West Hoping to Stay in Neighborhood at USC

Crenshaw basketball Coach Willie West, fresh from winning his second straight state basketball title, said he will apply for the vacant coaching position at USC this week.

West, who has won nine City and three California Division I championships in his 16 years with the Cougars, said he decided to go for the spot after considering it for several weeks.

“I guess I have to make the first move,” West said Monday. “I’m just trying to get the resume together to have something factual to give them.

“I wanted to try to wait until I had a chance to sit down after the season. Last week, there was so much going on that I just tried to block it out of my mind until Saturday (the day of the championship game) was over. I still tried to block it out that night and get some rest, but I never did. Then I heard that they want to make a decision pretty soon.”

Previously, he lost out when he applied to coach at Cal State Los Angeles and Cal State Long Beach. The 49er job went to Tex Winter in 1978, and West said he has not applied for any jobs since.

USC is interviewing candidates and has reserved comment for the most part on all applications. Therefore, what chance West has remains to be seen.

“The opportunity is there,” West said. “It’s local and I do, at this particular time, want to stay in the Southern California area. Maybe the time is right. I don’t know.

“It all depends on what their criteria are. But I felt I should at least apply for it.”

Scott Singelyn of Claremont Webb and Mike Calvert of Palos Verdes became only the ninth and 10th players in Southern Section history to pitch consecutive no-hitters last week.

Singelyn allowed a run but no hits to Riverside Sherman Indian on March 11, as he struck out 17 batters for in a 5-1 nonleague win. Six days later, Singelyn got his second straight no-hitter, this time striking out 15 in Webb’s 12-0 win over Pasadena Marshall Fundamental in an Alpha League game.

Calvert, a junior left-hander, worked overtime on March 18 to equal Singelyn’s feat, holding Redondo hitless for eight innings before Palos Verdes finally won, 1-0, in the Bay League opener for both teams. Calvert’s first no-hitter came against Dorsey in the opening round of the Redondo-Palos Verdes tournament, and before that he finished off West Torrance with four innings of no-hit ball.

That means he has pitched 19 straight innings of no-hit ball, and he will attempt to become the first Southern Section player to pitch three straight no-hitters April 2 against Rolling Hills.

Calvert, who has a 3-0 record, has given up only one run this season, that an unearned one against West Torrance, in 22 innings.

Speaking of good pitching, Simi Valley left-hander Scott Radinsky struck out 18 batters against Riverside Poly and had about a dozen major league scouts armed with note pads and speed guns waiting for him in his next start last Friday against Camarillo. Radinsky’s fastball reportedly has been clocked at 91 m.p.h.

“Now that I have the 18 strikeouts in the books, I’m not looking for any Ks,” he said. “I try to pitch a normal game. I can’t let the scouts bother me.”

With the audience, Radinsky, a 6-foot 2-inch, 195-pound senior, worked out of two early bases-loaded situations and beat Camarillo, 3-1, with his third one-hitter of the season. His 13 strikeouts gave him 54 in 24 innings.

Chris Munk of San Francisco Riordan, one of the top basketball prospects in California, learned last week that he did not meet the academic standards required by Stanford, his first choice for college.

USC has long been considered his second choice, and he told the San Francisco Chronicle: “I think I want to stay out here in California.” But he added that there is nothing definite. He also has been considering Villanova as an alternative.

“Deep down, it’s Stanford’s loss,” he said. “It’s kind of a shame to wait that long and then tell me no.”

Prep Notes The Arcadia Invitational, one of the nation’s top prep track meets, has been set for April 12. . . . The San Dimas Booster Club, along with several Rams, will sponsor the David Hill Golf Invitational April 7 at Via Verde Country Club in San Dimas. Twenty-five Ram players are scheduled to participate, among them Eric Dickerson, Ron Brown, LeRoy Irvin and Nolan Cromwell, as well as quarterback Vince Ferragamo of the Green Bay Packers, former Heisman Trophy winner Glenn Davis and Jim Hill of KCBS, David Hill’s brother. Proceeds will to the San Dimas High athletic department. For more information, call Jerry Ray at (714) 599-6741. . . . Collegiate Baseball newspaper has initiated a national high school baseball poll.