Same Old Chapman Story--Another Loss

Kevin Wilson, Chapman College basketball coach, has a theory on why the losses keep coming for his Panthers (6-17 overall, 1-9 in conference) after Friday night’s 77-70 setback to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo at Hutton Sports Center.

It has to do with suntans and convertibles and mineral water and quiche and a general lack of collars colored blue.

It has to do with a certain condition known as California Laid-Back.

“I hate it here in the beach culture,” said Wilson, a transplanted Ohio native. “Southern California is the most beautiful spot in the world, and that can be a problem. There are so many distractions.

“Everybody drives BMWs and Porsches and wants to have fun. Back home, we shoveled snow and played hoops. That’s all we did. To me, basketball is blood and guts and diving for loose balls and getting black eyes.

“If you want to be cool, you get lackadaisical and that’s how you lose. And that’s been a hard lesson to convey to some of these players.”

Wilson talks about “having to be hungry.” And although the record might suggest the Panthers are starving for victories, their on-court performance continues to indicate that they are looking for handouts.

There are no food stamps in college basketball.

Once again, like a phonograph needle stuck in a scratched groove, Chapman played a strong first half, opened a big lead in the second half--and then fell apart down the stretch.

This time, forward Kelly Huston scored 18 first-half points to help give the Panthers an eight-point advantage (48-40) with 16 minutes left to play.

Less than five minutes later, the score was tied. Two more minutes passed and Chapman found itself down by five, 55-50.

The Panthers’ routine collapse was underway. San Luis Obispo scored 11 straight points in a 15-2 run that underscored Wilson’s words about life in the mellow lane.

“When one team gets behind, they have to push,” Wilson said. “They lean on you, gamble, hustle, crash the boards. You have to be equal to that and push back.”

Instead, Chapman got pushed around.

“Maybe there was more at stake for them,” Wilson said of the Mustangs, who lead the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. with a 9-1 record (19-4 overall). “Maybe they had more guts behind it.”

For a half, however, San Luis Obispo Coach Ernie Wheeler was the one complaining about the environment. His teams are traditionally allergic to Orange County, having lost six of seven games at Chapman before Friday.

“And I’m from Orange County,” Wheeler said. “I used to coach at Magnolia High School. Why does this keep happening to me?”

Early on Friday night, there was an obvious explanation: Weak inside defense by San Luis Obispo.

With point guard Mike Kelly injured and out for the season, Wilson told his young men to go inside--and keep going inside until the Mustangs stopped them. The Panthers encountered few obstacles, as power forward Huston scored 18 points and center Karl Tompkins 13.

Chapman led, 39-34, at the half, with Huston and Tompkins accounting for 31 of their team’s points.

“They play incredibly poor post defense,” Wilson said of the Mustangs. “They’re slow, they don’t deny the ball. We saw the openings again and again.

“We kept pushing the ball down the floor, telling the kids, ‘Hey, go inside.’ ”

Things abruptly changed in the second half. Wheeler said his defense tightened, with his quick guards providing the difference.

“We pressured their guards more in the second half and overplayed their big guys,” Wheeler said. “They had no passing angles inside.”

Wilson had a different reason for the turnaround.

“A lack of details,” Wilson said. “All of a sudden, we didn’t do the little things.

“(Jon) Samuelson has his knees lock up and throws the ball away. Adam (Lockwood) gets caught up on a pick. Karl (Tompkins) throws a roll-block into their point guard.

“That’s a lack of details, a lack of discipline. And in that one period, it caught up with us.”

Wilson was particularly critical of Samuelson. While Huston was scoring 26 points and Tompkins 22, Samuelson managed but 8--five below his season’s average. He also had a crucial turnover and was called for charging with 1:30 left and Chapman looking to cut the Mustangs’ lead to three.

“You gotta pull up and jump-stop on that play,” Wilson said of the offensive foul.

And of the turnover: “He locks his knees and throws the ball away. That’s why he’s a Division II player and not at Cal State Fullerton. He’s overweight and has a lack of details. If he bends his knees, the ball would’ve been there.”

Those are the type of things that happen when you take it easy, Wilson said. And in the coach’s view, taking it easy has become too easy at Chapman, situated as it is in the land of sunshine and white wine.

And one-and-nine.