No More Mr. Light Guy: Toreros Bulk Up for Bigger, Better Season

Last season, the University of San Diego basketball team was the weakling on the beach that always seems to wind up with sand kicked in its face.

So this year, the Toreros decided to do something about it.

USD has hit the weights, and when Coach Hank Egan assembles his squad at 4 this afternoon for the first formal workout of the season, he is expecting to see some muscle.

It will be no more Mr. Nice Guy for these Toreros.

They might have taken the Athletic out of the West Coast Conference, but not USD. Egan wants his club rippling.

Instead of sulking over an 8-20 record, USD is bulking up for 1989-90.

“We felt like we got pushed around a little bit last year,” Egan said. “But we’ve improved in that area. I think maturity has a lot to do with that. The biggest improvement we’ve made is that the kids are a year older and a lot bigger.”

Last year, USD had two seniors and a junior. It was not rare to see three freshmen and two sophomores on the court at one time. Consequently, on its 15-man roster, USD listed 10 players under 200 pounds.

This year, USD returns eight lettermen and two redshirt players who practiced with the team. Its recruiting class includes two junior college transfers and four freshmen, most of whom have excellent size.

Whereas Egan called last year’s team his least experienced in 18 years as a coach, this year’s team has balance.

Egan now has two seniors, six juniors, four sophomores and four freshmen.

The seniors and team captains are forwards Craig Cottrell (6-feet-5, 215 pounds) and John Jerome (6-8, 225). The juniors are centers Dondi Bell (6-9, 240) and Keith Colvin (6-8, 215), forwards Randy Thompson (6-6, 195) and Shawn Hamilton (6-8, 225), and guards Anthony Thomas (6-4, 208) and Pat Holbert (6-3, 190).

The sophomores include forwards Kelvin Woods (6-5, 210) and Carlos Carrillo (6-6, 200), and guards Gylan Dottin (6-5, 210) and Wayman Strickland (6-2, 180). The freshman class consists of center Brooks Barnhard (6-8, 210) and guards Joe Temple (6-4, 195), Eric Lochtefeld (6-2, 185) and Neal Meyer (6-3, 200).

Of those 16 players, only five are under 200.

Said Woods, “I was getting pushed around just about every game. I was just getting beat up, and there was nothing I could do about it.”

Indeed, there was nothing he could do about it then, but the offseason was another matter. Wayne Jacobs, USD’s strength coach, was consulted and he designed a simple but rigorous conditioning program consisting of bench presses, power cleans and squats.

The program called for heavy weights with short repetitions.

Said Woods, “You have to be aggressive in order to do those lifts. You don’t really realize the benefits until you get on the court.”

Said Dottin, “As you’re doing it day to day, you don’t feel any improvement. But comparing the first day to the last is amazing.”

For instance, Dottin has gone from 190 pounds to 210. He said before last season he could not bench press his body weight. Now he can press 235 pounds.

Cottrell has his weight up to 215 pounds, a noticeable increase from his 200 last season. Strickland has added 15 pounds and Bell 10.

Everyone’s strength has increased, too. Jerome, Cottrell, Bell, Hamilton and Thomas all have topped 300 pounds in the bench press.

The biggest improvement, however, might be in Woods. Last year, Woods said he had trouble bench pressing 135 pounds. Now he works out regularly with 215.

Said Egan, “He’s made tremendous progress in the weight room.

“The human body is one heck of an invention. When you get in the weight room and see what it can become, it’s amazing.”

Torero Notes

Despite returning three starters, Gylan Dottin, Craig Cottrell and Dondi Bell, Coach Hank Egan said every position is open and he expects to see fierce competition for playing time. “I see outright wars,” Egan said. . . . Of the newcomers, Egan said redshirts John Jerome and Anthony Thomas would have started last year. Of the rest, “This year’s recruiting class is as good as last year’s. But we don’t have to rely on them as much as last year.” . . . USD has exhibition games at home against an Australian team (Nov. 3) and Athletes in Action (Nov. 16) before opening the season at home against Cal Lutheran (Nov. 24). Following the St. John’s tournament (Dec. 2-3) and road games against San Diego State (Dec. 6) and UCLA (Dec. 9), the Toreros return home for eight games over the next month.