NOTEBOOK : Fauver Again Resigns as Fillmore Coach

Jim Fauver, who has coached basketball for 30 years, will officially resign for the second time as the Fillmore High coach at the conclusion of the 1989-90 season.

Fauver, 52, said that he no longer is willing to put in the time to run a successful program.

“It’s a grind,” said Fauver, who began coaching at Crown Junior High (Ind.) in 1959. “If you do it right, it takes time. You need to run practices and scout opponents. My day begins at 6:30 with practice and it seems like it never ends.

“No matter how old I get, I still get nervous before a game. Why do I want butterflies in my stomach after 30 years?”

Fauver resigned as the Flashes’ coach in 1980 after 16 seasons because he said he stopped caring about the sport.

“I was eating and sleeping too well,” Fauver said. “I knew it was time to step down.”

Fauver said that he returned in 1988 because Fillmore was unable to find a coach and he wanted to work with his son Jeff, who coaches the junior varsity.

He tried to resign during the summer but was unable to meet with school Principal Jaime Castellanos to discuss a replacement.

Fauver hopes that he will be succeeded by his son.

Hot shooting: Oxnard College’s Randy Carter hit 25 of 31 field-goal attempts in the Ventura tournament last weekend, including a 12-of-13 effort in an 80-67 win over Malcolm X in the third-place game.

Carter, an all-tournament selection, scored 25 points in a 66-59 loss to eventual-champion L.A. City and he added 29 against Malcolm X. Oxnard (7-4) will travel to the San Diego area for games Friday at San Diego City College and Saturday against MiraCosta in Oceanside.

Ventura: Ventura’s Lester Neal and Chris Hantgin were named to the all-tournament team. Hantgin scored 38 points in two games and Neal added 35. Ventura (8-3) lost to L.A. City, 87-84, in the championship game, blowing a 19-point lead with nine minutes left.

Coach Phil Mathews said that Ventura’s inexperience--the Pirates have only five sophomores on their 14-man roster--is evident.

“We’re making some young mistakes, but we’re hanging in there,” Mathews said. “We’ve played some good teams. We’re talented, and once we get more comfortable we’ll be OK.”

Ventura is competing in the Pasadena tournament this week and met El Camino, the state’s top-ranked team, on Wednesday.

Football recruits: Numerous Ventura College football players are preparing to sign letters of intent to play at Division I schools next season.

Among the most highly recruited players are those who have met Proposition 48 requirements and can transfer immediately after the current semester. Those who could sign letters of intent as of Wednesday include cornerback Kyron Johnson, tight end Scott Patchett, linebacker Lee Jaitt, and offensive tackle Erin Powers.

According to former Coach Phil Passno, as many as nine players from the defense and five from the offense will continue their careers at either the Division I or Division II level next season.

Close calls: Ventura quarterback Todd Paffhausen finished his career with 14 passing touchdowns, one shy of Chuck Williams’ school record of 15. Paffhausen finished fifth on the school’s all-time total offense list.

Breakthrough victory: After winning the season-opening Mt. SAC tournament but finishing third and second in its next two tournaments, the Moorpark men’s basketball team was ready to win another championship. Saturday night, the Raiders did so, beating Kings River, 70-64, in the final of the Mid-State tournament at Cuesta College.

“We knew we had to play well, and we did,” Moorpark Coach Al Nordquist said. “It was a step up as a team.”

Tournament most valuable player Sam Crawford led the way along with fellow guard and all-tournament pick Roger Thomas.

For the season, Crawford is averaging a glossy 19.0 points and 11.3 assists a game. Thomas is the second-leading scorer at 17.3. Greg Taylor leads Moorpark with 9.7 rebounds per game.

The Moorpark women were off to a strong start before a recent swoon. First, Moorpark lost a in a stunning overtime upset to Antelope Valley. Moorpark was 7-1 and Antelope Valley was 1-5, but Antelope Valley won, 62-60. Then, Moorpark lost to undefeated Golden West, 85-54, on Saturday.

Jeff Riley and staff writer Brendan Healey contributed to this notebook.