Ventura College Drops Men’s Basketball Team

VENTURA — Rather than scramble to patch together a men’s basketball team only one week before the start of the regular season, Ventura College President Larry Calderon announced Friday he was disbanding the once-proud program for one year.

“After talking to the players yesterday and reviewing all the facts, it appears that suspension is the best course of action at this time,” Calderon said in a statement released by the school.

Ventura’s program, in disarray since Virgil Watson was dismissed as head coach in March, last month was placed on a two-year probation and banned from postseason competition by the Western State Conference. The sanctions were imposed after Ventura was found to have violated several state rules, including providing players with money, free or reduced-rate meals and access to campus telephones, facilities and vehicles.

But some players, many of whom came to Ventura to compete for a perennially powerful team that won back-to-back state championships in 1995 and ‘96, disagreed that disbanding the team was the best solution.

“I feel like they stuck a dagger in my heart and cut off my head,” said Danny Herrera, a freshman forward from Santa Paula. “All the guys are upset with the administration. I have no respect for them for what they did.”

Said sophomore Exavien Browder: “It’s like a movie script, but this time, the good guys didn’t win.”

Prior to Friday’s announcement, several players--after talking to Calderon and following sometimes heated exchanges with each other during a closed-door meeting Thursday--said they would transfer or sit out the season rather than compete for Ventura. Six others said they were willing to suit up.

Compounding the problems was the absence of new Coach Glen Hefferman, who abruptly moved to Chicago last week after Ventura’s appeal of the sanctions was rejected by the conference.

“We don’t have a coach,” Calderon said. “Hefferman has left the area and has been calling in sick daily with no indication of when or if he’s going to return. Since the team [is] on probation, it would deny those players in their year of eligibility any opportunity to be scouted beyond the conference.”

Hefferman, speaking by telephone from Chicago, said it would not be “fair to place a bunch of kids on probation.”

But given the circumstances, he added, “it’s probably for the best for both parties not to have a team this year, considering all that’s happened.”

Former Coach Phil Mathews, who led Ventura to state championships in 1987 and 1995 before becoming head coach at the University of San Francisco, echoed Hefferman’s sentiments.

Mathews, who compiled a 298-56 record in 10 seasons, blamed administrators for the program’s demise. But at this point, he said, suspension is warranted.

“Ventura College has always been a top-notch program, but now it’s a shame,” Mathews said. “The college has dropped the ball on this one. They totally destroyed a program over a bunch of allegations that have never been proven.”

The state Commission on Athletics has granted approval for Ventura players to transfer to Moorpark or Oxnard--schools within the Ventura County Community College District--and be given immediate eligibility.

Oxnard Coach Ron McClurkin said he received inquiries from two Ventura players he declined to identify.

“If I am able to help some of the kids, I will,” McClurkin said. “I have to talk to my assistant coaches. You have to ask what this does to team chemistry and all the kids who have been here.”

Moorpark Coach Remy McCarthy said he is sympathetic but unwilling to add players.

“I just feel really good about our team right now and where it is,” McCarthy said. “I’ve discussed this with my [athletic director], and it would be very disruptive to add players. It’s too bad for the conference, it really is. Now we don’t have a game [against Ventura] and we think we have a pretty good team.”

The program’s suspension does not affect the imposed sanctions, conference Commissioner Aviva Kamin said. The program remains on probation through next season, and the school is required to form an oversight committee to serve as a watchdog over the athletic program.

“The athletic oversight committee is for the entire program, not just basketball,” Kamin said. “I’m glad they dropped going any further on the appeal. I told Dr. Calderon we were interested in punishing them only according to what rules were broken.”

The conference also stripped the Pirates of their 1995 and 1996 conference titles. Ventura’s 1996 state title is in jeopardy of being revoked by the Commission on Athletics.

Hefferman said he is considering legal action against Ventura administrators, who hired him in August to replace Jim Keating.

Keating, former coach at Shasta College, replaced Watson in July only to reconsider a month later after he was reportedly threatened by a Ventura College staff member on a trip to the campus.

Hefferman said Ventura officials never informed him the basketball program he was taking over was under investigation.

“Certainly, [Hefferman’s absence] was one of the things that clouded the whole issue,” said Dick James, Ventura’s athletic coordinator. “I believe the decision [to suspend the program] was the right one. But, philosophically, it’s hard to take youngsters off the court.”

Administrators have not spoken to Hefferman since he left for Chicago. Calderon said the school very likely will begin taking steps toward having Hefferman terminated. James said assistant Laurian Watkins will conduct the program’s intercollegiate basketball class for the remainder of the semester.

Times staff writer Steve Chawkins and correspondent Dawn Hobbs contributed to this story.

* REACTION

Players and fans feel betrayed by decision. B1

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7-Year Record

Ventura College has won or shared every Western State Conference Northern Division basketball championship in the 1990s. A look at the Pirates’ record this decade:

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Year Overall Division 1990-91 30-5 8-0 1991-92 33-5 8-0 1992-93 37-2 8-0 1993-94 36-3 7-1 1994-95* 37-1 9-1 1995-96* 34-2 10-0 1996-97 25-8 9-1 Totals 232-26 59-3

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* State championships forfeited because of conference rule violations