HOT OFF THE PRESS.

Byline: - By Ramona Shelburne and Gerry Gittelson

Efevberha playing in D-League

Former Cal State Northridge men's basketball player Mike Efevberha is in training camp with the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League, which opens its season Friday.

Efevberha, a guard who left Northridge after his junior year and declared himself eligible for the NBA draft after his relationship with Northridge coach Bobby Braswell soured, was not drafted by Idaho until the 10th round but has played well in training camp and survived the first cut last week.

``It feels great to have a shot,'' said Efevberha, the Matadors' leading scorer last year (averaging 17.1 points). ``It was tough waiting, trying to work out and stay financially stable. But I never regretted leaving Northridge. I feel like I'll play better in the pro system. There's a lot more spacing and creating, a lot more freedom.''

Darrell Scott, who rushed for 305 yards and six touchdowns in Moorpark's 51-21 first-round football playoff victory over Camarillo last week, has climbed to No. 1 in the Southern Section in rushing (2,556 yards) and touchdowns (37). Scott, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound junior, is averaging 10.1 yards per carry and 232.4 yards per game.

Another running back, Canyon freshman Terrance Oates, is a phenom. The 14-year-old Oates, a 5-6, 160-pound lower-level star, has been promoted to the varsity, and he's quickly gaining ground by holding his own during practices.

``I tell you one thing: Terrance Oates sure looks like a varsity running back,'' Canyon coach Harry Welch said. ``He's 14 going on 18, and he's tough.''

Ibrahima Thomas, a 7-foot senior forward at Stoneridge Prep of Simi Valley, has signed a letter of intent with Oklahoma State. Thomas, a native of Dakar, Senegal, is the latest Stoneridge Prep playerl to sign, following Mychal Thompson (Pepperdine), Charles Boozer (Iowa State) and Howard Little (Valparaiso). Thompson is the son of Mychal Thompson Sr., a former NBA player with the Lakers.

In other prep recruiting news, track athletes Chris Barton of Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks has signed with Iowa, and Aubree Stark of Oak Park has signed with UCLA.

Barton is a 400-meter dash runner, and Stark is a girls' pole vaulter.

Also, Agoura girls' water polo goalie Sara Gralitzer has signed with Hawaii. Gralitzer was a first-team All-Southern Section selection as a junior when she helped the Chargers to the Southern Section Div. IV final.

It's tough to find a girls' basketball player more well-rounded than Meredith Mathis, a junior at Golden Valley High in Santa Clarita. Mathis, who led the Grizzlies in scoring (14.2 points) and rebounding (10.0) as a sophomore, carries a 4.8 grade-point average -- among the highest GPAs in California. She's also fluent in American sign language and works with the deaf, and she's a top artist whose paintings are galleried. She's also traveled extensively and can solve a Rubik's cube within two minutes.

Sean Coen, a former All-Southern Section football receiver at Canyon High who's a junior at Cal Lutheran, is recovering from knee surgery last week to repair a torn ACL. Coen caught 18 passes for a 22.4 average and four touchdowns at Cal Lutheran this season.

-- Kevin Connelly and Heather Gripp contributed.