Page 4 April 4, 2013 Howland Out, Alford In Joe’s Sports For UCLA Local Hoopsters Shine in By Adam Serrao several others have chosen to leave school All-Star Classicearly for the NBA. This year’s top-rankedThe long-lasting tradition of winning seems to be over in Westwood, at least for the time recruit, Shabazz Muhammad, failed to live By Joe Snyder Division IAA semifinals and finished their being. With their 86-63 loss to Minnesota up to expectations seemingly all season long, Several local boys’ and girls’ basketball season with a close 59-57 loss to San Marcos in the first round of this year’s NCAA which illustrated yet another example of how standouts had good showings in last Friday’s Mission Hills from the San Diego area. tournament, the UCLA Bruins finished a Howland has seemingly lost touch with his South Bay All-Star Classic at South Torrance Division IAA co-Players of the Game year in which they not only failed to win the players over the last four to five years. High School. It was the Blue Stars that swept were juniors Jordan McLaughlin from Pac-12 tournament against Oregon, but also Enter Steve Alford. Alford led New Mexico the Reds in the twin bill. In the girls’ game, Etiwanda and Mater Dei’s Stanley Johnson. failed to advance in March Madness, where to a 29-6 record this past season while the Blues downed the Reds 76-65. The boys’ Etiwanda upset Mater Dei in the finals, but for all teams it truly means the most. For that acquiring the Mountain West conference contest had the Blue team defeating the Red the Monarchs bounced back to rout the reason, Ben Howland not only completed his regular season and postseason tournament title. squad 93-79. Eagles in the regional Open Division finals 10th season with UCLA, but also completed Alford’s Lobos wound up losing to Harvard before topping San Jose Archbishop Mitty his tenure as the head coach of the Bruins. in the first round of the NCAA tournament, 60-55 for the state crown. Howland finished at UCLA with a career but as a head coach, he has either won or In the Division IIIAA, which saw Leuzinger record of 233-107 with four conference titles shared the Mountain West conference title begin the playoffs as the top seed until its in the past eight years and three consecutive four times in his six seasons at the school. semifinal loss to Santa Margarita, Childress Final Four appearances from 2006-2008. Alford’s coaching career began at Southwest led the team and earned all-CIF honors. He Since then, however, it has been nothing Missouri State before he moved to Iowa and is a third-year starting varsity player and was but disappointment for Howland and Bruin then to New Mexico and now UCLA. “Steve a freshman on the varsity squad when the fans everywhere and for that reason, UCLA is the perfect fit for UCLA,” Guerrero said. Olympians, guided by premiere head coach has chosen to go another route in the hiring “He is part of the storied history of the game Reggie Morris, Jr., won the Southern Section of former New Mexico coach Steve Alford. of college basketball and understands the Division IA crown over Santa Monica. On There is no doubt that a change needed to tradition and uniqueness of UCLA. Yet he also March 23, Morris helped Redondo win its take place for the UCLA basketball team. connects with a new generation of players and first state Division II championship with a Since the glory days of Howland’s tenure brings an up-tempo and team-oriented brand 54-47 victory over Pleasant Hill College Park. with the Bruins, UCLA has missed the NCAA of basketball to Westwood.” Perhaps one of Leuzinger made the Southern California tournament completely in two of the three the biggest pluses about Alford to Bruin fans Hawthorne’s Fineone Prescott dribbles under pressure of two Red regional playoffs, winning its first game at seasons before this year. The Bruins also everywhere is his ability to recruit in the city team defenders for the Blue squad in last Thursday’s South Bay CIF-Los Angeles City Division III champion had a losing record in the 2009-2010 season of Los Angeles and connect with those recruits. All-Star Girls’ Basketball Classic. Photos by Joe Snyder. Hamilton before falling to top seed St. and have won only two NCAA tournament Alford recruited Kendall Williams away from In the boys’ contest, Will Newman of Augustus from San Diego. Division IIIAA games since 2008. “As I looked at the entire UCLA and to New Mexico. Williams later Pioneer League champion and CIF-Southern champion Pomona Damien’s Jeremy Hemsley, program and where we were--especially headed went on to be the MWC player of the year. Section Division IIAA quarterfinalist a sophomore, was Player of the Year. into the next year, which is obviously where Steve Alford will bring something to UCLA Lawndale was a big help with nine points, HAWTHORNE EDGES LAWNDALE we need to look at this point in time--I felt that it hasn’t had in years. As the head coach, including a three-point basket in the second Hawthorne High’s baseball team increased that now was the appropriate time to make he will develop a brand for the program that quarter for the winning Blues. Leuzinger’s its record to 8-4 with a 5-4 non-league win the decision to make a change and to get a catches people’s eyes. Connecting with players Deonte Welch also chipped in nine points, last Thursday at Hawthorne. The Cougars fresh start,” explained UCLA athletic director like Shabazz Muhammad should be no issue all in the second half. Welch helped the scored all five of their runs in the bottom of Dan Guerrero. That fresh start will be at the for Alford and the pressure of winning is Olympians place second behind eventual CIF- the fourth inning, behind a two-run double by expense of Howland and to the benefit of something that he can live up to as he did Southern Section Division IIA and California Chris Robles. Keying Hawthorne’s defense Alford. After landing the nation’s second- in the small basketball town in New Mexico. State Division II champion Redondo and was outfielder Jonathan Marquez who made ranked recruiting class, it was thought by In addition to that, there is no denying that make the CIF-Southern Section Division a diving, over-the-shoulder catch in the top many that this would be the year that Howland Alford wants to be in L.A. “You’re talking IIIAA semifinals and Southern California of the seventh. Two days earlier at Santa would get the program turned around. When about the premier basketball program in the Regional Division III quarterfinals. Inglewood Monica Airport Park, the Cougars shut out all was said and done, however, UCLA failed country,” Alford said in his introductory press Morningside’s Travon Agee added seven St. Monica 3-0. once again to make its mark amongst the elite conference. “This is an opportunity that doesn’t points for the Blues. Hawthorne begins the Ocean League against programs in the nation. come around every day. We’ve been able to Leading the Blue squad was Torrance always tough Santa Monica at home next Losses to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, USC put in place a program, with a high academic Bishop Montgomery’s Ogjen Miljkovich Tuesday at 3:15 p m. On Friday at Lawndale, and Washington State all complicated the grad rate, APR and championships.” Now all with a game-high 20 points. Miljkovich the Cardinals were routed by North Torrance situation for Howland, who was left with that’s left is for the coach to assemble his team. keyed the Knights to the CIF-Southern 9-1.Lawndale resumes its rugged Pioneer play only an eight-man rotation after two players What Alford must do is recruit like all of Section semifinals and Southern California at North on April 12 at 3:15 p.m. left the program midseason. A key injury to the elite programs in the nation in order to Regional Division IV finals where it was second-leading scorer Jordan Adams further bring a winning brand of basketball back to eliminated by eventual state Division IV complicated things for Howland and his UCLA. Before he does that, however, he must champion West Hollywood Pacific Hills 73- team’s success, as they lost in back-to-back re-recruit his own team. Getting players like 69 on March 16 at Colony High in Ontario. games to end the season entirely. The days of Muhammad and Adams to not only return Bishop Montgomery was nationally ranked players like Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, to the team but to buy in with his coaching throughout the season until its loss to the Darren Collison and Arron Afflalo seem to style should be of primary concern. Should Bruins in the regional championship game. have passed Howland by. His reputation for Alford do that, UCLA fans everywhere will Leuzinger’s Eric Childress sparked the Reds landing top recruits, despite this year’s highly have no problem forgetting the name of Ben with 16 points. ranked class, had all but diminished. UCLA Howland while easily embracing a winning In the girls’ contest for the Blue squad, has had at least 11 players transfer out of style of basketball that has eluded them for Hawthorne’s Finone Prescott contributed the program in the last five seasons while so long now. • seven points. Deandrea Toler of Gardena Serra, who transferred there from Morningside prior to last season, led the Blues with 20 points. For the Reds, another key Cougar, “You can’t put a limit on anything. Alexis Delich, had nine points. Dani Lee of The more you dream, the farther you get.” Bishop Montgomery led all scorers with 22 Leuzinger High’s Eric Childress dribbles for the Red team as the points for the Red team. Blues’ Travon Agee of Morningside defends him in last Thursday’s ~ Michael Phelps ALL-CIF BASKETBALL South Bay All-Star Boys’ Basketball Classic. Inglewood High’s Brandon Randolph and Leuzinger’s Eric Childress were selected to ANIMO DOWNS LEUZINGER the all-CIF Southern Section boys’ basketball The Animo Leadership High baseball team teams, announced last week. Randolph helped from Inglewood increased its record to 7-1 the Sentinels advance to the prestigious CIF- with a 10-5 victory at Leuzinger (1-11) last Southern Section Division IAA semifinals and Thursday. The Aztec-Eagles were led by Follow Us the Southern California Regional Division Fabian Vital, who had a bases-loaded triple I quarterfinals. in their seven-run seventh inning. on Twitter Prior to the 2012-13 school year, Randolph, The Olympians, who visit Lynwood in who started his basketball play at Leuzinger, non-league play on Saturday at 11 a.m. @heraldpub transferred to Inglewood from Playa del Rey before opening Bay League at home against St. Bernard and led the Sentinels. They lost Redondo next Wednesday at 3:15 p.m., were to eventual California State Open Division led by Ben Cady who went two for four with champion Santa Ana Mater Dei 65-48 in the a triple and two runs batted in. •
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