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.