Combs Again Will Coach Inglewood Varsity Cagers

Vince Combs, who coached Inglewood High’s basketball team to an unbeaten season and a mythical national championship in 1980, has returned to coach his former team.

He replaces Art Bias, who resigned last week after coaching the Sentinels for seven years.

“I’m excited, but I’m scared,” Combs said. “I don’t want people to look back. I don’t want people to say, ‘God, the savior’s back.’

“I think we’ll be all right. I want to continue the Inglewood tradition.”

Combs coached Inglewood from 1977 to 1980, guiding the Sentinels to a 71-9 record. He capped it off with a 29-0 mark in 1980, the year Inglewood won the CIF 4-A title with a team that inclu1684366368Phoenix Suns guard Jay Humphries.

Combs left Inglewood the following year to be assistant coach at the University of San Francisco. He coached there for two seasons before USF dropped its basketball program.

Combs’ last head coaching job was at Centennial High in 1983. After coming back to Inglewood the next year, he served as an assistant under Bias in 1986 but did not coach last season.

He coached Inglewood’s junior varsity team to an 8-2 league record two years ago. Three freshmen who were on that team are now juniors on the varsity--Harold Miner, Johnny Terrell and Tommy Holland.

“The kids are excited,” Combs said. “Especially the freshman kids I had. I think this job is going to do good things to revitalize me.”