CHATTER: COX IS BUFFS' FIRST CHOICE.

Byline: JUSTIN FRANK Staff Writer

Former Royal High of Simi Valley standout James Cox was appointed the starting quarterback for the University of Colorado by coach Dan Hawkins.

Cox, a redshirt senior who played in seven games last season as backup to Joel Klatt, beat out junior Brian White for the job.

``It's a razor-thin deal,'' Hawkins said. ``I think (Cox) has been a little more efficient running the club in terms of how he operates and understands the offense. It's a thin margin, but you have to make the call, and he's the guy.''

The 6-foot-3, 210 pounder received All-Southern Section and All-Marmonte League honors in 2001, his senior season at Royal, passing for 1,800 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushing for 560 yards and eight more scores.

The Buffaloes play their opener Sept. 2 in Boulder against Montana State.

All-City pitcher Casey Fry has transferred from El Camino Real of Woodland Hills to rival Chatsworth. The left-hander was the Conquistadores' ace last spring as a sophomore. He'll join a Chatsworth staff that features All-City senior Trent Jones.

St. Francis of La Canada Flintridge senior shortstop Joe DePinto, who helped the Golden Knights reach the Southern Section Div. II baseball final, has committed to USC.

Westlake of Thousand Oaks girls' soccer player Kylie McDonald, the top offensive player in the Marmonte League last season, has committed to Pepperdine. Her teammate Kate Edwards, an All-Area selection last year, plans to play at Rice.

Harvard-Westlake of Studio City's girls' volleyball team is ranked No. 55 in PrepVolleyball.com's preseason national top 100.

The Wolverines return All-Southern Section selections Cathryn Quinn, Brittany Julian and Bianca Wilson and add 6-foot-3 middle blocker Audrey Eichler, who sat out last season after transferring from Marymount of LosAngeles.

Former Montclair Prep of Panorama City basketball standout Jin Soo Kim, who transferred to St. Thomas More prep school in Oakdale, Conn., for his sophomore season, made the South Korean national team and competed against the U.S. in an international exhibition leading to the FIBA World Basketball Championships.

The U.S. men's water polo junior national team, led by six players from NCAA champion USC, went undefeated at the Junior Pan-American Games in Montreal.

Incoming freshman J.W. Krumpholz was the tournament's top scorer, with 32 goals in ninegames, and former Harvard- Westlake of Studio City standout Justin Rappel scored 15. Fellow freshmen Anthony Artukovich, Matt Sagehorm, Nico Sardo and sophomore Arjan Ligtenberg also were on the U.S. roster.

Nine players from Lanark Recreation Center in Canoga Park won gold medals last week at the National Junior Tennis League Championship Tournament in South El Monte: Rebecca Beltz, Isaac DeGuzman, Cheyenne Draps, Morgan Draps, Julius Loredo, Rachel Salazar, Jeffrey Sirimahachaikul, Kyle Tidgwell and Jose Villa.

The Valley Breeze 18-under Gold softball team will hold tryouts for the 2006-07 season today and Sunday at Valley College from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Information: Tom Sotelo, [phone].

Erik Boal, Sean Ceglinsky, Heather Gripp, Jacob H. Pollon and Ramona Shelburne contributed.

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