SDSU Coach Gets Recruit to Follow Him

Mitch McMullen, a 6-foot, 5-inch center, knew he would play basketball for Jim Brandenburg, but he never thought it would be at San Diego State.

But after Brandenburg left his coaching position at Wyoming to take over the Aztecs, McMullen revised his itinerary and will go to San Diego instead of Laramie.

“I know how successful Brandenburg is, and I wanted to play for him,” said McMullen, who averaged 16.5 points and 9.8 rebounds a game for Valencia’s College of the Canyons last season.

McMullen was the only player to sign a national letter of intent with the Aztecs on Wednesday, the first day for college basketball signings.

After a trip to Laramie in October, McMullen said he had decided to sign with Wyoming, which advanced to the final 16 in the NCAA tournament this season.

McMullen played for Point Loma Nazarene College during the 1985-86 season.

At United States International University, Mike Sterner, a 6-10 center whose high school team reached the state finals in South Dakota this season, was one of three front-line players to sign Wednesday.

USIU Coach Gary Zarecky said he hoped Sterner, 6-9 forward John Arabia from Servite High School and 6-6 forward Matt Judd, a community college transfer from Orange Coast College, would give the team’s inside game the size and strength it lacked this season.

Sterner led Mitchell High School to a 21-3 record this past season, averaging 12 points and 12 rebounds a game.

Arabia averaged 8 points, 9 rebounds and three blocked shots a game for Servite.

Judd, who played at Costa Mesa High before attending Orange Coast College, averaged 10.3 points and 11 rebounds a game.

At the University of San Diego, Randy Thompson, a 6-foot 6-inch forward from Don Lugo High School in Chino, and Efrem Leonard, a 6-1 guard from Mt. San Antonio College in Diamond Bar, signed letters of intent. Leonard is the younger brother of Paul Leonard, USD’s starting point guard last season.