Westchester High School

A venerable, ailing school got the official word this week on a long-awaited cure to its high dropout rate and low test scores: Crenshaw High will fix itself. That is the reform concept approved by parents and teachers at Crenshaw and also at Westchester High when they voted their schools into the new Innovation Division of the Los Angeles Unified School District. For both schools, the elections, which took place last week, signify a watershed moment.

In a surprising move that figures to change the course of the City Section boys' basketball playoffs and dilute the state Division I tournament, Westchester has been seeded fourth in the 16-team Championship Division behind Woodland Hills Taft, Los Angeles Fremont and top-seeded L.A. Fairfax.

It happened with lightning speed in the third quarter, a 17-0 blitz by Westchester that was delivered with pressure man-to-man defense and symbolized how the Comets have risen to the top in California high school basketball.

The time has come for two-time defending state Division I boys' basketball champion Westchester High to unleash its most ferocious full-court press of the season on Friday, when the Comets' postseason fate is decided on the 25th floor of a downtown office building.

Westchester High sought to overturn sanctions against its state-champion boys' basketball program Friday during an emotional appeal hearing in which conflicting evidence was presented. A three-person City Section panel heard two hours of testimony from parents, students and representatives of Westchester and Los Angeles Verbum Dei at the downtown meeting. A decision is expected to be announced next week.

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Los Angeles on Friday, perfect for riding a bike, taking a walk in the park, shooting some hoops or playing a round of golf. I was at home, waiting for a phone call from the Los Angeles Unified School District to tell me whether Westchester High's appeal of its postseason ban from the boys' basketball playoffs would be overturned. Thursday was supposed to be the day of reckoning, then it was postponed to Friday. Finally, just before 3 p.m., my phone rang.

Westchester High is down to its last strike in an effort to overturn sanctions against its state-champion boys' basketball team. The City Section announced Monday that a three-person appeal panel had upheld penalties that include Westchester's being banned from the playoffs this season for allegedly recruiting 6-foot-9 junior center Amir Johnson from Los Angeles Verbum Dei.

Westchester's bid to win a third consecutive state Division I boys' basketball championship suffered a blow Friday when a Los Angeles Superior Court judge refused to issue a temporary restraining order that would have prevented the City Section from enforcing a postseason ban for an alleged recruiting violation. It leaves the Comets at the mercy of Marie Ishida, executive director of the California Interscholastic Federation, who received an appeal of the one-year playoff ban on Monday.

The words, spoken in jest, conveyed a world of meaning to Trevor Ariza. Maybe we don't need you. It was halftime of Westchester High's most important game of the season, and Coach Ed Azzam was trying to loosen up his star forward, who had just watched his teammates rally from 10 points down to tie Oakland Tech while seated on the bench with three fouls. Maybe we don't need you.

Gabriel Pruitt has been set free from his one season of basketball purgatory, sitting out his junior year after the City Section ruled he had submitted a false address while trying to gain eligibility at state champion Westchester High. Pruitt didn't agree with the decision but accepted it. "We just decided not to fight it and let it go," he said. The bitterness is gone, replaced by a smile that's visible whenever he's having fun on the court. Off the court, it wasn't fun.