COLLEGE DIVISION MEN’S PREVIEW : If They’re Down by the Riverside, CCAA Race Will Tighten Up

The expectations were anticipated.

But John Masi, coach of the UC Riverside men’s basketball team, wonders if they are warranted.

Since the Highlanders posted the best record in NCAA Division II basketball last season at 30-4, and finished third in the national championship tournament, Masi realizes that the pressure to duplicate those accomplishments will be great.

“We will have people comparing us (to last season’s team) all year long,” he said. “My biggest job this year is to not let our team get caught up in expectations. The advantage other teams will have is that they will also look at what we did last year in preparing for us.”

With the graduation of All-American guard Maurice Pullum and Chris Jackson, an All-California Collegiate Athletic Assn. guard, the comparisons may indeed be a little unfair.

But the Highlanders do have an All-CCAA performer returning in forward Chris Ceballos, and three other players who started at least seven games. They are point guard Reggie Howard--a superb three-point shooter--and forwards Mike Ritter and Jason Ricks.

All of which makes another CCAA championship and trip to the Division II tournament a distinct possibility.

Riverside’s closest competition should come from another traditional conference power, Cal State Bakersfield, although the CCAA appears improved down the line.

Cal State Bakersfield’s Pat Douglass has guided the Roadrunners into the playoffs in his first two seasons as coach.With four top players returning from a 21-9 squad, the trend should continue this season.

Bakersfield has two starters back, forward Marvin Redeemer and guard Wade Green, and top reserves Beau Redstone at forward and Willie Austin at guard also return. Toss in redshirt guards Ray Burris and Fred Eckles and the Roadrunners have good reason to make postseason plans.

Usually a CCAA title contender, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo slipped to sixth place in the conference and 14-12 overall last season. However, the return of four starters plus the addition of two Division-I transfers should make a noticeable difference for the Mustangs. Returning players include All-CCAA forward Coby Naess and guards James Gama and Shawn Reed. Transfers include forwards Stuart Thomas from Stanford and Tim Knowles from Texas San Antonio.

Cal State Northridge is hoping to leave a lasting impression on the CCAA in its final season in the conference before stepping up to Division I next year.

The Matadors, who finished 16-11 last season, may have the personnel to contend, including All-CCAA guard Derrick Gathers--whose brother Hank stars for Loyola Marymount--and forward Kris Brodowski and guard Jemarl Baker. The down side is a difficult schedule that includes four Division I opponents.

Where Bob Boyd goes, success usually follows. In 28 seasons, Boyd has a 456-309 record and has been coach of the year in four conferences including the Southeastern and the Pacific 10.

So it will be no surprise if he has a solid team in his first year as coach of Chapman, where the Panthers were 17-12 last season. The top returning player is forward Rog Middleton, and Boyd has a solid recruiting class, headed by swing man Von Shuler.

With the graduation of All-American center Anthony Blackman and the return of only one starter from a team that finished 20-10 and reached the Division II playoffs, Cal State Dominguez Hills will have one of the youngest teams in the CCAA, but the Toros have plenty of ability.

The leaders are point guard Robert Barksdale, swing man Kevin Shaw and guard Segaro Bozart. The Toros also have two top freshmen in forwards Vincent Washington and Norman Francis.

It has been a long time since Cal Poly Pomona has been competitive in the CCAA, but Coach Dave Bollwinkel is optimistic. The Broncos have forward Jim Skinner and guard D.J. Norman back and added two all-state junior college players in forward Terry Ross and guard Chancellor McCobb. That should help the team improve upon its marks of 1-13 in the CCAA and 7-19 overall last season.

With a 1-27 record and a 4-48 mark over the last two seasons, the Cal State Los Angeles program apparently has sunk to new depths. Only forward Andre White is returning and the Golden Eagles will rely mostly on transfers, such as forward LaVar Ball from Washington State and guard Darron Jackson from El Camino College.

NAIA

In the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics, Southern California College was ranked No. 19 in a preseason poll and looms as the team to beat for the District 3 title, although Westmont and Biola are also strong contenders.

Southern California made giant strides by going 29-5 and winning the Golden State Athletic Conference last season. The only element missing was a district title and berth in the NAIA national tournament, goals which appear within reach this season.

Back are all-district center Jeff Bickmore and forwards Terry Scruggs and John Mounce. The Vanguards also added a top junior college prospect in guard Elbert Davis from Golden West.

With no seniors, Westmont will have one of its youngest teams. Even so, the Warriors, who finished 18-13 and reached the district semifinals last season, still expect to excel in district play. Top players include junior forwards Peter Partain and Noel Matthews and junior guards Chris Brown and Chad Kammerer, whose father Chet has coached Westmont for 24 seasons and has a 475-230 record.

There is a new coach at Biola this season, although he is hardly a stranger to the school. Howard Lyon returns to the school at which he built a 401-143 record and won five District 3 titles in 17 seasons. He has his work cut out, though, with no starters returning from a team that was 29-8 and won the district title.

Lyon will rely largely on transfers such as 6-9 center Jeff Baker, forward Tim Ericksen, swing man Jeffrey Lee and guard Kellie McKinney.

The Master’s reached the .500 mark in its first season under Coach Mel Hankinson last season and, with its top players returning and the addition of key transfers, the program appears on the way up. The Mustangs, 15-15 last season, have top scorers Tom Bruner and Jason Webster at forward and also add NCAA Division I transfers guard Damon Greer from San Jose State and 6-8 center Dan Jarms from Eastern Washington.

Terry Layton, second-year coach of Azusa Pacific, was in an unaccustomed position when his team finished at 12-19 last season. It marked the first time in his nine-year career that he had coached a losing team.

That should not become a trend, though, since Layton has forward Michael Benton and point guard Titus Randle back, and transfers Patrick McMann from Northern Arizona and Jeff Hester from Portland, both 6-8 forwards.

Cal Baptist has posted two consecutive 20-win seasons, but with only one senior on the roster and with Warren Daniels and David Solomons the only players returning from last year’s team, the Lancers may struggle to approach their recent success. Cal Baptist will also rely on forwards Jon Gorzeman and Jim Reynolds.

It figures to be a transition season for Cal Lutheran, too. There is a new coach, former USC assistant Mike Dunlap, and graduation took guard Steve deLaveaga, the all-time scoring leader. The Kingsmen may have a worthy replacement in guard Jeff deLaveaga--Steve’s brother who redshirted last season. Cal Lutheran, 11-17 last year, will also count heavily on returning center Mike Demeter.

There is nowhere to go but up for Christ College Irvine, which was 0-14 in the Golden State Athletic Conference and 4-26 overall last season. The Eagles will be improved with the return of guards Aaron Clasen and Albert Gay and forward Keith Rogers, and the addition of high-scoring transfer Kevin Kurz at forward, although victories will still be in short supply.

SCIAC

In the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Pomona-Pitzer has the personnel to repeat as conference champion, although transfer-heavy La Verne and traditional power Claremont-Mudd-Scripps should also contend.

One of the biggest surprises last season was Pomona-Pitzer, which won the SCIAC title with a 9-1 record, finished 18-10 overall and reached the Division III playoffs under first-year Coach Charles Katsiaficas.

With seven lettermen returning, a repeat performance would not be surprising. The Sagehens are led by forwards Jared Holum and James Johnson and have adept outside shooters in guards Reed Porter and David Todd.

It might be too much to expect La Verne to go from worst to first in one season. But with the influx of outstanding transfers, the Leopards will not look anything like the team that was 0-10 in the SCIAC and 5-21 overall last season.

Topping the list is forward Andre Purry from Cal State Long Beach. Others include forwards Deshang Weaver and John Jackson and guard Shaun Manning. The top player returning is All-SCIAC guard Lamont Landers.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps usually falls among the leaders in the SCIAC race and this season should be no exception. The Stags, who finished second in the SCIAC at 7-3 and 14-11 overall last season, have excellent front-line players in center Henry Albrecht and forwards John Gilliland and Chris Greene. A key will be how fast the team’s inexperienced guards develop.

It will be a tall order to stop Occidental with the return of All-SCIAC performer Chris Anderson, 6-9, and John Crowley, 6-8, in the team’s double-post offense. The Tigers, who were 15-10 and tied Redlands for third in the SCIAC last season, also have starters Ethan Caldwell at point guard and Brett Dennis at forward.

Although it might not be the best team in the SCIAC, Redlands could be the most entertaining. The Bulldogs averaged a Division III-leading 100.3 points and 10.4 three-pointers last season, when they finished 15-10. The outlook is similar, despite the graduation of All-SCIAC forward Perry Bellaire. Redlands has two returning starters in swing man Robert Stone and forward Darryl Robinson.

With no starter taller than 6-4 and five of its top six players from last season’s 11-15 squad having graduated, Whittier could have problems ahead. The Poets will count on forward Whalen Elmore, the only starter returning, and guards David Hune and Chris Seibert, both excellent outside shooters.

INDEPENDENT

Cal State San Bernardino, a Division III independent that finished 20-6 and reached the playoffs last season, will have difficulty replacing graduated All-American center Mark Warren and all-region forward Gerald Duncan. Even so, the outlook is bright with the return of guards Dave Webb and Troy Adams and forward Greg Rowe, plus an excellent recruiting class.