UCI roll focused to a point

Barry colleges columnThere are nearly as many theories as reasons behind the UC Irvine men’s basketball team’s surprising ascent to the top of the Big West Conference.

While the Anteaters rebounded from a five-game losing streak to enter conference play -- including their second loss of the season to an NCAA Division II program -- to win their first eight conference games, the search for answers produced varied results.

Some were quick to pin the turnaround on the return of sophomore Patrick Sanders, who was injured in the season opener and missed the next six games, before coming back for the Dec. 17 loss at Colorado.

UCI Coach Pat Douglass, at various times, suggested the upswing was merely a reflection of improved effort and intensity. To that end, he credited assistants Terry Boesel, Tod Murphy and Steve Chen for never giving up on the team as the season appeared to be slipping away.

Improved defense, the consistently smart play of junior Nic Campbell, the continued rise of sophomore Darren Fells and a more productive bench, keyed by freshman Adam Templeton, have also been discussed as catalysts for success.

While all of the above admittedly have merit, Big West coaches, to a man, have zeroed in on why they believe the Anteaters have seized the inside track to the program’s third Big West regular-season crown in the last six seasons.

The men charged with studying the videotape for clues as to how to slow UCI’s championship charge, all point to senior point guard Aaron Fitzgerald as the Anteaters’ point man.

The 6-foot-3 whirlwind’s numbers are similar to last season, when he averaged 12.7 points, 5.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 3.7 turnovers per game after transferring from Jacksonville Community College in Texas, following stops at Portland State and Washington State.

This season, he is averaging 13 points, 6.1 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 3.8 turnovers. But by making better decisions, assuming greater command over the offensive flow, penetrating more aggressively and being stronger with the basketball, Fitzgerald has emerged as a candidate for Conference Player of the Year.

Fitzgerald’s penetration and court vision, combined with his stellar passing skills and unselfishness, have helped create virtual open season for UCI shooters, who rank among the nation’s elite in three-point accuracy (42.4%).

* Also bolstering the senior guard play for the Anteaters (13-9, 9-1 in conference) is Ross Schraeder, who surpassed the 1,000-point plateau in Saturday’s win at Cal State Northridge.

Schraeder, the school’s career leader in three-pointers with 216, has scored 1,007 points in 107 games.

* UC Irvine baseball fans have taken quickly to 6-foot-3, 270-pound junior first baseman-designated hitter Zach “Whammer” Robinson, who went 4 for 7 with five RBIs in two starts, both UCI victories, in the season-opening series against Cal that concluded Sunday.

Robinson, a first-team NAIA All-American last season at Point Loma Nazarene, said the nickname was pinned on him the first day he arrived at UCI (Jan. 7).

Robinson had 18 home runs and 63 RBIs with a Golden State Athletic Conference-best .718 slugging percentage last season.

As a senior at San Diego’s Horizon High, he had 17 homers and 69 RBIs.

“It’s like we swung a stretch-drive trade for a guy who carries himself like a veteran, who has a great personality and great makeup,” UCI Coach Dave Serrano said. “I said when he got here, he’d probably end up being a fan favorite, because of his stature and what he brings to the table.”

* While Robinson may be the favorite Anteater among fans, there’s no doubt which member of the UCI roster is the focal point for professional scouts.

When junior closer Blair Erickson made his 2006 debut Sunday, his pitches were clocked by no fewer than 19 radar guns operated by scouts. 20060207h272nzke(LA)