Nearly Everything Old Is New Again for USIU Basketball

Imagine practicing layups in a short hall. With bad lighting. And a basket that moves.

That’s what the U.S. International University men’s basketball team has had to work with the past two seasons at its Mira Mesa warehouse practice facility.

The Gulls are still not practicing in a normal gym. But their new facility--in a Poway industrial park--can at least accommodate a regulation-length basketball floor. The lighting’s great. And the baskets don’t move.

Making an exception, Poway granted USIU permission to use the industrial park space as a gym. That is something the city of San Diego never did while the team practiced at its Mira Mesa site.

The paint will barely be dry at the new facility when the Gulls join the rest of the NCAA schools in starting practice Sunday.

The “gym” isn’t the only thing new for Coach Gary Zarecky and the Gulls.

USIU will have its home games broadcast on KUSV radio. Jerry Gross will handle play-by-play duties and Michael Brunker will offer commentary.

The Gulls are also hoping to include a concert series--featuring acts such as The Temptations--at eight of their home games. Plans are to offer season-ticket packages that include the home games and the concert series.

And peripheral changes are not all that is new for USIU.

For the first time in the program’s history, the Gulls have more games at home (17) than away (11). And for the first time since Zarecky became coach four years ago, the Gulls have more returning players than departing ones.

And that might be cause for optimism.

USIU returns all five starters from last year’s 11-17 team, led by Demetrius Laffitte (18.5 points and 10.4 rebounds). Four of those starters averaged double figures for the nation’s 17th-highest scoring team (89.3 points per game).

Add a couple of new faces that might break into the starting lineup and USIU has experience and depth. Leading the newcomers is 6-foot-6 Kevin Bradshaw, who played one year at Bethune-Cookman before joining the Navy.

“We’re a more stable program,” Zarecky said. “We’re going to have consistency, because of the stability, for the first time. We have solid Division I players that go nine deep. If anybody isn’t in line all we have to do is look on the bench.

“To be honest, this is the first year I’ve been able to sign recruits that were being recruited exclusively by Division I schools. Before, it was players who were being recruited heavily by Division II schools.”

But Zarecky is cautious in his optimism.

“You’ve got feel optimistic, but you have to do something first,” Zarecky said. “We feel we have the program going in the right direction,” Zarecky said. “The potential is there. But we still have to go out and do it.”