Ventura Works On Replacing Watson

Cuesta College Coach Rusty Blair and Columbia College Coach Glen Hefferman are the front-runners among 12 candidates vying to become the next Ventura College men’s basketball coach, sources said Friday.

Among the candidates being interviewed this weekend is Chaffey Coach George Tarkanian, son of Fresno State Coach Jerry Tarkanian.

The Ventura job became available in March when the school decided not to renew the contract of former Coach Virgil Watson.

Watson’s replacement must be approved by the Ventura County Community College District board, which meets Tuesday night. The school is expected to introduce its new coach on Wednesday.

Dick James, Ventura’s athletic coordinator, was on vacation and unavailable for comment.

Blair has a 106-62 record in five seasons at Cuesta. Last season, he led the Cougars to a first-place tie with Ventura in the Western State Conference Northern Division.

Hefferman guided Columbia to a 23-10 record last season, his first with the Claim Jumpers, and to second place in the Central Valley Conference. He was a finalist for the Ventura job when Watson was hired full-time in May 1996.

Tarkanian’s team was 26-11 last season, his fourth with the Panthers, who won the Foothill Conference South Division title. Tarkanian’s father was the target of various NCAA investigations while coaching at Nevada Las Vegas in the 1980s.

Watson coached two seasons at Ventura, taking the Pirates to the state championship in 1995-96. He coached that season on an interim basis, replacing Phil Mathews, who was hired in July 1995 to coach at the University of San Francisco.

Ventura didn’t renew Watson’s contract after the last school year, citing a poor teaching ability. District officials also accused Watson of unspecified recruiting violations and having an unethical relationship with a 41-year-old female student at the college.

Watson appealed the firing through the union that represents district instructors. The appeal is pending.

Moorpark’s first-year coach, Remy McCarthy, said Watson’s dismissal has prompted several Ventura players to transfer.

McCarthy said forwards Ceneka Shaw, Charles Dixon and Donte Lincoln plan to play for Moorpark.

McCarthy said the players told him that Ventura teammates James Lee and DaJuan Wilson are transferring to L.A. Southwest, Eric Holmes is headed for Chaffey, and 6-foot-8 center Eddie Miller, a former All-City player at Chatsworth High, is going to Butler County Community College in El Dorado, Kan.

Miller averaged 16.2 points in Northern Division play last season and Lee averaged 14.6 points.

Lee is from Los Angeles and was coached at Locke High by Reggie Morris, now coach at L.A. Southwest. None of the players could be reached for comment.

“I’m not happy about what happened to Virgil because he’s a good friend of mine, but I sure don’t mind getting those guys,” McCarthy said.