A win for Fleming

BY TONY LEE

NEWPORT BEACH — After a game-winning shot and an exciting overtime victory, a Newport Harbor High basketball team made up of players from the class of 2007 dedicated its efforts to a special friend.

“That win was for Jake Fleming,” Chad Stassel said, which was echoed by all of his teammates.

Fleming, a UCLA tennis player, was reportedly struck without warning by Chancellor Jay Hutcheson after a concert in Texas June 13. Fleming had been in a medically induced coma and at one time was listed in critical condition.

But he has improved and continues to recover, Newport Harbor tennis coach Kristen Case said.

Hutcheson of Plano, Texas, surrendered to authorities, posted bond and was released from the Dallas County Jail, the Los Angeles Times reported on June 23. He was charged with aggravated assault, a second-degree felony.

The Newport Harbor players were happy to provide Fleming with a win Saturday.

In the ninth annual Newport Harbor alumni basketball tournament final, Kyle Caldwell drained the game-winning shot with less than a second left in the overtime. Caldwell’s shot gave his class of 2007 team a 30-28 overtime victory against a squad made up of the classes of 2003 and ’04.

“It was lucky,” Caldwell, an incoming sophomore volleyball player at UCLA, said of his game-winning shot at the Newport Harbor gym.

The class of ’07 team worked hard for its win.

The team of classes ’03 and ’04 came back from a 10-point deficit with 10 minutes left in regulation and had the lead until the final seconds of overtime.

“We were up by three with 10 seconds left [in regulation] and the other team hit a three so we went into overtime,” said Taylor Carver of ’04.

Stassel hit that three pointer and gave the class of ’07 all the motivation it needed to finish off the game.

“Chad hit a three to get us into overtime,” Caldwell said. “And, we said we weren’t going to lose after that.”

The class of ’07 celebrated after Caldwell’s big shot.

Carver, who is enrolled at Orange Coast College, still had fun at the tourney and was glad he could play again with his friends.

“Ross Fortier made a big three and a runner for us,” Carver said. “Eric Perrine also had some big free throws.”

Caldwell was also pleased to play in the tournament.

“It’s great to play in a tournament like this, but at the same time, it’s more of a fun thing,” he said. “You get to see all your old friends, your old teammates in a competitive environment.”

The other members of the class of ’07 were Michael and Matthew Helfrich, Taylor Lobdell, Weston Dunlap and Travis Kuhns.

They all won for Fleming.

— Steve Virgen contributed to this story