Cal State Fullerton Women’s Preview : Titans: Unexpected Success Breeds Great Expectations

Picked to finish near the bottom of the Big West Conference last season, the Cal State Fullerton women’s basketball team far exceeded expectations. The Titans finished third in the conference, with a 12-6 record, 18-11 overall.

Maryalyce Jeremiah, who guided Fullerton to its first winning season in her 3 years as coach, was named conference coach of the year. Gena Miller, a 6-foot 3-inch center, blocked 76 shots and was named the conference freshman of the year.

This season, all that success has translated into expectations for the Titans, who open their season Friday against Loyola Marymount in the first round of the Titan Converse Classic in Titan Gym.

This time, Fullerton has been picked to finish fourth by a poll of conference coaches, though the Titans are without their top two scorers--Amy Torczon and Wendy Anae--from last season. The top returning scorer, Felicia Benson, averaged just 8 points a game.

But this is a conference led by Cal State Long Beach, the second-ranked team in the country.

“We’re confident. We have to be,” Jeremiah said. “But we’re not cocky because we have no reason to be. We know the odds.”

Still, in Jeremiah’s estimation, the situation is better than it might sound.

“We basically have six returning players and six new players,” she said. “Of those six returning players, every one started at some time last year. And every one was the key in at least one victory last year.”

What she’s describing is something that evolved last season, sort of a pass-the-stick offense.

Torczon, the leading scorer, averaged only 13 points a game. Some games, she was the high scorer. But another game it would be Anae, another Jill Matyuch or Miller or Benson, another Stacy Hunt or Sheryl Jones.

“Last year, we always found one player to step forward,” Jeremiah said.

With Benson, Matyuch, Miller, Hunt and Jones back, Jeremiah figures someone will.

She especially would like Miller to score more than her 7-point average last season.

“Gena Miller must score for us this year. She has the experience now and will have to score for us,” Jeremiah said.

Rebounding will be another concern. Torczon, at only 6-feet, averaged 9 rebounds last season, Miller only 6.

“I don’t know if we’ll be able to rebound or not,” Jeremiah said.

Jones, a senior point guard who has played in every game since she was a freshman, is a definite starter, as is Miller.

Kathy Werth, a 6-1 forward who averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds a game at Golden West College last season, is a likely starter.

There is a battle for the other two spots among Hunt, a senior guard, Benson, a senior guard/forward, and Matyuch, a junior guard.

Jeannine Battaglia, a community college transfer who played at Golden West with Werth, will back up Jones at the point.

And there is a crop of freshmen--four of them. Two--forward Kim Clark and guard Joey Ray--figure to contribute.