COLLEGE NOTEBOOK : Nichols Changes Action to Different Athletes

After 15 years as head basketball coach for Athletes in Action, Rle Nichols felt it was time for a change.

So when AIA, which was based in San Diego, decided last spring to move its operations to Cincinnati, Nichols resigned from his position.

He did not, however, get out of coaching and working for worthy causes.

Instead, he formed a similar team of former professional and college players called High Five America, which will begin a 17-game season at 7:30 Friday night at Horizon Christian Fellowship in Clairemont against Christian Heritage.

High Five, whose doctrine deals with the abuses of alcohol and drugs, will play USC at 7:30 p.m. next Wednesday at Poway High. Its season, which will conclude in late November, includes games at Villanova, Duke, Florida, Memphis State, Nevada Las Vegas, Oregon, California, UC Irvine, Long Beach State and Pepperdine.

Nichols’ hope is that High Five will become as successful as AIA--both on and off the court. An impressive lineup should see to that.

Morse High’s Lawrence West (DePaul and UNLV) and Chula Vista’s Dave Willard (UNLV) are a couple of local recruits.

Gabe Estaba (Southern Alabama), Mike Sandbothe (Missouri), Pat Hamilton (Georgia), Eric White (Pepperdine) and Steve deLaveaga (the 1988-89 NCAA Division II scoring leader from Cal Lutheran) will provide plenty of high-five opportunities.

“All I can say at this point is I know we’ll be competitive,” Nichols said. “We won 80% of our games with AIA, and I think we can do that here.

“The purpose of High Five is to add an emphasis to the public’s awareness of the problems of alcohol and drug abuse. Many of the universities are bringing their entire athletic department in to listen and to partake in our pregame meals.”

In the future, Nichols hopes to establish an inner-city midnight basketball league so teens will have an alternative activity for Friday and Saturday nights. As well as conducting camps, High Five will visit high schools, military bases and prisons.

The organization has also established a hotline for the counseling of alcohol and drug abusers or would-be abusers. The toll-free number is 1-(800) HIT-HOME.

Christian Heritage, the only non-Division I team on High Five’s schedule, has four returning four-year starters, including Mark Kraatz, a two-time all-American in the National Christian College Athletic Assn. The Hawks were 24-9 last season.

“High Five America, I think, is one of the most worthwhile causes and very efficient programs in America,” said Christian Heritage Coach Swen Nater, who played for several NBA teams and AIA. “It’s just getting started, but (Nichols has) proven himself with Athletes in Action as far as the ability to lead and to do things right.”

The exhibition game is the nation’s first of the college basketball season.

Cem Er, a senior at U.S. International, said he will return to his native Turkey to play for Galatasaray, a First Division soccer team that made it to the Europe Cup semifinals in 1988.

For Er to be playing at all is a bit of a wonder.

Three years ago, Cem Er (pronounced GEM ER) underwent open-heart surgery and nearly died after suffering a blow to the abdomen in a game against Cal State Los Angeles.

Near the end of a 3-1 victory, Er was kneed by the goalie as he was heading a pass into the net. “I scored the goal, but I didn’t see it go in,” Er said. “The next thing I remember, I was at the hospital, and that was after the surgery.

“They told me if I didn’t have a healthy body, I wouldn’t have made it. I guess I was lucky.”

La Verne’s Mark Brown, who completed 27 of 55 passes for 254 yards in the Leopards’ 38-17 loss to the University of San Diego, works on the chain gang for Charger home games. In the Chargers preseason camp, Brown worked as an attendant for the quarterbacks.

Scott Barrick threw for 388 yards (22 of 42) and five touchdowns in Palomar College’s 62-14 victory over San Diego City. Barrick, a starter for San Diego State last fall, is the state leader with 1,910 yards (318 per game).

Consequently, tight end Eric Hansen (eight catches per game) and receiver Chris Chiarappa (7.5) are Nos. 1 and 3 in the state. Hansen has caught 19 passes for 328 yards in his past two games.