Trying to Do It With Style

Coach Bobby Braswell brought Cal State Northridge up to speed in its first season in the Big Sky Conference by implementing frenzied pressure defense and up-tempo offense.

Although the Matadors often spun their wheels with bundles of turnovers and fouls, Braswell stuck to his style in a conference dominated by plodding, methodical teams.

The results were mixed: Northridge went 14-15 overall and 8-8 in the conference, but finished strong, upsetting Montana State and Northern Arizona in the conference tournament before blowing a lead in the final minute of a loss to Montana in the final.

Northridge, which has not had a winning record since moving up to Division I in 1990, came within a whisker of making the NCAA tournament. Braswell begins his second season building on the notion that winning the Big Sky is an attainable goal.

“The way we finished answered the question we often asked ourselves last year, ‘Do we know how to win?’ ” he said.

The four returning players and several newcomers expected to make immediate contributions possess the qualities Braswell covets. They are quick and athletic, though not very tall.

Freshman Brian Heinle is the tallest Matador at 6 feet 9, and often the team will have no one on the court taller than 6-7.

“An opponent with a 7-foot or 6-11 center might give us problems,” Braswell said. “But my philosophy is to put pressure on people and make them as uncomfortable as we can. Those big people have to come out and guard us too.”

Big Sky teams jolted by the Matadors’ in-your-face style last season won’t be surprised this time around. And neither will officials, Braswell hopes.

“We play a distinct style different than any other team in our conference, and there was an adjustment period with the officials that I hope we are beyond,” he said.

Four players who started most of the time return--forward Brian Taylor and guards Derrick Higgins, Trenton Cross and Lucky Grundy--but already they are being pushed by newcomers.

Higgins, who is 6-3 and leaps well, led the Matadors with an 11.6-point average. Cross, most valuable player of the Big Sky tournament, averaged 10.9. Taylor is the top returning rebounder with a 6.1 average and Grundy led in assists at 3.4 a game.

None may play as much as last season.

“When I came in this year, Coach let us know the situation,” Higgins said. “There are no starters. You have to work for it. The team is talented.”

The starting lineup in the Matadors’ opening 97-91 loss to Arizona State included three transfers. Senior swingman Mike O’Quinn, the leading scorer against Arizona State with 26 points, came from Loyola Marymount, junior forward Jabari Simmons from Compton College and sophomore guard Greg Minor from South Plains College in Texas.

“On other teams there are usually one or two key players who are the main focus,” said O’Quinn, who sat out last season after starting at Loyola Marymount as a sophomore and junior. “Here there are so many versatile players. Everyone wants to be a part of it.”

Heinle and sophomore Jeffrey Parris, who was ineligible last season, will play considerable minutes in the frontcourt, sharing time with Taylor and Simmons.

“We have so many new players that it will take a while for us to get used to each other,” Braswell said. “Our goal is to peak at the right time, right as conference games begin.”

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CS NORTHRIDGE AT A GLANCE

SCHEDULE

DATE: OPPONENT, TIME

Nov. 16 at Arizona State, L 97-91

Nov. 20 at Oregon State, 7 p.m.

Nov. 29 Pepperdine, 7 p.m.

Dec. 2 at San Diego, 7 p.m.

Dec. 6 Loyola Marymount, 7 p.m.

Dec. 15 at Ohio State, 5 p.m.

Dec. 17 at Ohio, 4 p.m.

Dec. 22 Fresno St. Tournament

(Long Island, 5:30 p.m.)

Dec. 23 Fresno St. Tourn.

(Fresno St./N. Fla., 5:30/7:30 p.m.

Dec. 29 Cal State Dominguez Hills, 7 p.m.

Jan. 1 at Portland State, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 5 at Eastern Washington, 7 p.m.

Jan. 8 Montana State, 7 p.m.

Jan. 11 Montana, 2 p.m.

Jan. 15 at Cal State Sacramento, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 17 at Weber State, 6 p.m.

Jan. 22 Idaho State, 7 p.m.

Jan. 31 at Northern Arizona, 6 p.m.

Feb. 6 at Montana, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 7 at Montana State, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 12 Eastern Washington, 7 p.m.

Feb. 14 Portland State, 7 p.m.

Feb. 19 Weber State, 7 p.m.

Feb. 21 Cal State Sacramento, 7 p.m.

Feb. 25 Northern Arizona, 7 p.m.

Feb. 28 at Idaho State, 6:30 p.m.

Mar. 5-7 Big Sky Tournament

ROSTER

*--*

No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. 3 Trenton Cross G 5-11 188 Sr. 4 Greg Minor G 6-3 194 So. 20 Carl Holmes G 6-1 160 Fr. 21 Derrick Higgins G 6-3 185 Sr. 23 Lucky Grundy G 6-0 165 Sr. 24 Mike O’Quinn F 6-6 205 Sr. 25 Carloes Harper F 6-4 185 Fr. 31 Brian Heinle C 6-9 220 Fr. 32 Kevin Taylor F 6-7 215 Sr. 42 Jeffrey Parris F 6-5 210 So. 44 Jabari Simmons F 6-7 240 Jr.

*--*

RETURNING LEADERS

Scoring: Derrick Higgins, 11.6

Rebounds: Kevin Taylor, 6.1

Assists: Lucky Grundy, 3.4

Blocks: Taylor, 0.59

Steals: Higgins, 2.6

FG%: Higgins, 52.1

FT%: Grundy, 78.7