Mahan to Launch Antelope Valley Basketball by Aiming High

Antelope Valley High basketball Coach Tom Mahan looked over his just-completed nonleague schedule for the 1996-97 season and had one thing to say: “Brutal.”

The schedule begins with a game at State champion Harvard-Westlake, continues with games against Southern Section powers Victor Valley and Long Beach Poly, and includes two top-level tournaments--the Artesia-hosted Best in the West tournament at Long Beach City College and the Ocean View Invitational.

“Somebody told me the Best in the West is one of the top five tournaments in the United States,” Mahan said. “I don’t know if that’s true.”

Antelope Valley, which tied for second in the Golden League and has four returning starters for next season, also accepted an invitation to the Martin Luther King Jr. Special, a one-day event Jan. 20 that features 16 of the area’s best teams in eight games at Pauley Pavilion.

Why such a “brutal” schedule?

“We want to find out what our weaknesses are,” Mahan said. “Last year, we played well enough to win. But we really didn’t challenge ourselves.”

Trickle-down theory: Just to demonstrate how what goes on in the major leagues really does affect the JetHawks, consider the chain of events last week.

Right-hander Chris Bosio of the Seattle Mariners was placed on the disabled list. Salomon Torres was promoted from triple-A Tacoma, replacing Bosio. Derek Lowe went from double-A Port City, replacing Torres.

And on Sunday, after the JetHawks’ Ivan Montane pitched his fifth inning, Manager Dave Brundage told him: “I’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is you are out of the game. The good news is your next start is in double A.”

Swan song: No performance was more stunning among athletes from the region in last weekend’s Masters Meet than that of Quartz Hill’s Danielle Day.

The Rebel sophomore had a school-record time of 10 minutes 45.20 seconds in the 3,200 to place fifth after clocking 11:23.22 for eighth in the Division I race of the Southern Section divisional championships the previous week.

“We finally got her to race,” Quartz Hill Coach Kelly Marsh said. “I told her earlier in the week that she was in great shape but that the main thing missing was she was forgetting to race. She was getting out there in the races and just running. She wasn’t racing.”

Unfortunately for Marsh, the State championships will be Day’s final race for Quartz Hill. She is expected to move to Florida with her family.

“I keep hoping that will fall through,” Marsh said with a laugh. “But it looks like she’s gone.”

Quotebook

“They called me at the hotel at 6 in the morning and told me to come to the park with all my stuff. I thought I got released.”

--Adonis Harrison, who woke up Monday morning in the Seattle Mariners’ extended spring training in Arizona and was in the JetHawks’ lineup in Lancaster on Monday night. The infielder was abruptly promoted after JetHawk shortstop Luis Molina suffered a season-ending knee injury Sunday.

“People who run that fast should be carried off the track on their shield.”

--Thousand Oaks High distance Coach Jack Farrell, on how quickly Kim Mortensen recovered from her national-record effort in the 3,200 meters Friday in the Southern Section Masters Meet.

Honors

Jason Cook, the JetHawks’ second baseman, was named California League player of the week after going 10 for 18, including a game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday night.

Things to Do

The City Section 4-A Division baseball championship will be at 7:30 tonight at Dodger Stadium. Tickets will be available at the stadium. Cost is $6 adults, $3 students with identification.

Contributing: Jeff Fletcher, Dana Haddad, John Ortega.