The ‘Babes Are the Best : Undefeated Compton Girls Have Breezed to a No. 1 State Basketball Ranking

When Carolyn Montgomery answered the phone one night recently, it was though she had just awakened. Her voice was coarse, barely audible.

“No, you didn’t wake me up,� she said in response to the question. “I just got back from our game.�

Tough game, huh?

More like a workout, Montgomery said. Her Compton High girls’ basketball team had won again, 101-33.

But when the No. 1 team in the Southern Section and California--and the seventh-best team in the country, according to USA Today--is also No. 1 in her heart, Montgomery, the Tarbabes’ sixth-year coach, sees no reason to let up. The playoffs are only about three weeks away.

“I’m pleased with the play of the team,� Montgomery said. “But I am a little disappointed at the competition we have to play to get ready for the playoffs. This (Moore) league had always been competitive in the past, so it’s hard to psych my team up when almost every game we go into, we can beat them 100-and-something to 33.�

Everybody should have such problems. The Lady Babes, as they like to be known, are 18-0 and with an all-senior starting lineup are receiving plenty of attention from college scouts.

How potent is their offense? Among the starters, Yolanda Rothschild has the lowest scoring average--8.9 points a game.

A better example might be sophomore Mandaline Hannah, who contributes almost 12 points a game. Montgomery already has her tabbed as a star of the future.

“This kid has the potential to be the top player in the country when she’s a senior,� she said. “Right now we’re trying to control her and cut down on some of the mental mistakes, but if she played all the time she’d be scoring 30 points a game.�

On this team, though, she doesn’t even start.

Balance is a word that quickly comes to mind. Here’s a look at Compton’s starting lineup, including Montgomery’s most recent statistics for each player:

Guard--Felicia Benson, 5-9, senior. Averaging 16.4 points and 9.4 rebounds a game. “Her rebounds are mostly offensive rebounds,� Montgomery said. “She can shot from the weak side and then come and get her own rebounds. That’s where she gets most of her points. She can rebound with the biggest.�

Guard--Cathy Gooden, 5-5, senior. The team’s quarterback on offense, with 16.7 points and 4.1 assists. “She’s 5-5 and plays like 6-1,� Montgomery said. “She can really push the ball upcourt and run the fast break.�

Guard--Rothschild, 5-6, senior. “She is the best defensive players I’ve ever coached in my life,� Montgomery said. “She has that killer aspect in her. I call her my Defensive Queen.�

Forward--Kim Thompson, 6-0, senior. The top scorer (17.8 points) and rebounder (9.8) she is, along with Benson, a three-year varsity player and the heart and soul of the team, Montgomery said. Not surprisingly, she also leads the team in recruiters--USC, Cal State Long Beach, Cal, Hawaii, Colorado and New Mexico among Division I schools.

Forward--Marnell Wiley, 5-9, senior. Averaging 13 points and nine rebounds, making her an average player on this very unaverage team.

A former college player at Federal City College in Washington, Montgomery began her sixth season at Compton with a 135-30 record. She said that she tried to shield the team from talk of rankings and publicity at the start of the season by not posting any clippings regarding the team.

“Now I can put them up because the No. 7 ranking doesn’t mean anything. Even being ranked No. 1 won’t mean anything until the end of the CIF playoffs, and then is when we want to say that we’re No. 1.�