Winter Notebook / Sam Farmer : Glendale High Feels the Strain of Injury-Riddled Campaign

Though the Glendale High basketball team is 2-5, Coach Bob Davidson says the Dynamiters have the talent to be a contender in the Pacific League-- if they can get healthy.

In Glendale’s first 7 games, 3 starters went down with ankle sprains and one sustained a twisted knee.

“I can’t remember a year like this,” Davidson said. “It’s unbelievable.”

Against Crespi, the Dynamiters were so banged up they had to finish the game with 4 guards and a sophomore reserve.

The coach remains optimistic.

“When all the pieces get together and we are healthy, we’ll surprise some people,” Davidson said.

Double trouble: Brian Beauchemin, the men’s basketball coach at Glendale College, took a page out of the Occidental playbook and used it to win the Glendale tournament Saturday.

Occidental frequently uses a double-post offense to best utilize 6-foot, 10-inch Chris Anderson and 6-8 Jon Crawley. Beauchemin implemented the scheme at halftime to beat Canyons, 89-83.

“I’ll be damned if it didn’t look like we’ve been running it all year,” Beauchemin said.

The frontcourt, initially a soft spot for the Vaqueros, has improved tremendously since Clarence Williams came back from his tonsillectomy and Jimmie Fowler has come into his own. Against Canyons, Fowler, a 6-7 reserve center, had 2 key blocks and 6 points, including a 2-handed, back-door dunk.

Tournament tantrum: After host Glendale beat Canyons in the tournament final, Canyons forward Deon Myricks was visibly upset and had to be restrained from going after Canyons Coach Lee Smelser.

Myricks, who was effective against the Glendale big men and scored 10 early points, was benched for much of the second half because he got into foul trouble.

“He wanted to prove that we could win without me,” Myricks said of Smelser. “I proved him wrong. I’m one of the best players in the state. No one can stop me.”