Small Colleges / Alan Drooz : Cal State LA, CS Bakersfield Favored in CCAA

Cal State Los Angeles and Cal State Bakersfield are expected to be the cream of a healthy crop in the CCAA, while the University of Redlands shoots for its third title in five years in the SCIAC as men’s basketball gets into full gear.

Here is how the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. stacks up:

Cal State LA returns the CCAA’s leading scorer, Sam Veal, and preseason All-American Shawn Holiday to form one of the strongest backcourts in Division II. Add in 6-10 Tony Brown, who has led the conference in rebounding twice, 6-6 junior Cary Brooks coming back from an injury-filled sophomore season and 6-8 freshman James Stewart, who had 16 points and 15 rebounds in a recent exhibition against a Japanese team. Veal, a third-team All-American last season, averaged 22 points, 13th in the nation.

Cal State Bakersfield lost four starters but loaded up on high-scoring junior college transfers. The focus of the team is center Neil Stephens but scoring should be spread around, with guard Leonard Brown among the leaders. Reserve forward Mario Williams had nine rebounds in an exhibition against Manitoba.

UC Riverside has imposing size in 6-7, 215-pound Robert Jimerson, 6-9, 210-pound Texas Christian transfer Paul Kapturkiewicz and 6-7 Cal State Fullerton transfer Craig Fuller to go with returning guards Brad Husen and Andre Greer.

Cal State Dominguez Hills returns two all-league forwards, 6-4 junior bookends William Alexander and Brian Edwards, plus three experienced guards, and had a great recruiting year, signing four players being wooed by Division I schools. The key freshman is 6-5 Tony Akins out of Muir High, who is starting at center. Alexander should be one on the top small forwards on the West Coast.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has led the nation in scoring defense five of the last six seasons and has three starters back--6-9 center Jim Van Winden and guards James Wells and Chico Rivera, the top returning scorer with an 8.7 average. Rivera also led in assists. Junior college transfers Melvin Parker (6-5) and James Wells (6-3) should be the forwards.

Chapman College has 10 new faces but could be one of the most physical teams in a physical league. Guard Mike Kelly returns as the leading scorer. Newcomers include 6-7, 210-pound Kelly Houston out of Pierce College and 6-8, 230-pound Karl Thompkins from College of the Canyons. Kelly and 6-6 Jon Samuelson made all-tournament at Southern Utah over the weekend.

Cal Poly Pomona should be improved, with five lettermen including forward Matt Fitzgerald, a 10-point per game scorer as a junior, 6-7 center Greg Brofer and guard Darron Suttle. Several newcomers will play extensively.

Cal State Northridge, normally a contender, lost its two top starters to academic ineligibility. Guard Rafael Meza signed with an Argentine professional team. Forward Dale Brandsberg will sit out. Meanwhile, two centers, James Hecht and Ed Bowman, are out with injuries. Sophomores Troy Dueker and Pat Bolden will replace Meza. Several junior college transfers are lined up at forward.

In the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, a balanced race is forecast. Redlands, which has been in postseason play 8 of the last 11 years, is strong in the backcourt with all-league point guard Matt Michelson and Derrick Finney. Forwards Fred Sager, an 86% free thrower, and Andrew Beyer are also back. Sophomore Mark Fisher, the tallest key player at 6-7, is expected to help.

Pomona-Pitzer improved rapidly last season and is one of the favorites. Four starters return--6-5 frontliners Gordon Lewis, Dave DiCesaris and Tim Dignan and guard Rick Caragher--and the lineup will be bolstered by point guard Tom Mullins, a transfer from the Naval Academy, and Northern Oklahoma junior college transfer Terry Colbert, a 6-5 forward with a 40-inch vertical leap. The team expects to be the league’s quickest.

Whittier College is the other front-runner, featuring the league’s premier center, 6-7 Dave Weida, and all-conference guards Gary McGill and Steve Guevara. Weida led the league in rebounds last season and will be aided this season by 6-7 Jim Pursell. Junior forward Brad Harker rounds out the lineup.

Occidental College features high-scoring 6-6 junior college transfer Jeff Lowe. He scored 20 points in a half in last week’s opener against Azusa Pacific.

Claremont-Mudd has two starters back in guards Henfred Brard and Todd Thomas, and two lettermen up front, 6-8 Scott Lammers and 6-5 Mark Sisson. If several newcomers produce, the Stags could contend.

LaVerne will have a new coach, Bob Elder, playing a new lineup. Junior Kirk Dean and senior Paul Mortensen are the only lettermen.

NAIA entry Biola University boasts 6-10 Tom Harvey, who had 20 points and 12 rebounds in an exhibition against Japan, and returners Joe Hutt and point guard Barry Barnes.

Azusa Pacific, coming off three straight sub-.500 seasons, looks stronger, returning 6-8 sophomore Bill DesRochers, the leading scorer at 13.1 points, and sophomore forward Roger Gutierrez. The Cougars also picked up two Division I transfers at guard, Darnell Fletcher from Cal State Fullerton and Scott Debrouwer from Boise State, plus 6-6 forward Michael Long from Fullerton College. Fletcher is a former junior College Player of the Year at Pasadena City College.

Cal Lutheran, playing its toughest schedule as a Division II entry, returns eight lettermen. The best are 6-7 center Steve Cotner, last season’s leading scorer (12.1) and rebounder (6.3), 6-6 Pat Gibbs, who was second in scoring and first in assists, and 6-4 Karl Slattum. Guard Jeff Wrout and sophomore forward Darren Ranck are the other probable starters.

Cal Baptist should have a high-scoring unit based on its first four games, in which 6-7 forward Anthony Davis and guard Pat Green were averaging about 20 points and 6-3 junior swing man Clarence Worship was chipping in double figures.

The Master’ College (formerly L.A. Baptist) has three returners up front, 6-7 center Kelly Byrd and wings Dwight Lawrence and Virgil Harraway, but is inexperienced at guard and has had turnover problems in a 1-3 start.

Small College Notes

Occidental faces Central University of Iowa on Saturday in a Division III football quarterfinal at Pella, Iowa. Central is ranked second nationally. Last season, Central beat Occidental, 23-22. . . . Cal Poly San Luis Obispo repeated as Division II women’s cross-country champion. Northridge was second. . . . Biola University finished second nationally in the women’s NAIA volleyball tournament at Milwaukee. Despite the loss to St. Mary’s, Becky Miller was named tournament Most Valuable Player, making her a lock to be four-time All-American. . . . When the Cal State L.A. women’s basketball team fast breaks, the emphasis will be on fast. Three-time national 400-meter champion Denean Howard will be a guard/forward on the team. She was All-City at Kennedy High in Granada Hills in 1981.