Cal State Fullerton Notebook : Despite Titans’ Tough Season, Blow’s Scoring Appetite Has Increased

At times in his career at Cal State Fullerton, Vincent Blow has been known more for his ability to put away food than his ability to put away ballgames.

In his first three seasons as a Titan, he averaged 2.6 points and 3.3 rebounds. Even this season, as a starter, he is averaging only 6.6 points and 6.8 rebounds.

But in the past three games--after ending a strange 2 1/2-game drought in which he did not score--Blow has scored 34 points, including a 15-point career high against Pacific Saturday. In those three games, his average--11.3 points--was higher than his previous career high of 11, set earlier this season.

His game may be better, but his passion for food--and his ability to consume great quantities of it--is unchanged.

At the hotel after the Pacific game in Stockton last weekend, Jerry Lloyd, the Fullerton trainer, found himself with an extra pizza.

He called Blow. “If you want some pizza . . . “ Lloyd began.

He heard a click. Moments later, Blow was at his door.

“Most people, I would think, would ask what kind it was,” said George McQuarn, Fullerton coach.

Not Blow.

When the Titans played at New Orleans in December, Blow was ill and had to stay behind at the hotel.

How sick was he?

“Put it this way,” said Mel Franks, sports information director. “He’s not eating.”

Blow, a 6-foot 8-inch, 225-pound center, is also one of the team’s resident optimists. No matter how bad things were going for the Titans this season, Blow could find a way to make the situation look all right.

Even when the Titans had lost seven straight games.

“We still take them one at a time,” Blow said.

When Fullerton started playing better late in the season, someone asked Blow whether he wished it had happened sooner. “Not really,” Blow said.

“I’m always that positive,” he said. “I’m not negative at all. Things have to change. In my mind, you’re going to have bad times, but you can’t lose every game.”

Blow can be found at the top of a couple of Titan statistical categories.

For one, he has the best field goal percentage among regulars--52%.

For another, he leads the team in fouls. He has fouled out of seven games. The rest of the team together has fouled out of eight.

Blow was always in McQuarn’s plans to be among the top eight players this season. It’s a little more difficult to know if McQuarn expected him to start most of the season.

Blow had hopes of establishing himself.

“It was my last year, and you know, I was just a role player,” he said.

This season, the Titans have had too many role players.

“I think because of the circumstances of the season, one might say he was forced to play a little bit better than he played his freshman, sophomore and junior years,” McQuarn said.

Blow was a backup center in his first three seasons, behind Herman Webster. He began this season starting at power forward, then did not start for four games, and finally took over at center when John Sykes and Oval Miller struggled.

Blow himself struggles with inconsistency. On one end of the spectrum, he has fouled out without scoring a point three times this season. On the other, he has two double-doubles, and he has scored well lately, having particular success with a turnaround jump shot.

“I think Vincent has struggled throughout his career with consistency,” McQuarn said. “We’re talking peaks and valleys. We’d love to see Vincent get 12 or 13 every night.”

For Blow and the other Fullerton seniors, their Titan careers are down to three more games, plus whatever extra games they can manage in the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. tournament.

“I wish we could have been better,” Blow said. “But most teams wish they could be better. Since this is my last year, thank God I’ve been playing well.”

Amy Torczon, a 6-0 senior forward on the women’s basketball team, has been named to the College Sports Information Directors of America/GTE Academic All-America team.

Torczon has a 3.90 grade-point average and has earned only two B’s in her academic career. She is a seven-time member of the dean’s list and the Titan athletic department honor roll. After she graduates in June, she plans to continue her education in physical therapy.

“This is a great honor for Amy,” said Maryalyce Jeremiah, Fullerton coach. “She is the consummate student-athlete who works equally hard off the court as she does on the court.”

A physical education and sports medicine major, Torczon leads the Titans with a 13.1-point scoring average and a 9.4 rebounding average.

She is only five rebounds short of the single-season school record of 248 set by Nancy Dunkle in 1976. Torczon earned second-team All-Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. honors last season when she led Fullerton in scoring and rebounding.

The women’s basketball team, 16-10 overall and 11-6 in the PCAA, appears likely to finish in third place in the conference, a surprising showing. Before the season, Jeremiah stressed a hope simply to finish in the top half of the 10-team conference.

Now the Titans have hopes of an bid to the eight-team women’s National Invitation Tournament. By the end of the week, the NIT selection committee is expected to narrow its list to 75 teams, and Fullerton is expected to be among that group. Forty of those teams will receive NCAA bids, leaving 35 in competition for the eight spots.

The Titans close the regular season Saturday against Pacific in Titan Gym. Fullerton will play in the PCAA tournament beginning March 10 in Long Beach.