It was the panoramic view of bright orange flames that convinced Chris Acker, a St. Francis basketball assistant coach of 10 years, to leave his home.
He grabbed the essentials — identification, laptop, family photos and his polo shirt he planned to wear for the Golden Knights’ game against Loyola that was slated for the following day.
“I packed up the car best I could,” Acker said. “It’s funny, though. I remember, like, I’m gonna grab my polo for that game because of course we’re still gonna have the game tomorrow.”
The Eaton fire had other plans. It burned through 9,418 structures and forced countless cancellations of games and practices for high schools closest to the fires. Acker has yet to return to his home, which is still without power.
The St. Francis basketball team — and the community that surrounds it — has taken steps forward in its recovery, but it’s still far from the final buzzer.
Freshman varsity player Steph Karibyan smiles just as brightly as any of his teammates when he’s around them. The Eaton fire swallowed up his home less than 24 hours after he evacuated, yet he’s able to talk about the loss unflinchingly.
“All you can really do is just keep your head up,” Karibyan said, “and remember that there’s still a lot of things that can come from this. Communities come together. And it’s not over even though you may feel like it is.”
Karibyan is the only player on the team who has lost a home due to the wildfires, but many more have been displaced or know someone close to them who has been directly affected.
Only four players attended the first practice that St. Francis held as soon as power was restored at the school. The ones absent were scattered everywhere from Oxnard to Palm Springs.
They returned, gradually, and their spirit slowly followed. Students from across the school helped cook meals for victims and worked in food trucks that fed first responders. Basketball players created a fund among themselves and raised enough money to buy Karibyan and his sister clothing and shoes from Nike.
“It was remarkable,” St. Francis head coach Todd Wolfson said. “It’s just cool to see your players go above and beyond what they normally would do.
“As coaches, we’re here to coach basketball, but we’re here to enable our guys to learn and to become men and leaders, and all the stuff that comes with that as well. We play a small four-year role in their life. Our goal is to try to maximize as much as we can teach them in those four years.”
The Golden Knights raised nearly $10,000 and sold over 140 tickets when they hosted Palisades Charter, which has been affected by the Palisades fire, for a game on Sunday.
The CIF made an exception to its policy that usually prohibits teams from competing on Sundays, which allowed the two teams to fulfill a necessary makeup game on their schedule and presented a chance to raise money for their communities.
“With seven seniors, I wanted to make sure they get every minute of basketball that they’re eligible to play,” Wolfson said. “I don’t want their senior to be cut short because of the fires.”
St. Francis held a bake sale, accepted donations and hosted a raffle with prizes that included clothing from Ralph Lauren and Vuori, tickets to pro sporting events and a stuffed Patagonia duffle back that came with a $1,000 gift card.
Officials from the game donated their stipends to the cause. Proceeds from the event were split between Palisades Fire victims and the Eaton Canyon Fire Fund.
The meaning of the game extended to spectators like Steve Wachs, who is a Palisades Charter alumnus and was an assistant coach at St. Francis before co-founding LA Court Report.
“Don’t keep score when it comes to help,” Wachs said. “People need help. They don’t need a reminder that you were there for them. If they’re a friend, they’ll remember you were there. It’s the spirit of giving.”
Buildings have been reduced to ash and neighborly smiles and exchanges have been eliminated for many in the St. Francis basketball community. Acker believes he’s ready for mental battles that lie ahead partly because of the next-play mentality that sports has bred in him.
“We may come into a game and have no clue what the other team’s gonna do,” he said. “And our game plan has to go out the window. Now what do we do? It’s a similar situation — a smaller aspect. OK, there’s a fire in the hills. We might lose the house. Now what do you do?”
The Golden Knights have reinstated the routines surrounding what they love. Classes have resumed. Players are reporting four hours before game time for a pregame meal, followed by shoot-around and film.
They now have back-to-back wins against Hillcrest Christian and Palisades Charter with three league games left before the Mission League tournament begins Sunday, Feb. 2.
If time heals all wounds, then basketball is a bandage.
“We take anything with basketball seriously,” Karibyan said. “We don’t play no games, even if it’s a fundraiser. Off the court, we’re obviously gonna come together. But on the court, we’re ready to eat.”