Goold has Lions on prowl

Tiari Goold knows all about dribbling in formidable footsteps. One might even say she is making it a habit.

Goold was a point guard understudy at Oregon City High, where Lisa Faulkner played leading lady in one of the nation’s best prep programs. When Faulkner went off to UC Irvine, Goold stepped up and helped lead the Pioneers to the state championship. Goold won three state titles at Oregon City, while Faulkner transferred from UCI to Vanguard University, then an emerging NAIA power.

Faulkner led the Lions to the NAIA semifinals her first year in 2002-03, became NAIA Division I Co-Player of the Year last season, was a two-time All-American, and set the school career assist record with 719 in 70 games, while Goold headed off to pursue her college basketball dream at BYU.

But when Goold, a 5-foot-7 left-hander, soured on her basketball experience in picturesque Provo ? where the Cougars went 36-36 in her two seasons ? she looked to Faulkner for guidance.

“Lisa and I talked over the phone during last season,” Goold said. “She told me about Vanguard, that it was a winning program and that with her leaving, they needed a point guard.”

Based on Faulkner’s input, as well as some counsel from Brad Smith, her former coach at Oregon City, Goold ? for the second time in her career ? elected to take on the daunting task of filling Faulkner’s shoes.

“I knew Lisa and I’ve respected her since high school,” Goold said. “I knew she would send me to a place where I would fit in, because she knew my style of play. I told her I was going to break all her assist records.”

Goold’s stylea pass-first mentality and a tenacity that matches her teammates ? has helped her fit in just fine. She was an All-Golden State Athletic Conference selection and she leads NAIA Division I in assists (9.0 per game).

“I think she’s the best [NAIA] point guard in the country,” said Vanguard Coach Russ Davis, whose disciplined approach was just what Goold said she was missing at BYU.

“She’s really good in the open court, pushing the ball, because she has great court vision,” Davis said. “She’s bigger and stronger than Lisa and they’re both very competitive. The biggest difference is that Lisa was more of a scorer.”

But with two of the top five scorers in NAIA Division I ? two-time All-American and conference Player of the Year Kelly Schmidt as well as Syracuse transfer Jessica Richter, who average nearly 41 combined points per game ? the Lions had plenty of people to tickle the twine.

“I think it was a fairly easy transition because I’m not taking away from anyone else’s game,” said Goold, who works closely with Faulkner, a first-year assistant coach for the Lions.

“Lisa tells me things that she sees during games and that’s a big help,” Goold said. “When she tells me to do something, I do it.”

What Goold has done is help the Lions hold the No. 1 ranking all season. She had seven assists in a 91-46 win over Texas College in the first round of the NAIA Division I Championships on Wednesday in Jackson, Tenn.

Goold and her appreciative teammates take on the University of Cumberlands (Ky.) in today’s second round at 10:30 a.m. in Oman Arena.

“It’s awesome playing with Tiari,” said Richter, who played one season at Oregon City with Goold and followed her to Vanguard last summer. “She’s a great point guard and just a great player, period. She runs things and she has great vision. We have a lot of people who can score and we need someone who can find us. She fills that role for us, which is why she’s such a big asset.”

Goold, who cites selfishness as the world’s biggest problem, is happy to pass up shots to, well, pass. She is averaging 5.4 points, though she did not score in Wednesday’s win.

“My ideal game is double-figures in points and assists,” said Goold, who when asked what it meant to lead the nation in assists, once again played the role of distributor.

“I thank my teammates for all my assists,” she said.

dpt-vanwomen17.IMGGraphicInfoFR1P1UNE20060317FR1P1UNENo Captiondpt.17-vanguardhoops-5--CPhotoInfoVV1P1SSC20060317iw94r1knKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Vanguard’s Tiari Goold leads NAIA Division I in assists with 9.0 per game.