BASKETBALL : CSUN’s Men Take Back Seat to Women at Cal Poly Pomona

Women’s basketball is so popular at Cal Poly Pomona that the men’s game Saturday between Cal State Northridge and the Broncos will be played in the women’s gym before the featured women’s game between the two schools.

Karen Miller, athletic director at Pomona, said the switch was made because the women’s team, ranked No. 1 in the nation among Division II schools, often outdraws the men’s team.

The Lady Broncos are 136-27 and have won three national titles over the past five years. During the same span, the men’s team is 46-90.

Even so, Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy is more than a little miffed about playing second fiddle and playing in the small women’s gym. Especially since Pomona’s spacious men’s gym is not being used.

“It’s ludicrous,” Cassidy said. “It’s their home game and they can do what they want, but I think it’s pretty low class. It shows you where their heads are.”

George Fisher, Pomona’s men’s coach, was a little more diplomatic.

“I think the administration is looking at it as an experiment,” Fisher said. “In the future it would probably be in the best interest of the men’s program to play in the large gym, but I have tremendous respect for the women’s program. They’ve won two straight national championships so they deserve the spotlight once in a while.”

Said Miller: “If you’re going to give equal opportunity to women’s programs, they need this kind of exposure. With the success our women’s basketball program has had, we felt it deserved this kind of treatment.”

The only other time this season that Pomona’s women’s team will again play in the featured game is Jan. 31 against Chapman.

A change in California Collegiate Athletic Assn. rules requires that men’s and women’s games be played as doubleheaders at the same site.

Sure, Sherlock: Cal Lutheran beat Westmont, 80-77. Westmont beat Western Michigan by 28 points. Western Michigan beat Michigan by three points. So, via deductive reasoning, you could surmise that the Kingsmen could whip the Big Ten’s Wolverines by 31 points, right?

Riiiiiight.

Deserted at Desert: Before the start of the Southern California Conference season, Valley College women’s basketball Coach Jim Stephens picked College of the Desert as a contender for the title.

But when Valley traveled to Desert last Friday, it was no contest. Literally.

Only four Desert players showed for the game, giving Valley a forfeit victory to show for four hours of riding a bus.

It also gave Valley, ranked No. 3 in the state by the J.C. Athletic Bureau, a week off between games.

“We lost that day of practice and over the weekend we couldn’t get into our own gym because of other events that were scheduled in there,” Stephens said.

At 14-3 and 2-0 in conference, Stephens probably won’t get much sympathy from opposing coaches.

Ready and waiting: The smell of fresh paint still permeates the women’s gymnasium at Valley, where workers refurbished the floor and added a three-point line at the NCAA men’s distance of 19-9.

Women’s basketball does not have a three-point shot, but the line was added at Valley in case it is adopted in the future.

“It’s a good distance for the women,” Valley assistant Joe Jackson said. “When they move it back for the men, they should leave this one for the women.”

Jackson was refering to widespread speculation that the men’s three-point line might be extended at the end of the season.