USF Gets Ready for USD the Hard Way, as Usual

Jim Brovelli, who won 160 games in 11 seasons as the University of San Diego’s basketball coach before leaving in 1984, is back in town. Barely.

Brovelli’s new team, San Francisco, arrived in San Diego Wednesday for tonight’s 7:30 West Coast Athletic Conference game at the USD Sports Center against the Toreros. But it wasn’t easy.

“The day has been much like our season,” Brovelli said Wednesday before his team took the Sports Center floor for a shoot-around. “We had one flight canceled, and then the other one was delayed. And delayed. And delayed.

“When we finally got here, the pilot overshot the runway and had to circle back. I turned around and told my team, ‘That’s how we’ve been shooting this year. Oh-for-one.’ ”

The Dons are 2-7 in conference, 7-16 overall. USF, in its first season since it discontinued its basketball program following the 1981-82 season, won its first four games before running into injury problems.

Starting point guard Rodney Tention shattered his elbow in the sixth game of the season, and things have gone downhill for USF since. The Dons beat St. Mary’s in their conference opener, then lost to USD.

The Toreros won the season’s first meeting at San Francisco, 67-59, cruising to the victory after opening a 24-point lead late in the second half.

USD beat St. Mary’s, 70-61, Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak. The Toreros (5-4, 15-8) can reach the 20-win mark for the season by winning their last five games.

“They’re a very sold team,” Brovelli said. “They make very few mistakes, and its going to be very tough for us to win.”

The Dons, who don’t have a player averaging in double figures, are led by 6-foot 5-inch junior forward Anthony Mann, who is averaging 9.8 points. Forward Ken Ramirez (9.2) and point guard Mike D’Aloisio (8.3) are also counted on to provide some scoring punch.

Said Brovelli of his return: “I don’t know exactly how I’ll feel to be back until I get to the gym. I know a lot of people here and I know a lot of the players, but once the ball is thrown up, you tend to forget about all of that and just play some ball.”