Big Draw--The high school basketball championships at...

Big Draw--The high school basketball championships at the Long Beach Arena last month outdrew three major college basketball games held the same weekend in the Los Angeles area, according to figures made public by the CIF Southern Section office. The final day (March 9) of the Southern Section championships drew 16,956 spectators (11,467 of those fans showed up for the 4A and 5A Division double-header). Other events held that weekend and their totals were: Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. Tournament final (Nevada-Las Vegas vs. Cal State Fullerton at the Forum) 10,847; USC-Oregon at the Sports Arena (8,254), and UCLA-Oregon at Pauley Pavilion (10,099).

Football Coach Hired--Artesia High School has elevated defensive coordinator Vince La Rosa, 34, to the position of head football coach. A native of Brooklyn, La Rosa has spent 11 of the past 12 seasons as a coach in the Southeast area. He has been at Artesia for six years. Previously, he was a head coach at a high school in New Hampshire for a single season and an assistant at Cerritos High School for five years. La Rosa says he plans to upgrade the off-season program at the school and build a coaching staff that is expected to include most of the school’s former staff. In addition, he said he wants to add two coaches in “walk-on” capacities if he can not fill his order from within the ABC Unified School District.