Edmond Uses Work Ethic to Establish Himself

Michael McDonald is at Stanford, where he is still on the fast-track to stardom. Malachi Edmond, his former backcourt mate, is at UC Irvine, where he is out of McDonald’s shadow and, as always, working hard.

They played together three seasons at Long Beach Poly High School. McDonald got the spotlight. Edmond worked hard.

McDonald went to Stanford, where he met Chelsea Clinton, the President’s daughter. Edmond went to Irvine, where he met Chelsea Mackey, women’s basketball player.

“I was kind of ticked off with some of the things people said about me, like rating me to other players,” said Edmond, a 6-foot freshman. “This was my buddy, my teammate. He deserved all the attention. At the same time, I know I’m a pretty good player.”

“I tried not to let what was said get in my head. But it made me want to prove myself even more.”

That work has begun.

There have been good moments--against Chico State, Edmond scored 13 of his 16 points in the first half--and bad moments--against Utah he looked like a kid playing against his older brothers.

But Edmond certainly seems to have a good future at UCI.

“I like aggressive players,” Irvine Coach Pat Douglass said. “He works extra hard. It’s difficult to come in as a freshman and succeed.”

Edmond has made some contributions. He started against Chico State and scored 10 of Irvine’s first 21 points. The rest has been a daily learning experience.

“The work ethic I have helps out,” Edmond said. “Not too many people work harder than I do.”

Of course, when you spend your high school career being No. 2, you have to try harder.

Everyone loved McDonald, with good reason. There aren’t too many 6-6 point guards floating around. Still, Edmond played well alongside McDonald and even better without him.

When McDonald was injured last season, Edmond averaged 15 points, eight assists and five rebounds. The Jackrabbits were 16-3 when McDonald was injured and finished 27-5 and won the Southern Section I-AA title.

Still, the schools that were courting Edmond weren’t exactly the A-teams. San Diego State, Cal State Fullerton, UC Santa Barbara and, after Douglass was hired in March, Irvine.

“We get a lot of guys overlooked in my opinion,” Poly Coach Ron Palmer said. “I could have told anyone Malachi was a Division I player. He can shoot, which makes him valuable to any team, and no one works harder.”

Edmond inherited his work ethic from his father. John Malachi was a talented tight end at Harbor City Narbonne High School.

“My father was an aggressive player and he pushes that on me,” Edmond said. “Every time I talk with my father, he’s tells me to work hard, even in the dog days. It will get me through it.”

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The Bren Center suffered minor damage from Saturday’s storms. A drain clogged, causing the floor to be flooded.

“There is a little damage on the seams, where the wood has expanded,” said Russell Vandenberg, public events manager for the arena. “We’re still waiting to see how much water is under the floor, but we were pretty lucky to catch it in time.

“We were able to get the floor drained. We had fans in there to dry out the areas that were soaked.”

Fans? In the Bren Center?

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Whether Lamarr Parker, the team’s leading scorer last season, sees that Bren Center court much in the future is questionable. He played 16 minutes against Oregon State, missing five shots. He played only seven minutes in the victory over Chico State.

“Each player has to adjust to what we’re teaching,” Douglass said. “He needs additional time to adjust.”

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There were flashes of an inside game Thursday against Oregon State. Andrew Carlson, who Douglass had hoped would be more of an offensive force, played his best game this season.

Carlson, a 6-10 sophomore, had six points and eight rebounds. OK, they weren’t the type of numbers to make Shaq shake--two of Carlson’s rebounds came off his own misses. But he had five points and seven rebounds in the previous four games combined. Carlson, after working more with assistant coach Len Stevens, was much more active against Oregon State.

More help could be on the way.

Wendell Robinson, a 6-8 senior, could become eligible at the end of the week. He was academically ineligible for the fall semester. Matt Willard, a 6-9 junior, could be cleared to play within the next two weeks. He is recovering from mononucleosis but began light workouts last week.

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The women’s basketball team also could get good news:forward Leticia Oseguera might be cleared to play. She has been out three weeks because of a fractured left hand. She participated in noncontact drills last week and will undergo X-rays Wednesday.

Oseguera, who averaged 17.4 points and 9.9 rebounds last season, would be a big boost to the Anteaters.

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Coming Attractions

Key games this week for UC Irvine:

* Men’s basketball hosts San Diego State at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Bren Center.

* Women’s basketball plays at Portland State at 7 p.m. Monday.