Ventura Trying to Return to Normal

After one week on the job, Glen Hefferman still is men’s basketball coach at Ventura College. And Ventura still has a basketball team.

“I’m still here,” Hefferman said. “I didn’t go back to Redding.”

Hefferman is joking, of course. He spent last season as men’s coach at Columbia College in Sonora, Calif., his first as a head coach in the college ranks. But a sense of humor might help the coach in his quest to ease tensions at Ventura.

Hefferman, 31, a two-time finalist for the job at Ventura, was an 11th-hour replacement for Jim Keating, who accepted the position July 2, only to abruptly change his mind last week.

Keating, former men’s coach at Shasta College in Redding, Calif., decided to remain a physical education instructor at the Northern California campus amid reports he was threatened by a faculty member while visiting the Ventura campus. This week, Phil Passno, a longtime physical education instructor at Ventura, reportedly was identified as having threatened Keating. Passno denied the allegation.

Emotions have been riding high since the dismissal in March of former Coach Virgil Watson. Watson led the Pirates to a state title in his first season in 1996, but his contract was not renewed after last season, drawing protests from players and program supporters.

The district launched an investigation into the program, alleging violations of state athletic regulations. A report of the investigation’s findings is pending.

Though several players stated intentions to transfer in the wake of Watson’s firing, the nucleus of the team appears to have returned. Forwards Donte Lincoln and Eddie Miller, and guard James Lee, all of whom considered leaving, were in attendance this week in Hefferman’s intercollegiate basketball class, which attracts players to the program.

Miller and Lincoln, however, did not return phone calls placed to their homes Wednesday. As Hefferman noted at his introductory press conference, “It’s going to take some time for the wounds to heal.”

Meanwhile, Hefferman will try to focus on maintaining one of the state’s top programs.

Phil Mathews, who left Ventura two years ago to become men’s coach at the University of San Francisco, led the Pirates to a 298-56 record and two state titles in 10 years.

“I feel pressure from within myself,” Hefferman said. “Phil Mathews was here for a long time and was very successful. And Virgil Watson had two good years here. We want to continue [that success].”

Hefferman said he has been surprised by the number of inquiries from potential players since taking the helm Monday.

“The response has been great,” he said. “Players have been coming out of the woodwork.

“The phone has been ringing from L.A. and out of state. Ventura has been so good for so long, people still want to be a part of it.”

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There will be no shortage of running backs this season at Moorpark College.

Aside from tailback Aaron Davis, a reserve last season, the Raiders have a promising group of ballcarriers that includes freshmen Jason Gordon, Carl Richardson, Emory Holmes and Joe Hollowell, and sophomore transfers Joel Deliard and Raushan Johnson.

Gordon rushed for 1,472 yards last season for Agoura High, Richardson rushed for 908 at Rio Mesa and Holmes had 664 for Cleveland. Hollowell, a fullback for Camarillo, rushed for 210 yards.

Deliard is a transfer from Mission, Johnson from Glen.

“We’ve had good running backs year in and year out, but these are sort of a high numbers,” Moorpark Coach Jim Bittner said.

“All these guys are quality running backs and we’re going to find a way to use them all.”

The influx of runners might mean a change in the Raiders’ attack, Bittner said.

“Normally, we run an I [formation],” Bittner said. “But with our talent at tailback we’ll probably go with some split backs.”

It could be Moorpark’s best running attack since 1990, when it had future NFL players Freddie Bradley and Jamal Anderson.

Bradley, who plays for the San Diego Chargers, rushed for 2,123 yards and 30 touchdowns that season. Anderson, of the Atlanta Falcons, rushed for 911 yards and nine touchdowns.

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Just when Cal State Northridge was looking for something to guzzle during a break in afternoon football practice Saturday, the Matadors hit the jackpot.

A pickup truck full of cold, canned sodas pulled into the practice field and turned over its payload to the Matadors--free.

The soda company tried giving away the drinks as a promotion at a car show adjacent to Northridge’s North Campus Stadium but was denied permission.

So, about 85 players and coaches lucked out, even getting several more cases to stash away.

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Matador Coach Jim Fenwick has been trying to unite the players by getting them to do things together off the field.

On Saturday night, the bonding tool was a movie.

The Matadors watched Wesley Snipes’ “Murder at 1600.”

But, Fenwick said, the team was divided on which film to watch.

“Maybe we’ll have to make it like Cineplex--one movie in the weight room, one movie in the locker room,” Fenwick said.

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The togetherness stuff Fenwick is promoting was lost on some of the players.

To give the offensive and defensive units an incentive while practicing the two-minute drill, Fenwick said the losers each would have to do 30 push-ups.

When the offense failed to score on the first series, defensive players counted out loud the push-ups done by the offense.

Later, as a fumble recovery in the second series was ignored by the coaches acting as officials, All-American linebacker Marc Goodson led a chorus of protests.

“I want to see 30 more push-ups right now,” Goodson yelled.