Prep Review : Southern Section to Answer $8,000 Question

If the Southern Section can manage to extricate itself from its current dilemma and resolve the longstanding do-we-play-with-them-or-not quandary it currently faces, the section will go a long way to ridding itself of persistent bureaucratic baggage.

The section will have that chance on Thursday when the Southern Section Executive Council convenes. A principal representing each of the 60 leagues in the section will vote. The situation, in abbreviated form, is this: As it stands, the Southern Section does not participate in the State CIF basketball tournament. This, despite having undefeated Mater Dei (29-0) and Glendale (28-0) as section 5-A and 4-A champions.

The state basketball tournament was established in 1916 and was held until 1928. The tournament was revived in 1981 and the Southern Section hosted the finals in 1982 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. The event drew few fans.

Recently, the state’s 10 section commissioners voted to permanently keep the finals at the Oakland Coliseum Arena where capacity crowds are the norm.

Last January, Dr. Dennis Evans, principal at Corona del Mar High School and the representative from the Sea View League, introduced a proposal at the Southern Section Executive Council meeting calling for an end to the section’s participation in the State basketball playoffs. The council voted, 44-14, in favor of the proposal and all 10 Orange county leagues supported Evans’ proposal.

The section does send athletes to the CIF state championships in sports such as volleyball, track and wrestling.

So what. So $8,000 is what. That’s the pivotal figure in the two budgets sent out by the State CIF office. That’s the amount the section is billed for its share of the tournament’s expenses, even though it does not participate.

All member sections bear the cost of the tournament, but the catch is that other sections see some return in the form of a share of gate receipts. The CIF office estimates this return to be approximately $7,000 to $8,000 for next season’s tournament. Because it did not participate last season, the Southern Section did not receive any revenue from the state tournament.

“It’s a form of arm twisting to the tune of $15,000,” Evans said. “I’m sure the money will be a factor in the voting. But, really, if you are trying to sell something to reasonably educated people it’s not a good idea to pin it on money. It makes you question the motivation of people where you might not have questioned before.”

Considering the means the State CIF is employing to induce the Southern Section to rejoin, the motivation becomes clear. In fact, it may be the only portion of the situation that is easy to understand.

The Southern Section, with its 473 schools, is easily the state’s largest section, and, some would argue the caliber of play in the Southern Section is superior to any other in the state. The CIF believes it needs the section not just to fill out the tournament but also to add prestige.

Understood, says the Southern Section, but we have problems of our own. One of the considerations for the section is to retain its ‘dead week’ policy to give multi-sport student-athletes a chance to rest between seasons. Under the current playoff schedule, schools in an eight-team league are sometimes forced to play three games per week.

“We just don’t think that’s educationally sound,” Evans said. “My problem with the situation is more philosophical. We have made the decision to have the dead week so there would be more focus on academics. We wanted to put some common sense into the system so the kids wouldn’t be competing year-round. We felt that getting back into the playoffs was inconsistent with that policy. If we go back, it’s a philosophical statement.”

Another consideration for the section is what had been termed the “anti-climactic” nature of the State championships.

“It is very prestigious to be the Southern Section CIF champion, to be one of the best out of 460 schools,” Laguna Hills Principal Tom Tullar said. “The state championships is anti-climactic. There isn’t an equality between sections that would lead you to believe that by the time they got to state they had been through the same screening process.”

Other principals cite lack of rivalries between southern and northern schools that contributes to apathy.

Despite the financial inducement from the State CIF office, and the backing of Southern Section Commissioner Ray Plutko, a poll of the county’s league representatives indicates a strong sentiment to not rejoin the state basketball playoffs. How the principals will vote in committee, how ever, is not certain. One thing for sure, Thursday’s decision will be watched closely by the State CIF office.

Prep Notes

The Orange County Athletic Directors’ Assn. spring meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, May 13, at the Anaheim Stadium Club. The organization will honor high school team doctors and Dr. Robert Kerlan will be a special guest. The keynote speaker for the evening will be Senator Joseph B. Montoya, Chairman of the State Select Committee on licensed and designated sports. . . . Among the 20 finalists for the CIF State Scholar-Athlete of the Year award are Andrew Lawson (Newport Harbor), water polo, John Middleton (Woodbridge), cross-country-track and Deidre Mazurie (Foothill), swimming. The winners will be announced today. . . . Edison basketball Coach Jon Borchert, when asked who is the winner of the Ocean View and Edison games that both teams were forced to forfeit: “Who cares?” . . . Former Fountain Valley shortstop Gary Schoonover of Brigham Young University was selected as the Western Athletic Conference’s Player of the Week. Schoonover, a freshman, raised his batting average to .384 and batted .552 for the week. He has four home runs and 29 RBIs for the season. . . . Former Sunny Hills star basketball player Brad McNamara is among the five finalists being interviewed today for the vacant coaching position at Tustin. . . . Ocean View reserve forward Mike Flynn has signed a national letter of intent to attend the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. . . . Former Santa Ana football Coach Tom Meiss recently turned down a head coaching offer at Whittier’s California High to pursue a position as offensive coordinator at Santa Ana College. The void on Dave Ogas’ Don staff was created when John Featherstone left to become the head coach at El Camino College. . . . Seven county soccer players have commited to play for the UC Irvine women’s soccer team. They are: Shelly Trimble (Troy), Nicki Grody (El Modena), Balin Hummitsch (Troy), Jennifer Hogan (Woodbridge), Autumn Hayes (Villa Park), Lori Heinselman (Los Alamitos) and Linda Audis (Fullerton College).