Jack Dyck

Among the cedar and white pine framing the sunsets and rolling thunderheads that alternately wash over Lake Pend Oreille in the Idaho panhandle, Jack Dyck is living out an ever-popular Southern California fantasy: Escape. Escape from the drive-by shootings, the two-hour commutes, the smog, the crowds, the gut-tightening pace . . . details all too familiar to many urban-weary Southern Californians.

Among the cedar and white pine framing the sunsets and rolling thunderheads that alternately wash over Lake Pend Oreille in the Idaho panhandle, Jack Dyck is living out an ever-popular Southern California fantasy: Escape. Escape from the drive-by shootings, the two-hour commutes, the smog, the crowds, the gut-tightening pace . . . details all too familiar to many urban-weary Southern Californians.

Bill Smith, the Beverly Hills High freshman basketball coach the past two seasons, was hired Tuesday as the boys' varsity basketball coach at the school. "I'm happy to get the job," Smith said. "I'm very familiar with the kids. I don't think there will be a lot of changes, but more of an emphasis on defense and defensive transition. We're not blessed with the tallest kids and not giving up things in the open court will be a priority."

Simi Valley High baseball Coach Mike Scyphers is considering an offer to become baseball coach at Sandpoint High in Sandpoint, Ida., but said he will coach the Pioneers this spring regardless. Jack Dyck, the athletic director at Sandpoint, played basketball with Scyphers at Cal State Northridge and later became basketball coach at Beverly Hills High. "I think he has pretty much said the baseball job is mine if I want it," Scyphers said.

Christopher Bowman, the U. S. figure-skating champion who placed fourth in the men's competition in the Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, will be honored with his parents in a "Welcome Home" ceremony at 3:30 p.m. today at the Van Nuys Main Post Office. Bowman will autograph limited-edition collectible envelopes issued by the Postal Service to support the "Celebrate the Dream" program that helped family members share the Olympic experience by joining the athletes in Albertville.

Efforts to keep teen-agers from drinking can only succeed if students take the initiative in planning their own sober activities, a Beverly Hills PTA council task force concluded last week. Alcohol-free events planned by adults through the city's Recreation and Parks Department or Beverly Hills High School are not viable alternatives because such activities are seen as unattractive by teen-agers, several task force members said at a meeting Thursday.

Former Hart High basketball Coach Doug Michelson, who was not rehired for the 1987-88 season because of his fight with a referee, has been named women's basketball coach at Valley College. Michelson, who coached at Hart for five seasons, said Monday he probably will not pursue legal action against the school because he had sought reinstatement only, not punitive damages. Hart administrators are expected to name Michelson's successor Friday.

Pepperdine, the two-time defending West Coast Conference champion and a winner of 33 consecutive league games, will open its 1992-93 basketball season Dec. 1 at Texas Tech. The Waves' first home game will be Dec. 5 against Cal State Sonoma. Pepperdine will play at North Carolina-Charlotte Dec. 11 before returning home to play UC Santa Barbara Dec. 14. The Waves will play host to Gonzaga Jan. 15 in their WCC opener.

Beverly Hills (10-4) is coming off a narrow 49-48 win over Crossroads and may be in for another tough one when it opens Ocean League play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Inglewood. Beverly Coach Jack Dyck said that Inglewood, the league's second-place team last year, is "the most balanced team they've ever had; you can't really key on one person. They're the most improved team in the league by far." Kenny Countryman, a Times All-Westside selection last year, has taken up where he left off.

Watching Chris Plummer of Beverly Hills High shoot from the perimeter is like viewing basketball from a bygone era when the set shot was dominant and the slam dunk was rarely seen. "His shots outside of 15 feet are a little unorthodox but he makes them," Beverly Hills Coach Jack Dyck said of Plummer. "We tried to get him to change his style but it didn't work. Now we just let him play his own game." Plummer's own game worked just fine in the final of the Hart tournament Wednesday night.