The Preps : Reed, Watts May Race in Arcadia Track Meet

William Reed, track star from Central High School in Philadelphia, is coming West this year. This may set up a showdown with Quincy Watts of Woodland Hills Taft. To be sure, it would be the dream race of the season.

Coach Arnie Shiffrin confirmed last week that Philadelphia Central plans to send a delegation to the Arcadia Invitational in early April. That, of course, includes Reed, holder of the all-time high school mark at 400 meters for freshman, sophomores and juniors and No. 4 overall at 45.17, a mark that put him 24th in the world for 1987. He will run in the 1,600 relay and either the 100 or 200, perhaps both.

Entering him in the 200 would make for the Watts-vs.-Reed matchup. Reed is better in the 200 than the 100, while Watts had the best prep times in the nation in both events last season.

“That shows what kind of kid he (Reed) is,” Shiffrin said. “He’ll drop down an event to run against Watts.

“(But) we’re definitely going, unless some crimp in the plan comes up, an injury or whatever. We’re getting the approval from the administration and everyone back here right now. The biggest problem will be to raise money for the trip.”

Reed, who began running again Monday after a five-week layoff with a minor fracture of the left foot, and Watts are good friends, having met at past meets. Most of the other top sprinters from the West will also be invited, including Brian Bridgewater of L.A. Washington, Tony Miller from San Francisco and Michael Bates from Tucson.

Before Arcadia, though, Reed and Central have an indoor schedule that includes the Pathmark meet March 13 at New Haven, Conn., and a rematch with Hawthorne. When the teams met last season, Hawthorne won the mile relay with the fifth-best time ever indoors (3:19.4), and Central took second with the eighth-best mark (3:19.82).

“The way Will is, he’s still smarting from the race last year,” Shiffrin said. “He takes as much pride in the relays as he does in the individual events. He didn’t like losing to Hawthorne. They’re friendly and everything, but he still would like to make up for it this time.”

With advancement came restrictions for Ernie Carr. And, even though he knew the rules, it has been a difficult December and January for him.

Carr, one of the most respected basketball coaches in the Southern Section, resigned at Dominguez last season to become a part-time assistant at UCLA. At the same time, he stayed on as athletic director at the Compton school. But how could he uphold his role with the Dons without violating National Collegiate Athletic Assn. rules against part-time coaches “evaluating” high school and junior college talent in the field?

UCLA Athletic Director Pete Dalis contacted the NCAA in the summer and got the response. Carr could go to all Dominguez sporting events as athletic director--but he couldn’t watch any game if the Dons are not involved. A long-time coach, he suddenly can no longer go see friend’s teams play or drop in and see some of his former players now in junior college.

“Mr. Dalis told me about the situation ahead of time,” said Carr, who handles scouting and some game-day preparations with UCLA. “I’ve just blocked it out completely. It’s very tough, because when you’ve been doing it as long as I have--the summer leagues, the tournaments when you watch three or four games a day, watching my own team and scouting the league opponents in December--and suddenly there’s no more of that. It’s a little bit of a withdrawal.

“It’s unfortunate, but I understand. . . . I’m just glad to be able to see Dominguez play.”

Under new Coach Russell Otis, Dominguez was 8-6 overall and 2-0 in the San Gabriel Valley League heading into Monday night’s game against Paramount. A pair of juniors, DiJon and Bernard Xavier, have led the way.

The Sunset League, one of the first to use the three-point shot in basketball before it became mandatory nationwide, is now trying the 45-second clock.

Most coaches, however, said the season-long experiment, which began last Friday, didn’t have much affect on games.

“It didn’t change our game,” said Huntington Beach Edison Coach Jon Borchert, whose Chargers beat Huntington Beach Marina, 50-45, Friday. “The only time it will come into play is when you’re down by one or two points late in the game and you won’t have to foul to get the ball back. I think it’s great, though. . . . It will get rid of all those 18-17 final scores, where one team delays all night.”

A handful of leagues in Northern California are also going with a one-year experiment on the clock. The Southern Section is currently surveying its coaches.

Keep It Quiet, Stupid: The KISS method of playing--Keep It Simple, Stupid--got the San Fernando basketball team slapped last week.

Leading by 17 points late in Friday’s Northwest Valley League game against Granada Hills, Tiger Coach Dick Crowell, fearing that his players would get sloppy in garbage time, sent the KISS reminder in before a Granada Hills free throw.

“KISS it,” one of the San Fernando players repeated as he lined up.

“Technical foul,” responded a referee, who apparently thought the remark was suggestive and directed at him.

Crowell protested, and that earned him a technical, too.

Granada Hills hit all four of the bonus free throws, but San Fernando still won the game, 71-60.