NOTEBOOK : Loyola Loses Bailey for Up to 6 Weeks With Leg Injury

Moose Bailey of Loyola High will be out of action for three to six weeks because of a stress fracture in his left leg aggravated when he turned his left ankle Wednesday against Harvard-Westlake.

Bailey, a 6-1 shooting guard averaging 23 points a game, did not play Friday at Encino Crespi.

Brett Rice, a 5-11 senior, started in Bailey’s place.

“It’s real painful to see all the fans in the stands cheering and not be part of the game,” said Bailey, who signed with the University of Portland. “I’ll be back for the playoffs to lead my team to the Southern Section Division I championship.”

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Manual Arts Coach Randolph Simpson remembers Mario Bennett trying out for the Toilers’ basketball team, but he doesn’t remember the current Arizona State star being very big.

“I remember Mario being a 6-4 scrawny kid who could play a little,” Simpson said about the 6-9, 230-pound Bennett.

Bennett, who grew up in South Los Angeles, transferred to Inglewood High, where he played for the Sentinels during his freshman season.

But prior to his sophomore year, Bennett moved to Texas, where he played for Denton High.

By his senior season, Bennett grew to 6-7. He averaged 24.2 points and 13.0 rebounds and was named to the Texas All-State team.

Of the move, Bennett said: “I wanted to live with my grandma, and that’s where my mom and dad wanted me to live. I knew it would be better for me as a person to move to Texas and live in a smaller city. It would have been nice to grow up in California and play basketball there, but I haven’t looked back.”

After the 1992-93 season, Bennett was named to the All-Pacific 10 Conference freshman team, and he was Arizona State’s team MVP as well.

In 1993-94, Bennett made the All-Pac 10 team as a sophomore. Now in his third season, Bennett is Arizona State’s leading scorer with a 16.8 point a game average and 7.3 rebounds with 50 blocked shots. He earned MVP honors at the Maui Invitational (Nov. 22-23) and ASU Tribune (Dec. 28-29) and Classics.