Fryer launches team

Jeff Fryer, who is a former Corona del Mar High basketball standout,

grew up playing travel ball in the CdM area, and is now at work

striving to instill the valuable experiences he had growing up into

today’s youth athletes.

Fryer will be holding tryouts at 4 p.m. today at Corona del Mar

High for 11-year-old boys interested in playing in a five-week

National Junior Basketball league.

“I like working with this age level,” Fryer said. “This reminds me

of when I was playing. We were pretty successful and it was a really

positive experience.”

At Corona del Mar, Fryer was Co-Most Valuable Player of the Sea

View League and received a Division I basketball scholarship to

Loyola Marymount.

Fryer was a four-year starter at LMU, including the 1989-90 season

when the Lions reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament. The

Cinderella team was inducted into the 2005 LMU Hall of Fame.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree and trying out with the

Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns, he traveled overseas, playing in

professional leagues in Germany, Spain, Australia and then the

Continental Basketball Association in the U.S.

In 1992, Fryer began coaching in Germany at the International

School of Dusseldorf and at Servite High in 2002..

In 2003, he transferred to Azusa Pacific University, where he was

an assistant coach for the women’s team, which reached the NAIA

national tournament.

These days Fryer can be found at the Balboa Bay Club, where he

holds camps for children aged 6 to 14.

The upcoming NJB season begins April 24 with two practices a week,

and according to Fryer will hopefully develop into a travel team by

next winter.

Fryer also offers clinics on Tuesdays and private lessons, in

which he stresses the fundamentals of basketball.

“It’s fun to see the kids develop,” he said. “It’s important to

develop the right basic skills like dribbling, passing and shooting.”

For anyone interested, Fryer can be contacted at (714) 960-1719.

-- Natalie Venegas

Mavericks top Clips

* BASKETBALL: The Eastbluff Boys and Girls Club seventh- and

eighth-grade boys basketball teams finished their championship

playoffs March 21, with the Mavericks defeating the Clippers, 52-47.

Coached by Gene Rhodes, the Mavericks were led by Sam French with

15 rebounds and 13 points. Bobby Khalessi had 27 rebounds, Kyle Hill

had 13 points, Parker Rhodes had 13 points and four steals, Chris

Berry had six points and Jeff Jones had seven points.

The Clippers were led by Joey Jones with 26 points, while Chase

Fredensburg had 10 points and Michael Bear had eight points.

French, Joey Jones, Mitch Sands, Cyrus Mehrfar, Ben Noe and Neal

O’Hara were named to the all-league team while Skyler Steams, Rhodes,

Mathew Fay, Randal Nelson, Eeho Choi and Joey Cooper received

individual awards.

Clinics to be held Sunday with UC Irvine

* SOCCER: AYSO Region 97 is holding a series of coaching clinics

led by UC Irvine women’s soccer coach Marine Cano, with the first

session of five beginning at 4 p.m. Sunday at Kaiser Field in Costa

Mesa.

The clinics, which are open to anyone in the region and are free,

will be held April 10, 17, 24, May 1 and May 15 from 4 p.m. to 6

p.m., with each session building upon the previous one.