TWO RIVAL COACHES PATCH THINGS UP.

Byline: VINCENT BONSIGNORE

The call came late Thursday night, at an hour when someone calls only because it's important.

It was as if Taft High of Woodland Hills basketball coach Derrick Taylor couldn't wait any longer to get something off his chest.

``I just wanted you to know that Andre and I talked and we decided to put all this stuff behind us,'' Taylor said. ``We both decided what happened was pretty childish, and that we needed to put it behind us.''

The Andre that Taylor referred to was Cleveland High of Reseda basketball coach Andre Chevalier. The ``stuff' Taylor was talking about was the beef Taylor and Chevalier had with each another, the one that caused two friends to end all communication with each other for nearly six months.

Taylor and Chevalier stopped talking to each other last summer, shortly after Taylor discovered Chevalier said some demeaning things about him and his program. Both admit it was pretty silly, but sometimes even two proud coaches can let emotions get the best of them.

The feud boiled over Wednesday when Taft played Cleveland and the two coaches barely acknowledged each other before or after the game, let alone shake hands or talk.

The mutual ``diss'' was so obvious, fans in the stands couldn't help noticing how icy the two coaches were acting toward each other.

A better way to describe it was foolish and childish.

And no one knew that better than Taylor, even as he watched his Toreadors beat Cleveland to move into sole possession of first place in the West Valley League.

``I was sitting there thinking to myself, `My team is winning this important game and playing great, and I can't even enjoy it because the only thing I have on my mind is what's going on between me and Andre,' '' Taylor said. ``It was sad.''

Taylor decided to do something about it, even though he refused to shake hands with Chevalier immediately after the game, saying it wasn't the time or place to settle things.

On Thursday, Taylor called Chevalier and they talked things out, deciding to put their differences behind them. This doesn't mean they're best friends or golfing buddies, just that they recognize how immature they were acting in front of kids who looked to them and expected more maturity from role models.

``We're coaches and teachers, we should be setting a better example than that,'' Taylor said. ``If we can't act like adults, how can we expect our players to?''

The Taylor-Chevalier rift isn't unusual in basketball. In fact, a well-known coach in the region called me Saturday to tell me most basketball coaches in the region can't stand each other. The common denominator in most beefs is players leaving one school for another - the implication being that some coaches are recruiting players, which is illegal.

``It's almost like there are only so many good players around, and it's like we're all fighting for the same guys,'' the coach said. ``That makes things very, very competitive. Then you get family members and friends involved, people telling players they're better off at School A than school B. Then it's he said that, and you said this and rumors get started. It all just fuels the fire, and what ends up happening is guys can't stand each other.''

Some steps are being taken to restrict players from easily moving from one school to the next, and hopefully that means a better relationship between coaches who now simply don't trust each other.

From now on, if a kid leaves School A for School B under open enrollment rules, they'll have to sit out playing varsity sports for a year. In fact, the only way a player can gain immediate eligibility is if the family physically moves into the new school's district or if the student transfers under hardship circumstances.

The threat of sitting out a full season should deter players from transferring on a whim.

Before May 15, 2002, students were granted one chance to transfer under open enrollment without regard to athletic eligibility. That made it too easy for coaches or fans to think: ``Boy, if I could just talk that smooth-shooting guard to come play for my school, we'd be set.''

To what extent the new rules help remains to be seen.

``That may improve things a little,'' the coach said. ``But there's always stuff going on. The guys who recruit are always going to find a way to work the rules.''

At least Taylor and Chevalier recognized their actions contradicted the very thing teachers are supposed to stand for: setting the right example.

When Cleveland plays Taft on Feb. 7, Chevalier will address Taft's players before the game, and Taylor will talk to Cleveland's. It's a step in the right direction.

``We're the two best teams in our league, and the two best City Section teams in the San Fernando Valley, so we should have respect for each other.'' Taylor said. ``We're definitely rivals, but we can be friendly rivals, not bitter rivals.''

Now that Taylor and Chevalier have mended fences, it's time for parents and family members of players to start following their lead and act more responsibly, too. At the Taft-Cleveland game, two fans nearly came to blows over something that was said - and they were fans of the same team.

The two fans argued heatedly, and the foul language and shouting could be heard across the arena. It was so ridiculous, one almost wondered who needed to be in school more: The two ``adults'' who were screaming at each other, or the kids in the stands, most of whom were there to enjoy a game, not watch two so-called adults act like little kids.

One can only hope, anyway.