The Colleges : UC Irvine Notebook : After 4 Years, Engelstad’s Career Comes Full Circle

In four years at UC Irvine, Wayne Engelstad has gone from phenomenon to flop to the franchise.

He started eight times as a freshman, played in all 30 games, averaged 6 points and 5 rebounds and was named to the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. all-freshman team.

But, during his sophomore season, he didn’t develop into the kind of player Coach Bill Mulligan envisioned when he recruited him out of Bosco Tech. And, even after Engelstad started every game and averaged 17 points and 8 rebounds as a junior, Mulligan wasn’t satisfied.

“This has to be the year that Wayne lives up to his potential from high school,” Mulligan said before this season began.

Clearly, it was.

Engelstad, a first-team All-PCAA selection, leads the Anteaters in scoring (23 points per game) and rebounding (7). He has scored 20 or more points 20 times and more than 30 points 5 times. He’s shooting 54% from the field, 46% from three-point range and 75% at the free-throw line.

Midway through the season, Mulligan abandoned the run-and-gun philosophy he holds so dear and went to a half-court game more suited to Engelstad.

“We’re going to live or die with Wayne from now on,” Mulligan said.

Engelstad, a 6-foot 8-inch, 250-pound center, carried the Anteaters to a surprising fifth-place finish in the PCAA and attracted more than his share of attention from opposing defenses along the way. But the pro scouts aren’t exactly camping outside his door.

Engelstad, who says that “any morning I wake up a basketball player, I wake up saying, ‘God, I love my job,’ ” will play professional basketball in Europe if he can’t cut it in the NBA. But he has surprised the doubters before and even converted a few into believers.

“Last year, I would have said no way he plays in the NBA,” said UC Santa Barbara Coach Jerry Pimm, after he watched Engelstad pump in 7 of 11 three-pointers, many from well beyond the NCAA’s 19-foot 9-inch stripe. “But now . . . The way he shoots outside and the way he moves under the basket, he’s got a legitimate shot. I don’t think he’ll get a lot of rebounds in the NBA, but he can score anywhere.”

NBA scouts don’t like to be quoted, but the general consensus is that Engelstad--with his soft long-range touch and deceptively quick feet--could create problems for almost anyone who had to guard him. On the other hand, his lack of jumping ability and pure athleticism would limit his success as a defender and rebounder.

“I’ve played against NBA players in the summer and I have no trouble scoring,” Engelstad said. “I watch NBA games and try to envision myself out there.

“Only the truly elite move into the NBA and have immediate scoring and rebounding impact. But I think I could help a lot of teams. I could be a role player, and I think I could play a variety of roles. You see so many big guys out there who can’t stick the jumper.”

Of course, 6-8 (probably closer to 6-7) isn’t exactly big by NBA standards. But Engelstad is definitely in the big category when he steps on the scales.

“The few scouts I’ve talked to say his bulk will help him score inside,” said Mulligan, who has referred to Engelstad as “the fat . . . “ about 1,000 times in the past two years.

“Of course, I think he’s got too much bulk. If he was 10 of 15 pounds lighter, I think he’d just look better to the pros.

“But I love Wayne. You know that. And I’d love to see him make it. But the best player I ever had (Kevin Magee) couldn’t make it, so I gave up trying to figure those NBA guys out a long time ago.”

Engelstad hopes to impress a few of those guys during the NBA camps this year. He’s also hoping for a chance to open some eyes in an all-star game or two, maybe even make the Olympic trials.

Even if all goes as planned, Engelstad seems to be a bit of a long shot for the NBA.

“I don’t think he can play in this league,” said one NBA general manager, who asked not to be identified. “He’s draftable, though, and in the right situation, who knows? With expansion and all, well, they have to get the players from somewhere.”

Second baseman Jeff Oberdank is just about as hot as a baseball player can get. He had three more hits, including a home run, in Tuesday’s 9-4 victory over 11th-ranked USC, and now has 11 consecutive multiple-hit games.

Oberdank, who is hitting .483, has 56 hits in 116 at-bats. Last year, he hit .298 with 59 hits in 198 at-bats. At this pace, he should bury the school record for hits in a season (88), set by Mike Hirano in 1979.

Anteater Notes

Right-hander Craig Brink picked up his 26th career victory for the Anteaters against USC, moving him up to third on Irvine’s all-time win list. He’s 5-2 on the year and turned in his fourth complete game of the season against the Trojans. . . . At Wednesday’s PCAA tournament news conference, basketball coach Bill Mulligan said he had a telephone conversation with Loyola Marymount Coach Paul Westhead, whose team leads the country in scoring. “We’re going to use a lot of his stuff tomorrow . . . if we get a lot of new players by tomorrow.” . . . Guard Jenny Lee was named to the PCAA all-freshman team.