Big Scores? Low Scores? WCAC Fans Never Knew What They Could Expect

West Coast Athletic Conference basketball teams this season have combined for 250 points in several games. At the other end, there have been contests where the combined score didn’t reach 75.

But to San Diego Coach Hank Egan, that’s an aspect that makes the league interesting. The WCAC has for years been branded the home of overcoached, slowdown ball. But no longer.

At the WCAC tournament in Santa Clara, Egan said, “If an alien from another planet saw the San Diego-Loyola game (won by Loyola, 141-126), then saw San Diego-St. Mary’s (won by St. Mary’s, 41-40), you wouldn’t know it’s the same sport. To me, that combination (of styles) makes it exciting.

“In the pros, the teams run the same plays to their stars, and the only excitement is they dunk 47 times a game. St. Mary’s plays different from Loyola, and I think that’s great.”

Loyola guard Bo Kimble was a crowd favorite at the WCAC tournament for his quick trigger. Kimble brings new meaning to the term shooting guard .”

In the tournament Kimble shot 23 for 71, a fraction better than 32%. He averaged 22 points and was named to the all-tournament team for his strong second halves and three-point bombs down the stretch.

After his slow start in the first tournament game, against Portland, Kimble explained that he had become unusually hesitant because he didn’t feel good shooting in warm-up, “where normally it’s bombs away.” The shy sophomore shot 8 of 25 that game.

But Coach Paul Westhead encourages Kimble to keep shooting. Loyola senior Mark Armstrong said Westhead has conveyed this attitude to his team: “If you’re 0 for 50, you might as well be 0 for 51. He will not pull you out for a bad shot.”

Sue Carberry, who brought stability to the Cal State Dominguez Hills athletic department, has resigned as athletic director to take a high school teaching job in Northern California. Carberry, one of the few female athletic directors in the nation, has been acting vice president for student affairs since January and will continue through the school year.

Carberry, in the athletic department since 1977, was named athletic director in 1982. Since then full-time coaches have been hired in every sport and teams have appeared in NCAA playoffs in basketball, baseball and golf and have earned national ratings in soccer. Carberry was instrumental in developing separate NCAA playoffs for Division II women’s soccer next season.

Dan Guerrero will continue as acting athletic director, with sports publicist Tom Neff as assistant athletic director. A permanent replacement is expected in June.

Triple Threat: Lenny Hokanson, designated hitter for Cal State Dominguez Hills, has been living up to his title and specializing in triples. With the season about half over, Hokanson has five triples, three behind Jon Beuder’s year-old school record. One of Hokanson’s triples came last weekend against UC Irvine when he hit for the cycle and had four runs batted in to pace an 11-9 victory. The hitting spree raised his average to .341 and his slugging percentage to a team-leading .683.

Hokanson is a junior transfer from College of the Canyons.

College Notes:

Dave Yanai, basketball coach at Dominguez Hills, was named California Collegiate Athletic Assn. coach of the year for the second straight season. Yanai tied for fourth in the CCAA with a team that was picked near the basement . . . Dominguez Hills outfielder Bob Gonzales, batting .380, has a hit in every game in which he has played, a 14-game streak . . . Two former El Camino College track stars will compete for Cal State Los Angeles in the NCAA Division II indoor nationals this weekend in Vermillion, S.D. Darryl Gilliams will be in the 55-meter high hurdles.