NOHO BASKETBALL: North Hollywood High Coach Steve...

NOHO BASKETBALL: North Hollywood High Coach Steve Miller has consistently drawn many of his best players from central Los Angeles neighborhoods, a fact that raises questions among other coaches about recruitment practices (C1). But Miller says none of his players are there illegally. “A lot of these coaches who have criticized me are jealous.” . . . Observers agree that the school’s magnet status and Miller’s connections with educators and basketball organizers have helped the program improve.

NOT WITHOUT HONOR: MCA Inc.’s plans to expand its Universal City development have been warmly received in L.A. . . . Before the announcement of a new resort hotel complex at Universal, Lew Wasserman and Sidney Sheinberg, longtime bosses of the entertainment conglomerate, briefed City Council President John Ferraro and County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. . . . Said Ferraro of Wasserman: “He’s nothing but an asset for our city. To commit to that kind of development shows that he believes in Los Angeles--and I think that’s an important message to send around the world.”

DISNEY DEVOTION: Every day they come, through sunshine and rain. They are the die-hard fans traveling to Disneyland to collect one of 40 trading cards saluting the theme park’s 40th anniversary. . . . Northridge stockbroker Ted Haulley, above, drives nearly 100 miles round trip daily and says he’ll do it until the promotion ends March 2. “I don’t really care what they’re worth,” he says. “I would just like to say that I had them all.”

INSPIRED COMEDY: Robert G. Lee has found a way to take comedy to a higher level. . . . The stand-up comedian recently told jokes about Moses and other religious figures at Bel Air Presbyterian Church (B1). . . . A growing number of Protestant congregations are holding comedy nights, mixing the silly with the sacred.