Rob Hall

Their backs straight, their hands clutching clipboards and pencils, members of the Oak Park High girls' basketball team stand along the mid-court line taking notes as Rob Hall walks 10 boys through a series of plays. "You guys notice I'm still searching for a [shooting guard]?" Hall asks the girls in a conspiratorial tone. "Every day it's a different guy there and every day they get it wrong."

Expedition leader Eric Simonson understands Simon Yates' decision to cut the rope, sending his climbing partner to what seemed like certain death. On May 27, 1994, Simonson radioed Mark Whetu and urged him to unclip himself from Michael Rheinberger -- blind and unable to walk -- and leave him tethered to a piton on steep terrain near the summit of Mt. Everest.

Expedition leader Eric Simonson understands Simon Yates' decision to cut the rope, sending his climbing partner to what seemed like certain death. On May 27, 1994, Simonson radioed Mark Whetu and urged him to unclip himself from Michael Rheinberger -- blind and unable to walk -- and leave him tethered to a piton on steep terrain near the summit of Mt. Everest.

Their backs straight, their hands clutching clipboards and pencils, members of the Oak Park High girls' basketball team stand along the mid-court line taking notes as Rob Hall walks 10 boys through a series of plays. "You guys notice I'm still searching for a [shooting guard]?" Hall asks the girls in a conspiratorial tone. "Every day it's a different guy there and every day they get it wrong."

In the Imax documentary "Everest," a multinational team of climbers reaches the summit of the world's highest mountain in May 1996, just after an unexpected storm took the lives of eight others. (Not rated.) After assessing the thrills of ice climbing, thundering avalanches and panoramas of frozen peaks under a royal blue sky, 3-year-old Hannah Campbell decided she'd rather chew her foam soft-drink cup.

Lindsay Strothers, coach of the Oak Park girls' team, has sung the national anthem before the four Eagles' home games in the Southern Section and Southern Regional playoffs. No one is saying that's the reason Oak Park won the section Division IV-AA title and will meet La Jolla The Bishop's in the regional final at 10 a.m. today at the Forum, but it obviously didn't hurt. "He's got that blues thing working," said Rob Hall, the former Oak Park boys' coach.

The Oak Park High boys' basketball team has a new player from an unexpected place. Junior point guard Daniel Jensen, an exchange student from Denmark, will see playing time for the defending Tri-Valley League champion Eagles. "I didn't even realize he was from another country," Coach Rob Hall said. "He plays like he has a school-yard game. He's real crafty. Watch him play and it looks like he grew up in the Valley." Jensen adds depth to a team that was 20-6, 8-0 in league play.

Re "The after-party," June 29 That was a good article about San Diego's new alcohol-free beaches. But the last line, " ... even when the ban isn't working in practice, it's still accomplishing its goal of mellowing things out along San Diego's beaches," got it only half right. The new rule is "working in practice." It never was aimed at getting every drop of alcohol off the beaches. Cops aren't sniffing every soda can and Big Gulp cup or searching for flasks hidden in someone's board shorts.

Ruben Douglas of Bell-Jeff High has been named the Santa Fe League basketball player of the year. Douglas, a sophomore guard, averaged 22 points and 7.5 rebounds for the Guards, who won the league title and advanced to the Southern Section Division IV-A quarterfinals. Kent Dennis, a freshman who averaged 16 points, and sophomore Elihu Cobb (15 points and nine rebounds) were first-team all-league picks.

The Ventura County Basketball Coaches Assn. all-star games are June 3 at Ventura High. Glenn Gray II, formerly of Ventura, will coach the North team and Ellen Blackmun of Calabasas will coach the South in the 6 p.m. girls' game. Jim Hall of Nordhoff will coach the North and Rob Hall of Oak Park will coach the South in the 8 p.m. boys' game. FUND-RAISER * The Osorio Baseball Scholarship fund-raiser, which features live entertainment, games and food, is today from 1-5 p.m.

In the Imax documentary "Everest," a multinational team of climbers reaches the summit of the world's highest mountain in May 1996, just after an unexpected storm took the lives of eight others. (Not rated.) After assessing the thrills of ice climbing, thundering avalanches and panoramas of frozen peaks under a royal blue sky, 3-year-old Hannah Campbell decided she'd rather chew her foam soft-drink cup.

Rob Hall, who transformed Oak Park High into a perennial boys' basketball playoff participant, has resigned after 10 seasons as coach. Hall, 37, a father of four, said he wanted to spend more time with his family. He will remain at the school as a teacher. "The time involved running a program has become too much when you try to balance it with raising a family," Hall said. "Hopefully, I'll coach again." Hall led the Eagles to a 157-93 record.

The Oak Park boys have advanced to the quarterfinals of the IV-AA or IV-A playoffs for the sixth time in the last eight years. They've never gone beyond that. The Eagles (20-5) will play St. Bernard at El Segundo High in a IV-AA game tonight. "It's a biggie," Coach Rob Hall of Oak Park said. "But it's a familiar road block." St. Bernard, led by current USC point guard Brandon Granville, beat Oak Park in 1995 and '96.