Colleges / Alan Drooz : Gathers Stars as Toastmaster for Lion Cagers

Loyola Marymount All-American basketball player Hank Gathers hasn’t made a decision yet on whether to declare for the National Basketball Assn. draft, but based on his performance Wednesday at the team’s banquet, he has a future as a toastmaster--or speaking at celebrity roasts.

Gathers introduced his teammates while Coach Paul Westhead passed out wristwatches commemorating the team’s appearance in the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. tournament. Few escaped unscathed.

On freshman guard Terrell Lowery: “Terrell’s gonna be a great player . . . once his game catches up with his mouth.”

On freshman forward Chris (Blade) Knight: “Blade played as hard as he possibly can . . . I guess.”

On shooting guard Jeff Fryer: “Nobody passes the ball to me like Fryer. And if you believe that I’ve got some insurance I want to sell you. I actually have to go up to him before games and tell him, ‘Hey kid, I’m on your team.’ ”

On graduating senior John Veargason: “John’s kind of lazy. If John could get remote control to tie his shoes, he would.”

On Enoch Simmons, who sat out the NCAA playoff game against Arkansas with a broken hand: “I just got one thing to say to Enoch Simmons--thanks for ruining our season.”

Gathers introduced himself as well: “Now the man you’ve all been waiting for . . . please rise.” Gathers saved a few zingers for himself, referring to his sub-60% free throw shooting: “One thing--I used to be a very good foul shooter before I got here. It’s all that running. And the Santa Ana winds don’t help.”

It’s been a while since anyone thought of Loyola Marymount as the big bad bully of the West Coast Athletic Conference--in any sport--but that was the upshot last weekend after Loyola and the University of San Diego had a bench-clearing scuffle during Saturday’s baseball doubleheader at Loyola.

When the dust cleared, San Diego Coach John Cunningham, the senior coach in the WCAC in his 26th season, seemed insulted by the incident. Cunningham, who perhaps yearns for a return to a more genteel conference, implied that Loyola started a fight to get his pitcher thrown out. The teams had a similar incident two years ago at Loyola.

Loyola’s Chris Smith, one of two first-year coaches in the WCAC, thought his player had every reason to charge the mound. “I probably shouldn’t say this, but if I were in his place, I would’ve gone too,” Smith said.

The events that triggered the fight started with the first batter in the bottom of the first inning of the second game. The Lions had hammered the frustrated Toreros in two straight games. Loyola’s leadoff batter, Robert Cannon, was hit in the foot by San Diego’s Tony Battilega. A dubious umpiring decision--that Battle had not tried to get out of the way--kept him at the plate.

Loyola has developed a recent reputation of leaning into pitches when a rally is needed. However, Smith pointed out, nobody tries to get hit in the foot while hopping out of the batter’s box. “That was ridiculous,” Smith said. “I totally disagreed with that call.”

That set the stage. Battilega’s next pitch hit Cannon in the back. “I think he was throwing at him,” Smith said. “I think it was intentional.” Cannon charged the mound and both benches cleared. Both combatants were ejected.

Observers at the game said it is doubtful Battilega was throwing at the first batter. Cunningham implied that an “unnecessary” Loyola player started a fight with the intention of getting the Torero pitcher ejected, also a dubious call. Cannon, the lineup’s fastest player and best outfield arm, is hardly dispensable.

Both coaches termed the incident “unfortunate.” However, Cunningham’s reference to Loyola “turning the game into a goon squad” is at least a backhanded compliment. Only in recent seasons have the Lions been thought of as intimidating. Nobody wants to see baseball turn into hockey, but not very long ago, when the Lions were in San Diego’s current position--last--nobody was calling them goons.

Enoch Simmons has the splint off his hand and is beginning rehabilitation on the finger that was fractured and required surgery after Loyola Marymount’s championship game in the West Coast Athletic Conference basketball tournament.

Simmons, the four-year letterman and team captain who missed Loyola’s NCAA playoff game against Arkansas, will be in rehabilitation for several weeks before reporting to the Oakland A’s training facility in Scottsdale, Ariz. At Loyola’s basketball banquet Wednesday, Simmons looked fit, but the middle knuckle of his left third finger is still swollen and sore. Simmons hopes to report to Scottsdale in early May for “late spring training.” Then he expects to be sent to Oakland’s farm team at Modesto as an outfielder.

Loyola has won the last two West Coast Athletic Conference basketball tournament titles, but with the demise of the San Francisco program in the early 1980s, Pepperdine makes a strong case as the team of the decade in the WCAC.

Under Jim Harrick and, this past season, Tom Asbury, the Waves won or shared five WCAC titles in the decade and made seven postseason appearances, including NCAA berths in 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1986. In that period the Waves have averaged nearly 19 victories per season and achieved Top 20 ranking twice--still a rarity in the WCAC with the exception of USF’s dominance from the 1950s through the 1970s.

By comparison, Loyola has won 48 games over the last two seasons but averaged 13.8 victories in the decade. The Lions’ fortunes have changed favorably in Paul Westhead’s four seasons, with Loyola averaging 19.8 wins with two NCAA appearances and three postseason berths.

The Waves and Lions are the only WCAC teams to win NCAA Tournament games this decade--Pepperdine beat Pittsburgh in the first round in 1982 while Loyola defeated Wyoming in the first round last year.

College Notes

Dominguez Hills pitcher Rick Davis leads all NCAA pitchers--all divisions--with 125 strikeouts in 104 innings. . . . Lady Toro sophomore Kim Park has thrown four shutouts in her last five starts for the softball team. She has a streak of 40 innings without allowing an earned run. . . . Palos Verdes Peninsula native Mike Schelgel was named Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn. Player of the Week. He led San Diego State to an upset of Pepperdine with 24 kills, eight blocks, 11 digs and two aces. . . . With several key tournaments coming up next week, the Dominguez Hills golf team is rated 12th, ahead of rival Cal State Northridge. The Toros will play in the Pt. Loma Tournament on Monday. . . . Former Carson High three-sport standout Michael Helms was a starting guard for the Oregon basketball team as a sophomore this season and averaged six points, two rebounds and two assists. Helms, a reserve as a freshman, worked his way into the lineup in midseason and started 11 games.