Five More Lose Basketball Eligibility for Macker Participation

The fallout from the Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament continued this week when five more San Diego high school players were declared ineligible for the rest of the season, and University of San Diego High was forced to forfeit Friday’s victory over Kearny.

St. Augustine’s Eric Dent and Greg Sedlackek and USDHS’s Adam Smith are out for the season. On Friday, University City star Jerome Price was banished for participating in the Macker.

Two USDHS junior varsity players, whose names weren’t released, also were suspended for the season as a result of participating.

State CIF Rule 600 states that an athlete may not compete on an outside team during the high school season for his sport. The 3-on-3 format of the Macker tournament is considered team play.

“There’s no room for a waiver or appeal,” said Kendall Webb, the San Diego Section commissioner. “The suspension is automatic.”

Webb said he has calls in to the Gus Macker national office as well as the San Diego Police Athletic League, which was a tournament sponsor this year, and asked that a statement be placed on the entry forms for future tournaments stating that high school players are ineligible.

“Although there is a statement to that effect in the pamphlet, it is nowhere on the entry form,” Webb said. “I’m going to advise the Gus Macker people that six of our athletes have been declared ineligible.”

Said USDHS Coach Patrick Murphy: “I just think maybe the punishments are a little harsh. The kids broke the rules, but there was no intent. I don’t think they understood what they were doing.

“Adam’s situation couldn’t have been drawn up better in Hollywood. He was watching his father play in the over-40 division Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 28 and 29), and on Sunday a kid came over to him and said they were a player short in the high school division and asked Adam to fill in.

“So he did, for one game, and then he went back to watching his father the rest of the day.”

USDHS defeated Kearny Friday night, with Smith playing. Murphy then discovered over the weekend that Smith had lost his eligibility and shouldn’t have played, and his team forfeited Friday’s victory.

“We played our best game of the year Friday, were all pumped up for the second half of the (City Western) league season, and the kids show up Monday and find out we lost,” Murphy said. “It’s a disheartening situation. It’s an unfortunate time of the year to have those tournaments. They should have them during the summer.”

After the forfeit, USDHS is 8-9 and 1-5.

By making 13 free throws Tuesday night against Marian, giving her 158 for the season, Chula Vista’s Marcey Wolf broke the section record (155) set by San Marcos’ Susie O’Brien in 1988.

Wolf, a 5-foot-6 senior center, is shooting about 60% from the line and averaging about 12 attempts per game. She earlier broke the section record for free throws in a game, making 17 of 19 Jan. 23 against Coronado. She scored 41 points that night, breaking the Chula Vista record.

Why is Wolf shooting all of these free throws?

“Her job is to go to the bucket,” Chula Vista Coach Kim Mathis said. “I tell her, ‘If the shot’s open, take it. If not, go to the hoop.’ She’s a very physical young lady, and she has good court sense.

“If the opportunity is there, she seizes it. She goes to the line all the time.”

Wolf is averaging about 22 points a game and already has broken the Chula Vista career points record--previously held by Mathis. Wolf has 1,080 points, surpassing Mathis’ 934.

“Records are made to be broken, and I’m glad if someone was going to do it, it’s someone I coach,” said Mathis, who graduated from Chula Vista in 1981. “The record stood for eight years--it was overdue to be broken.”

Wolf had to step to the forefront for Chula Vista (12-9, 9-2 in the Metro Conference) after senior Sasha Munoz, Chula Vista’s second leading scorer, dislocated her knee. The Spartans have since pulled together and won six consecutive games--beginning with a six-overtime, 54-52 victory against Mar Vista.

Notes

Vista High School’s Tamasi Amatuanai, Point Loma’s Marcel Brown and Morse’s Ty Morrison have been selected to play in the 38th Shrine North-South All-Star football game July 29 at the Rose Bowl. The trio is part of a 30-man South roster that will face a team of Central and Northern California All-Stars. . . . Through 19 games, Madison’s Robby Robinson (28.3 points a game) is ranked sixth among the boys’ basketball state scoring leaders. Glendora’s Tracy Murray (43.9) was first. San Marcos’ Susie O’Brien (29.5) was third among the state’s girls, and Vista’s Chris Enger (26.2) was sixth, behind leader Amy Jalewalia (La Quinta, Westminster), who was scoring 30.7 a game. . . . Introductions will be in order when the Grossmont Conference softball season starts: Five coaches will debut. They are Mike Favero (Helix), Charlie Castelo (Monte Vista), Allison Kenda (Valhalla), Phil Hampton (Santana) and Alan Eber (El Capitan).