COLLEGE BASKETBALL ‘89-90 : PACIFIC 10 MEN’S PREVIEW : Arizona, UCLA Will Set Pace in This Season’s Conference Chase

It’s March 11, 1990, and after splitting two regular-season meetings, UCLA and Arizona are playing in the final of the Pacific 10 basketball tournament at Arizona State.

The Wildcats, who have won two consecutive conference titles, surge ahead as Brian Williams scores 25 points in the first half. Then Trevor Wilson leads the Bruins back to tie the score and force an overtime . . .

That could be the way things work out in the Pac-10 this season.

“It looks like Arizona and UCLA in a dogfight,” said sportscaster Dick Vitale, a former pro and college coach. “I give a slight edge to Arizona because they seem to know how to win.

“But UCLA is coming on strong. Jim Harrick has really rebuilt that program and given some sense of pride back at UCLA that seemed to disappear during the Walt Hazzard era.”

Although UCLA and Arizona appear to be the strongest teams in the conference this season, they could be challenged by Oregon State, which lost Coach Ralph Miller to retirement but has four starters returning, among them point guard Gary Payton.

There are three new coaches in the Pac-10 this season--Jim Anderson of Oregon State, Bill Frieder of Arizona State and Lynn Nance of Washington.

After 27 years as an assistant, Anderson succeeded Miller, who retired at the end of last season.

Frieder left Michigan for Arizona State on the eve of the NCAA tournament, and the Wolverines went on to win the national title. Frieder’s new team, which hasn’t had a winning season in seven years, will be lucky to finish .500.

After leading St. Mary’s to the West Coast Athletic Conference championship last season, Nance returns to his alma mater, succeeding Andy Russo.

The top two seniors in the conference are Wilson and Payton, who said he considered forgoing his senior season for the NBA.

“I came real close,” Payton said. “I think it was like an hour or so close. I was really considering right after the Pac-10 tournament to go pro. But I sat down with Coach Miller and Coach Anderson and my mother and father and they thought I should stay.

“Coach Miller said staying would help me out in the long run. And I think it has. I’ve made a couple All-American teams and people are saying that I’m going to be a lottery pick.”

Payton took out a $1-million insurance policy just in case of injury.

Here’s a look at the conference, excluding USC and UCLA, which are previewed elsewhere:

ARIZONA

1988-89 Records: 29-4, 17-1

1988-89 Finish: First

Although the Wildcats lost All-American forward Sean Elliott and All-Pac-10 center Anthony Cook, they may still have the best front line in the conference this season, led by Brian Williams, a 6-foot-10 transfer from Maryland.

Joining Williams will be forward Jud Buechler, a 6-6 senior, and center Sean Rooks, a 6-11 redshirt sophomore.

“It’s going to be a physical, knock-down, drag-out type of team,” Arizona Coach Lute Olson said. “Jud Buechler is very physical and yet he’ll be the lightest on the team.”

Matt Muehlebach, a 6-2 junior, and Matt Othick, a 6-2 sophomore, will probably open in the backcourt.

ARIZONA STATE

Records: 12-16, 5-13

Finish: Seventh

Can Frieder lose without losing his mind?

Frieder had trouble enough maintaining his sanity at Michigan, which has won 20 or more games for the last six seasons.

The last time Frieder had a losing season was in 1981-82, when the Wolverines were 8-19 in his second season. And he took it hard.

“I was a basket case that year,” Frieder said. “I wasn’t good to my family and I was ruining my life. It was only my second year of coaching and I was unproven. I didn’t know if I was going to get fired or not.

“Now it’s just the opposite. I’m proven. I’ve got a lengthy contract and I’m secure. I’m going to handle this year much differently.”

Frieder has brought the same work ethic he used at Michigan, instituting 6 a.m. practices and mandatory training table and study hall.

And the players have cooperated.

“I’m trying to boot someone, but so far they haven’t given me any reason,” Frieder said.

Arizona State has eight returning lettermen, among them guard Terence Wheeler and forward Alex Austin. Wheeler is recovering from knee surgery.

CALIFORNIA

Records: 20-13, 10-8

Finish: Fifth

After losing their entire bulky front line--Leonard Taylor, Matt Beeuwsaert and Hartmut Ortmann--the Golden Bears will be a guard-dominated team this season.

Coach Lou Campanelli is experimenting with starting three guards--Ryan Drew, Keith Smith and Bill Ellerby.

Smith set a school record with 193 assists last season and Drew is Cal’s best three-point shooter. The sixth man last season, Ellerby is a starter this season.

Coming off its second 20-win season in the last three years, Cal would like to earn an NCAA tournament bid, after playing three times in the last four years in the National Invitation Tournament.

OREGON

Records: 8-21, 3-15

Finish: Ninth

After averaging 14 wins during the previous five seasons, the Ducks lost 21 of 29 games last season. Oregon opens the season with a nine-game losing streak, its longest in 17 years.

And Oregon could be worse this season after losing its top three players from last year’s team to graduation--center Brett Coffey, forward Randy Grant and guard Frank Johnson.

The Ducks have three starters from last year’s team--guards Keith Reynolds and Mike Reynolds and forward-center Richard Lucas.

Oregon Coach Don Monson is also high on guard Terrell Brandon, who was ineligible last season because of Proposition 48.

Brandon averaged 24 points, 9.5 rebounds, four steals and 5.5 assists at Grant High in Portland and was the state’s co-player of the year in 1987.

OREGON STATE

Records: 22-8, 13-5

Finish: Tie for third

Any team with Gary Payton should be formidable.

Payton, one of the nation’s top point guards, led OSU in scoring with a 20.1-point average, assists with 8.1 and steals with 3.0 last season. Payton, who had a total of 703 assists, is within reach of the NCAA assist record of 960.

Coach Jim Anderson compares Payton to Magic Johnson.

“Most people think I’m kooky, but Gary might be the best midcourt basketball player on the fast break that there is in the game of basketball on any level,” Anderson said. “I’m saying that Gary has a chance to be in the category of a Magic and that’s quite a complement.”

The Beavers also have three other returning starters--forwards Teo Alebegovic and Lamont McIntosh and guard Will Brantley.

STANFORD

Records: 26-7, 15-3

Finish: Second

The Cardinal is rebuilding after losing All-American guard Todd Lichti, forward Howard Wright and center Eric Reveno, who led Stanford to the NCAA tournament.

Coach Mike Montgomery will build the team around Adam Keefe, a 6-9 sophomore forward from Irvine.

“He’s going to be a guy that we’ll focus on,” Montgomery said of Keefe, who averaged 8.5 points and 5.4 rebounds as a reserve last season.

Forward Andrew Vlahov, who started the last 28 games, is also being heavily counted upon. Vlahov is the Cardinal’s best defensive player, but Montgomery would like him to increase his scoring.

“He needs to establish a scoring mentality,” Montgomery said of Vlahov. “He has the ability to score but he’s got to start thinking like a scorer.”

WASHINGTON

Records: 12-16, 8-10

Finish: Sixth

Lynn Nance has had a diverse career since he graduated from Washington in 1965.

After several years as an assistant coach at Washington, Nance left to become an FBI agent.

After quitting the FBI, he returned to coaching at Iowa State and Central Missouri State before he was hired by St. Mary’s in 1986. Nance led St. Mary’s to its first West Coast Athletic Conference title in 30 years last season, then resigned to return to Washington.

Turning Washington into a winner may be as tough for Nance as rounding up everyone on the FBI’s 10-most-wanted list.

He is building the team around Eldridge Recasner, an All-Pac-10 guard who averaged 20.7 points last season.

Junior forward Mike Hayward, the Pac-10 freshman of the year in 1987, also returns. Hayward has been hampered by injuries in practice.

WASHINGTON STATE

Records: 10-19, 4-14

Finish: Eighth

Forward Brian Quinnett, who averaged a team-high 19 points a game last season, is gone, but Coach Kelvin Sampson doesn’t miss him.

“In a funny kind of way I think losing Quinnett will help us,” Sampson said. “I don’t think any of us were comfortable with one player scoring so much. Our system is built around team play. I don’t think you’ll see anyone averaging 20 points this season.”

Guard David Sanders, who missed 24 games with a back injury last season, returns. Sanders is the Cougars’ top outside scoring threat. Darryl Woods, who averaged 7.9 points last season, is the top returning scorer.