Still in a Coma, Calabasas Hoops Assistant Shows Signs of Improvement

Joe Frazier, the boys basketball assistant still in a coma at Northridge Hospital after being hit by an alleged hit-and-runner driver, has not woken up yet, but head coach Jon Palarz said Frazier is moving in his sleep a bit – and hopefully that’s a good sign.

“Joe is holding steady, he’s fighting hard,” Palarz said. “He’s still in a coma and not conscious, but he’s showing more subtle movement and reaction to his limbs, almost tossing and turning in his sleep.”

It’s tough to predict what might happen, Palarz said.

“The doctors said you can’t predict – there are no tests, no timelines,” Palarz said. “But perhaps it’s similar to the guy in the Dodger Stadium beating who came out out of a coma after six months. Nothing has happened too quickly, but we have not lost hope.”

Frazier, 28, suffered a head injury Aug. 25 after being hit by a truck or SUV while he was riding a motorcycle. The collision occurred on the corner of Wilbur Avenue and Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana. The driver of the other vehicle allegedly sped off.

Police are looking for a small, white or tan SUV or truck with possible damage to the right side of the car.

VIEWPOINT FOOTBALL HOPES TO BOUNCE BACK

Good teams roll with the punches – and get better – and that’s what Viewpoint School’s football team plans to do.

After winning four in a row, Viewpoint took its licks in a 50-14 loss to Rio Hondo Prep last week, but the Patriots (4-2, 0-1) are hoping to be a better team for it. They hung tough with Rio Hondo Prep for most of the first half – keeping in mind, the high-powered Kares had shut out Viewpoint four years in a row coming in – and since the defeat was merely the first league contest, there still is a lot of football left to play.

“I don’t think winning those last four in a row went to our heads,” Viewpoint coach Chris Adamson said. “In reality, I think getting smacked in the mouth by Rio Hondo Prep – and quite frankly, being a little embarrassed by the end – has really refueled us and in some ways re-energized this team.

“We came out Saturday morning and worked really hard, and then had our best Monday practice of the year,” Adamson said.

Viewpoint plays Flintridge Prep on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Occidental College, as the Patriots are the visiting team for Flintridge Prep’s homecoming – and that’s always an incentive to win so you can spoil the party.

Because of dwindling participation and injuries, Flintridge Prep (1-4) has forfeited one game and canceled another, and by the time kickoff rolls around, it will have been 21 days since the Rebels last played.

“Flintridge Prep has clearly targeted us, and this game is one they want to play, so I think our kids are looking at that as extra motivation as well,” Adamson said. “I am sure they will be fired up as well. Saturday night can’t come soon enough.”

CALABASAS FOOTBALL LOOKS TO BREAK LOSING STREAK

Calabasas High’s football team lost 52-20 to visiting Moorpark on Friday, and the Coyotes (1-5, 0-5) look to bounce back at 7 p.m. Friday against visiting Newbury Park (2-4, 1-4).

The Coyotes have lost five in a row.

In the loss to Moorpark, Calabasas' Ike Fuchs completed 15 of 29 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns, including a 70-yarder to Matt Guttridge that tied the score 7-7.

AT YOUR SERVICE

Calabasas celebrates the grand opening of its new campus tennis facility Wednesday at 4 p.m., a project that took 18 months because of ongoing campus construction.