Double Duty Keeps Irvine Athletic Director Busy

Northwood may plan to field only three varsity teams in its inaugural school year beginning in the fall, but that doesn’t mean Athletic Director Rick Curtis hasn’t been busy.

Curtis is also concurrently finishing the fall semester as Irvine’s athletic director.

“It’s been a little crazy,” said Curtis, who is in his 10th year as Irvine’s athletic director. “I’m answering phones for both schools, rescheduling some games for Irvine while I’m trying to put together a football schedule for Northwood.”

Curtis will continue to serve as an assistant varsity boys’ basketball coach as well as varsity track and field coach at Irvine although he will relinquish his athletic director duties Feb. 9.

Curtis then can turn most of his attention to Northwood.

“Everything appears to be on schedule,” Curtis said. “By May 1, the school offices should be available for our administration. The gym should be finished by summer and the practice fields, hopefully by the fall.

“We hope to have 75% of our teachers and coaches hired by March 1, then they’ll start in the fall.”

Curtis said since the school, located in Irvine, will have only freshmen and sophomores, it will likely field varsity teams for only girls’ cross-country, softball and girls’ swimming. But there will be lower-level teams for all sports.

Northwood will compete in the Pacific Coast League with Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa, Estancia, Laguna Beach and University.

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Bob Johnson spent 13 years as the head football coach at El Toro, where he won six league titles and three Southern Section titles. But now he will continue the rebuilding process with his former rival, Mission Viejo.

So, does Johnson expect any backlash?

“Not one bit,” Johnson said. “I’ve been at Mission Viejo as a teacher for five years. I don’t feel it or see it. You are what you are: you coach kids. The color of uniform shouldn’t matter.”

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Orange County’s top two boys’ basketball teams won’t play each other this week, but both face stern tests in today’s Nike Dream Classic at Pauley Pavilion.

Mater Dei, ranked fourth in the state, faces second-ranked Compton Dominguez and 7-foot-1 sophomore center Tyson Chandler at 6 p.m.

Capistrano Valley, ranked 10th in the state, plays seventh-ranked Glendora at 4 p.m. Glendora features sharpshooting senior Casey Jacobsen, who is headed to Stanford.

The other scheduled games are Redondo Union vs. Inglewood at 9:30 a.m.; Los Angeles Verbum Dei vs. Long Beach Jordan at 11:10 a.m.; Simi Valley vs. L.A. Fairfax at 12:50 p.m.; Long Beach Poly vs. L.A. Manual Arts at 2:30 p.m.; and L.A. Crenshaw vs. Compton at 8 p.m.

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There are plenty of high-powered matchups this week featuring the county’s best, including Brea Olinda, the county’s top-ranked girls’ basketball team, hosting Harbor City Narbonne Saturday at 8 p.m.

Narbonne is the top-ranked team in the state and Brea is ranked fourth. The teams met on Dec. 22 and Narbonne won, 50-48, with a basket in the final six seconds of the third-place game in the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions.

In girls’ soccer, Capistrano Valley, the top-ranked team in Orange County, will host second-ranked Mission Viejo Thursday at 3:15 p.m. The teams played to a 2-2 tie in their first league meeting Jan. 5.

In wrestling, top-ranked Santa Ana hosts second-ranked Calvary Chapel Wednesday at 6 p.m. in a match originally scheduled for Jan. 27. Santa Ana finished third in last weekend’s Brute Five Counties tournament and Calvary Chapel was sixth.

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Times staff writer Martin Henderson contributed to this story.