PREP WRAPUP : Palos Verdes’ Hopes Get a Boost With Return of Coleman

How deep is the Ocean? The Ocean League basketball race, that is.

“Anything is possible,” Rolling Hills Coach Cliff Warren said.

That was most apparent Friday night at Mira Costa, where Palos Verdes guard Julius Coleman, whose basketball career appeared in jeopardy four months ago because of a suspected heart problem, played in his first game since being cleared by doctors.

Coleman scored only two points and Palos Verdes lost, 52-35, but the return of the 5-foot-10 junior, an All-Bay League selection as a sophomore, gave the Sea Kings (4-10) an emotional lift and should improve their chance of becoming a contender in the five-team Ocean League.

Coleman received favorable second and third medical opinions after doctors had advised him not to engage in any physical activity after he passed out at a school dance Sept. 7.

It was first believed that Coleman’s fainting spell could be a symptom of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy--a thickening of the heart that can cause sudden death in a person participating in vigorous exercise. Loyola Marymount’s Hank Gathers suffered from the same heart defect when he collapsed in a game and died March 4.

But subsequent tests on Coleman ruled out the possibility of a dangerous heart defect.

“I have a little thickening of the heart and I have an abnormal heart beat,” Coleman said, “but nothing that’s life-threatening.”

He said it was never determined why he passed out.

Coleman has been practicing on his own for the past two or three weeks since doctors deemed him fit to play. He was finally able to practice with Palos Verdes’ team Thursday after his medical paperwork was cleared by the school board on Wednesday.

“When I got the news, I was surprised,” he said. “I was kind of hoping that I would be able to play again, but my dad told me not to get my hopes up because I might not be able to play.”

Coleman said the months of inactivity were tough on him.

“My mind was just a blank,” he said. “I didn’t know what to say or do. I sat at home, laying around. I thought about playing, but all I could do was mope around.”

As could be expected, Coleman received a warm greeting when he returned to the team Thursday.

“Everyone was surprised,” he said. “Actually, Coach (John Mihaljevich) knew I could play before I knew. I went up to tell him, but he said he already knew and gave me a big hug. He congratulated me and everybody on the team did, too.”

Coleman entered Friday night’s game against Mira Costa early in the first quarter.

“It felt pretty good,” he said. “When coach told me to go in, everyone was cheering for me. It felt good to get back out there. I’m just a little out of shape.”

Coleman said he expects to return to the starting lineup soon, maybe by the time Palos Verdes faces rival Rolling Hills on Jan. 18.

“I’m glad to play again,” he said. “Not being able to play was kind of hard to accept, especially when we played Rolling Hills (in the Pacific Shores tournament). I had to sit on the bench and watch them play Rolling Hills. Now I get to play them during the (league) season.”

Morningside and Mira Costa established themselves as favorites in the Ocean League with impressive victories in openers Friday night.

While red-hot Mira Costa (11-5) was winning for the 10th time in 12 games, Morningside (13-2) used its superior depth to wear down Rolling Hills in the fourth quarter and pull away for a 94-78 victory on the road.

Once again, it was super sophomores Stais Boseman and Dwight Curry who provided the spark for the Monarchs. Morningside outscored Rolling Hills, 38-24, in the fourth quarter after falling behind, 52-48, midway through the third quarter.

The 6-3 Boseman scored 13 of his team-high 22 points in the fourth quarter, including two dunks, and the 6-1 Curry came off the bench to score 10 of his 16 points in the final eight minutes.

Forward-center Arthur Savage, a 6-6 senior, was a steadying influence inside for Morningside, contributing 21 points, 15 rebounds and playing a strong defensive game against Rolling Hills’ 6-6 Roger Hendrix.

Although he scored a game-high 35 points, Hendrix made only 15 of 36 shots and was not at the top of his game.

“We didn’t shoot very well, but that was partly because of (Morningside’s) defense,” said Warren, the Rolling Hills coach. “When Hendrix has to shoot over someone, it makes it a lot tougher.”

Morningside also capitalized on a distinct rebounding edge.

“I thought we rebounded well; didn’t we?,” said Warren, realizing that Rolling Hills didn’t do such a good job. “How am I going to board with them when I’m playing three guards?”

Warren said Mira Costa might be able to hold its own against Morningside because it has a big center, 6-8, 240-pound Chris Davis, who had 21 points and eight rebounds against Palos Verdes.

“Maybe Mira Costa has a chance,” Warren said. “It helps to have a guy like Davis who can board.”

Morningside Coach Carl Franklin said it was a treat to play in front of a near-capacity crowd at Rolling Hills.

“I think it’s going to be a great league because all the schools believe in basketball,” he said. “When was the last time we played before a large crowd? When we play Inglewood, that’s about it.

“You come in here, with a capacity crowd, and it’s different.”

Judging by Friday’s performance, particularly in the fourth quarter, the Monarchs seem to enjoy the limelight.

The Morningside and Palos Verdes girls’ basketball teams each scored decisive victories in their Ocean League openers Friday to set up their eagerly awaited showdown at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Palos Verdes.

Morningside (14-1) hammered Rolling Hills, 113-12, and Palos Verdes (15-1) buried Mira Costa, 73-28. In this, the first season the South Bay powers have competed in the same league, Morningside will bring an 89-game league winning streak and Palos Verdes a 48-game streak into Wednesday’s contest.

The game will be followed by the Palos Verdes-Morningside boys’ game.

The week’s most attractive boys’ basketball match-up has St. Bernard playing host to Bishop Montgomery in a Mission League game at 7 p.m. Monday.

St. Bernard improved to 6-8 overall and 2-0 in league play Friday with a 94-81 victory over Crespi of Encino. Bishop Montgomery opened league action Wednesday with a 102-60 rout over Crespi.

St. Bernard should be ready for anything after taking its lumps in the Windy City Classic in Chicago two weeks ago. The Vikings lost all three of their games in the competitive tournament, which attracted many of the top teams from the Chicago area and other parts of the nation.

Monday’s matchup features teams with contrasting strengths. Bishop Montgomery relies on its backcourt, headed by guard Kirk Jones, while St. Bernard is led by 6-7 center Wyking Jones and 6-4 forward Rick Famuyiwa.