Wooden Classic Set to Serve Up High School Basketball

Gather five of the area’s top prep basketball teams. Import a national power to complete the bill for a daylong invitational festival. Stage the event in a glistening arena as part of a weekend celebration honoring one of the sport’s greatest coaches.

In Indiana, perhaps, that’s a recipe for a sellout. In Southern California, where high school basketball is not a religion and prep athletes must compete with an abundance of pro, college and participatory sports for attention, no one knows how many fans to expect when the Pond opens its doors today for the Wooden Classic High School Invitational.

“I think attendance will be the immediate judge of how people accept the event,” said Kent Atherton, Wooden Classic president. “Whether that’s the best measure of success, I don’t know.”

Atherton declined to project attendance, but two participating coaches--Gary McKnight of Mater Dei and Steve Brooks of Los Alamitos--suggested that organizers would be happy to fill the lower seating section of the Pond. The arena seats about 17,000 for basketball, including some 5,300 on the lower level.

Mater Dei’s Nike Extravaganza, another top prep basketball invitational, drew 3,500 to UC Irvine’s Bren Center last season. The Wooden Classic drew 8,463 to the Pond last year for a college doubleheader that did not include a local entrant but did feature eventual national champion Arizona. UCLA returns this year, with each team in Saturday’s college field--New Mexico, Stanford and Georgia included--ranked among the top 25.

The scheduling is not optimal for the two Orange County schools in today’s event. Mater Dei, which faces Encino Crespi at 7, must share the spotlight with a girls’ basketball game at Marina tonight and a Southern Section football playoff game Friday.

“This time of year, it’s a tough ticket,” McKnight said.

Los Alamitos, which faces perennial national powerhouse Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha, must contend with a 9:30 tip-off on a school night.

“The rewards of playing are worth it,” Brooks said, “but it does put a strain on our student body, and that is of some concern.”

Success need not be measured in attendance alone. Schools receive a 20% rebate on advance ticket sales, Atherton said, and a $1,000 contribution to their scholarship fund in the name of a scholar-athlete on each team.

“Anything associated with Coach Wooden is something you’d like to be part of,” McKnight said, “and playing in the Pond is a great experience for the kids. I don’t think there’s an arena in the country as nice as the Pond.”

Atherton expects the high school invitational to survive growing pains and emerge as a staple of the Wooden Classic weekend. Atherton has reserved three days at the arena again next year, Pond assistant general manager Tim Ryan said.

“We would never have initiated this without the expectation of it being a long-term event,” Atherton said.

A television contract would help, particularly with organizers paying air and hotel bills for DeMatha. Atherton approached Fox Sports West 2, which televises many prep events, and Orange County News Channel, but both cable channels passed. Fox is committed to carry a Clipper game tonight. OCN general manager Mike Sweeney said Atherton did not approach him until one month ago and the channel could not solicit enough advertising to cover production costs that quickly. However, Sweeney said, OCN is interested in airing next year’s event.

Atherton said he plans to import a top East Coast team each year and hopes to feature Mater Dei annually.

“I refer to them as the UCLA of high school basketball,” Atherton said. “I see no reason why we wouldn’t want them every year.”

Harold Cebrun, Southern Section assistant commissioner, said organizers hope to include a girls’ game and an NBA-style “Stay in School Jam” to the event next year.

“If you look at what happens with all of our best teams during the holidays, California has sat back and watched--at least in this area--as our best teams leave the state to play in Florida, Las Vegas, all over the place,” Cebrun said. “I don’t know of anything better to showcase our teams, especially when it’s associated with Coach Wooden.”

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John Wooden Classic

High School Invitational

* What: A prep basketball triple-header that serves as a prelude to Saturday’s college basketball doubleheader. Events include a three-point shootout, slam-dunk contest and a celebrity basketball game, which begins at 8:30 p.m.

* Where: The Pond

* When: Today

* Tickets: $8-$25

* Glendora vs. Chino Hills Ayala, 5:30 p.m.: Glendora posted a 90-42 victory over Walnut Tuesday, and Ayala was a 50-40 winner over La Verne Damien. Casey Jacobsen, a 6-foot-6 guard and an All-Southern Section Division I selection in 1996-97, led Glendora with 28 points. Chris Clark, a 6-6 junior, scored 23, and 6-2 point guard Earl Sanchez had nine assists. Ayala has height in 6-6 forward Jack May and 6-5 forward Shane Unrein.

* Mater Dei vs. Encino Crespi, 7 p.m.: In a strange twist, this one is a first-round game in the San Luis Obispo tournament and the season opener for Mater Dei, 10th in the Orange County preseason rankings. The Monarchs return no starters from last year’s section Division I-A championship team. Crespi lost to Canyon Country Canyon, 63-60, Tuesday. The Celts were led by Rob Muller, a 6-3 junior, who scored 16 points, and Jon Bird, a 6-5 junior, who scored nine points and had eight rebounds in the second half.

* Los Alamitos vs. Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha, 9:30 p.m.: The Griffins, led by 6-7 center Matt Komer and 6-foot shooting guard Richard Garibay, open as the county’s third-ranked team. Komer, who has committed to play volleyball at UCLA, was the Sunset League’s most valuable player in basketball last season. DeMatha opened Tuesday with a 106-27 victory over Takoma Academy in Maryland. Keith Bogans scored 21 points. DeMatha Coach Morgan Wootten has a record of 1,141-168 in 41 years at the school.