There are any number of relationships that can become strained from a high school sports rivalry. Sometimes husband and wife attended rival schools. Other times siblings might even compete against each other as part of different programs. Still, what played out on Thursday night was an even more unique twist: The coaches of two competing teams aren't just lifelong best friends, they are also roommates.
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, El Camino Real (Calif.) High boys basketball coach David Rebibo and his counterpart at Chaminade (Calif.) High, Todd Wolfson, have been best friends since childhood. In high school they starred for El Camino Real together. And when both finished college and searched for ways to stay involved in basketball, they decided it would make sense to live together.
The result is an L.A.-area house hosting a coaching duo, with the two teams facing off against each other while coached by opposing roommates twice in the 2011-12 season.
"The roommate rivalry helps it a little bit," Rebibo told the Times. "Still, at the end of the day it comes down to these two teams making plays and the team that makes the most plays wins."
El Camino Real won both of the prior faceoffs, just as ECR was favored to again on Thursday.
Still, Chaminade has made great strides under Wolfson, who has brought a touch of ECR to the program. Naturally, the person who appreciates that the most is his roommate, who got to see it up close and personal on Thursday.
Yet the real question everyone wants answer is what the two coaches put on the line depending on the outcome of the game. As the Times pointed out, anything from traditional rug and toilet cleaning duties to the grocery bill could easily be justifiable bets.
After all, there's nothing wrong with a friendly bet between roommates, is there?
"Me and Dave are good friends," Wolfson told the Times. "We don't really have any battles. Joking around we may say something here or there, but it's all in fun and when I'm not rooting for Chaminade to win I'm rooting for El Camino to win."
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