Scoring Big on a Turnaround Shot : All-Stars Ramirez, Bell Took Santa Paula Basketball From Dismal to Dynamite

Joey Ramirez remembers what it was like when he and Terry Bell first started playing basketball at Santa Paula High three years ago.

“The other teams used to laugh at us when we warmed up,” Ramirez said. “If they could, they would have spotted us 20 points a game.”

In those days, Santa Paula got no respect for good reason: The Cardinals were arguably the worst team in Ventura County.

But Ramirez, a cat-quick, 5-foot-10 point guard, and Bell, a sturdy 6-8 center, have changed Santa Paula’s image. In the past two seasons, they have helped the Cardinals to second-place finishes in the Frontier League.

And the once-laughable team has posted a 34-15 record in that span.

Evidence of the turnaround also can be found on the North roster for Saturday night’s 16th Ventura County high school all-star basketball game. Both Ramirez and Bell have been selected to play in the game, scheduled for 8 at Ventura High.

It has been nine years since a Santa Paula player has played in the game. Craig Cole played in 1983, and Richard Marquez was selected as an alternate but did not play in 1986.

Ramirez, an outstanding three-point shooter, averaged 22.2 points and seven assists per game last season. Bell contributed 11.9 points and 11.9 rebounds and excelled as a shot blocker.

“I’ve always felt, as a coach, if you are strong down the middle at center and point guard, you can be a very good team,” Santa Paula Coach Tom Donahue said. “I’m very proud they were chosen to play. It helps to put us on the basketball map in Ventura County.”

The Ramirez-Bell union began when the Santa Paula natives tried out for a recreation league team as fourth-graders.

Ramirez was quick to notice Bell. “He was bigger than everybody else. He towered above them,” Ramirez said.

The development of Bell and Ramirez also was noticed beyond the Santa Paula city limits. By the time Ramirez and Bell were in junior high, coaches at other Frontier League schools figured that Santa Paula was about to get a boost.

“There was a lot of pressure on us to go to some other school,” Ramirez said. “A lot of people didn’t think we should go to Santa Paula. They wanted us to get out.”

Ramirez admitted there were times he wanted to transfer, particularly when the school went through three varsity basketball coaches in three years before Donahue arrived two seasons ago.

But, he added, “we wanted to turn it around, to stay with our community.”

Bell said that dealing with the pressure was worth it, especially when Donahue arrived from Pennsylvania before Bell’s and Ramirez’s junior seasons.

“I feel real good we stayed with the program,” Bell said. “I think Coach Donahue turned it around. He gave us a lot of confidence.”

But Donahue said it was players such as Bell, Ramirez and George Albenez, a senior forward who averaged 14.1 points and 5.2 assists, who made the difference.

“What they have done is turn basketball into a popular sport at Santa Paula,” Donahue said. “They really got the program going in the right direction.”

Bell and Ramirez plan to continue their basketball careers next season as freshmen at Ventura College and both dream of playing at the Division I college level.

But for now, they can bask in the glory of Santa Paula’s newfound respect.