Motta Learned the Coaching Ropes From a Maverick

Kurt Motta, an assistant basketball coach at Antelope Valley Christian, learned a lot about the profession from his father, Dick, coach of the Dallas Mavericks.

The Eagles (24-1) suffered their first loss of the season Friday in the Southern Section Division V-A final, and Kurt Motta can call on his father’s vast experience with losing.

Dick Motta, while one of the winningest coaches in National Basketball Assn. history with 912 victories, has lost more games (945) than any NBA coach.

If Kurt Motta can help Antelope Valley Christian return to its winning ways in the Southern California regional playoffs Tuesday, it will be yet another accomplishment for the first-year assistant.

Motta, 29, was an assistant coach in Italy before coming to teach in Lancaster.

After coaching middle school teams for three years, he wanted to begin working his way toward the professionals ranks in the same manner as his father and brother, Kip, a Dallas assistant.

“They started the same way,” Kurt Motta said. “Junior high, high school, college and pro. They stopped at every level.”

Motta has found his niche at Antelope Valley Christian, which is enjoying its most successful season in its eight-year history.

“He’s brought a lot to the team,” Coach Frank Lawton said. “He complements my style very well.”

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Montclair Prep’s basketball team had an extra player in practice, and on the bench, for its Southern Section Division V-AA victory over Cate Friday.

Chatsworth guard Jerome Joseph, who averaged more than 25 points for the Chancellors, worked out with the Mounties this week and was on the bench, albeit in street clothes, for the final at UC Irvine’s Bren Center. He watched as the Mounties won their first section title since 1981.

Joseph found himself cheering the accomplishments of fellow seniors and former teammates Anwawn Jones, Akil Anderson and Scott Stark. Joseph attended Montclair Prep as a freshman before transferring.

“I’m still close to a lot of the guys,” Joseph said. “I wanted to be here for them and watch them win.”

Montclair Prep Coach Howard Abrams might have been tempted to play Joseph after the Mounties squandered a double-digit lead in the second quarter.

“We tried to get him eligible, but we figured we’d get in a little bit of trouble,” Abrams said.

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Shortly after an exhausted Kevin Kanemura awoke Saturday morning, he realized it was all a dream--a dream come true.

There on his dining table sat the proof: Van Nuys’ first City Section basketball championship trophy. He and his players had actually pulled it off.

Van Nuys’ 70-65 double-overtime victory Friday over Canoga Park in the 3-A Division final climaxed a wild, roller-coaster season for Kanemura and the Wolves.

Eight weeks ago, Kanemura was staring sadly into the face of a disappointing season. His Wolves were 5-7 entering Valley Pac-8 Conference play. Winning a section title was a dream he had shelved for the future.

But with a lot of work, and a little luck, the Wolves took Kanemura for a ride that no coach could expect in his second year of coaching.

“It’s been a long year,” Kanemura said. “I’ve got to rest and recover. I haven’t had a chance to sleep very much [lately].”

Indeed, the title game ended at 10:30 p.m. Friday, and Kanemura found himself basking in the glow of victory until 2 in the morning.

When he awoke six hours later, the season was a blur: Did the Wolves really win 12 of their last 14 games? Did they really capture a share of the Mid-Valley League title and earn the top seeding in the playoffs by virtue of Canoga Park’s improbable 86-80 loss to Poly in the final week of league play?

They certainly did.

And it was nip and tuck most of the way, which accounted for many of Kanemura’s sleepless nights.

After Van Nuys annihilated Bravo, 113-69, in the first round, the games became extremely tough in an instant. The Wolves were taken into double overtime by El Camino Real, which had twice beaten them earlier in the season, and escaped with an 84-83 quarterfinal victory when Jason Fox’s 12-foot jump shot bounced off the back of the rim as time expired.

In the semifinal game, Van Nuys eked out another nail-biter, 76-73, over Narbonne when Floyd Harvey’s three-point shot bounced off the front of the rim at the buzzer.

Friday’s final provided more of the same. This time it was Canoga Park’s Anthony Ellison who missed the potential game winner. With the game tied, 59-59, in the first overtime, Ellison drove the lane for a layup, but his shot bounced off the rim with five seconds left and into the hands of Van Nuys’ Onaje Longmire.

Kanemura doesn’t doubt that more than a few shots went the Wolves’ way, but he credits his players’ tenacity nonetheless.

“All these instances where [opponents] got their last shot off, I’ve looked at film of these games and there was always a guy with a hand in his face,” Kanemura said.

Helping hands never hurt, even if they come from above.

“I guess someone has been looking after us,” he said.

Contributing: Michael Lazarus, Paige A. Leech.