Jones Already Practicing at Thousand Oaks

Many basketball observers believed Marion Jones would be lost for the season when the Thousand Oaks High standout suffered a broken wrist Jan. 9 in a fall during a girls’ game against Simi Valley, but Jones was back working out with the Lancers last week and expects to have the cast removed at the end of the week.

“It would give us a boost to have her back,” guard Michelle Palmisano said. “It would be a real advantage for us.”

Coach Chuck Brown said Jones will undergo a week of rehabilitation after the cast is removed and should be able to play again toward the end of the Southern Section 1-A Division playoffs if Thousand Oaks, the defending section champion, is still alive.

“Marion has been working out and doing drills with the team,” Brown said. “The other girls are trying to keep her from hurting herself during practice.”

Brown said he is not surprised by Jones’ recovery. “Nothing Marion does surprises me.”

WEATHER-BEATEN

Simi Valley boys’ basketball Coach Dean Bradshaw was quick to voice his displeasure last week when Simi Valley’s Marmonte League game at Newbury Park was postponed because of inclement weather, then canceled because it had no bearing on the league title.

Because Newbury Park’s gymnasium was used as an evacuation center during last week’s storms, school officials postponed Wednesday’s game until Saturday. Then, when Thousand Oaks clinched the league championship Friday, administrators from both schools decided the Simi Valley-Newbury Park game was unnecessary because Simi Valley (19-5, 10-3) trailed Thousand Oaks (17-7, 12-2) by 1 1/2 games with only one league game left.

“You always wish you could play out your schedule,” Bradshaw said. “(Administrators) felt that because of the storm, it was unsafe for the kids. Those people are paid to make those decisions, so I have to agree with it.”

RAINOUT FALLOUT

The City Section’s postponement of basketball games last Friday for weather-related reasons has thrown the schedule out of whack for this, the final week of the regular season.

Northwest Valley Conference boys’ games were rescheduled for Tuesday and Thursday. Thursday at 4 p.m., Granada Hills will play at Cleveland and Reseda will play at Chatsworth. A game between San Fernando and El Camino Real, also scheduled for last Friday, has been canceled because it has no bearing on the playoff picture.

Reseda, whose two games last week were postponed because of foul weather, will play consecutive road games Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The Regents (10-5, 5-1) are battling Chatsworth (13-6, 5-2) for the West Valley League title.

Because of the scheduling logjam, the Reseda girls’ team faces El Camino Real in back-to-back games Thursday and Friday. Reseda and El Camino Real entered the week tied for first in the West Valley League at 6-0.

City boys’ and girls’ teams normally play Wednesdays and Fridays.

THANKS, BUT NO THANKS

Vanquished in 13 consecutive games and 0-10 in Foothill League play, Burroughs was not among the chosen many entering the all-inclusive Southern Section boys’ basketball playoffs.

But don’t think the Indians were not invited. Southern Section officials offered Burroughs (5-18) a Division II-AA playoff berth, but Coach Art Sullivan politely declined.

“I’m in hot water with some parents for not going, but I’m trying to be realistic,” said Sullivan, whose team would have had to play the top-seeded team.

Hail, Glendora, which is 26-0.

Said Sullivan: “I failed to see how that would benefit us.”

MAC IS BACK

Doug MacKenzie made only one promise when he accepted the position as baseball coach at Ribet Academy in La Canada: a championship within 37 years. MacKenzie good-naturedly tells that story on himself. The 65-year-old former Canoga Park High coach finds himself in good spirits--finally--after nearly five years of searching for a coaching position.

The irrepressible and sometimes quirky coach completed a 37-year career at Canoga Park in 1987 by leading the Hunters to the City Section 4-A Division title.

The victory over Poly in the 4-A final at Dodger Stadium also evened his career mark at 300-300 and prompted an outpouring of congratulations from former players and colleagues.

However, when MacKenzie retired as a teacher at the end of that school year, he was not retained as coach. MacKenzie has been looking for a job since. “It’s been a long time and I’m looking forward to this,” he said.

The school has no on-campus baseball field, but MacKenzie should be accustomed to that: During his 37 years at Canoga Park, the Hunters played their games at Lanark Park.

OUT OF STEAM

Although Oxnard finished the regular season with a 7-16 record, the Yellowjackets appeared to be gaining steam heading into the Southern Section boys’ basketball playoffs. Oxnard lost its first nine Channel League games but has won three of its past five, including a 63-60 overtime upset of Ventura (20-5) on Friday.

But Oxnard’s hopes have been derailed in the classroom. Coach Henry Lobo said Tuesday that several players were ruled academically ineligible this week; thus, the team will not compete in the playoffs.

“We finished strong, so it’s a shame,” said Lobo, who would not name the players. “But the kids didn’t take care of business in the classroom.”

David Coulson and staff writers Steve Elling, John Lynch and Jeff Riley contributed to this notebook.

Regional Basketball

Top 10 Selected by sportswriters of The Times

Lst. Rk Wk Team League Record 1 1 North Hollywood Mid-Valley 21-1 2 2 Santa Clara Frontier 21-3 3 4 Buena Channel 20-4 4 7 Thousand Oaks Marmonte 17-7 5 5 Ventura Channel 19-4 6 6 Simi Valley Marmonte 19-5 7 7 Taft North Valley 15-4 8 3 Kennedy North Valley 15-8 9 9 Chatsworth West Valley 13-6 10 NR Hart Foothill 15-9

NR--Not ranked.