Royal’s Season Gets Off to Bad Start

Talk about your bad omens.

On the opening tip-off of Royal High’s season opener against Charter Oak on Tuesday night in the Monrovia tournament, senior center Kellie Gesell sprained her ankle and sat out the rest of the game.

“We’ll probably hold her out of the entire tournament,” Royal Coach Mike Kohl said. “She should probably be ready, I would say, in two weeks.”

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Kelly Greathouse of Buena is a veteran of club basketball and, like most club players, can name the top players in California better than many coaches.

“That’s because coaches don’t get out as much,” she said. “They must be home watching videotapes or something.”

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Jann Thorpe, who helped Newbury Park to the Southern Section Division III-A championship in 1995, had her number retired Nov. 20 at Sonoma State.

Thorpe, a Times All-Ventura County selection as a senior, graduated Sonoma State as its career rebounding leader.

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Monroe’s girls’ team has a player named LaToya Jackson.

“Last year, we had a Quincy Jones on the boys’ team,” Viking Coach Ron Harris said. “We had a Motown thing going on.”

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Keyana Stanford has become an assistant coach at Nordhoff.

Stanford helped lead the Rangers to a Southern Section final in 1996 and played on a state championship team at Ventura College.