THE HIGH SCHOOLS / JOHN ORTEGA : Yuletide Giving Enriches Providence Players, Indian Children

A water-sports paradise in the summer and a retreat for snowbirds in the winter, the town of Parker, Ariz., has become an annual tournament stop for the Providence High boys’ basketball team.

For the past four Decembers, including an appearance last weekend, the Burbank school has been playing in the eight-team Parker tournament, and although they have yet to win more than one game in any tournament, the Pioneers have gained enriching experiences in the tiny hamlet alongside the Colorado River.

First, the team stays in a mobile home owned by the family of Coach Paul Sutton, affording the players a chance to interact in a social setting.

Second, they always bring along Christmas gifts and donate them to the local Catholic church, which distributes them to needy Native American and Latino families.

“It’s not something that we make a big deal about,” said Sutton, also the athletic director who is in his sixth season at Providence, a former parochial school for girls that competes in the Delphic League.

“But it is a way for the kids to do something that’s socially conscious. . . . We always show the kids the homes on the Indian reservations when we’re down there, and they can’t believe that people live under those conditions. It’s an eye-opener for them.”

Note from the doctor: Officials recently ordered the Paraclete boys’ basketball team to remove spandex leg shorts worn beneath their uniforms because of a National Federation of State High Schools Athletic Assn. rule.

But according to Andy Gavel, Paraclete’s coach, the regulation can be waived for medical reasons.

Gavel has obtained a doctor’s recommendation for the team to wear the shorts--to keep their leg muscles warm, thus preventing injuries--and plans to file it with the state CIF office.

“That rule is completely idiotic,” Gavel said. “It’s a wacko reason to have a technical called and lose two points. They allow players to wear shirts underneath their uniforms. There is a medical reason to wear the shorts--to prevent hamstring injuries.

“They certainly don’t wear them for appearance sakes.”

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Campbell watch: Jonathan Campbell was the workhorse in Poly High’s improbable drive to the City Section 3-A Division football title.

The senior running back gained a school-record 2,091 yards this season, an average of 149.4 yards a game. His numbers were even more impressive, however, during the Parrots’ season-ending five-game winning streak, which culminated in a 28-8 victory over Lincoln in the title game.

Campbell gained 865 yards (a 173-yard-per-game average) in 139 carries and scored eight touchdowns during the Parrots’ winning streak. His lowest total during that stretch was 161 yards and his highest was 183.

Add Campbell: The 5-foot-10 1/2, 180-pound Campbell, who gained 3,846 yards during his three-year career, ran for more than 100 yards in 10 of Poly’s 11 wins this season. His highest total in that category was 222 and his lowest was 155.

Not surprisingly, Poly’s three losses occurred in games in which Campbell was held to fewer than 100 yards.

Add Poly: Three starters from the football team joined the basketball program last week, hoping to infuse the Parrots (2-19 last season) with their winning ways.

So far, however, their addition has not made a difference. At least not in terms of wins and losses.

The Parrots were 2-4 without the services of wide receivers Michael Vreeland (6-2) and Marlon McKinney (6-2). With them, they lost games to Granada Hills (95-55) and Reseda (66-47) in the North Hollywood tournament, and fell to 2-6.

This season, Poly basketball Coach Jay Werner recruited juniors Vreeland and offensive lineman Francisco Flores (6-4), who will play at the junior-varsity level, and senior McKinney, who started at point guard on the junior varsity last season, is playing small forward for the varsity.

Home-court advantage?: The fact that Reseda upset host Kennedy, 72-64, in a Northwest Valley Conference opener last week is surprising enough. But for Kennedy, the loss had to be upsetting for another reason.

Sure, some call the free-throw line the charity stripe, but for Kennedy, there was no charity at all from the guys wearing stripes.

In the second half, with the game still very much on the line, Reseda shot 14 free throws to just one for the Golden Cougars.

Reseda point guard James Chen made the most of his chances, making 12 of 13 free throws, including 10 of 11 in the second half.