HIGH SCHOOL NOTEBOOK : Crespi Sets Sights on Long Run

Crespi High’s basketball team played in the prestigious Tournament of Champions last week for the fifth straight year.

And for the fifth straight year, the Celts missed finishing in the top four of the tournament.

After losing to Santa Monica, defeating Cleveland and then falling to Verbum Dei, the Celts returned to Encino with a rather average season record of 4-3.

“I’m sure our record is well below .500 in this tournament over the years,” Crespi Coach Paul Muff said. “But this has always helped us in the long run.”

Translation: Tough tournament schedules make the Celts tournament-tough come playoff time.

Crespi went 1-2 last week in Pomona, losing to Santa Monica, 58-52, and to Verbum Dei, 62-56. Santa Monica went on to lose the tournament final by one point to defending Southern Section 5-A champion Mater Dei, while Verbum Dei won the consolation title.

“This tournament showed that we can play with teams of a high caliber,” Muff said. “You get more out of a game like the Verbum Dei game than you do a 20-point win over a team of lesser quality.”

Simi Valley sophomores Don MacLean and Shawn DeLaittre rank 1-2 in scoring and rebounding for the Pioneers, and now along comes another sophomore-to-watch for the Times’ No. 1-ranked Valley team.

Butch Hawking, son of Pioneer Coach Bob Hawking, was called up from the junior varsity last week to join the varsity at the Sundevil tournament in Las Vegas. The 5-10 point guard, MVP of Simi Valley’s JV tournament two weeks ago, had five assists in a limited role in the Pioneers’ 62-56 victory over Bonanza last Saturday night.

University of Arizona Coach Lute Olson was in Las Vegas last Wednesday to take a look at Crescenta Valley guard Harvey Mason, who signed last month with the Wildcats.

After watching Mason score 25 points in a 69-57 win over Chaparral, Olson stuck around for the beginning of the Simi Valley-Bishop Gorman game, presumably to see MacLean.

Said a tournament official: “Some of the college coaches from the area like to drop into the tournament to see if the big kids from California look as good as they sound in the papers.”

MacLean promptly missed his first three shots. Olson left.

MacLean warmed up at that point, finishing with 23 points and 16 rebounds.