College Division / Mitch Polin : Southern California College Gets Motivation From Basketball Poll

Southern California College has a student body of only about 750 and competes in the same district as Westmont and Biola--the top two men’s basketball teams in National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics District III in the 1980s.

So Coach Bill Reynolds likes to say that his Vanguards are the best-kept secret in Orange County.

But SCC is one of the few college division teams in the Southland that has averaged 21 victories a season over the last 7 years, though the Vanguards have not won a district title.

With a 19-14 record last season, SCC had its fewest victories in Reynolds’ 7 seasons as coach.

But with four starters returning from that team, which finished in a three-way tie for second in the Golden State Athletic Conference last season, it seemed SCC would be one of the preseason favorites in the conference.

But the preseason poll listed the Vanguards seventh among eight teams.

SCC’s conference season does not begin until Jan. 10 against Cal Baptist, but the Vanguards have made a case for themselves in nonconference play.

Going into its Christmas break, SCC has a 9-1 record--its best start since it began the 1984-85 season at 11-0. It is an about-face from the Vanguards’ 4-9 start last season.

SCC’s only loss, 84-69, was to district rival Christian Heritage on Dec. 3 in El Cajon, but the Vanguards defeated those Hawks, 93-78, Nov. 30 in Costa Mesa. SCC also won the Chapman tournament--defeating Biola and Chapman in the process.

“We’re pleased with the start,” Reynolds says. “We just hope that we can maintain the momentum we have established.”

On paper, the Vanguards do not appear imposing--not with only one starter taller than 6 feet 3 inches. That is 6-7 center Jeff Bickmore, who averages 18.2 points.

The other starters are 5-10 guard Todd Dixon, an All-District III and All-GSAC performer last season who averages 15.4 points, 6-3 guard Jim Mansfield (10 points) and 6-2 forwards Kyle Lundy (14.5 points, 5.5 rebounds) and Jon Mounce.

The Vanguards also should be improved for their next game, Friday against Cal State San Bernardino, when forward Phil Hill (6-1) and guard Terry Scruggs (6-2) are expected to join the team. Hill averaged 12.9 points as a starter before breaking a finger in the loss to Christian Heritage, and Scruggs is a transfer from Alabama-Huntsville.

Reynolds isn’t surprised that his team doesn’t make a great first impression.

“Admittedly, they’re not the type of starters that are going to put awe in our opponents, but they’ve played very well together,” he said. “We have five pretty experienced players, but we’re real small.”

” . . . Normally we don’t get great kids, but we get pretty good athletes. Our kids don’t usually impress people in warmups.”

Over the years, the equalizer for SCC has been its fast-paced offense. This season the Vanguards are averaging 86.6 points and allowing 76.3.

“We think traditionally that’s what we have to do to be competitive,” Reynolds says. “We have to play 94 feet to win. In a half-court game, because of our size, we tend to get banged up.”

Reynolds, who was an assistant at the school for one season before he became head coach, said he adopted the run-and-gun approach when he was named to lead the program.

“Seven years ago SCC was unknown, and a lot of people said we couldn’t win that way (with a up-tempo approach),” he said. “We were a small school with small players. We wanted to be known for something and the thing that has characterized us is our up-tempo style.”

Considering the team’s built-in weaknesses and the fact that it is competing in the same conference with Westmont and district with Biola, Reynolds is not about to predict a conference or district title yet.

“We’re excited about our start, but we’re also trying to keep it in perspective,” he said. “There’s an awful lot of talented teams to play.”

However, the Vanguards have motivation.

“Even though we had four starters back, we were picked to finish seventh in an eight-team league,” Reynolds said. “So maybe our kids have something to prove. Of course, we could still finish seventh.”

Despite the loss of one of its top players because of a knee injury, Cal Poly Pomona again appears to be the top Southland college division team in women’s basketball.

The Broncos, who reached the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Division II quarterfinals last season and have finished first or second in five of the last seven seasons, will take a 9-2 record into a nonconference game against Western Washington Friday, in Pomona.

Cal Poly has won without its 6-1 All-California Collegiate Athletic Assn. forward, Marcine Edmonds, who suffered a knee injury the week before the season started and was operated on Dec. 2. She is expected to return in early January for the start of conference play.

Without Edmonds, the Broncos have relied on the play of All-America point guard Cathy Gooden and all-conference center Niki Bracken. Gooden is averaging 14.8 points and Bracken 18.3. Another standout has been guard Carrie Egan, who averages 10.9 points.

Based on nonconference play, Pomona’s top competition in its quest for an eighth straight CCAA title should come from Cal State Northridge. The Matadors, led by forward Chris Cavalin, are 8-1 heading into a nonconference game against Western Washington on Thursday.

College Division Notes

Senior center Anthony Blackmon became the fourth Cal State Dominguez Hills men’s basketball player to reach the 1,000-point plateau with 26 points against Cal Lutheran last week. Blackmon, a preseason All-America selection who is averaging 20.3 points, is in good position to pass third-place James Shaw (1,079 points) and second-place Eddie Fitzpatrick (1,335 points) by the end of the season. . . . Former Cal State Northridge women’s volleyball star Angela Brinton has been named the first recipient of the NCAA Division II Honda Broderick Award, which goes to the female athlete of the year. A two-time All-America selection as a setter, Brinton led the Matadors to the Division II title in 1987. . . . Greg Bistline, assistant executive director of the Cal State Fullerton Titan Athletic Foundation for the last year, has been named associate athletic director at Cal State Dominguez Hills. Bistline, 34, replaces Dan Guerrero, who became the school’s athletic director last June. . . . Jennifer Gorecki, women’s volleyball coach at Cal State Dominguez Hills the last three years, has resigned. Gorecki, 32, compiled a record of 25-69 during that span including a 6-28 mark this season. Guerrero said he expects to name a new coach by March 1.