Westlake High Ousts Starting Center

Nick Alexander, Westlake High’s 6-foot-9 starting center for much of the season, has been kicked off the team for disciplinary reasons, Warrior assistant John Zaruka said Monday.

Westlake Coach Gary Grayson could not be reached for comment.

Westlake (18-4), the Marmonte League co-champion, will begin play in the Southern Section Division I-AA playoffs Friday against San Gabriel or Redlands.

Zaruka said Alexander, a junior, was informed before practice Monday that he would not be with the team for the rest of the season, but he was invited to try out in the spring for next year’s team. But Phillip Alexander, Nick’s father, doubted that would happen.

“I would say there was about as large a chance of (Nick) playing at Westlake as the glaciers coming down and forming and tipping the San Fernando Valley over,” Phillip Alexander said.

He hinted that his son might be playing at a prep school in the East.

Tensions between Nick Alexander and Grayson came to a head last week. Grayson pulled Alexander early in Wednesday’s game against Agoura. During Friday’s game against Simi Valley, when the Warriors clinched their first Marmonte League boys’ basketball title, Alexander played only a few minutes in the second quarter.

Alexander averaged 8.6 points this season.