Prep talk: Like father, like son. Drew Spooner officiates first state basketball final
Bill Spooner was a proud father at Golden 1 Center on Saturday. He traveled to Sacramento to see his son, Drew, an Oak Park graduate, work as one of the three officials for the state Division II boys basketball championship game.
Bill was a longtime NBA official. Before that, he was one of the best football players in Taft High history, playing receiver.
Former NBA official Bill Spooner has worked many times at Golden 1 Center. Now he gets to see his son, Drew, officiate Division II final Chatsworth vs. Jesuit. Proud moment. pic.twitter.com/7KctcJRrnm
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 15, 2025
Now Drew, 24, is following his path officiating basketball games. He's been assigned to top games in the Mission League and got his chance to experience the state final.
SALUTE to Alijah Arenas! 🫡No. 14 all-time in CaliforniaNo. 1 all-time in the #CIFLACS Top 5 LA City leading scorers: Alijah Arenas - 3,002 🏀☝️👏Deon Green - 2,540Danny Walker - 2,354Dwayne Polee - 2,162Gilbert Arenas - 2,124Credit to @RonMFlores and @CalHiSports pic.twitter.com/bhri7slZHi
— CIF LA City Section (@CIFLACS) March 17, 2025
The only pressure Drew probably feels is when Dad is on the golf course. Then the competition gets intense. ...
Warriors Dancing into March Madness! Justin Rochelin - UC San Diego Luke Murphy - Colorado State Malik Moore - Montana Skyy Clark - UCLA #HCS1family #itsgreattobeaheritagewarrior@skyyclark @mooremalikk @justin_rochelin @HCSwarriors @Heritage_Sports @LACourtReport @CIFSS pic.twitter.com/aUAQENFsnd
— Heritage Christian Basketball (@HeritageBBall) March 17, 2025
March Madness in college basketball will see lots of former Southern California high school products participating for men and women. The USC and UCLA women's teams are loaded with Southland products and both are considered title contenders.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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For NBA coaches, every game is casual Friday. Will suits ever return to sidelines?
When the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons faced each other in the 1988 and 1989 NBA Finals, the matchups featured some of the most iconic players in pro basketball. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and James Worthy led the Lakers. Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Bill Laimbeer headlined the Pistons' roster. Advertisement Those championship series also included another competition of sorts: a clash between the league's most stylish, fashion-forward head coaches. The Lakers' Pat Riley, who twice appeared on the cover of GQ magazine, preferred immaculate Armani suits. The Pistons' Chuck Daly, whose dapper attire earned him the nickname 'Daddy Rich,' owned at least 100 suits. Times sure have changed. For NBA coaches, this is a golden age of comfort and convenience, a decade dominated by quarter-zips, not bespoke suits. 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