles and a forced fumble.

SHAUN WHITE (Snowboarding, Carlsbad) – The Italians call him "Il Pomodoro Volante" (The Flying Tomato) for his mop of redhair and flair for competition as the 19-year-old from Carlsbad won the gold medal in the halfpipe at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. White, who attended Carlsbad High as a freshman before home schooling, failed to qualify for the finals in the first round, but he scored a 46.8 (out of 50) in the next round to advance and claim gold. He also landed on two Sports Illustrated covers.

AMATEURS

MOHAMED ABUKAR (Men’s basketball, SDSU/Rancho Bernardo High) – The junior transfer from Florida became eligible in mid-December and helped SDSU bounce back from a slow start to win Mountain West Conference regular season and tournament titles. Abukar ranked in the Top 10 in three MWC categories: third in free throw percentage (85.7), fourth in field goal percentage (53.7) and ninth in scoring (15.2). He was named second-team All-MWC.

ERIN ASAY (Women’s track and field, SDSU/Sweetwater High) – The senior set a school record in the women’s pole vault that was set just last year by NCAA runner-up Shayla Balentine. The Sweetwater High and Cuyamaca College alumnus cleared 14 feet, 0 ½ inch to win the indoor Albuquerque Invitational on Feb. 11 at New Mexico. She was named the Mountain West Conference Co-Athlete of the Week.

JOSH BUTLER (Baseball, USD) – The junior right-handed pitcher set the tone for a three-game sweep of defending national champion Texas, who entered the season-opening series ranked No. 1 in the nation. Butler threw five shutout innings while striking out five batters en route to picking up the win in the 4-2 victory. He was named to the College Baseball Foundation National Honor Roll for the week of Feb. 20. He started the season 3-0 with an ERA of 0.00.

TIARA HARRIS (Women’s basketball, USD) – The 5-foot-10 senior guard was named first-team All-West Coast Conference as she finished her career with the Toreros fifth in points with 1,118 and third in career three-pointers with 135. Harris, from Pine Creek High in Colorado Springs, Colo., led USD in scoring with 14.2 points per game and was third in the WCC. In her final home game on Feb. 25, she scored a career-high 28 points in USD’s 71-60 win over Portland.

LEORA JUSTER (Women’s basketball, UCSD) – The 5-foot-8 junior guard from Venice High finished the regular season as UCSD’s career scoring leader with 1,311 points and single-season scoring leader with 594. She led the Tritons to a 23-4 record, a second-place finish in the California Collegiate Athletic Association and a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Division II tournament. Juster was named the CCAA Most Valuable Player and the Daktronics West Region Player of the Year. For the season she averaged 22.0 points and 4.1 assists per game. She was three-time CCAA Player of the Week during the season.

ALAN WIGGINS (Men’s basketball, San Francisco/Poway) – The 6-foot-9 junior forward enjoyed a breakout season as USF’s second leading scorer (14.3), leading rebounder (8.3) and the West Coast Conference’s leading shot blocker (2.1). He was named the Dons’ MVP, the team’s best defender and honorable mention All-WCC. The alumnus of Poway High and Horizon High had four straight double doubles in February that included a pair within three days in a split of back-to-back games against USD.

PREPS

JOEY BOONE (Wrestling, Poway High) – The junior 121-pounder for the Titans won titles in the CIF San Diego Section Division I and Masters meets en route to a third-place finish at the state meet and 47-5 record for the year. Boone’s victory in the Division I meet helped Poway win the team title for the 25th straight year. He helped the Titans to a runner-up finish at the state meet with a state-meet medal for the second straight year.

CHASE BUDINGER (Boys basketball, La Costa Canyon High) – The McDonald’s All-American forward/guard broke the CIF San Diego Section career scoring record with 30 points against Westview on Feb. 10 to push his total to 2,635 before finishing with 2,934. Budinger also became only the second San Diego boy named to the McDonald’s All-American game. He averaged 33.6 points a game and matched his career high with 51 points on Feb. 3 against Rancho Bernardo. Budinger led the Mavericks to the Palomar League title and their first CIF San Diego Section Division I title.

JENNY JARVIE (Girls soccer, Cathedral Catholic High) – The senior team captain and four-year starter led Cathedral Catholic to the CIF San Diego Section Division III title and was named the Division III Player of the Year. The center-midfielder was second on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 12 assists. Jarvie accepted a scholarship to the University of San Francisco. It was the first CIF title since Cathedral Catholic opened, but the third in four years for the senior class counting the years at University High.

PARIS JOHNSON (Girls basketball, San Diego High) – The 6-foot-3 junior led the Cavers to the Eastern League title and their second CIF San Diego Section Division I championship in three trips to the finals. Johnson averaged 19.4 points per game for a team ranked No. 1 in San Diego and among the state’s Top 10 teams in Division I.

JAYDEE LUSTER (Boys basketball, Hoover High) – The 5-foot-9 junior point guard, ranked one of the top 25 juniors in the nation, broke the CIF San Diego Section career record for steals on Feb. 14 in a win over Madison. Luster pushed his total to 481 career steals while leading the Cardinals to the CIF Division II title and Southern California Regional Division II semifinals. Hoover's San Diego title was the school's first since 1962. Luster averaged 18.7 points a game and finished the year tied for the career record in assists with 772.

KRYSTYNA McCRIGHT (Girls water polo, Poway High) – It’s rare when a goalie is named a Player of the Year, but McCright earned the honor after leading the Titans to a 32-2 record and the CIF San Diego Section Division I title. McCright was named the CIF Division I Player of the Year and a first-team member of the Breitbard All-CIF team. She recorded 270 saves with 32 steals and 20 assists for the season.

Tom Shanahan can be contacted at 619-699-2334 or toms@sdhoc.com.