BASKETBALL : Valley’s Stephens, Citing a Lengthy Wait, Bows Out of Running for Pierce Men’s Coach

Pierce College, thwarted in its attempt to bring back football in 1987, has turned its efforts to reinstating men’s basketball for the 1987-88 season. The program was dropped last June.

Valley College women’s basketball Coach Jim Stephens expressed interest in the job before the start of the season, but he removed himself from consideration during a phone conversation with Pierce Athletic Director Marian McWilliams on Monday.

Stephens, who coached the Pierce men to Metro Conference championships in 1982-83 and 1983-84, would have had to exchange teaching positions with an instructor at Pierce to take the job. The process, required by faculty contract in the wake of layoffs last June, “could take months,” Stephens said.

Said Stephens: “I told Marian I wasn’t interested because they had waited too long. I would want to get started right away.”

Add Stephens: His Valley women’s team has won eight straight games and has beaten every team in its division of the Southern California Conference, but Stephens doesn’t want to be caught looking ahead to a conference title.

“I get a little worried about that, but when it comes time to play, the girls are always ready,” he said. “I hope they keep doing it.”

Valley has thrived despite the intermittent absences of Maryjo Testa, an all-conference forward last season. Testa missed a month after spraining her knee and was out of the lineup again last week against San Bernardino, suffering from the effects of food poisoning.

Stephens also was concerned about Demetra Johnson, the team’s leading scorer, whose production had been off for the past month. But Johnson had 30 points against San Bernardino to allay her coach’s fears.

Add streaks: The Moorpark women’s basketball team has won four straight games and is in second place in the Western State Conference.

Staying there, however, might be more difficult than getting there for first-year Coach Gary Abraham. His team plays its next five games on the road, beginning with a game this afternoon at Bakersfield (16-7).

But Abraham is confident his team of nine freshmen will continue to play like a veteran unit.

“We’re playing real well,” he said. “Our passing has been a lot better and we’re playing better as a team. The results show it.”

Moorpark (15-10, 5-1 in conference) has outscored opponents by an average of 25.5 points per game during its win streak.

Four Moorpark players are scoring in double figures in conference play. Karina Hardman is averaging 20.7 points per game, followed by Debra Rabin (15.3), Carol Kellick (13.3) and Julie Treu (10.0).

Injury update: CS Northridge forward Pat Bolden, who has missed the past month of the season because of a knee injury, was back practicing with the Matadors this week.

Coach Pete Cassidy said Bolden should be ready to go against Cal State Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Record-breaker: Denise Sitton, the leading scorer in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn., has been named the conference’s player of the week for the second time.

Sitton, who is averaging 18.6 points a game, had a combined total of 44 points and 21 rebounds in games against Chapman and Cal State Dominguez Hills last week.

In the process, she set CSUN career records for scoring (1,275 points) and field goals (515). Sitton is third on the CCAA’s career scoring leaders, behind Leone Patterson of Chapman (1,614 from 1983-86) and Vickie Mitchell of Cal Poly Pomona (1,560 from ‘83-86). She is also third in rebounding with 821, behind Mitchell (1,202) and Patterson (900).

Channel 13 will film Sitton in action against Cal State Los Angeles next Tuesday. She is scheduled to be featured as that station’s athlete of the week in one of its sports segments next week.