Community College Notebook : Cypress Basketball Tournament Has National Appeal

The community college basketball season moves into full swing this week with three men’s tournaments in Orange County.

Topping the list is the Cypress Thoroughbred tournament, which will match four teams from California with four from across the nation.

The Cypress tournament begins Thursday and concludes Saturday. Fullerton will play host to an 8-team men’s and an 8-team women’s tournament Wednesday through Saturday. Rancho Santiago’s tournament is scheduled Friday and Saturday.

This is the third year of the Cypress tournament, but, thanks to assistant coaches Jack Long and Bruce Randell, it has undergone a major face lift.

The tournament, which used to include only local entries, has recruited four out-of-state teams to join the California schools. The tournament also has been moved from just before Christmas to early in the season.

Cypress plays Central Arizona in the first round at 6 p.m. Thursday. In other first-round games: San Joaquin Delta plays Illinois Elgin at 2 p.m., Long Beach plays New Mexico Military at 4 p.m. and Ventura plays Texas Alvin at 8 p.m.

The opening night will be special for Cypress Coach Don Johnson. Former UCLA coaching great John Wooden will be a special guest of the college. Johnson played for Wooden at UCLA in 1951 and 1952.

“Having the greatest basketball coach of all time in our gym is a tremendous honor for our school,” Johnson said. “While one can’t help but be awed by his record, it is his character which is equally impressive. Coach Wooden is a friend of great warmth and humility.”

When Saddleback and Fullerton play football at 7 p.m. Saturday at Saddleback, it will be the first time the teams have faced each other other than in the PONY Bowl.

Fullerton (9-0 overall in Mission Conference play and 4-0 in the Central Division) and Saddleback (8-1, 4-0) are tied for first going into the final regular-season game.

Fullerton defeated Saddleback, 38-6, in the 1982 PONY Bowl and, 13-10, in the 1984 game. Saddleback defeated Fullerton, 32-13, in the 1985 game.

In 1985, Saddleback was 11-0 and shared the J.C. Grid-Wire national championship with Snow, Utah.

Saturday’s game will do much to clear up the bowl situation in Southern California. Invitations will not be sent out until after Saturday.

The bowl possibilities might not be endless, but there are numerous scenarios still possible.

If Fullerton--the second-ranked team in the national J.C. Grid-Wire poll--wins, the Hornets will be the top choice for the Dec. 3 PONY Bowl.

Fullerton also is being considered for a likely matchup against third-ranked Bakersfield in the Potato Bowl Dec. 3 in Bakersfield. The Renegades (9-0) seem to have a Potato Bowl bid locked up.

The PONY Bowl could repeat last year’s move and expand to two games, offering bowl bids to four teams. El Camino (7-1-1), Mt. San Antonio (7-2), Rancho Santiago (6-2-1), Moorpark (8-1), Glendale (8-1), Saddleback and Fullerton would all merit consideration in an expanded PONY Bowl field.

The Golden West water polo team has lost to Long Beach five times this season but the Rustlers are hoping for one more chance in the 8-team state tournament Friday and Saturday at DeAnza College in Cupertino.

Long Beach, the defending state champion, plays Modesto at 8 a.m. Friday. Saddleback plays Diablo Valley at 9:15 a.m. Golden West plays College of the Sequoias at 10:30 a.m. and San Diego Mesa plays Merced at 11:45 p.m. in the final first-round game.

The semifinals are at 8 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. Saturday and the championship game is at 2:15 p.m.

The Cypress wrestling team meets Moorpark for the Western State team title Wednesday in a 7:30 p.m. match at Moorpark.

Both teams are 3-0 in conference matches, but Cypress defeated Moorpark, 31-6, at the Palomar dual team competition earlier this season.

Randy Gonzalez (heavyweight), Leo Garand (190 pounds) and Greg Monteith (180) of Cypress, along with Brett Fry (134) of Rancho Santiago, have been selected to participate in the North-South all-star wrestling tournament Saturday at Cuesta College.

Gary de Beaubien of Rancho Santiago will coach the team.

Community College Notes

Pat Hegarty, a former Saddleback quarterback who is now at Texas El Paso, was 1 of 11 scholar-athletes honored by the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame committee last week for academic and athletic excellence. Hegarty, who has a 3.85 grade-point average in pre-law classes, won a $4,000 scholarship. He has completed 168 of 308 passes for 2,326 yards this season with 17 touchdowns for UTEP (8-2). . . . Blaise Bryant has a chance to set the Golden West career rushing record Friday when the Rustlers play host to Riverside at Orange Coast. Bryant needs 143 yards to break the mark of 2,301 set by Leonard Altavilla in the 1978-79 seasons. Bryant has already set a Golden West single-season record of 1,358 yards this season and has 2,159 in his career at Golden West. . . . Tim Imperiali of Fullerton tied a 38-year-old school record when he returned a punt for a touchdown for the second time this season. Imperiali went 78 yards for a touchdown Saturday in the Hornets’ 19-15 victory over Riverside. Imperiali had earlier returned a punt 63 yards for a score against Grossmont and is tied with Charles Halloway, who returned 2 punts for touchdowns in 1950.