Career twists & turns
The Estancia High boys basketball team completed a season sweep of
Golden West League rival Westminster Tuesday, upping its combined
winning margin for two games with the Lions to 76 points.
But for a twist of fate, however, first-year Westminster Coach
Elbert Davis may have been on the other side of those drubbings.
Davis, who coached the Corona del Mar High girls program for five
seasons, before resigning to accept the boys job at Westminster, was,
for a fleeting moment, chosen to coach the Estancia boys team the
summer before the 2000-01 season.
But, literally hours after accepting the job as a walk-on, Davis
was informed he was given a teaching position at Pacifica High, thus
taking him out of the Eagles’ equation.
Long story short, the Pacifica opening fell through, but not
before Estancia sophomore coach Chris Sorce, now in his third season
at the varsity helm, agreed to take over the Estancia program, ending
what had been an offseason of tumult after Rich Boyce left to become
head man at Edison High.
Davis, a former star guard at Southern California College (now
Vanguard University), returned to the CdM girls program, where he
bided his time before satisfying his desire to shift to boys
basketball this season. Unfortunately for Davis, that opportunity
came at Westminster, which enters Tuesday’s league game at Ocean View
at 2-18, 0-8 in league, with an 11-game losing streak and not much
hope of turning things around any time soon.
*
The perpetual Bell trophies, and corresponding postgame feasts at
the Newport Rib Company, will be awarded this week to winners of the
season series between crosstown boys and girls basketball rivals from
Costa Mesa and Estancia.
The Estancia girls have won six straight against Mesa and, barring
a 23-point upset victory by the Mustangs Wednesday at Estancia, will
retain the Bell for the third straight season. In the event of a
split, the point differential is the tie-breaker. If that is even,
the school that won the trophy the previous year, remains in
possession.
On the boys side, Estancia earned its 50th win in 69 games against
Mesa with a thrilling 40-35 triumph Jan. 15 at Estancia. The Eagles,
who need the victory to enhance their prospects of collecting one of
the league’s four guaranteed spots in the CIF Southern Section
Playoffs, need only to come within four points of the Mustangs to end
Mesa’s two-year ownership of the Bell.
*
I have been critical of CIF Southern Section Commissioner Jim
Staunton’s leadership skills, but his decision not to penalize
schools that did not abide by a section edict to use Spalding
footballs in the 2000 playoffs, as part of a sponsorship agreement,
is to be commended.
The section’s preseason decree to use Spalding balls that some
coaches and players deem inferior to others, raised eyebrows among
those who questioned the section’s authority to dictate use of a
specific brand.
At the Jan. 23 meeting of the Southern Section Council in Long
Beach, Staunton said Spalding officials have solicited input from
section coaches, signaling a commitment to produce a product worthy
of universal usage in the future.
*
The announcement of All-CIF football selections last week did not
include a Newport Harbor honoree for the first time since 1995. It
was, in fact, only the second time in 21 seasons no Sailor earned
All-CIF recognition.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.