COLLEGE BASKETBALL ‘88-89 : Southland College Division Men’s Basketball Preview : There’s Much More to the CCAA Than UC Riverside and CS Bakersfield

When it comes to receiving national attention, the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. hasn’t exactly gone unnoticed in men’s basketball in recent years.

Last season, UC Riverside and Cal State Bakersfield reached the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Division II playoffs.

But conference teams appear to be attracting more attention than usual this year in preseason publications, especially Bakersfield.

The Roadrunners, who tied Riverside for the CCAA title last season, were ranked No. 7 in Division II by Sports Illustrated and No. 10 by Basketball Digest.

Although Bakersfield appears to be the favorite of preseason publications, the Roadrunners do not appear as strong as the other title contenders.

The Roadrunners have only one letterman from a 21-10 squad, but he is 6-foot 5-inch all-conference forward Troy Price. The Roadrunners also have some talented junior college transfers, led by 6-7 center Allex Elam and guard Willie Austin.

The team to beat for the title may be Riverside, which has 3 starters and 8 of 11 lettermen returning from a 22-8 team. The starters back are 6-2 Maurice Pullum and 6-4 Chris Jackson in the backcourt, and 6-5 forward Pat Vieira. The Highlanders also will benefit from two transfers, 6-5 forward Chris Ceballos from Cal State Fullerton and 6-7 center Shawn Sheehan.

With preseason All-American Anthony Blackmon leading the way, Dominguez Hills has the ingredients to move into CCAA title contention. The Toros also have outstanding guards Derrick Clark and Robert Barksdale returning from last season’s 13-13 team.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo hasn’t received as much early-season attention, but it would be a mistake to underestimate the Mustangs, who have won the CCAA title 2 of the last 3 seasons and were 17-10 last season. The defense-minded Mustangs have their entire front line--6-5 Coby Naess, 6-5 Errol Talley and 6-6 Kurt Colvin--returning.

Chapman has 11 of 14 lettermen from a team that was 16-11. The Panthers will rely on 6-5 forward Russ Ortega and 6-4 guard Bryan Richetto, plus newcomers Kevin Stafford at guard and Rog Middleton, a transfer from Utah, at forward.

With only one starter and three lettermen returning, there will be a lot of new faces for Cal State Northridge. The Matadors (15-12) do have 6-8 center Todd Bowser. The supporting cast will include forward Alan Fraser and guard Jamarl Baker, along with newcomer Leroy McCullough and Kirk Scott, both forwards.

After finishing 11-16 last year, Cal Poly Pomona still may not be ready to challenge the CCAA leaders for the title. The Broncos are led by returning players Forrest Barnes and Nate Macon at forward and Galen Dedmon at guard and have solid newcomers in guards Jim Skinner and D.J. Norman.

Things can’t get much worse for Cal State Los Angeles, 0-14 in the CCAA and 2-23 overall last season. The Golden Eagles return forwards Rhodney Moore and Andre White but lack size and experience.

District III of the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics is usually a battle between Westmont and Biola, and this season is no exception. This time, Westmont is the favorite.

The Warriors, 23-9 last season, have three starters back--6-5 forward Mike Kelly, who was All-Golden State Athletic Conference, 6-6 forward Dan Swanner and 6-2 guard Brad Smidt. In the backcourt is 6-3 Peter Partain, a transfer from Arizona State.

Biola graduated key players from its 31-5 team of last season, most notably NAIA All-American Johnny Griffin, but the Eagles still have 6-8 center Paul Horn, 6-6 forward Scott Swanner and guards David Hardin and Eric Nielsen.

Cal Baptist (20-11) has eight lettermen, including 2-time all-district pick Michael Banks, guard Tony Smith and forwards Tim Skellenger and Greg Matthews.

After a 16-14 record--its best mark in recent seasons--Cal Lutheran is optimistic. The Kingsmen have the district’s top player, guard Steve deLaveaga, who averaged 27.4 points last season. He will need help from 6-7 center Mike Demeter, 6-4 forward Blake Miraglia and guard Jeff Logsdon.

With 12 newcomers, The Master’s will be a shadow of the team that was 11-19 last season. Top returners are 6-5 forward Phil Hahn and guard Ted Grissom. Among the new faces are 6-7 forward Tom Bruner, 6-5 swingman Jason Webster and forward Gerald Thomas, a 6-7 transfer from Liberty Baptist.

In a well-balanced district race, Southern California College, with four starters returning from a 19-15 squad, may also be a factor. The four are all-district guard Todd Dixon, forward Phil Hill, 6-7 center Jeff Bickmore and 6-3 guard Jim Mansfield.

Azusa Pacific will rely on newcomers such as 6-5 forwards Michael Benton and Mark Borgeson and guard Titus Randle. The Cougars, under their first-year coach, Terry Layton, also have guards Mark Moses and Steve Lopez from last year’s 10-21 team.

With Behind returning players Mike Thompson, Jay Kirch and Cesar Reyes at guard and 6-8 newcomer Brad Schroeder (6-8) at forward, Christ College, 7-21 last season, is improved but probably not enough to escape the district basement.

In the NCAA Division III, Cal State San Bernardino was passed over for a playoff berth last season, despite its 21-4 record.

The Coyotes will be difficult to overlook this season, especially with the return of 6-8 center Mark Warren and guard Gerald Duncan. Warren, a third-team All-American as a junior, averaged 25.7 points and 12.8 rebounds and Duncan 20.5 points. Another returning starter is forward Tim Watkins.

Occidental’s new coach, Brian Newhall, inherits a team that will challenge Whittier in the SCIAC. The Tigers (12-14) have all-conference John Keister at forward and 6-9 Chris Anderson at center, plus 6-8 forward John Crawley and transfer Ethan Caldwell at guard.

After tying with Redlands for second place last season, Whittier is hoping to go a notch higher behind All-SCIAC 6-6 forward Kyle Davis. The Poets (12-14) also have 6-6 forward Aaron Bach and Whalen Elmore on the wing.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps lost four starters, including Division III All-American Todd Thomas, from its 20-7 team that reached the NCAA playoffs. But the Stags have 6-6 all-conference center Mike Dawe, forward John Gilliland and guard Matt Johnson.

With the return of 6-6 Rick Duque at forward, Pomona-Pitzer (7-19) should be considerably stronger than last season, when Duque was injured. The new coach, Charles Katsiaficas, also returns 6-6 forward Guy Hendricksen and David Todd.

Redlands does not have a lot of size, but the Bulldogs have one of the best players in the SCIAC--6-4 forward Perry Bellaire, a 2-time all-conference selection. The Bulldogs, 13-12 last season, will also be led by guards Robert Stone and Pat Knight and forward Darryl Robinson.

In the balanced SCIAC, La Verne is about the only team that hasn’t been mentioned as a title contender. The Leopards, 11-15 last season, will depend on swing players Tyrone Gatewood and Glenn Jackson and forward Marc Smith.