Chapman’s Wilson Is Happy With His Recruits

Chapman College basketball Coach Kevin Wilson sounded happy, almost giddy, discussing the 1985-86 season.

Why was this man laughing?

It’s doubtful he was carrying over any chuckles from last season, when the Panthers won only four games in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. They lost close games and were blown out in others. In his first year at Chapman, Wilson coached a team made up of players he had never met.

But this year, Wilson said he feels he has recruited his finest class of players since his days as an assistant at the University of Minnesota. In 1974, Wilson recruited such players for the Golden Gophers as Portland Trail Blazer center Mychal Thompson, Mark Olberding of the Sacramento Kings (formerly of Kansas City) and former Laker Mark Landsberger.

“That class at Minnesota was really an incredible bunch, but I really feel good about this bunch of guys,” Wilson said. “It feels good to have players on your team that you got there yourself. Last year, I just inherited players.

“Don’t get me wrong, I think they did a great job, but it feels good to be in control. Especially with the talent these guys have.”

Wilson said when he was hired he wanted to recruit players from Orange County and Southern California, reversing the trend of his predecessor, Walt Hazzard, who preferred to recruit nationally.

Of the nine players that signed with Chapman for next season, seven are from Southern California, four from Orange County. Among the recruits are Jon Samuelson (6-foot 6-inches) and Paul Rollins (6-6)--both of Fullerton College, Mt. San Antonio’s John Bragg (6-5) and Karl Tompkins, a 6-8, 230-pound center of College of the Canyons. All four players are expected to have a good chance to start.

“I think Samuelson has the potential to be a Division 2 Larry Bird,” Chapman assistant Dave Nahabedian said. “John Bragg was all-state, and Karl is going to give us some strength in the middle we haven’t had.”

But perhaps the most important recruits for Chapman were the two Orange County prep stars--Matt Honikel, a 6-5 forward from Servite, and Adam Lockwood, a 6-0 guard from Estancia. Though neither is expected to star their first season, Wilson sees their decision to attend Chapman as significant.

“I think it’s important for us to be strong in our own backyard,” Wilson said. “We can’t compete nationally with major universities for players. We don’t even consider ourselves in competition with the major universities in our area like Cal State Fullerton. I think getting Matt and Adam gave a lot of credibility to our program to other area kids.”

Said Lockwood: “There’s a lot of things about Chapman that attract players. It’s far enough from home that I can be by myself, but close enough so I can see my folks and they can see me play. Plus, I think most of the people who choose to go there are thinking about their careers. I’m interested in business, and I know Chapman can do a lot for me.”

Wilson has given Nahabedian most of the credit for landing Honikel, Lockwood and Samuelson.

“Dave deserves about 60% for finding theses players and convincing them to come to Chapman,” Wilson said. “Thirty percent should go to the school because it sells itself. I probably deserve about 10% of the credit.”

Nahabedian had been an assistant under Wilson at San Franciso State for a season and a half. His strategy for bringing players is right out of George Orwell’s “1984.” In his own version of NewSpeak, Nahabedian tells prospects that losing is actually winning .

“Chapman is at a real transition point right now. Last season wasn’t the greatest. Kids know they can get in on the ground level,” he said. “They know they’re going to play. I think I’d rather go somewhere where I was going to play than a powerful school where I’m going to sit on the bench.”

More Nahabedianese: Less is actually more .

“We kind of think of ourselves as the Stanford of Orange County. We can offer kids less people on campus. That’s means a better ratio of teachers to students. The kids we recruit are all concerned with their education. They know they can get an $8,000 education practically for free.”

Parents are pretty good with figures themselves.

“It’s going to be great having him close to home,” Lockwood’s mother, Jean, said. “And the classes are small, he’ll get a great education.”

Wilson’s recruits will be playing a tougher schedule during their time at Chapman. Plans are for the Panthers to schedule more Division 1 schools. Already scheduled are Minnesota and the University of Hawaii.

“I think one of the selling points was that we’re going to play big schools,” Wilson said. “Kids like to play against good competition. You can sometimes make a name for yourself if you stay tough with a team like Minnesota . . . Of course you could also lose by 40 and look like a fool.”

It may not be so easy to laugh then. Other Chapman recruits are: John Saia, a 6-2 guard from The College of Marin, played for Drake High School of San Anslemo in Marin County where he was on a team that won 56 consecutive games and a state title. Jon King, a 6-5 swingman who played for Shadow Mountain High in Phoenix, was second team all-state. Kelly Huston, 6-7, 220-pounds, played center for L.A. Pierce.