Rough Start Isn’t End for Quarterman

Burbank boys’ basketball coach Ron Quarterman is experiencing a first in his 13-year coaching career--a losing season.

In five years as a high school and eight years as an American Roundball Corp. coach, Quarterman’s teams, which have included Jason and Jarron Collins, Ruben Douglas and Travis Reed, have always been successful.

But with the Bulldogs off to a 3-11 start and All-Valley guard Juni Williams recently declared academically ineligible, chances for a winning season are looking grim.

“I guess it’s my turn,” Quarterman said. “There aren’t any coaches that are going to have winning teams every year. I’m not going to quit so I’ll just have to adjust. I’ll deal with it, but I don’t like it.”

Record run: Gilbert Arenas set the Grant career record for points in an 82-74 loss to Birmingham in the final of the Birmingham tournament last week.

Arenas, a junior guard who has played 1 1/2 varsity seasons, has scored 952 points in 36 games. Donald Patterson scored 938 in 72 games before graduating in 1996.

Mouthing off: Forget the game plan. Alemany may have the only girls’ basketball team in the region with a dental plan.

One of the school’s team doctors is Dr. Stewart Balikov, a dentist.

Because of his influence, every Indian must wear a protective mouth guard, a practice Alemany Coach Melissa Hearlihy credits with saving two players from serious injury this season.

“I’ve never made it mandatory until this year,” Hearlihy said.

SOCCER

No time to panic: The Royal High boys’ soccer team has dominated the Marmonte League recently, winning five of the last six league titles. But Coach Kevin Corley wasn’t upset that his team tied Thousand Oaks, 1-1, Monday at Thousand Oaks.

“We’ve played the league’s three toughest teams, all on the road, to open our league season,” said Corley, whose team is tied with the Lancers for the league lead at 2-0-1 going into Wednesday’s play.

“We give up soft goals right down the middle,” said Corley, whose team rallied for the tie Monday. “But at least we don’t panic when we do and that’s the mark of a championship team.”