COLLEGE BASKETBALL ‘87-88 : Southland Women’s Preview : CS Long Beach Is Proud to Wear Mantle of Top-Ranked Team

Whatever it is with coaches--be it a chemical disorder or simply genetic--that renders them positively ambivalent (at best) or terrified (usually) when the subject of rankings come up, it’s happening now in college basketball.

The annual hot-potato of who’s No. 1 is under way, and few of the women’s coaches have their hands out. Except in Long Beach. Joan Bonvicini loves it that her 49ers are ranked in the top five in most preseason polls.

“A lot of people like coming up from behind,” Bonvicini said. “I like being ranked high. It’s good for our program and it shows what we’ve done. It helps to sell tickets and it’s good for recruiting. We can handle the pressure.”

It’s the kind of pressure Bonvicini relishes. After years of languishing in the shadow of the success and tradition of the USC and UCLA programs, Cal State Long Beach has finally become not the other basketball program in the area, but, this season at least, is the program.

The 49ers fashioned a 33-3 record last season and went to the Final Four, losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Tennessee. It was the 49ers’ first trip to the Final Four and was the symbolic arrival of the program to national prominence.

Despite losing two-time All-American Cindy Brown, it looks like more of the same for the 49ers this season. They seemingly lack for nothing: They have depth, impressive quickness, plenty of height and an offensive system that led the nation in scoring last season.

“We have the potential to be a very, very good team,” Bonvicini said. “We’re young, but we have a lot of talent. The biggest difference between this year and last is we’re quicker.”

Coming from Bonvicini, that’s like the Rockefellers saying they are richer this year. Speed has always been the essence of Long Beach teams. And the player who will orchestrate the fast break is 5-foot 8-inch guard Penny Toler.

Toler is a street-wise player who has not sacrificed fundamentals for moves. The junior averaged 21 points per game last season, while handing out a school-record 237 assists.

Bonvicini has little trouble finding ways to praise her team, but she can scarcely find enough words of tribute for Toler.

“Penny plays with such confidence, she’s the reason we went to the Final Four last year,” Bonvicini said. “She brings other players to her level. She’s the best ball-handling player I’ve ever seen among the women, or men, for that matter.”

Toler isn’t the only weapon the 49ers possess. They have a 6-4 center in Angelique Lee. A sophomore, Lee sat out last year because she failed to meet the requirements of Proposition 48. Carol Brandt, a 6-2 senior forward, who was a reshirt last season because of a knee injury, will add a scoring punch.

If balance and depth are the hallmarks of the Long Beach team, they have nothing to do with this season’s USC team.

The Trojans had a big chunk of their offense taken out when center Monica Lamb left the team to play in Italy. It will fall to junior Cherie Nelson to fill the gap.

Nelson has always had talent, but has been prone to throwing her 6-3 body around to grab rebounds. Nelson did little to help her team while sitting on the bench in foul trouble.

“There’s a big difference between a sophomore and a junior,” USC Coach Linda Sharp said. “She’s more poised now. She doesn’t seem to get as excited in a game. Also, Cherie’s in the best condition she’s ever been in, she’s in condition to play our up-tempo game.”

The Trojans will get help from sophomore Tammy Hammond, who Sharp says is eager to play. Hammond was another Proposition 48 casualty.

“I think the year off hurt her,” Sharp said. “She goes to the offense like nobody’s business. But when you go to defense, she’s not the same player.”

Sharp is not in a position to have any of her players slack on defense or offense. “We really don’t have the depth to go past six players,” she said.

Emerging as leaders are seniors Paula Pyers and Holly Ford. Pyers is an able guard to replace the graduated Rhonda Windham. Ford, who is the only player on the team to have started every game, is described by Sharp as being in the best condition of any of her players.

At UCLA, there are high hopes. The Bruins return seven of their eight leading scorers from their 18-10 team last season.

“We’ve improved over last year, which is very pleasant,” UCLA Coach Billie Moore said. “We have as much talent as we’ve had here. The question mark I had was will we be able to solve the problem at point guard.”

Michelle Miles solved the problem when the freshman recovered from knee surgery over the summer. She’s only played in two scrimmages, but Moore is impressed with Miles’ defensive skills and her ability to run an offense.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on her,” Moore said. “But she’s the best passer I’ve had here in a long, long time.”

Two Bruins used to pressure are off-guards Dora Dome and Jaime Brown. Both were All-Pac-10 last season.

Dome averaged 16 points per game and is an excellent ball-handler. Brown averaged 13 points per game and is expected to take advantage of the three-point shot, included in the women’s game for the first time this season.