BASKETBALL BEAT : THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY.

Growing up in the Netherlands, Bas Van Rhee didn't know a lot about life in the United States.

But he knew it was the birthplace of basketball - the sport he loves - and the home of the NBA. And for those reasons, he was determined to come here to work on his game.

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound teen-ager arrived in December as the guest of Linus and Sharon Morris of Thousand Oaks, enrolled at Thousand Oaks High School and immediately went out for basketball.

There were some setbacks at first.

Despite his size and age, 18, Van Rhee was prevented from playing varsity basketball by Southern Section rules because he did not enroll at Thousand Oaks as part of a recognized foreign-exchange program. And in the first quarter of his first game as a JV, he fell and broke his wrist.

But since his return three weeks ago, Van Rhee has impressed the Lancers coaching staff - and not just with his size and maturity.

``Physically he is very strong and he has great leaping ability,'' said JV coach Richard Endress. ``And he can shoot. He can play inside or outside. He's head over heels above most any other JV player, I can tell you.''

Since returning from his injury, Van Rhee, a junior, has averaged 12 points and 11 rebounds per game.

``It's going to be fun to watch him when he's in shape and has played for a while,'' Endress said. ``He's going to be a real good one when we get him up to the varsity.''

Van Rhee hopes to play well enough next year to earn a college scholarship. Endress said it's far from out of the question.

``I think he can do it,'' Endress said. ``He's got the skills, he's got the desire and he's got the work ethic.''

Growing reputation

The Poly girls' team has a set of twin towers in freshmen Ciara and Quiana Jeffries, who are both 5-7 and growing.

``They have as much ability as anybody I've seen,'' Parrots coach Lou Goodman said.

Ciara leads Poly in scoring with a 13.8 average and Quiana is averaging 11.7 as they've led their team to the East Valley League championship. They live in Gardena and attend Poly's math/science magnet. They're identical twins and tough to tell apart.

``I can tell at the games because they have different numbers,'' Goodman said. ``If they're just standing there, I can't tell. They're good open-court players.''

One `no' vote

Last week's approval of a 35-second clock for boys' basketball had a great effect on Birmingham coach Al Bennett, the father of the area's slow-tempo offense. Birmingham actually beat San Fernando last week by scoring 39 points.

``It's ridiculous,'' Bennett said. ``It gives teams with more athletic players the advantage. It completely goes away from what basketball is all about.''

State officials wanted to stop teams from holding the ball for long periods of time and also liken high school games to college games, which feature a 35-second clock.

``Why do we want to make the games like college?'' Bennett said. ``That's big money. High school games are not a multi-million-dollar business. And anyway, I don't have my team hold the ball for 3-1/2 minutes.''

Bennett better get out those Princeton University tapes for some pointers on how to run a slow-tempo offense with a 35-second clock.

Noise in Newbury Park

Newbury Park (14-8) is tied for first place in the Marmonte League and the townsfolk are responding to one of the school's best seasons.

It's not uncommon for the packed Panthers gym to include a number of fans decked out in crazy wigs and painted faces. And they make noise throughout the game.

``Our fans have been unbelievable this year,'' Newbury Park coach Steve Johnson said. ``They've turned our gym into Cameron Indoor Arena West.''

Thanks a lot, pal

Paul Sutton and Dan Haasch have been best friends since Haasch served as Sutton's assistant at Providence High School a few years back.

They call each other regularly, get together often and even spend family vacations together.

So when the head-basketball job opened up at Buckley in Sherman Oaks last year, Sutton suggested Haasch apply for the job. He put in a good word for his protege with the school's administration.

So how has Haasch repaid his friend after getting the head job? With a pair of Liberty League victories over Providence.

``It was just one of those things,'' Haasch said. ``He helps me out and the next thing he knows he's got two more losses than he thought he was going to have.''

Etc.

Watch out, Rodman: Most teams are lucky to have one player rebounding in double figures. But Village Christian has three girls averaging 10 or more rebounds per game.

``They're just real physical and strong,'' Crusaders coach John Domke said. ``And they like to rebound.''

Jackie Aranda leads the team with an average of 11.1 boards per game. Janna Largent is next at 11.0 and Amy Feola is third at 10.2.

Still sidelined:Poly star guard Ellis Richardson remains sidelined with a sprained ankle. There's a possibility he'll be able to play Friday against Sylmar, but coach Jay Werner would rather have him available for the playoffs next week.

The commish: As part of his job as athletic commissioner at Calabasas, Ryan Coleman has to speak at school assemblies, pep rallies and awards dinners.

No problem, says the senior point guard, currently averaging 23.4 points and 9.0 assists for the Coyotes basketball team.

``I figure if I can play in front of a large number of people, I can talk in front of them,'' Coleman said.

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Photo: VAN RHEE