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La Mirada boys basketball coach Randy Oronoz.
November 15, 2023
La Mirada boys basketball coach Randy Oronoz served only a one-game suspension this week, but it could have been more.
And it has to do with high schools cherry-picking players, finagling their addresses so they can transfer and play for them.
Oronoz said his suspension resulted from sophomore King-Riley Owens, a highly-sought transfer from Mayfair, “allegedly” playing for La Mirada and Mayfair during the summer.
Did Oronoz know Owens played for Mayfair and then played Owens on his team?
The CIF-SS certainly thought so; the CIF-SS office initially recommended to NLMUSD officials that Oronoz serve a multiple-game suspension, but after “discussions between parties,” Oronoz
was hit with just one game.
Oronoz said, “The whole thing has been unfortunate, and I feel terrible for Owens; he’s such a good kid.”
Owens had sought a change of address transfer that would allow him to play for La Mirada this season without having to sit out.
After the incident, the CIF-SS was not so kind to Owens as they were to Oronoz; Owens was declared ineligible for the season and can’t play basketball for La Mirada until next August; that decision is under appeal.
Oronoz declined to discuss the suspension and the apparent kid gloves treatment by the NLMUSD.
