McClurkin Gets Oxnard Coaching Job

Lawrence McClurkin, who took El Camino College to two state junior college basketball final four appearances, said Thursday he has accepted the Oxnard College coaching position.

The official announcement won’t be made until next week, when Ron Jackson, Oxnard athletic director, returns from vacation.

McClurkin coached El Camino from 1988 to 1991 and was the South Coast Conference coach of the year his first two seasons with the team. He has a 90-42 record and has never had a losing season.

McClurkin moved to Los Angeles City two seasons ago and led the Cubs to second place in the Southern California Athletic Conference. However, McClurkin said he was contemplating changing careers and did not coach the team last season. He decided to return to coaching when the Oxnard job became available.

At Oxnard, McClurkin takes over a team that was beset by problems. The Condors were expected to battle Ventura for the Western State Conference North Division title but finished fourth in the five-team division with a 2-6 record (16-14 overall).

The team bottomed out in early February, when point guard Chris Cole suffered a separated shoulder in a one-point loss to Santa Barbara City and was sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Three days later, sophomore center Art Wallace, who was averaging 10.7 points and 7.5 rebounds, quit the team and freshman forward Steve Amar (14.1 points and 6.5 rebounds) was dismissed by Coach Remy McCarthy for disciplinary reasons.

McCarthy resigned at the end of the season. Amar and guard Lance Fay, who led Oxnard in scoring with a 16.1 average, have transferred to Ventura.

McClurkin said that one of his immediate concerns is recruiting players since he’s getting a late start and because the shadow of Philip Mathews and his highly successful Ventura program loom in the not-so-far distance.

“It’s going to be the biggest challenge, trying to steal some of (Mathews’) limelight,” McClurkin said.