Moorpark Reinstates Wilson

After losing four games to a suspension, Damian Wilson, the scoring leader on the Moorpark College basketball team, was reinstated Thursday by Coach Al Nordquist. Wilson was suspended Nov. 25 after a disagreement with assistant Marc Joffe.

After apologizing to Joffe and his teammates, Wilson sat on the bench in street clothes Thursday during the Raiders’ 68-53 loss to Rio Hondo in the second round of the Moorpark tournament.

Wilson is expected to practice today, but his status for Moorpark’s next game, Tuesday at Valley College, is up in the air.

“I wanted to play today, but they want me to practice first and I don’t blame them,” Wilson said. “I’ll play again depending on how I practice and how the team reacts to me.”

Wilson averaged a team-high 21.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists last season and was an All-Western State Conference selection.

The 6-foot-3 guard was the only freshman named to the all-state team, on which he earned honorable mention. In WSC play, he averaged 25.6 points on 60% shooting from the field.

Nordquist refused to disclose the reason for Wilson’s suspension, but Wilson said Thursday that he and Joffe argued on the bus ride home from a 76-65 loss to Oxnard on Nov. 22 in the Ventura College tournament.

“It was just a misunderstanding,” Wilson said. “I was mad. I wasn’t in the mood to listen to anybody. There were no hard feelings.

“I have no bad blood between me and Coach Nordquist or me and Coach (Del) Parker or me and Coach Joffe. We are all real close.”

Wilson is determined to avoid future confrontations.

“It’s not gonna happen again,” he said. “I just turned 19. I’m still a little kid and kids do mess up at times. I just can’t afford to mess up now. I have to get my teammates on track.”

Moorpark (2-6) is 1-3 without Wilson, who is averaging 26 points a game this season.

“They want me to be the leader on the team and I have to be the leader,” Wilson said. “I can’t do all the scoring. I have to get everyone in the game.”

Last season, Moorpark point guard Sam Crawford was suspended for a half because of a disagreement with Joffe. Crawford exacerbated the situation when he refused to play in the second half of the game in which he served the suspension. In support of Crawford, Wilson also did not play in that game.

Crawford telephoned Nordquist when he learned of Wilson’s suspension. He also expressed his concern to Wilson’s father in a telephone call but was unable to reach Wilson.

“This looks bad that Damian’s not playing,” Crawford said by phone from Las Cruces, N.M., where he is New Mexico State’s starting point guard.

“He’s too talented to miss this opportunity. I don’t want to see the possibility of him playing Division II coming out of this. If he doesn’t play people are going to ask: ‘Why is the best guard in the state not playing?’ Then rumors will spread.

“I know. I was labeled as a problem player. Not by my coach (Nordquist) but by other coaches.”

Wilson and Crawford have been friends since grade school. They played together at Westchester High and at Moorpark, where they were also roommates. They could be reunited next season since New Mexico State is one of several Division I schools that is recruiting Wilson.

According to Crawford, Nordquist was caught in the middle of the situations that led to both Wilson’s and Crawford’s suspensions.

“If an assistant coach thinks a player is allowed to do whatever he wants, he’s going to complain to the head coach,” Crawford said. “And the head coach can’t go against his staff. So this way, the player is disciplined and the assistants are happy.”

* VENTURA REACHES FINAL

Ventura College advanced to the championship game of the Moorpark tournament with a win over Pasadena. C11