3rd Annual Ernie Wallengren Memorial Hoopfest set for Saturday at CHS

Ernie Wallengren impacted many lives while serving as a basketball coach at Calabasas High School.

On Saturday, Wallengren’s influence will be felt once again in the basketball gym at CHS, as the 3rd Annual Ernie Wallengren Memorial Hoopfest gets underway beginning at 8 a.m.

Wallengren, an accomplished screen writer who wrote for shows such as Little House on the Prairie, Knight Rider, Flipper and Baywatch, passed away May 27, 2003, after being stricken with Lou Gehrig’s disease, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

He was 50 years old.

Confined to a wheelchair while suffering through the debilitating effects of his disease, Wallengren continued to give his time to the Calabasas basketball program.

Following Wallengren’s death, Calabasas head coach Russell White and others associated with the program established the Hoopfest as a way to remember their fallen friend, and provide future funding for ALS research.

“He was a huge fan of basketball, but he was also a huge fan of kids,” White said. “You don’t coach high school basketball for any other reason, except for maybe the competition aspect, but you’ve got to love the game and you’ve got to love the kids. And he put his heart and soul into it.”

Proceeds from the tournament and accompanying silent auction will go to the Ernie Wallengren Research Fund, said White, and specifically toward funding stem cell research.

“I know not everyone is a proponent of stem cell research, but we are,” White said. “The dollars that we raise go toward that. It doesn’t go to mailers of the charity or the salaries of those who work there. It goes to research.”

During the first two years of operation the tournament festivities raised over $36,000.

White said he expects this year’s silent auction to be the event’s best ever.

Some of the items up for bid include a chance to hang out on the set and meet the cast of Fox’s The O.C., a two-day race car driving class near Las Vegas, Laker and Clipper tickets, a round of golf with two-time Cy Young Award winning pitcher Brett Saberhagen, and signed memorabilia from boxing star Oscar De La Hoya.

Those items are just the tip of the iceberg, said the CHS coach.

And, of course, it wouldn’t be a Hoopfest without the basketball tournament.

This year there’s expected to be 150-200 players competing on teams comprised of between five and eight players. Each squad is guaranteed at least three games, and each game is conducted with a 32-minute continuous running clock.

Referees from around the Conejo and San Fernando Valleys have volunteered their time to work the games.

With the schedule set at least a week in advance, there isn’t a lot of room for teams that still want to sign up, said White, although, he added, exceptions have been made in the past.

The entry fee is $50 dollars per player.

Anybody who wants to stop by the Calabasas gym and watch the tournament or bid on any of the auction items can do so at no charge.

There will also be food and drinks available.

Two of the more recognizable names who’ll be running the court are Wallengren’s brother, Mark, who co-hosts the Mark and Kim Show on KOST 103.5, and 7-foot-8, 360-pound Sun Ming Ming from China.

Ming Ming’s a 21-yearold NBA prospect who would qualify as the tallest player in league history if he makes a roster in the future.

To donate auction items or find out more information about the tournament, please contact Coach White at (818) 222-7177 x711, e-mail erniehoops@earthlink.net or visit www.erniehoopfest.com.