SDSU Lands McNaull; USIU Also Does Well

San Diego State signed a big-name San Diego County high school basketball player, but U.S. International made a big splash by luring one of the top players in the Bay Area Wednesday, the first of eight days for the early signing of national letters of intent.

SDSU announced the signing of Monte Vista High’s Joe McNaull, 6-feet-10, 215 pounds and one of the top players in the county. McMaull averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots per game as a junior. He was named first-team all-Grossmont Conference and second team all-section.

USIU signed Marc Tuite, a 6-5 forward, who is attending Mountain View St. Francis High this year. Tuite (pronounced too-it) averaged 29 points a game at Aptos High last winter. Street and Smith ranked him among the top five high school players in the San Francisco-Oakland area this year. In signing with USIU, he shunned offers from North Carolina State and Pitt, Zarecky said.

USIU also announced the signing of McNaull’s teammate at Monte Vista, Jeff Polinsky, a 6-3 guard-forward who averaged 22 points last year.

Tony Clark, considered the top basketball prospect in the county, will announce what school he will attend on Friday at 10 a.m., a spokesman for the Police Athletic League said.

Today at 10 a.m., the CIF Board of Governors will hear Clark’s appeal that he be allowed to play for Christian High this year. Clark, who played at Valhalla last year, transferred to the private school over the summer but was ruled ineligible when Valhalla Principal Bob Avant refused to sign a public-private transfer waiver.

TENNIS

The La Costa Resort Hotel and Spa will be the site of the Feb. 2-4 Davis Cup competition between Mexico and the United States. The United States, which has defeated Mexico 25 times in 28 meetings, last played Mexico in 1986 in Mexico City and won a quarterfinal, 4-1, on a clay surface.

“We wanted to go some place where we’re assured a great support system,” said Gordon Jorgensen, the United States Tennis Assn. Davis Cup chairman.

Tickets are on sale, and seats are priced from $25 to $50 per day. Capacity seating at La Costa is 6,100.

VOLLEYBALL

Amy Erben had 25 kills, but San Diego State fell to host UCLA, 15-12, 15-4, 14-16, 15-13. San Diego State is 15-15, UCLA 22-1.