Ross is making it perfectly clear

There was no track practice Monday, the first day of spring break at Vista Murrieta. So what did Nick Ross do?

Sleep in? Head to the nearest lake to go fishing? Drive to Disneyland?

No, Ross was at the school field by 9:30 a.m. practicing his specialty, the high jump, with no coaches or teammates in sight.

If anyone wonders how someone who’s a point guard in basketball can clear a nation-leading 7 feet 3 in the high jump, the answer is simple.

“My work ethic,” he said.

For 90 minutes, he practiced, engaging in plyometric exercises and working on fundamentals in preparation for one of his biggest meets of the season, Saturday’s Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia High.

He won the high jump last year at Arcadia as a junior, clearing 6-11, and he can’t wait to experience the atmosphere and adrenaline rush that the meet brings out.

“It’s so fun,” he said. “There’s so many people watching.”

It’s the one night in which fans, coaches and athletes get together to prove high school track and field is alive and well in Southern California. What a night it will be, with sprinter Randall Carroll of Los Angeles Cathedral, hurdler Reggie Wyatt of Riverside La Sierra, miler Elias Gedyon of Los Angeles Loyola and distance standout Jordan Hasay of San Luis Obispo Mission College Prep.

There will be competition in open and invitational divisions, with 3,500 athletes from 24 states as well as Canada and Australia. Of the 46 events being contested, the state leader in 45 will be competing.

And count Ross as one of the featured performers. He’s 6-foot-2, with a vertical leap he estimates above 40 inches. He used to think basketball would earn him a college scholarship, but when he discovered high jumping as a freshman, his future was decided. He signed with Arizona last November, and he continues to soar to record heights.

Last month, he cleared 7-3 in a dual meet and shared his moment by suddenly sprinting in a 100-meter celebratory dash.

“Everybody was chasing me,” he said.

On Saturday, the high jump will have at least five competitors who have gone over 7 feet.

Yes, Ross has lots of talent, but any teenager who spends his first morning of spring break practicing the high jump by himself tells plenty about who he is and where he intends to go.

--

Another basketball absurdity

Phil Taylor of Sports Illustrated writes this week about the latest absurdity in high school basketball, the inaugural ESPN Rise National High School Invitational tournament that was won by Las Vegas Findlay Prep, which houses its eight players in a $425,000, five-bedroom home, picks up the tab for their $16,000 tuition at a nearby private school while also providing the players with food, transportation, laptops and Nike gear.

Taylor points out that Findlay Prep answers to no one because it’s not sanctioned by the National Federation of State High School Assns., meaning there are no academic eligibility requirements and the team can accept transfers at any time.

If this is the future of high school basketball, please wave the white flag of surrender, because it means people have forgotten what high school sports are supposed to be about.

--

Learning a lesson

Several Calabasas baseball players who were forced to perform community service for participating in a hazing incident found a positive in the punishment. Coach Ed Edsall had the varsity players take a bus to Simi Valley to work with players in the Challenger Division of a youth league. The players had such a memorable experience that they are going back May 2 and it could become a yearly part of the baseball program.

--

Hottest team in the Southland

Eight-time City Section champion Chatsworth hit the jackpot in Las Vegas, going 5-0 in the Durango tournament while improving its overall record to 17-1.

Senior left-hander Mike Renner (6-0) has struck out 26 batters in his last two games. Senior right-hander Andrew Klausmeier came up with the pitching performance of the tournament, striking out 16 on Monday night when he beat Durango, 2-1, with his fastball in the upper 80s miles per hour.

--

Is Corso returning?

There’s no official word, but don’t be surprised if Rich Corso, one of the best water polo coaches in the country, returns as coach at North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake. He left the Wolverines to coach California’s women’s team for the last four years. He was once coach of the U.S. Olympic men’s team. He would be welcomed back to Harvard-Westlake with open arms.

--

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

--

Track extravaganza

What: Arcadia Invitational.

When: Saturday. 4 p.m., field events; 5:30 p.m., running events.

Where: Arcadia High School.

Tickets: $15 for adults, $10 students.