Stephens to Quit Valley Basketball Post

Jim Stephens, men’s basketball coach at Valley College for the past five seasons, has announced that he will resign his position at the end of the season.

Stephens, 54, who also coached the Monarch men’s team from 1975-82, said he had grown weary of the intense recruiting required to lure some of the area’s top talent to Valley.

“I like to win too much to just take what shows up here,” Stephens said. “But I’m tired of losing local kids to schools outside of this area.”

Although state junior college rules prohibit coaches from making first contact with athletes outside their designated recruiting area, Stephens said the rule frequently is broken.

“(Valley College Athletic Director) Chuck (Ferrero) is very strict about obeying the rules when it comes to recruiting, but not all the schools are,” Stephens said. “I’m just tired of dealing with the lies that some coaches will tell recruits about your program.”

Stephens cited one instance in which a player he was recruiting said a coach had told him that players were showing up to Valley practices drunk and on drugs.

“Who needs those kinds of lies to deal with?,” Stephens said.

Stephens, the men’s basketball coach at Pierce from 1983-85 and the women’s basketball coach at Valley from 1985-88, said that Valley’s 0-6 record this season had nothing to do with his decision.

“Chuck and I had talked about this last season, but we just kept it between ourselves,” Stephens said.

Stephens will remain at Valley as a full-time instructor in mathematics and physical education, and he said he might remain with the men’s basketball program as an assistant if whoever is hired to replace him wants him on the staff.

Stephens has compiled a 130-93 record at Valley as the men’s basketball coach. He had a 65-23 record with the Monarch women’s team and a 46-16 mark with the Pierce men’s program.

Ferrero said he expects to interview seven or eight candidates to fill Stephens’ position, then trim the field to three or four before making a decision.

The Oxnard Peace Officers Assn. will hold a memorial golf tournament Monday in honor of Oxnard police Officer Mike Cole at the Ojai Valley Inn and Country Club.

Proceeds will benefit a local scholarship.

Information: 805-385-7750 or 805-385-7645.

Two area boys were selected to the Junior National Gymnastics team in the 14-15 age bracket.

Adam Klein of Studio City placed third and Jason Aguiar of Simi Valley placed fifth during national testing last month at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., and earned berths on the team.

Fifty of the top high school senior girls’ volleyball players in the area will play a doubleheader Saturday night at Agoura High.

The first match of the All-Valley All-Star Shootout will start at 6:30 p.m. and the second match at 8.

Proceeds will go to the San Fernando Valley Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs.

A sports memorabilia auction to benefit the Calabasas High baseball team will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 10 at Calabasas High.

Among the items to be auctioned are boxing gloves signed by Joe Frazier and a baseball signed by Pete Rose.