Loyola Marymount and Coach Paul Westhead Lick Chops Over 3-Point Cage Shot

When the three-point shot was put in place at 19 feet, 9 inches in college basketball last year, some called it a travesty and others licked their chops.

But the smart saw it for what it was: a new aspect of the game that could be used at the right times.

One of the coaches who immediately incorporated the three-pointer into his offense was North Carolina’s Dean Smith. Another was Loyola Marymount Coach Paul Westhead.

In opening tournaments over the weekend, Southland teams managed to hang with such national powers as North Carolina and St. John’s by using the three-pointer.

Loyola opened in the Lapchick Tournament at St. John’s by blowing out Tennessee Tech. One of the Lions’ clear advantages was three-point accuracy. The Lions hit 6 of 13 while Tech shot 0-5--a difference of 18 points in a 36-point margin. The next day against St. John’s, which eschews the three-pointer, Loyola hit only 2 of 7. The Redmen hit the only one they tried.

Nobody left early because Loyola had the ball with six seconds left and a three-point deficit. The Lions got the ball to Jeff Fryer, their best three-point shooter, but he failed to hit the jumper. If Fryer, who had an off-day shooting, had hit a normal percentage--he hit 4 of 8 against Tech, only 1 of 5 against St. John’s--the Lions could well have beaten the Redmen.

Westhead said he would have set up a three-point shot whether the deficit was two or three points. “It’s a shot we practice. We got what we wanted,” he said. “We were going to shoot the three. We’re that style. We go for the win.”

In Wednesday night’s victory over Westmont College, Loyola hit 8 of 12 three-pointers while Westmont attempted only four, hitting two when it was too late. Loyola had built a 24-point lead.

Smith’s top-ranked Tar Heels were nearly upended by a barrage of three-pointers by USC last weekend. Though his team built 10-point leads in the second half, Smith said he knew that was not a safe cushion.

“We led the Atlantic Coast Conference in shooting three-pointers last year, so we made our commitment,” he said. “(A lead of) 10 means nothing anymore in college basketball.” He noted of USC, “They live by the three-pointer.”

All eight West Coast Athletic Conference men’s basketball teams opened on the road last week, winning 4 of 10 games. If .400 doesn’t sound so hot, consider how inhospitable the road was to WCAC teams last season.

In league games, WCAC road teams were 19-41, a winning percentage of .316. Overall last season, WCAC teams won only 26 of 73 games on opponents’ courts, a percentage of .356. Counting games on neutral sites, they won 37 of 95, or 38.9% of games away from home.

Considering games on the road included such potent opponents as DePaul, St. John’s, Stanford and Oregon, the WCAC’s 4-6 start doesn’t look too bad.

As Dean Smith said before his top-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels played Richmond in Richmond’s arena: “It would be amazing to me if we beat Richmond. It’s on their home court, and college basketball is a home-court game.”

Maybe it’s all a question of orientation. When St. John’s Coach Lou Carnesecca, an institution in New York basketball, was asked if his team intentionally interfered with the ball after making baskets to slow Loyola--for which the Redmen received three technical fouls--Carnesecca demurred that he’s not bright enough to plan something that devious. Eyes rolled.

“I wish I could be that smart,” Carnesecca said. “Maybe the Jesuits (Loyola is s Jesuit school) would think that up. We’re just poor little Vincentians.”

When Hank Gathers took the floor for the St. John’s game Sunday, he had school-color tassels taped to the back of his sneakers. Asked if that was significant, he said it was a tribute to Muhammad Ali.

“I’ve been watching a lot of films of Ali’s fights, and for the big fights he wore tassels,” Gathers said. “They represent speed and quickness, and that’s what Loyola’s about.”

With Coach Paul Westhead sitting at his side, Gathers was asked if he intended to continue wearing the crimson and gray adornments. “Yes, definitely,” he said, looking sideways--”if it’s OK with Coach.”

Loyola flew from New York out of Kennedy Airport where the SST Concorde lands.

“Did you see the Concorde?” a reporter asked one of the players. Sophomore Marcellus Lee turned around and asked, “What’s that?”

“You know, the supersonic plane,” he was told.

Lee’s teammate Corey Gaines turned and said, “You have to elaborate better than that. He thinks the Concorde is a grape.”

What’s in a second? In two basketball games last week, Cal State Dominguez Hills found out even no time is enough time to worry. In a women’s three-point victory at Sonoma State, there was no time showing on the clock but the horn hadn’t sounded, and Sonoma had the ball out of bounds. Sonoma inbounded the ball and get off a potential three-point shot before the horn. The shot missed.

In a men’s two-point victory Saturday over Puget Sound, the Toros held a two-point lead with no time showing and Puget had the ball out of bounds. Puget passed the ball to its center but he fumbled it and didn’t get off a shot.

At a press dinner to publicize the PONY Bowl this week, Saddleback College Coach Ken Swearingen, who spent time as coach at El Camino College, reminisced about El Camino Coach John Featherstone, who played for him as a wide receiver: “I remember when he was a skinny little player. Now he’s a skinny little coach.”

Swearingen also related that he received a letter addressed “Dear El Camino Alumni.” The form letter asked for support in Saturday night’s PONY Bowl game and requested that he wear El Camino silver and blue. “I haven’t been at El Camino in 12 years,” Swearingen said. “I threw out all that stuff.”

COLLEGE NOTES

The Grand Canyon College player whose overtime free throws beat Cal State Dominguez Hills is former Mary Star of the Sea and Harbor College player Craig Johnson. How did he end up at Grand Canyon in Phoenix? Johnson’s older brother, NBA star Dennis, played with Grand Canyon Coach Paul Westphal on the Phoenix Suns . . . Former Redondo High and El Camino College star Roland H’Orvath scored 23 points to lead Santa Clara in an exhibition basketball game against Athletes in Action last week . . . Former St. Mary’s Academy star Staci Broussard, a senior on Idaho State’s basketball team, was named most valuable player in the Mesa College Tipoff Tournament in Colorado last week. Broussard, the point guard, led Idaho State to the title with 24 points and 18 assists in two games. . . . Loyola Marymount junior outside hitter Leslie Wohlford was named West Coast Athletic Conference volleyball player of the month for November . . . Senior outside hitter Houri Garabed was named to the second team for All-California Collegiate Athletic Assn. volleyball. Setter Angela Brinton of champion Cal State Northridge was named CCAA most valuable player.