Amphibian Thrives at Crescenta Valley

James Jenkins is Crescenta Valley High’s version of Flipper.

Whether on the basketball court or in the pool, the 6-foot-5 sophomore is making a big splash.

He has grabbed 18 or more rebounds in six games this season. His hands are magnets for loose balls.

“I would be disappointed if he did not leave as the greatest rebounder the school has known,” Coach Jim Smiley said.

Jenkins finished third in the Southern Section Division II 50-yard freestyle last year to help the Falcons win the division championship.

The higher the expectations, the better he does.

“I expect a lot out of myself,” he said.

Averaging 11.9 points and 12.2 rebounds for the Falcons (15-5), Jenkins comes from a family of athletic achievers.

His sister, Mary Ellen, was a swimmer for Crescenta Valley, as was brother John, who’s 6-8 and set Division II records in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle while also playing basketball. Brother Jason, an eighth-grader, is 5-11 and a promising football, basketball and baseball player. Jason serves as James’ opponent in one-on-one basketball games in the family backyard.

“He usually gets pretty rough, which keeps me on my toes,” James said. “He gets mad when I’m beating him and starts pushing me. That’s the only way he can win.”

In two years, James is hoping he and Jason will be together on the Falcon varsity.

“That would be awesome,” James said.

Competing in the rare combination of swimming and basketball makes Jenkins one of the region’s fittest athletes.

“It’s like lifting weights for basketball but doing it in the water,” he said of swimming.

Jenkins has made a smooth adjustment to varsity basketball after playing last season on the freshman team.

His hustle and determination have earned the respect of older players.

“Whatever he does matters greatly to him,” Smiley said. “Even in practice, he’s not afraid to get on the floor. He’s mature beyond his years.”

Well, not so mature in the water. In swim practice,

he’s known to occasionally goof off by swimming to the bottom of the pool. But nobody challenges his swimming ability.

When the basketball team went to Hawaii for a tournament, Jenkins guided a group of players on a snorkeling tour of Hanauma Bay. He was barely breathing hard while the others were huffing and puffing.

Of course, the veterans on the team had plenty of fun when Jenkins locked himself out of his hotel room wearing only a towel.

“Everybody locked their doors so he couldn’t get in,” one player said. “He was yelling and slamming on the door. Then somebody tore his towel away.”

Jenkins was stranded in the hallway naked.

“He was a good sport,” teammate Chris Tarne said.

At Crescenta Valley, players learn more than shooting and rebounding. This is a school proud of its rich basketball tradition, from Brad Holland to Greg Goorjian to Adam Jacobsen.

The Falcons’ alumni game is always sold out. Former players return frequently to visit with the varsity.

“A lot of alumni come back and talk to us about what they accomplished with their jobs and families and how being a hard worker at CV carried [to other aspects of life],” Jenkins said.

Jenkins is on his way to establishing his own tradition of excellence.

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Coach Cathy Giordano, in her first softball season at Hart, has a nice problem: Four quality pitchers.

“Any one of these kids could be a starter for anyone else,” she said.

Junior Amanda Fortune, sophomore Lindsey Kontra, junior Bridgette Colleran and sophomore Casey Pickard form perhaps the best staff in the region. All pitch for travel teams. Now, if only Giordano can figure out who gets to be on the mound.

“I’m just going to do my scrimmages and, as I tell my kids, the cream will rise to the top,” she said.

Giordano will be so busy coaching softball she won’t have time to watch her own children play. Daughters Jeanine, at Washington, and Nicole, at Arizona, play college softball, and son Chris is a freshman baseball player at Hart. . . .

If Harvard-Westlake doesn’t win the Mission League boys’ basketball title this season or next, don’t feel sorry. Reinforcements will be arriving soon. Bryce Taylor and Zachary Woolridge, seventh-graders at Harvard-Westlake, are sons of former NBA players Brian Taylor and Orlando Woolridge. . . .

Jeff Stewart, an eighth-grader at Chaminade Middle School and brother of former Eagle Justin Stewart, was chosen most valuable player of the Paul Muff Memorial basketball tournament for eighth-grade teams Monday at Crespi. . . .

Carlos Reguengo, an All-East Valley League pitcher for Poly, pitched three hitless innings against Notre Dame last week. It will be a terrific matchup this spring when Reguengo faces Ivan Hernandez of Sylmar. . . .

One of the best winter baseball games is set for Saturday at 11 a.m., with Notre Dame playing at Chatsworth. . . .

Cal State Northridge opens its baseball season Friday with a 2 p.m. home game against San Francisco. Chris Thogersen of Newbury Park is scheduled to pitch the second game of the three-game series for San Francisco on Saturday. . . .

Craig Walendy, a fullback from Westlake High and UCLA, helped his NFL draft chances by rushing for 58 yards in four carries and scoring a touchdown in a college all-star game in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday. . . .

Quarterback Kyle Boller of Hart, set to attend California, already has figured out how long it will take for his parents to travel to the Bay Area for games. “It’s 16 minutes to Burbank Airport [from Valencia] and a 45-minute flight,” he said.

People wonder if Boller will be able to start as a freshman. David Neill, former Hart quarterback, pulled off the feat last season at Nevada, and Boller is just as football savvy. The Golden Bears have an elite player to build their team around for four years.

Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422.