COLLEGE BASKETBALL ‘88-89. : WCAC Preview : St. Mary’s Tries to Become the Team to Watch

Last season, the irresistible force of Loyola Marymount met the immovable object--St. Mary’s College--twice in conference play.

The game in Moraga was a highlight: 96-94, decided on a last-second Loyola shot. The game in Los Angeles reached the point of low comedy: Loyola, with a 20-point lead and a chance at 100 points, fouling intentionally in the final minute to get the ball back, and St. Mary’s--losing by a bundle--trying desperately to freeze it and not score. There were some hard feelings in both camps.

The same teams are expected to battle for the West Coast Athletic Conference title again this season, with Loyola again pitting its high-octane offense against St. Mary’s tough defense.

At the conference tournament last March, both coaches were able to joke about their confrontations.

But St. Mary’s Coach Lynn Nance, who has turned around several programs with his defensive acumen, wasn’t laughing a week later, when his team was snubbed for postseason selection. He criticized the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. and the National Invitation Tournament, which chose 17-game winner Pepperdine. He criticized the conference, which he said favored the other teams.

But privately, rival coaches pointed out that perhaps the tournaments didn’t care for the unattractive style St. Mary’s plays--the Gaels won one conference game, 41-40, and lost another, 40-33.

Don’t expect the Gaels to challenge Loyola’s 110-point average, but they should be more entertaining this season as they shoot for the conference title and an NCAA berth with all five starters and nine lettermen back. In a poll of WCAC writers and sports information directors, the Gaels were picked to edge Loyola.

There should be a surplus of competitive matchups in the WCAC, with no team expected to repeat Loyola’s runaway. Pepperdine and Santa Clara are title contenders, with Gonzaga a dark horse. And USF has a potentially dominant player in Mark McCathrion. Overall, the WCAC looks deeper than usual and should hold its own in nonconference games against Pacific 10 and Big West opponents.

ST. MARY’S

1987-88 Records: 19-9 overall, 9-5 conference

1987-88 Conference Finish: 2nd (tie).

“Don’t be surprised if we run a little,” a St. Mary’s official said. “There will not be a lot of the winning ugly there was last year. We’ll be a lot more pleasant to the eye.”

Defense is still the key for Coach Lynn Nance, whose team allowed just 58.6 points a game last season, fifth-best in the nation. But all-conference forward Robert Haugen and Erick Newman rejoin 6-foot 9-inch center Dan Curry and guard Al Lewis as double-figure scorers. Point guard David Carter of L.A. Crenshaw High is 3 assists away from the school career record, so there is offense available.

Junior college transfer Terry Burns is pushing for a starting guard spot and prize 6-8 freshman Eric Bamberger adds more scoring touch. For depth, 7-foot junior Randy Gil rejoins the team after redshirting last season. This group promises to put some gallop back in the Gaels.

SANTA CLARA

1987-88 Records: 20-11, 9-5.

1987-88 Conference Finish: 2nd (tie).

The Broncos are solid at four positions but are still undecided at point guard. Even so, Carroll Williams, the WCAC’s dean of coaches in his 18th season, will have his kind of team--physical and deep.

Senior Jens Gordon, a 6-9 forward who averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds last season, can be one of the WCAC’s dominating players if his troublesome knees are sound. Veterans Mitch Burley, Osei Appiah of Long Beach Poly High, and Jeffty Connelly play the off-guard wing capably and 6-10 junior Nils Becker is improved in the pivot.

Karl Larsen, 6-11, returns as Becker’s backup and Williams has added huge freshman Ron Reis, the WCAC’s most imposing player at 7-1 and 275 pounds. But the lineup may not come together unless a point guard emerges.

GONZAGA

1987-88 Records: 16-12, 7-7.

1987-88 Conference Finish: 5th.

The Bulldogs have Jim McPhee, who sat out last season with a knee injury after averaging 16 points as a sophomore, to team with all-WCAC guard Doug Spradley, who averaged 19 points, shooting 57% on 3-pointers.

“They are like a good double-play combination,” Coach Dan Fitzgerald said.

The Bulldogs also have 6-9 center Paul Verret, point guard Mike Winger and 6-9 forward Todd Franklin, all starters last season.

UNIV. OF SAN FRANCISCO

1987-88 Records: 13-15, 5-9.

1987-88 Conference finish: 6th.

Mark McCathrion can be the conference’s most dominant player--and its most mercurial. When the 6-8 center puts his mind to it, he’s a strong inside player with an excellent outside touch as well.

He was all-conference as a sophomore but not last season, and the Dons may need more than his junior year averages of 15 points and 6 rebounds to contend. Other returning starters are guard Kevin Mouton and forward Joel DeBorteli.

The Dons, who closed down their program from 1982 to 1984, will renew their rivalry with Notre Dame in January, but they still are some players away from renewing their lease on the WCAC title they once practically owned.

UNIV. OF SAN DIEGO

1987-88 Records: 11-17, 3-11.

1987-88 Conference Finish: 7th.

You know that the Toreros--conference champions in 1986-87--aren’t front-runners when Coach Hank Egan says: “We’re in the process of retooling and have been for a couple years. We’re living with a pretty young team again. This is the last year for excuses.”

The Toreros will lead the league in Kelvins. The top returning talent consists of brothers Danny and Kelvin Means of Bellflower St. John Bosco High at guard, 6-9 sophomore Dondi Bell at center and shooting guard Efrem Leonard. Freshman forwards Carlos Carrillo of Rosemead Bosco Tech and Kelvin Woods of La Verne Damien High may start.

“You’ll see a more athletic team than in the past,” Egan said. “How good? It’s hard to tell.”

PORTLAND

1987-88 Records: 6-22, 1-13.

1987-88 Conference Finish: 8th.

Larry Steele, formerly of the National Basketball Assn.’s Portland Trail Blazers, should have a better team in his second season as coach, but it may not show in the record. Steele has a brutal nonconference schedule, including four Pac-10 teams, Notre Dame, Montana, Idaho and Cal State Fullerton.

A solid young nucleus includes sophomore guard Ron Deaton, junior forward William McDowell and sophomore forward Andy Johnson. Freshman Shawn Kirkeby, a 6-10 center from Ventura Buena High, should get plenty of playing time.

“Last year, we played at about 60% to 65% of the way we wanted to play,” said Steele, who favors an up-tempo game. “This year I think we can jump to 85% to 90%.”