VENTURA COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS / JOHN LYNCH : Though Hobbled by Chronic Injuries, Ember Kept Desire Ablaze

It’s awards time for high school basketball players and striding to the front of the line is Ventura High’s Ember Brown.

Uh, make that limping to the head of the line.

Brown, a 5-foot-8 senior forward, can barely hold all the hardware: All-Ventura County by area coaches three times, All-Southern Section Division II since her sophomore season; All-Channel League three years running.

She’s also the school career scoring leader with 1,420 points and has signed to play at Long Beach State.

Still, when Brown looks back at her high school career, she sees disappointment.

For the past two seasons, she has played on sore ankles and faces the possibility of surgery on not just one but both. Torn ligaments in her right ankle make surgery certain, and doctors are still considering surgery to tighten ligaments on her left ankle. A decision is expected by the end of the month.

“I’m worried about the surgery and afraid to find out what the doctors are going to say,” she said. “I’m just very disappointed about everything. I had so many goals I wanted to accomplish, but once I got injured, I got out of shape and couldn’t perform.”

Brown played without pain as a sophomore and that remains her best season. She led Ventura to the Division II final, set a school scoring record with 523 points, and her 43-point effort against Newbury Park in the playoffs is also a school best.

But days before the start of her junior season, Brown suffered a stress fracture in her right ankle, an injury that plagued her all season. Still, she averaged 14.8 points, led Ventura to the Division II semifinals and was named to the all-state junior team.

After an off-season of rehabilitation, her ankle seemed healed until it gave out again just before the start of this season. “It twisted for no reason while I was running backward,” she said.

Every day this season, she wore an ankle brace from morning to night. And then, perversely, her left ankle began to hurt. By season’s end, her effectiveness was nearly cut in half, she said.

The numbers still looked good--16.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, a trip to the playoff quarterfinals--but Brown is not assuaged.

“I was very upset all season,” she said. “I’m still disappointed. I tried to deal with it the best that I could.”

For that effort, as much as for her accomplishments on the court, Coach Glenn Gray will remember Brown’s career at Ventura.

“She never complained,” he said. “I didn’t get it out of her until the end of the season how much she was hurting. She played with a lot of guts. I admire her for trying her best in a difficult situation.”

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Despite the tribulations of facing a second investigation of his program in less than a year, Simi Valley baseball Coach Mike Scyphers has been gratified by the play of his team.

In fact, that’s all he will address.

“I’m not going to discuss my situation; the story is the kids,” he said after Simi Valley split a doubleheader with Chaminade on Saturday. “This isn’t fair to the kids. When I’m good and ready, I’ll tell everybody in God’s country what my situation is.”

The Pioneers are off to a 6-2 start, including back-to-back shutouts last week.

Scyphers’ situation might also include a change of scenery next school year.

Jack Dyck, athletic director at Sandpoint High in Idaho, has actively recruited Scyphers for the school’s baseball job.

Dyck is a former Beverly Hills High basketball coach and a teammate of Scyphers on the Cal State Northridge basketball team in the 1970s.

Scyphers visited the school in January, raising Dyck’s hopes that Scyphers will take the position.

“I know the kind of person Mike is and I’m confident of his moral makeup,” Dyck said. “If there is a better coach, better person and better teacher, I want to see him. I’d love to see Mike up here.”

Until that decision is made, Scyphers is focusing on Simi Valley--and is pleased with the results. Four Pioneer pitchers combined to blank Crespi, 3-0, Monday, and Edison, 6-0, Tuesday. Scyphers, who in 17 years has 332 victories, cannot remember his teams ever posting back-to-back shutouts.

“I’m still researching it but I think that’s a first for us, and that’s pretty amazing considering all the pitchers we’ve had here,” he said.

Scott Radinsky of the White Sox and brothers Steve and Scott Sharts, who each played minor league baseball, are top former Pioneer pitchers.

Just as amazing is the players’ ability to remain focused on baseball while their coach fights illegal-recruiting charges. The high school disciplined Scyphers after a parent accused the coach of influencing his son to enroll at Simi Valley.

Neither Scyphers nor Simi Valley officials would divulge details of the discipline, and the case will be heard by Southern Section officials on Friday.

“Our kids have not let the off-the-field situation affect them and I’m unbelievably pleased with the way we’ve been playing,” Scyphers said. “I’ve heard nothing but positive things from parents and everyone has been supportive.”