AROUND THE LEAGUES : Crowell Juggles San Fernando Lineup to Combat Jealousies

San Fernando lost two of three games in the El Dorado tournament in Las Vegas, but Coach Dick Crowell figures the team found new chemistry after he benched three starters.

“We’re sort of like UCLA this season,” Crowell said. “We had two great games against Cleveland and Van Nuys at the start of the season and then we struggled with head problems.”

He said there were jealousies between front-court and back-court players over who was getting the ball. As a disciplinary move, Crowell removed Charles Thomas, Joe Mauldin and Sean Declouet from the starting lineup in the second game of the tournament.

The players seemed to get the message.

“They modified their behavior and played well in the third game,” Crowell said. “They were real good with each other off the court in the casinos and hotel. Other than being down about losing, I feel good about what happened.”

Senior 6-5 forward Shelton Boykin scored 50 points in three games and was selected to the all-tournament team for San Fernando (3-4). . . .

Simi Valley returned late Tuesday night from the Iolani tournament in Honolulu after winning the consolation bracket championship with a 75-59 victory over McClancy of East Elmhurst, N.Y. Simi Valley (8-1) played Monday without junior 6-5 forward Shawn DeLaittre, who was disciplined for violating a team rule. Flint Hill, Va., defeated St. Bernard, 95-59, in the tournament final.

High expectations: Alemany (5-3) was ranked No. 3 in the Valley last week with a 5-1 record, much to the bewilderment of Coach Joe Anlauf. After the Indians dropped two straight games in the Thousand Oaks tournament, he was ready to say I told you so. “Everybody seems to think we are real good,” he said. “The kids were reading newspaper clippings and weren’t prepared. We didn’t take Thousand Oaks seriously at all and they were too good to look past.” . . . After opening with four losses under first-year Coach Mickey Cady, Notre Dame beat Grant and Bell-Jeff last week. “We need to schedule more teams like that,” Cady said. The losses were to St. Monica, Granada Hills, Birmingham and Alemany. In addition to the difficult nonleague schedule, adjusting to Cady’s style was an early problem for the Knights. “The veterans tended to question some of the changes,” Cady said. Among the changes are a full-court press and a running style. Notre Dame employed a patient, patterned offense last season.

Reeding and righting: As a high school history teacher, first-year Coach Billy Reed of Sylmar spends much of his day pounding assorted names, dates and events into the heads of his students. Now Reed must deal with a rather forgettable historical fact of his own: In 27 seasons of Sylmar basketball, no team has ever finished with a winning record. Despite Reed’s attempt to right the program, it hasn’t been any easier this season. The Spartans are 0-4 after being wiped out by a rash of grade eligibility problems.

Heady team: Buckley senior James Tweedie not only leads the team in scoring, averaging 19.7 points through the first 10 games. He also scored the highest on the PSAT of any student in the school’s 53-year history and was named a National Merit Scholar. Coach Ron Cooper said Tweedie has applied to several Ivy League schools. Tweedie also ranks second on the team in rebounding (10.7) and second in assists (7.9). Teammates Jason Weisstein and Kevin Corbett also are National Merit Scholars. Weisstein is averaging 15.3 points and 12.2 rebounds, and Corbett leads the team in assists (9.7) and averages 11.2 points.

Injury update: Cleveland guard Damon Greer, a junior and three-year varsity player, strained ligaments in his right hand during a game against the alumni two weeks ago and is questionable for the Chaminade tournament. A few days after the injury, Greer had 16 points and 10 assists in a win over Taft but hasn’t played since. “Luckily we are very deep at guard,” Coach Bob Braswell said. “More than anything we need Damon’s leadership.” . . . Notre Dame forward Bruce Heicke injured an ankle and will be sidelined two weeks. . . . Chaminade will be without starting forwards John Carolan and Scott Stuber at least until the beginning the league season in January. Carolan (6-1) and Stuber (6-4 1/2) both have mononucleosis.

Gambling guard: With 12 seconds left in overtime, Saugus’ Russell Morse stole a pass and made a layup to give the Centurions a 57-55 victory last week over Beverly Hills. “He likes to gamble in the passing lanes,” Saugus Coach John Clark said. “But sometimes it gets him into trouble with me. He gets burned and his man is making a layup. He’s got long arms and quick feet, though, and he’s usually successful.” . . . Monroe’s Dec. 12 game against Manual Arts was canceled because Manual Arts’ bus did not arrive to pick up the team. The game will not be rescheduled and will not be counted toward either team’s record.

Girls basketball: Highly touted Louisville (4-1) had a “good lesson to learn” in its first defeat of the season. In a 67-51 upset to Gahr in the semifinals of the Santa Barbara tournament on Monday night, Louisville missed the front end of nine one-and-one free throws. “They know why they lost,” Louisville Coach Brian O’Hara said. “It was just really poor free-throw shooting.” . . . Bell-Jeff’s James Couch said it’s not easy coaching his daughter Carlyn--even though she is probably the best player on the team. “She has her own idea of how she’d like to do things,” Couch said of his 5-8 junior center. “Of course, I want things done another way. She’s a frustrated guard. But she’s our center.” Carlyn is averaging 10 points per game.

Track and field: Thousand Oaks runners Christy Farrell, Sharon Manship and Staci Leach head a list of Valley-area athletes who have entered the Sunkist Invitational track meet at the Sports Arena on Jan. 16. Farrell, who finished third in the Southern Section 4-A cross-country championships, will run the two-mile; Manship is entered in the 800 meters and Leach in the 500 meters. Manship and Leach also will run the third and fourth legs of the mile relay. . . . Ian Alsen of Granada Hills, Mike Esparza of Newbury Park and Matt Thomson of Agoura are entered in the boys two-mile run.