Earthquake Damage Chases Several Area Teams Off Floor

Numerous area high school basketball teams have been transformed into nomads by Monday’s deadly earthquake that left in its wake damaged gymnasiums in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.

Alemany in Mission Hills and L.A. Baptist in North Hills plan to play the rest of the season on the road because their gyms suffered substantial structural damage.

Top-ranked Hart (18-1) also might be forced to the road because of earthquake damage. Meanwhile, Foothill League administrators spent Friday discussing whether to curtail the regular season.

Gyms at six City Section schools--Chatsworth, Kennedy, Monroe, Reseda, Sylmar and Verdugo Hills--are unusable because they have been deemed unsafe or are being used as shelters.

Simi Valley’s gym reportedly has been condemned, and the status of the team’s home games is undecided.

“We have no idea what we’re going to do right now,” Simi Valley Coach Dean Bradshaw said. “We’re still trying to figure this out. We’re looking at different options, but we know nothing for certain right now.”

Alemany Athletic Director Dudley Rooney has been heartened because the gym seemed salvageable after the school initially faced the prospect of losing it completely. Rooney said the gym is approximately 30 years old.

“They seem to think they might be able to salvage the gym, but we won’t be able to use it the rest of the season,” he said. “We’re already looking for alternative sites. It’s a monumental task, but we’re committed to keeping our winter sports programs going.”

The condition of the L.A. Baptist gym built in 1971 also has been upgraded from initial reports, according to basketball Coach Maury Neville.

“It looks better today, but we’re practicing outside,” he said. “I think we’ve lost it for the year.”

Hart faces a similar fate.

“The pillars along the sides are cracked and tilted, and the walls are leaning,” said Hart senior guard Eric Spindt, who viewed the gym with his father, assistant coach Gary Spindt, on Thursday. “Another sizable aftershock and I think the thing will come down.”

Those high schools might turn to The Master’s College as an alternate site. The gym at the Newhall school escaped significant damage and Hart and Canyon have practiced there this week.

“The gym has held up so well that it could be used for a shelter,” said Jack Mutz, an assistant baseball coach at The Master’s who is also in charge of scheduling athletic events at Bross Gymnasium. “That’s what the city officials told us when they were out her today inspecting it.”

Mutz added that L.A. Baptist has inquired about hosting a first-round game of the Southern Section playoffs at Master’s on Feb. 8.

Administrators from Canyon, Hart and Saugus met Friday to explore options regarding the continuation of the regular season.

The league, which also includes Burroughs and Burbank, might cancel its third round of play or hold a league tournament in its place, according to Dave Harris, Canyon athletic director.

Gyms at Canyon and Saugus emerged from the quake relatively unscathed, Harris said, but both are being used as Red Cross shelters.

“The preliminary (decision) was to just to complete round two of the league schedule and that’s all that’s been determined right now,” Harris said.

Administrators from all five league schools are expected to meet again early next week, but no league games likely will be played until Jan. 29, Harris said.

The junior college athletic facility in the area hardest hit is at Pierce, where the men’s gym suffered major damage. Pierce fields a women’s basketball team only.

“I’ve been told that the men’s gym right now is condemned because one wall is off its foundation,” said Marian McWilliams, the school’s athletic director. “I was told the women’s gym is not as bad. A beam fell from the ceiling and cracked the floor. We are still trying to assess what the damage is.”

Other area junior college athletic facilities apparently suffered only minor damage, although some are still unusable.

Lee Smelser, athletic director and basketball coach at Canyons, said the school’s gym is structurally fine but without water or power. The Glendale College gym also escaped damage, basketball Coach Brian Beauchemin said.

The Moorpark College gym suffered damage when air ducts broke through the ceiling.

Valley College also had problems with lights in the men’s gym but it is usable.