MATT’S MUSINGS:

The location of the biggest win of Jim Harris’ 31-year Ocean View coaching career wasn’t lost on Harris.

He won the CIF State Division III Southern California regional title game at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, on a court called Nell and John Wooden Court.

John Wooden has always been someone of whom Harris has spoken highly. Makes sense, considering the Wizard of Westwood won 10 national titles during his time with the Bruins, including seven straight from 1967 through ’73. More than that, though, he always emphasized the team game.

Harris said he used to take his early teams at Ocean View, and before that his freshman team at Fountain Valley, to watch the Bruins practice.

“Our kids would go, ‘Coach, they’re doing the same thing that we’re doing,’ ” Harris said.

“Only better,” he quickly added with a laugh.

Wooden, now 98, also came to a couple of Ocean View games a few years back when his great-grandson, John Impelman, played for the Seahawks.

On Saturday, Harris talked about how Wooden used to make predictions on how that year’s team would do, and stick them away in an envelope to open at a later date.

“That’s how you judge your team, what does it look like on paper and can you overachieve?” Harris said. “Well, obviously we’re overachieving. I’m on a great ride with these young men and we’re enjoying the heck out of it.”

?

Seahawk Darrell?

Staples Center was across town, but Clipper Darrell was in the house Saturday.

He’s Darrell Bailey, a beloved Los Angeles Clippers fan who always gets the crowd pumped up during home games at Staples with chants like “Let’s Go Clippers!”

My favorite Clipper Darrell chant is when an opposing player comes to the free-throw line: “U-G-L-Y, you ain’t got no alibi! You ugly! You ugly!” However, he thankfully abstained from that one Saturday — these are high school kids after all.

Anyway, he was at Pauley Pavilion because he’s a family friend of Seahawks sophomore guard Billy Keller. So the chants changed from “Let’s Go Clippers!” to “Let’s Go Seahawks!,” Bailey doing his part to get everybody more fired up.

?

STEPPING UP

Several Seahawks came up big in the Southern California regional final victory. For junior center Ryan Okwudibonye, it was his second straight impressive game.

Okwudibonye, who cleaned up to the tune of 16 rebounds in a regional semifinal win over Canyon on March 12, had a different type of game against Harvard-Westlake. He only grabbed four boards, but this time the 6-foot-8 Okwudibonye scored 15 points, including a rare three-pointer from the corner.

He also had a buzzer-beating jumper to end the first quarter, a finishing dagger in an onslaught that had Ocean View up, 28-17.

“It’s all about focus with him, maturity and focus, and it’s starting to happen,” Harris said. “Whatever is needed has been supplied. He was in there battling, but not ripping down the rebounds like he did Thursday. He had open shots, and he came through big-time. He does it in practice, he hits [three-pointers]. He’s a very good shooter.”

The twinkle in Harris’ eye got a bit brighter.

“He took that shot at the end of the [quarter], instead of passing it, which was maybe going to be shaky,” Harris said. “I said to the team, ‘Ryan, let me assure you right now, you will not be our point guard next year.’ ”

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or at [email protected].