SoCalHoops High School News

Abrams Out At Montclair; Webb In--(Sept. 29, 1998)

In a bit of news that we really don't quite understand, Howard Abrams, after spending 22 years coaching basketball at Montclair Prep in Van Nuys, and after leading last year's team to the semi-finals of Southern Section in Division V (losing only to eventual State Champions Pacific Hills in triple overtime), and who's got at least three Southern Section titles, one CIF Southen Region title, and one State Championship to his credit, announced yesterday that he had "resigned" from coaching the Montclair boys' team this year.

Abrams told the LA Times that he is "taking the year off from coaching" but "may return next season."   In the interim, former girls' coach Bob Webb will coach the boys' team.  

Frankly, we don't know if this was a decision which Howard made for himself or one that was made for him, but along with the resignation last spring of Howard's co-coach, Greg Patterson, it seems that things have been up in the air over at Montclair for quite a while.   Montclair is somewhat unusual among small schools in that there is no board of trustees overseeing the school's operations, or the hiring or firing; instead, Montclair is and has been run for the last 30 years as the private domain of one man, simply known as Doc Simpson.   Earlier this summer, rumors were flying, and one week Abrams rumored to be in, and the next, he was out, and this see-saw continued up through last week.  Given this continual state of flux, it's not surprising to us that Abrams simply chose to back away from the situation.

We know next to nothing about Bob Webb, but we want to wish him well in his new career, and we also want to wish Abrams good luck in his semi-retirement this season. We're predicting that he'll be back soon.

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