BASKETBALL / SEAN WATERS : Locke’s Morris Forced to Play Catch-Up in Recruiting Game : Coach returns to high school ranks and discovers that he’s being outhustled for players. Top scorers for the Saints last year also are missing in action.

Coach Reggie Morris sat two empty seats away from his Locke High boys’ basketball team Tuesday during first-round action of the VOCK Tournament at Washington High.

The Saints handled Narbonne, 54-51, but Morris’ team suffered a loss long before the tournament even started.

Eric Boyette and Samoore Riley, the Saints’ two leading scorers from last season, checked out of Locke and are not expected to return. Boyette, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, averaged 17 points a game, and Riley, a 6-5 forward, averaged 15 points.

“They were two of our biggest players. We have not seen them since the summer started,” said Morris, adding that he wished the players had bothered to tell him they were unhappy.

Morris coached at Los Angeles City College and Cal State San Bernardino after a long and successful career at Manual Arts. Since his return to high school coaching, Morris quickly discovered he had fallen behind his competitors in recruiting talent.

“When I was at Cal State San Bernardino, we had to really recruit players,” Morris said. “When I left, I thought I had to tone down my act. But I’m getting killed. I’m getting outrecruited.”

Morris has a reputation for being a strict disciplinarian. He said several players have quit or threatened to quit because they cannot handle criticism. Morris said he is not willing to change his coaching style to suit his players.

“I’ve seen coaches give every penny out of their pockets and sell their souls to these kids,” Morris said. “And then the kid leaves out of disloyalty. What kind of values are we teaching these kids? I would rather play small guys or guys who try than try to accommodate these prima donnas.

“Too many young coaches are trying to take the elevator to success, but you have to take the stairs,” Morris said.

*

Twelve teams, including Locke, competed last week in the second annual summer tournament at Washington. The finals were held Saturday.

The tournament was originally named in honor of Antonio Lewis, a Washington High basketball who was slain outside a party. The tournament was renamed Voices Opposing Crime and Killing because many other athletes, including former Dorsey and Santa Monica College player Davy Fortson, have been murdered.

*

After being urged to consider a football career, former Washington basketball standout Dayron Harris finally listened and will switch sports.

Harris, a 6-5 power forward, quit the Long Beach City basketball team last season before he lost a year of college eligibility. He will play defensive end for L.A. Southwest in the fall.

“It happened one day,” Harris said. “I’m 6-5 and I wasn’t going to grow any more.”

Harris was an outstanding shooter and leaper in high school and was named to the City Times’ 1994 All-Star Basketball team. Unfortunately, he was too small to play power forward in college and too slow to play small forward or shooting guard.

Harris, however, has the size and speed to be a linebacker or defensive end in college. Despite not playing football in high school, he received recruiting letters from several Pacific 10 Conference schools.

During a skills evaluation, Harris ran 4.6 in the 40-yard dash and benched-pressed 225 pounds 25 times. “He just threw the weight around,” said one college scout.

*

In case you didn’t notice, Manual Arts’ 6-7 forward Travis Reed has two praying hands tattooed on his right arm. Reed got the tattoo shortly before playing in the National Invitational Slam-n-Jam Tournament.

“We are in God’s hands,” Reed said explaining the meaning.

Reed said the tattoo is permanent. What about his plans to stay at Manual Arts?

Reed smiled and said, “No comment.”