Most Coaches Believe Athletes Gain Little From Mandatory Break Between Seasons

Throughout the Valley area, selected high school gymnasiums will sit empty this week, but they won’t be silent. Instead of the sounds of bouncing balls, the voices of angry coaches will be heard.

Basketball coaches at Southern Section high schools are upset by a new rule, called informally “R and R Week,” that mandates a one-week hiatus between sports seasons. The first R and R Week--between the fall and winter seasons--started Monday. The second week is scheduled for Feb. 16-21 between the winter and spring seasons.

The rule was adopted last spring to give athletes and coaches a rest and to encourage athletes to participate in more than one sport, said Dean Crowley, Southern Section administrator in charge of basketball.

“You need to get away from the bouncing ball,” Crowley said. “This will be really good for the kids.”

Basketball coaches dispute that claim, saying they endorse the spirit of the rule but question its effectiveness. Although last week marked the end of the regular season for fall sports in cross-country, tennis, volleyball and water polo, athletes involved in the Southern Section playoffs are still playing those sports and can’t take advantage of the rest period.

A bigger problem rests with football, which still has two weeks left in the regular season, forcing all football players to start winter sports at least a week late. If a team advances through the playoffs, a football player could miss the entire preseason practice session and the start of the regular season.

“The spirit of the rule is good,” said Paul Muff, Crespi High boys basketball coach. “I know what the CIF is trying to do, giving kids a chance to have time away from sports. But I don’t see the rule accomplishing anything. Football isn’t over yet, and it doesn’t do anything to help them.”

In some ways, the rule makes matters worse for football players, Muff said.

“Because we’re going to miss a week of practice, we have to intensify practice in late November when the football players come out for the team. So they don’t get a chance to ease into basketball. In some ways, the rule is kind of foolish,” Muff said.

Bob Hawking, the Simi Valley boys coach, thinks the rule is ridiculous. “We’re gearing up right now, not gearing down. Are you going to ask a kid to take a week off from math to get ready for the SAT? It’s crazy. Everyone thinks it’s idiotic.”

The rule also could lead to injuries, Hawking said.

“We’ve been conditioning since the start of the school year, and it doesn’t make any sense to take a week off. When we start practicing, things get intense and injuries can happen,” he said.

Crowley admitted the new rule contains flaws, particularly in regard to the transition from football to basketball. That was a primary concern of outgoing Commissioner Ray Plutko, who left the Southern Section last spring to take a job in Colorado.

“The overlap of football makes it difficult for those athletes to play two sports,” Crowley said. “When Ray Plutko left he told the organization that the ‘R and R’ concept needs to include football.”

A solution seems far off, even though the parties agree on the concept.

“This is movement in the right direction,” said Dave Murphy, who coaches football and girls basketball at Simi Valley. “The football-basketball crossover is the most difficult one, and this rule helps the football player not one bit.”