COLLEGES:

Pat Douglass took a break from leading his UC Irvine men’s basketball team to lead the applause Wednesday, when former Anteaters star Jerry Green was recognized at midcourt late in the first half of a Big West Conference triumph over Cal State Northridge at the Bren Events Center.

The brief homage, which included a condensed announcement of Green’s impressive credentials and a presentation of a decorative basketball by UCI Athletic Director Mike Izzi, occurred during the final media timeout of the half. But, rather than use the break to instruct his team, Douglass stepped away from the sideline huddle, faced Green at midcourt, smiled and clapped admiringly for virtually the duration of the tribute.

Douglass said afterward that having Green there was one of the special elements of a game that also featured more than 2,500 students in attendance, all clad in black T-shirts as part of a Blackout Night promotion. The impressive 73-51 victory over the conference-leading Matadors was also televised nationally on ESPNU.

“When I came in, [UCI] had won one game the season before,” Douglass said. “Then [in my second season], Jerry came in as a freshman and, three years later, we won a [Big West Conference regular-season] championship [in 2001], which the school had never won before. So, he’s a remarkable young man and [was] a remarkable player for four years.”

Green, now playing professionally in Italy for Solsonica Reiti, is UCI’s all-time scoring leader with 1,993 points. He was the Big West Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002 and received honorable mention in All-American voting as a junior and a senior.

 Green’s return spurred some debate on press row as to why his jersey No. 5 has yet to be retired.

An athletic department spokesman said previous administrators had been less than fond of retiring numbers, though he was unsure if Izzi had ever weighed in on the subject.

UCI has retired the No. 44 worn by the late Kevin Magee, a former All-American in the early 1980s.

Green’s No. 5 should also be raised into the rafters at the Bren. It’s not a tough call. Not even close.

 The large student turnout Wednesday had the Bren hopping for most of the contest, rendering the promotion, in which students who bought a black ’Eater Nation T-shirt for $12 also received a ticket to the game, a roaring success.

UCI coaches and staff members also embraced the black attire and the UCI cheerleaders did their part as well.

My favorite touch was the cheerleaders who donned eye-black.

 The No. 9-ranked UCI baseball team won three of four in its season-opening series at Hawaii that ended Sunday.

Junior starting pitchers Danny Bibona and Christian Bergman each posted impressive victories and junior Eric Pettis saved both games of Saturday’s doubleheader sweep.

Junior catcher Francis Larson went six for 15 in the series (.462) to earn Big West Conference Co-Player of the Week recognition.

He was five for nine in the first two games, including a home run, a triple and two doubles.

He drove in five runs in the series.

 How Bibona did not earn conference Pitcher of the Week honors remains a mystery. The left-hander took a no-hitter into the eighth, allowing just two hits and one earned run in 7 2/3 innings. He struck out eight and walked one.

Instead, the Big West recognized Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s D.J. Mauldin, who allowed 10 hits and three earned runs in seven innings of a win Saturday over No. 3-ranked Rice. He walked one and fanned four. Those numbers barely satisfy the minimum requirements for a quality start.

 The UCI women’s basketball team has added a transfer with name recognition as well as some serious high school credentials.

Mikah Maly-Karros, the daughter of former Dodgers first baseman Eric Karros, arrived over the holidays from Loyola Marymount.

Maly-Karros, a 6-foot-1 forward, amassed 2,256 points and 1,817 rebounds, the latter breaking Lisa Leslie’s CIF Southern Section career record, as a four-time All-CIF performer at Mira Costa High in Manhattan Beach.

Karros will be eligible January of next season and figures to make an immediate impact on the Anteaters’ front line.

 Kurt Schmid, an assistant coach for the UCI men’s soccer program the last two seasons, has left to accept a job with the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer.

Schmid’s father, Sigi Schmid, was recently named head coach of the expansion franchise.

The Sounders roster includes former Anteaters star Brad Evans and Newport Harbor High product Tyson Wahl.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or by e-mail at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.