Loyola’s Hank Gathers Named Top WCAC Player

To the surprise of no one, Hank Gathers was named most valuable player in the West Coast Athletic Conference to lead the 10-man team, which is otherwise dominated by regular-season champion St. Mary’s.

Also named were Dan Curry, Robert Haugen and Erick Newman of St. Mary’s, Tom Lewis and Dexter Howard of Pepperdine, Jim McPhee and Doug Spradley of Gonzaga, Jens Gordon of Santa Clara and Mark McCathrion of San Francisco.

St. Mary’s Lynn Nance was named coach of the year. San Diego’s Gylan Dottin and Portland’s Erik Spoelstra share freshmen of the year honors.

Honorable mention went to Jeff Fryer, Bo Kimble and Enoch Simmons of Loyola, Dondi Bell of San Diego, Mitch Burley of Santa Clara, Craig Davis and Casey Crawford of Pepperdine, Joel DeBorteli of San Francisco and Josh Lowery of Portland.

St. Mary’s also dominates the women’s all-conference team. St. Mary’s sophomore Anja Bordt was named player of the year, and Gaels Coach Terri Rubinstein, whose team was picked to finish last, won coach of the year honors for leading the Gaels to the West Coast Athletic Conference crown. Bordt’s back-court partner, Cheree Tappin, was also named to the team. Loyola has two players on the 10-member squad, Kristen Bruich and Tricia Gibson, both sophomores.

Also on the team are Pepperdine’s Dionne Burgess and April Marion, Carla Curfman and Jennifer Mountain of Gonzaga, Candida Echeverria of San Diego and Alice Solis of San Francisco. USF’s Joy Boyenga was named freshman of the year. Among those earning honorable mention are senior forward Regan O’Hara of Loyola and San Diego’s Rochelle Lightner, a prep star at South Torrance High.

Meanwhile, Cal State Dominguez Hills landed the California Collegiate Athletic Conference’s most valuable player in men’s basketball for the second time in three years when senior center Anthony Blackmon was honored last week, heading a seven-man All-CCAA team. Toros sophomore guard Robert Barksdale was also named to the first team. Blackmon led the CCAA in scoring and rebounding. UC Riverside’s John Masi was named coach of the year.

Rounding out the first team are Coby Naess of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Troy Price of Cal State Bakersfield, Russ Ortega of Chapman and Chris Ceballos and Maurice Pullum of conference champion Riverside. Senior guard Derrick Clark was named to the second team, as was Cal State Northridge junior guard Derrick Gathers, brother of Loyola’s Hank Gathers.

On the women’s all-conference team, Cal Poly Pomona’s Niki Bracken was named most valuable player, and Leslie Milke of Northridge was named coach of the year. The rest of the first team includes Cathy Gooden of Pomona, Lupe Quintana of Cal State Los Angeles, Bridgette Ealy and Chris Cavalin of Northridge and Patti Held of UC Riverside. Dominguez Hills sophomore guard Devon Akita received honorable mention.