College Notebook MIKE HISERMAN : His Shot at the Big Time Left CSUN Shooter Feeling Small

Sometimes, you have to learn the hard way. . . .

Mike Lopez once passed up a scholarship offer from Cal State Northridge because he wanted to play big-time college basketball. He wanted the big crowds, the media attention and the challenge of playing against Division I competition.

He was recruited by Northridge out of Notre Dame High, but enrolled at Valley College. Lopez thought that by playing at the junior college level for two years he could attract the interest of larger, more prestigious schools.

That was 4 1/2 years ago.

Lopez is now playing for Northridge and he’s happy about it. He had a taste of the big time and it left him a little nauseated.

After averaging 21.6 points per game and shooting 58% from the field in his sophomore season at Valley, Lopez got his wish. Utah State, Colorado State, Weber State, Oregon and the University of Nevada, Reno, were among the schools that recruited him.

He finally chose to play for coach Bill Mulligan at UC Irvine. Mulligan needed a shooter and Lopez fit the bill. “We feel he was the best shooter in the state (JCs) this year,” Mulligan said when Lopez signed.

A funny thing happened to Lopez at Irvine, though. His shooting style changed.

It often seemed as though an over-the-shoulder glance at the Irvine bench was part of Lopez’s follow-through after a shot.

“I totally lost my confidence,” Lopez said. “Irvine was pass oriented and a lot of times I passed up my shot.”

Lopez started 10 games and played in 27 of Irvine’s 28 games during the 1982-83 season, but he averaged only 4.7 points and shot just 41.7% from the field.

When the season ended he told friends he that was thinking about transferring to another school. Eventually, Mulligan heard the rumors that Lopez was leaving and confronted him.

“I think Coach Mulligan understood that I had a number of reasons why I wanted to leave,” Lopez said. “It was my first time away from home and I was homesick. I came home every weekend. My shooting was suffering simply because I was used to coming home every day and shooting for hours. At Irvine, I had an apartment and there was nowhere to shoot. That affected me too.

“The main problem was, I simply didn’t know what I was getting into when I accepted the scholarship to UCI. I’m a business student and they didn’t have a good business program. I took only two good courses in my year there. I took easy courses and I didn’t learn anything.”

Lopez did learn one valuable lesson, however.

“What was best for me all along was the closest school to my house,” he said.

Lopez enrolled at Northridge last year and redshirted. He used the time to work a full-time job and catch up with his school work.

The year off left him a bit rusty at the start of this season, but Lopez is convinced that he is finally playing where he belongs.

“I’m totally happy with the way things have turned out,” he said. “I’ve played some bad games, but lately I’ve been playing better and better.”

A starter early in the season, Lopez will be the first player off the bench for coach Pete Cassidy when Northridge opens its California Collegiate Athletic Assn. season at Cal State Dominguez Hills tonight.

Although he comes off the bench, Lopez is fourth on the team in minutes played and averages 11.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

“He’s a John Havlicek kind of player,” Cassidy said. “He can play guard or forward and he plays more than a few of the starters. We needed a player who can shoot as well as he does, which is why we recruited him out of high school.”

As it turned out, Lopez needed Northridge almost as badly. Missing Matador:

John Patton, a 6-4 forward who was expected to be one of the Cal State Northridge basketball team’s top reserves, has left the squad, coach Pete Cassidy said this week.

Cassidy said the junior from San Mateo never adjusted to his role as a substitute in the Northridge offense.

“John was probably the best all-around athlete on the team, but he did not blend well with the structure of our offense.” Cassidy said.

Patton transferred to Northridge from Skyline College after failing to meet entrance requirements at the University of Rhode Island, a Division I school.

“We thought we had a gem--a bona fide Division I player,” Cassidy said. “It just didn’t work out.”

Patton was a starter on Skyline’s 24-8 Coast Conference championship team last year. He was an honorable mention all-conference selection after averaging 9.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and leading the team with 47 blocked shots.

Is It Good News or Bad News?

Cal State Northridge men’s volleyball Coach Walt Ker is optimistic as his team opens its non-conference schedule, hosting UC San Diego tonight at 7:30. The reason: Every player on last year’s team has returned.

But wait a minute. Is that good, or bad?

Northridge was 12-21 overall and 1-17 in the California Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn. last year.

One reason for Northridge’s dismal record was the level of its competition. Joining the Matadors in the conference are UCLA, Pepperdine, USC, Stanford, Hawaii, UC Santa Barbara, San Diego State, Cal State Long Beach and Loyola Marymount. Since the current NCAA playoff system began in 1970, the conference has produced the national champion every year.

UCLA, which has won the NCAA title the last four years, has won it a total of 11 times. USC has won the title twice. Pepperdine and San Diego State have each won once. Pepperdine is currently the nation’s top-ranked team.

Stars Draft a Matador:

Bryan Wagner, punter and place-kicker for the Cal State Northridge football team, was selected by the Baltimore Stars in the 15th round of the United States Football League draft.

Wagner, the Matadors’ career and single-season punting leader, was an NCAA Division II All-American last fall after he averaged 42.7 yards per punt and kicked two 52-yard field goals.

The Stars selected Wagner as a punter. He averaged 43.2 yards per punt in his Northridge career. In his best year, 1983, he averaged 43.7 yards per punt. Both marks are NCAA Division II records.

In a telephone interview from Las Vegas, where he is training with kicking coach Brad Hoffman, Wagner said the Stars have not yet contacted him about a contract.

“They called me on draft day to tell me I had been one of their selections and I haven’t heard from them since,” Wagner said.

The Stars drafted Wagner as a punt specialist after selecting Maryland place-kicker Jess Atkinson on the sixth round.

If he signs a contract, Wagner will be in competition with current Stars punter Sean Landeta, who was a Sporting News all-USFL choice last season.