Pearson Remains in Campbell Hall Basketball Plans

Say, whatever happened to . . . ?

One of last season’s biggest and most controversial basketball stories took place off the court when Campbell Hall High forward Rowan Pearson, a transfer from Granada Hills, was ruled ineligible by the Southern Section for violating the CIF’s dual-residency rule.

The Vikings, the top-ranked Division V team in the state and the defending section Division V-AA champions, were forced to forfeit a number of games and were eliminated from playoff consideration. When he was deemed ineligible, Pearson was averaging 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds, both team highs.

In the silver-lining department, Pearson was only a junior. Paired with returning center Alex Lopez, a slew of experienced role players and a group of transfers from Fairfax, Campbell Hall was expected to contend for the section title this season.

Pearson, though, hasn’t set foot on the court: He is academically ineligible.

“It’s a tragic situation,” assistant Joe Sciuto said. “He hasn’t really played in two years.”

Pearson, a 6-foot-3 forward, has been seeing a tutor and could be reinstated after the semester break in late January if his grade-point average climbs above the required 2.0. If Pearson plays, the Vikings (12-3) again would rank as one of the favorites for a section or state title.

Pearson was one of six players who transferred to Campbell Hall last season. Three others--Simeon Woodall, Jim Snodgrass and Damon Glymph--are in the starting lineup. All three transferred from Fairfax.

Woodall, the only Fairfax transfer who played at the varsity level last season, is averaging a team-high 19.5 points.

VALLEY PAC-8: Grant a Leave of Absence

So Taft thought it was dealt a blow when All-City center Johnny Williams was kicked out of school for disciplinary reasons a few days before the season began.

Grant Coach Howard Levine will be forced to deal with a comparable situation next month when the family of center Rick Forscutt moves to Utah. In short, Levine will be left to shuffle the deck in midseason.

Levine said the Forscutts made him aware that they were moving several months ago when they put their house up for sale. The house was recently sold, and the family will be moving to Salt Lake City on Jan. 11.

However, Levine hadn’t given up hope--until recently. The coach thought Forscutt might stay behind and live with friends while completing his senior year.

“He’s gone,” Levine said this week. “I’d been keeping my fingers crossed so long that I broke one.”

Forscutt, 6-8, is averaging 11.2 points and 7.5 rebounds. He averaged 8.3 points and 6.5 rebounds as a junior.

If the move proceeds as scheduled, Grant will lose Forscutt for all but one conference game.

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Bad enough that Grant lost to a junior varsity team last week in the L.A. Invitational tournament. The Lancers appeared to be intimidated by the Manual Arts players.

“It’s a different game (in the city),” Levine said. “They’re in your face and they’re very aggressive.”

Levine said that the Toilers routinely bumped his players during timeouts, grabbed jerseys, triple-teamed players at times and played physically.

Grant lost, 58-51, and was outscored, 20-9, in the fourth quarter.

“They wore us down,” Levine said.

FREE-LANCE: Czech This Guy Out

Blocked shots have long been the preserve of Campbell Hall center Alex Lopez, a 6-10 1/2 senior whose condor-size wingspan has sent more than a few shots careening into the fifth row of the bleachers.

So when Lopez had a shot of his own rejected by Montclair Prep junior center Carlos Roubicek in Campbell Hall’s 60-50 nonleague victory last week, Lopez’s buddies in the stands gave him a loud ribbing.

Call it a Czech cancellation.

“It’s a safe bet that (Roubicek) will be the only Czechoslovakian to block one of Lopez’s shots this year,” cracked Montclair Prep Coach Howard Abrams, who has dubbed the 6-6 Roubicek “the best Czechoslovakian center--and probably the only Czechoslovakian center--in all of Los Angeles.”

Alas, Roubicek finished with two points and one blocked shot while Lopez had 18 points and eight blocks.

NORTHWEST VALLEY: A Concurring Opinion

Senior point guard Trenton Cross hardly cast a dissenting vote.

Last week, Reseda teammate Archie Williams stated that the Regents have enough talent to win the City Section 3-A Division championship. In fact, he predicted they would win the title, even though Williams, a transfer from Santa Monica, is a new kid on the block.

Cross has been a starter since his sophomore season and has experienced the team’s ups (14-7 in 1991-92) and downs (7-12 in 1992-93), so perhaps he has a better perspective.

“It’s a lot better this year,” Cross said. “We have a better group. Last year, I’d penetrate and dish off and the guy wouldn’t finish it off. This year, we’ve got guys to finish it off.”

Reseda has jumped to an 11-0 start, yet Cross feels that the best is yet to come. With four transfers on the team, the Regents are still familiarizing themselves with one another’s strengths and weaknesses.

“We don’t feel like we’ve played the way we can,” Cross said. “Not for the whole 32 minutes, anyway. We haven’t completely jelled.”

And if they do?

“There’s no reason we can’t take it all,” Cross said. “Everybody knows what it takes to win and is excited about (our chances).”

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Things that drive coaches crazy: Taft lost to Jefferson this week, 87-83, despite leading well into the final minute.

How? The Toreadors couldn’t stop All-City guard Anthony Martin, who scored 24 of his game-high 33 points in the second half.

In fact, it’s worse than that. Martin was fouled while attempting a three-point basket with one second remaining in the first half and sank all three free throws. So he scored 27 of his 33 points over the final 16 minutes 1 second.

“That’s why I’m gray and bald,” Taft Coach Jim Woodard cracked.

Around the Leagues . . .

* Who are those guys? Bel-Air Prep, expected to contend for the boys’ basketball title in the tough Delphic League, has changed its name to Pacific Hills.

* A three-point shooting contest is scheduled for tonight at 7:30 for players on teams entered in the Chaminade tournament.