Irvine Is Defeated in Opener

UC Irvine came here for a fresh start after a 1984-85 season in which failures (17 losses) outnumbered successes (13 wins).

Ronnie Grandison came here to start over.

Saturday, the paths of Grandison and UC Irvine crossed, as they had once before. Playing against the team with which he began his collegiate career in 1983, Grandison scored a team-high 17 points to help the University of New Orleans spoil UC Irvine’s season opener, 88-76, before 1,851 spectators at Lakefront Arena.

Grandison is one of four transfers from the disbanded program at Tulane who, along with assistant coach Kirk Saulny, came to New Orleans.

The New Orleans head coach is Benny Dees, a good ole boy from Mt. Vernon, Ga., who is out to have big fun on the Bayou in his first year on the job. Dees is a former Alabama assistant who uses phrases like “dadgummit” and “them guys” and openly admits that, when Tulane’s troubled program folded, New Orleans “got everything but their uniforms.”

Grandison, a 6-8 junior, was included in that package. The former St. Bernard High School star left Irvine for Tulane after becoming unhappy over a lack of playing time during his freshman season. With UCI’s Bill Mulligan--the coach who recruited him out of high school--looking on, Grandison hit 7 of 11 shots from the field for the Privateers (2-0).

Grandison played 31 minutes against UCI, and Mulligan was impressed. “It seemed as if Grandison got 100 points,” he said. “I thought he completely dominated.”

The Anteaters had some defensive breakdowns that led to some easy baskets for the Privateers. New Orleans outshot Irvine, 56.9% (37 of 65) to 47.6% (30 of 63).

Senior forward Johnny Rogers, the Anteaters’ leading scorer last season, suffered through a 6-for-16 shooting performance. Junior guard Scott Brooks, who had 14 points and was 5 for 5 shooting in the Anteaters’ exhibition victory over Club Bosnia of Yugoslavia, missed all five of his shot attempts against New Orleans and finished with two points. Senior center Tod Murphy led UCI with 21 points, but had only four rebounds and committed six turnovers.