Prep column: One-night stand

The boys and girls basketball teams from Corona del Mar and Costa

Mesa high schools will play one another Thursday at 7 p.m. with all or

part of a Pacific Coast League championship potentially on the line.

But, due to a lack of foresight by league athletic directors, loyal boys

and girls hoops fans will be forced to choose which game to attend.

The boys typically play on Wednesdays and Fridays and the girls Tuesdays

and Thursdays. However, to allow for potential playoff games to decide

the three guaranteed playoff berths, it was decided only two weeks ago

that the boys would shift their final-week games back one day.

Corona del Mar boys and girls athletic director Jerry Jelnick, who,

before the season began, lobbied with colleagues to be proactive on this

scheduling issue, said girls coaches elected not to play their games a

day earlier, primarily to retain their accustomed Monday practice.

All agree the scheduling logjam is regrettable and steps will be taken to

avoid such a final-week crunch in the future.

But the spotlight which should have bathed both games, not to mention

attendance, will be diminished.

Newport Harbor High learned last week it is a finalist for the coveted

National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence honor, for which it owes

partial credit its strong athletic program.

That strength, Principal Bob Boies points out, is measured in more than

the high degree of success Sailor teams enjoy in myriad sports.

“What’s really impressive,” Boies said, “is that 60% of our students are

involved in athletics. That’s about 1,200 athletes.”

Boies also noted 16 Newport Harbor teams were recognized last year by the

CIF Southern Section for high combined grade point averages.

With a freshman class of 660, Harbor’s enrollment has climbed to 2,185,

according to Boies. And while the section considers only enrollment

figures from grades 10-12 in categorizing schools by divisions, the

Sailors’ future is clearly in Division I.

This trend could negate, at least for Harbor, the impact of legislation,

scheduled to be voted upon April 13, which would prohibit smaller schools

from playing up in the playoffs.

A bond issue, which Boies believes could be placed on the ballot as

quickly as June, contains funding for a new gymnasium at Newport Harbor.

If approved by voters, it would fund construction of a spacious facility

similar to the University High gym, Boies said.

The project, which would include new boys and girls locker rooms, would

likely displace Newport basketball, volleyball and wrestling teams for at

least one year.

But, Boies believes, the end result would better serve Sailor athletes,

coaches, students and spectators alike.