Notebook / Sean Waters : Camarillo Basketball a Serious Summer Sport

Camarillo High has had its basketball team on the run since the end of the school year.

Last week, the Scorpions played nine games in seven days while competing in the L. A. Summer Games and the Mater Dei Summer Tournament in Santa Ana.

“We spent a lot of time in the car together and got to know each other real well,” junior guard David Harbour said. “It seemed like we had to change the radio station every five minutes to keep everyone happy.”

Camarillo’s journey began June 17th and 18th with three games in the Summer Games at high schools in the South Bay area. The Scorpions beat Hollywood, 61-37, Rubidoux, 46-40, and Dominguez, 40-26.

Next were opening games in the Santa Clara summer league on Monday June 19th and the Royal summer league two days later.

Camarillo came close to pulling off an upset before losing to Saddleback, 77-76, in the first round of the Mater Dei tournament Thursday. The Scorpions led Saddleback, runner-up to Southern Section 5-AA champion Long Beach Millikan, by as many as 19 points in the second half.

Friday, Camarillo rebounded to defeat Trabuco Hills, 94-71, in a consolation game at Mater Dei.

Saturday’s doubleheader began with an 8:30 a.m. game at Mater Dei. The Scorpions beat Bosco Tech, 79-76. Then it was back in the car en route to an afternoon game against Rolling Hills at El Camino College in Torrance. They lost, 62-48, in the championship quarterfinals of the Summer Games.

“It was tough but good for us,” Harbour said. “We’re playing teams and we’re finding out what it takes to beat the best.”

Harbour, 5-10 guard Rick Schnell and 6-5 center Scott Foster are returning starters.

New Raider coach: Ventura County Community College trustees approved Ken Wagner’s selection as Moorpark College baseball coach Tuesday.

Wagner, coach of the Camarillo High baseball team for the past seven seasons, was named to a similar position at Moorpark last week. He succeeds Ron Stillwell, who resigned in May at the end of his fifth season at Moorpark.

Wagner, 43, compiled a 98-63-1 record and his teams won two Marmonte League titles at Camarillo. The Scorpions were 12-13 this season and finished tied for fourth in the league with a 5-7 mark.

The Scorpions advanced to the Southern Section 5-A Division finals in 1985 but lost to Fountain Valley, 3-2.

Wagner will continue to teach physical education at Camarillo and coach at Moorpark on a walk-on basis.

“I think I’m ready to try something new, so I was really pleased to be selected,” Wagner said. “I’ve really enjoyed the high school kids, but Moorpark gives me a chance to work with some different kids.”

Wagner said that Mel Bannon, his assistant at Camarillo, and Mario Porto, former coach at Moorpark High, will join him as assistants. Porto last season guided Moorpark High to its first baseball playoff berth.

“I coached with Mario in several all-star games and have known him for a long time,” Wagner said. “We’re lucky he wants to coach with us. He felt, as I do, that it was a good opportunity to move up and coach at the college level.”

And so the shuffling of Ventura County baseball coaches continues. Last week, Royal High hired Danny Maye to replace Mike McCurdy and Camarillo selected Jack Willard, a Scorpion assistant, for the position vacated by Wagner.

Still looking: Athletic Director Don Brockett has seven applicants for the position of Oxnard College baseball coach.

Brockett said that he expects later this week to name a replacement for George Peraza, who resigned in May after one season as coach. The Condors finished the season 16-15, 11-9 in the Western State Conference.

Quick to forgive: Some thought Santa Clara would never be allowed to play in another Orange County basketball tournament, but there it was entered in the Mater Dei Summer Tournament.

And involved in another forfeit.

This time the Saints were the benefactors when Camarillo failed to show up for the consolation championship. The Scorpions, however, notified tournament officials in advance that they would not appear.

Santa Clara has been prohibited to play tournaments during the 1989-90 season after forfeiting two games last year in a Christmas tournament at Estancia High.

Back in action: Center Nichole Ellis and guard Lianne Ishikawa returned to play their first games for the Buena High girls’ basketball team after missing portions of last season with debilitating injuries.

Ellis, a 5-11 senior, did not play last season after tearing ligaments in her left knee. Ishikawa, a 5-5 guard, was sidelined half of the season after dislocating her left ankle and suffering ligament damage.

“It’s good to have both of them back in the lineup,” Buena Coach Joe Vaughan said.

Buena reached the quarterfinals of the L. A. Games before losing to eventual champion Washington, 44-36.

Quick exit: After a slow start, Kurt Schwan expected to have a high-scoring second half for the South team in the Ventura County All-Star basketball game.

Instead, Schwan spent the second half in a hospital emergency room after getting five stitches to seal a gash he sustained under his right eye in the second period of Friday night’s game at Ventura High.

Not exactly the way the 6-foot-9 center from Westlake High expected to end his high school career.

“I will remember it for a long time,” Schwan said. “It was the worst injury I’ve had playing basketball.”

Despite Schwan’s absence, the South closed to within two points of the North in the fourth quarter after trailing, 50-32, at halftime. The North outscored the South, 40-14, in the last 9:01 to clinch the 111-83 victory.

Bass fishing at its best: Sand bass and calico bass are spawning near Ventura County waters and that’s good news for the sportfishing industry.

Ventura Landing, Port Hueneme Sportfishing and Oxnard Sportfishing are catching an average of four bass per passenger.

“Right now is an excellent time for bass fishing, as good as you’re going to see it,” said Louie Abbott, owner and operator of Port Hueneme. It takes about three weeks for the waters to warm up and bingo--the bass start biting like crazy up here.”

Staff writer Ralph Nichols contributed to this story.