College Basketball / Robyn Norwood : Living Up to Their Lofty Billing, Top Freshmen Off to a Fast Start

The ballyhooed class of ’92 has reached the end of its first semester, its progress marked by coaches’ cautionings.

Georgetown’s John Thompson asks that Alonzo Mourning not be compared to Patrick Ewing, even though Mourning already has broken Ewing’s team record for blocked shots in a game with 11.

Louisiana State’s Dale Brown asks that you wait until Chris Jackson graduates to mention Pete Maravich’s name again.

And every coach with a blue-chipper in his starting lineup would like for everyone to just calm down and give the kid some time.

Not that the phenoms seem to need it. Don MacLean is averaging 20 points and 9 rebounds a game for 20th-ranked UCLA. Mourning is averaging 12 points, 7 rebounds and 6 blocked shots for the Hoyas, who are ranked fifth. Billy Owens of Syracuse is averaging 12 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists a game for the Orangemen, who are ranked third.

Among the other highly regarded freshmen: LaPhonso Ellis of 19th-ranked Notre Dame (17 points, 11 rebounds), Jerrod Mustaf of Maryland (15 points, 8 rebounds), Chris Mills of Kentucky (12 points, 5 rebounds) and reserve guard Anthony Peeler of 10th-ranked Missouri (8 points).

Jackson, a 6-foot 1-inch LSU point guard, is making the most remarkable statistical debut. His 32.4-point average has been bolstered by a 53-point game against Florida and a 48-point game against Louisiana Tech.

“And he’s not a selfish person,” says Brown, his coach.

Jackson, sensitive about those gaudy numbers, has had to be pressed to shoot on occasion, Brown said. His 3.2-assist average is proof that he does pass occasionally.

Not that anyone is encouraging comparisons, Maravich averaged 43.8 points per game at LSU in 1968, his first season. Maravich holds the top three Division I single-season scoring average records as well as the career record, 44.2.

“I know comparisons are going to happen,” Brown said. “But let’s wait until Chris graduates.”

No chance.

Add Georgetown: The Hoyas, outscoring opponents by an average of 102-56, dropped from second to fifth in the AP poll after winning 2 games by a combined 103 points last week.

The problem? The opponents were St. Leo and Shenandoah.

North Carolina’s 21,444-seat Smith Center, where UCLA will take on the Tar Heels Saturday, is hardly a pit like Syracuse’s Carrier Dome, which seats 33,000, or Brigham Young’s Marriott Center, which accommodates 22,700.

In fact, it has earned a reputation as a very quiet place, school officials say.

UNC failed to sell out its first 3 home games this season after selling out every game in 10,000-seat Carmichael Auditorium from the mid-1970s till the last men’s game there during the 1985-86 season, and every game in two-plus seasons in the new arena.

Only 8,570 fans turned out to see Tennessee Chattanooga, 10,076 to see Georgia and 17,878 to see Stanford.

And actual attendance for a game against Vanderbilt was 18,805, although all tickets were sold.

Even when the arena is full, the crowd has been rather genteel by Atlantic Coast Conference standards.

What’s the problem?

“Comfortable seats,” said Dean Smith, for whom the center was named.

Another problem may be that many of the 6,500 seats allotted to students are in the upper deck, far from the court.

Smith said the UNC fans just pick their spots.

“I think UCLA will find it’s loud,” he said. “So many fans come in here, and when it isn’t a top-20 team they just sit back and enjoy the game, expecting us to win. . . . I imagine it will be quite loud.”

But there is some resentment among people on campus and in the community toward an arena that was built entirely with private funds and has made numerous concessions to boosters in seating and other arrangements.

And Smith?

“I never thought we needed it, to tell you the truth,” he said. “People just wanted more tickets to be available. But it’s well done, in good taste, with nice office space and a good floor.”

But it’s no particular favorite of the Tar Heels.

Last season, some UNC players were quoted as saying that it was more fun to play on the road, because the crowds were into the games.

And the biggest insult may have come from Duke, when Coach Mike Kryzyzewski complimented the arena after beating UNC there last season.

Put up or ...: UC Irvine Coach Bill Mulligan says the Big West Conference needs to play as good a game as it talks.

“Every year, we all talk about how we’re better than the Pac-10, better than the WAC, better than the WCAC,” Mulligan said. “Well, did you see the Stanford-San Jose score (Stanford 89, San Jose State 39)? Arizona beat Vegas (86-75). Utah State just lost to Utah (75-64). Maybe we better just shut our mouths and see what happens.”

Records against nonconference opponents through Wednesday’s games: Pac-10: 39-16 (.709), West Coast Athletic Conference: 27-17 (.614), Western Athletic Conference: 34-23 (.597), Big West 26-24 (.520).