Colleges: A Pat on the back for Green

Amara Aguilar

Saturday night was special for UC Irvine senior guard Jerry Green.

With his first bucket, in a 72-46 UCI men’s basketball victory over

host Cal State Fullerton, he became the Anteaters’ all-time leading

scorer, passing Tod Murphy, who amassed 1,778 career points from 1982-86.

One of the persons Green credits with helping him set the mark is UCI

Coach Pat Douglass, who was one of the reasons Green chose to sign with

Anteaters out of high school four years ago.

“He won a couple national championships at (Cal State) Bakersfield and

I heard a lot of people talk about him,” Green said. “I wanted to find

out for myself if all the hype was real and now I know it’s real. He’s a

really great coach. He really knows the game. That’s why I’ve had a very

successful four years here, because of his teachings and his staff’s as

well.”

Green and Douglass combined to help lead UCI to its first Big West

Conference championship last season when the Anteaters won a

school-record 25 games.

“We really have a good relationship,” Green said. “My freshman year,

Coach Douglass really took his time and was really patient with me. At

the time, there really weren’t any seniors on the team who could put me

under their wing. He taught me so much about the game.”

It definitely seems to have paid off. Green has led the Anteaters in

scoring each of his four seasons. With the 19 points he scored against

Fullerton, he has 1,797 in his career.

With seven Big West Conference games left, he is set to surpass the

2,000 plateau.

Next up for the conference-leading Anteaters (16-6, 9-2 in the Big

West) is a two-game Big West homestand beginning Thursday against Idaho

in a 5:35 p.m game televised on Fox Sports 2.

Saturday night, Utah State visits at 7:05 p.m. The Anteaters won at

Utah State Jan. 10 when Green hit a game-winning jumper at the buzzer to

earn a 67-66 victory that snapped the Aggies’ school-record 31-game

winning streak at home in a nationally televised game.

The UCI baseball team (3-4) earned its first win of the season

Tuesday, a 6-4 triumph over UCLA at Anteater Ballpark.

UCI freshman starter Glenn Swanson earned the win and freshman Michael

Koehler picked up the save.

“Obviously it was a big night for UCI baseball and for our kids

playing a Pac 10 power,” UCI Coach John Savage said. “We really came out

and played well against them. I thought we pitched well. Two freshmen

stepped up and showed signs of the future. Our bats came alive and we

showed signs of what we can do along the road.”

Swanson gave up three runs on three hits and struck out nine against

the Bruins. He also retired the side in order in six of seven innings.

“He is going to be very special,” Savage said. “He’s an exceptional

athlete. He went out there against a big-time program and, in his first

college start, nine strikeouts and seven walks says it all. He has an

unbelievable future. We think we have got a diamond in the rough. Not a

lot of people knew about him. Now everyone will know about him.”

This week, the Anteaters take on Pepperdine Tuesday in a 7 p.m. game

at Anteater Ballpark. UCI begins a three-game home series Friday against

St. Mary’s at 7 p.m. Game time is 3 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on

Sunday.

A former local high school baseball player will be on the field for

the Waves when Pepperdine visits Anteater Ballpark Tuesday. Ty Harper, a

product of Corona del Mar High, is the Waves’ starting first baseman.

The junior transfer from Alabama is in his first season with the

Waves. While at Corona del Mar, he lettered in baseball and football and

set school records for highest career batting average (.513), RBIs (99)

and home runs (27). He also led the Sea Kings to the CIF Southern Section

Division IV title as a senior in 1999 and shared the division’s CIF

Player of the Year honor.

The UCI women’s basketball team (7-14, 4-6 in the Big West) visits

Idaho Thursday at 7 p.m. The Anteaters have struggled most of the season,

but almost surprised first-place UC Riverside Friday. UCI led by six

points with 30 seconds left, but the Highlanders rallied and Julie Shaw

hit a shot as time expired to hand Riverside, which was unbeaten in

conference, a 71-69 victory.

The Anteaters rebounded with a 60-46 victory over Cal State Fullerton

Sunday.

The UCI women’s water polo team starts the season Thursday at

nationally top-ranked UCLA at 4 p.m.

Leading the Anteaters in their second season will be Coach Julie

Swail, who was the captain of the United States national women’s water

polo team that brought home a Silver medal in the 2000 Olympics in

Sydney, Australia. Swail had been a member of the national team since

1994.

In Vanguard University men’s basketball action this week, the Lions

(12-11, 8-6 in the Golden State Athletic Conference) are at Fresno

Pacific Tuesday, then host The Master’s Saturday. Both games tip off at

7:30 p.m.

In the latest NAIA rankings released Tuesday, the Lions aren’t in the

top 25, but they did receive three votes in the latest poll. Only two

teams from California are in the top 25. Biola is No. 2 and Azusa Pacific

is No. 9. The Lions are the only squad that has beaten Biola this season.

The Vanguard women’s basketball team (12-8, 9-5) visits Fresno Pacific

Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. and hosts The Master’s Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

The Lions are coming off a 64-62 victory Saturday over Westmont,

ranked No. 24 in the NAIA.Vanguard, one game behind Westmont in the GSAC

standings going into the contest, moved into a tie with the Warriors for

third place.