The Wounds Are Healing at Campbell Hall : Prep basketball: The firing of Jackson as coach after 24-5 season proved to be a matter of style.

After leading the boys’ basketball team at Campbell Hall High in North Hollywood to its first Southern Section championship appearance last year, coach Joe Jackson was fired.

Administrators at the private school offered no explanation at the time as to why the popular coach was released. Jackson was informed through the mail that his contract was not being renewed and that he should clean out his desk during Easter break.

“They didn’t even want me to finish out the semester,” said Jackson, now an assistant coach at Los Angeles Valley Junior College in Van Nuys. “They said they would pay me for not being there. The whole thing took me by shock. I didn’t understand why.”

Neither did many of the school’s 250 students. Before classes one day last April, 30 students protested Jackson’s firing. One protester carried a sign that read, “Joe Knows Coaching.”

And while Jackson promised to seek legal recourse against the school, administrators remained firm on their decision. In May, it was announced that Jon Palarz, a former freshmen and junior varsity boys’ basketball coach at Harvard-Westlake High in Studio City, was the new coach.

Palarz, 30, is popular with administrators, but the team is not performing at the same level as last season’s, despite having all of its starters back.

Some hard feelings remain.

“Despite everything that has happened,” Jackson said, “if I had one wish right now, it would be to be back at Campbell Hall in my old job. That group of people was like my family. I was very happy.”

Campbell Hall, directed by the Rev. Tom Clarke, was an all-girls’ school until eight years ago. A boys’ athletic program was added a year later, but victories have come hard.

The basketball team competed in the well-balanced Delphic League against such powerhouses as Brentwood and Canoga Park Faith Baptist. When Jackson was hired in 1988, the program was in disarray.

Jackson, 30, was a women’s basketball assistant at Valley College before taking over at Campbell Hall. He also was involved with several high school recreational leagues in the area.

The Vikings finished 6-15 in his first season, tying for fifth place in a six-team league.

In 1989-90, Campbell Hall improved to 9-14 overall, but finished last in the league.

Jackson’s luck took a turn upward last season, but that might have been why his troubles started.

Junior guard Austin McKellar, an All-Southern Section player as a sophomore, transferred in from Santa Monica St. Monica. Highly regarded freshman Alex Lopez, a 6-foot-10 center from Granada Hills, also decided to attend Campbell Hall.

Lopez’s decision to attend the North Hollywood school drew the attention of Southern Section officials, who found no wrongdoing after investigating the matter.

“As far as we could tell, there was no illegal recruiting done,” said Dean Crowley, associate commissioner of the Southern Section.

Lopez and McKellar combined to average 27 points, leading the Vikings to a second-place league finish. A surprise playoff finalist in the V-AA Division, Campbell Hall lost to Brentwood, 53-51.

The team received a berth in the Southern Regional State basketball tournament, but lost to Reedley Immanuel, 63-59, in the first round of Division V to finish 24-5.

“We knew we were going to be better last season,” Jackson said, “but we had no idea we’d be that good. We were definitely looking forward to this season.”

When word got out that Jackson was not returning, some players considered transferring. Lopez said he discussed with his parents leaving the school but decided against it because a change of residence would be required to establish athletic eligibility.

While school officials hired an outside consultant to search for a new coach, Jackson hired a lawyer to fight for his job. He wanted to make an appeal before a school board-appointed council.

The legal tangle continued through the summer, but by that time Palarz had been hired and already was coaching the team in a summer league. None of the players transferred.

Jackson and Campbell Hall officials agreed on an undisclosed monetary settlement in the fall, and Jackson accepted a job at Valley College.

Kirk Duncan, boys’ athletic director at Campbell Hall, said there are no hard feelings.

“It was simply a matter of a difference in philosophies,” Duncan said. “It’s our philosophy that students come to this school mainly because of academics. When faculty members put their own goals and aspirations first, then we have a problem.

“Joe Jackson is a good coach, and I’m sure he may be right for some schools,” he said. “But his style is not what we wanted at Campbell Hall. If we handled the matter in a manner that was embarrassing to the school, then I guess we felt the embarrassment was worth it.”

Jackson acknowledges that he is a vocal coach, but says he never uses profanity in front of his players. He said he was told by administrators after his second season to work on avoiding technical fouls.

“I had maybe six or seven that season,” Jackson said, “but I felt that was a fair request. Last season, I only had one.”

Palarz, who grew up in Sherman Oaks, uses a different coaching style. Players say he is more X’s and O’s man, and that he is much calmer than Jackson.

But the Vikings are 4-2 in the league and 10-6 overall. In their opener against Fremont, the defending City 3-A champion, Campbell Hall lost by 40 points.

“That was a difficult way to open our season,” Palarz said. “But it was a good experience for our young team. It sent a wake-up call that there is a difference between potential and performance.”

Although many parents were unhappy about Jackson’s firing, most have accepted it. LaFaye McKellar said she and her son do not have any real complaints this season.

“Jon walked into a situation that he wasn’t familiar with and one doesn’t always know what to expect,” she said. “The team seems to be improving.”

Lopez also says the team is better after spending the last two months getting used to a new coach and a new system. He still has loyalties to Jackson, however.

“If Coach Jackson were still here I think we would be doing better because things would be the same,” said Lopez, who is averaging 14 points. “If I had my choice, Jackson would still be the coach.”

Jackson still attends many Campbell Hall games.

“When you build something up, you want to be there to reap the rewards,” Jackson said. “It’s difficult when you can’t enjoy all of your hard work.”