maddox out

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SoCalHoops High School News

So Much For Compton's Season:
Maddox, Six Other Suspended--(Feb. 6, 1999)

Louis Johnson in the Long Beach Press-Telegram this morning writes that Compton's Moore title hopes (and their chances of taking a Southern Section title too) have probably gone out the window. The Tarbabes have lost four starters and two reserve players off their roster for the remainder of the season, leaving just 7 players on the roster.

Why? Academic ineligibility. Grades. They screwed around and screwed up and will now have to pay the consequences. But hey, things would have been better if Leon Smith had transferred, right? Along with Maddox, the Tarbabes' leading scoring, averaging 22 points per game, others suspended for the rest of the season were starters Leroy Dawson who was averaging 14 points per game, Terry Hosendove and Jamaal Barnes, and reserve players Bobby King and Demetrius Clark both guards.

Compton coach Rod Palmer told Johnson last night "I'm obviously disappointed with (the suspensions)," Compton coach Rod Palmer said. "We've worked real hard to get to this point. But ultimately, our guys deserve the blame because they were irresponsible."

With only seven players last night and for the rest of the season unless Compton quickly finds some JV guys to move up, it looks like Poly, which beat Compton last night, 74-51, has moved into control of the Moore League title race. Poly, which is now 17-6 is 7-1 in league and if they beat Lakewood and Wilson in their final two games, as is likely, they'll take the title. With the loss last night, Compton moves to 5-3 and 13-8 overall. To the extent the Tarbabes were previously ranked by Cal Hi and SCIBCA polls, we're betting that they'll drop out next Monday when the new polls are issued.

We couldn't see the game last night because we're over in Catalina at the Avalon v. Buckley doubleheader (Buckley hammered Avalon in the first game last night, 65-38, but that's another story), but Louis' article in the P-T had most of the pertinent details:

With junior forward Ellis Myles providing the only presence in the paint for Compton, Poly forwards Joe Travis (13 points, 14 rebounds), Markee White (11 points) and Shea Anderson (10 points, nine rebounds) all found the middle of the Tarbabes' defense appetizing. Travis was particularly effective in the first quarter, during which he scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help the Jackrabbits take a 21-14 lead.

Point guard Wesley Stokes only attempted eight shots, but the junior was still a major factor, contributing nine points, 10 assists and five steals for Poly, which had 12 of the 14 players on its roster score. Myles finished with a game-high 15 points, and Donny Legans and Lanere Anderson added 11 and 10 points, respectively, for Compton.

As for the suspended players, what a shame. What a waste. And what a lesson to everyone: If you want to play, then you'll have to study and make the grade. Or else. And what the Compton administration did was pretty courageous; there are some schools we know about (we won't mention names) who would have had the administrators scrambling to change grades. It's nice to know they've still got some integrity at Compton and education comes first.