SMALL COLLEGE PREVIEW : Christian Heritage Back in Lead Role

Of the three small college men’s basketball teams in San Diego, Christian Heritage once again should be strongest, with four three-year starters returning for their senior seasons.

Ben Foster, the most successful coach in Point Loma Nazarene history, returns after a year layoff, and the Crusaders look to be much improved. And UC San Diego has no seniors, but that does not mean the Tritons are without experience. They have some, but will it be enough?

CHRISTIAN HERITAGE

1988-89 Record: 24-9 overall

1988-89 Finish: Independent

The high-scoring Hawks have everything one looks for in the preseason: experience, depth and size.

Three of the four returning starters scored in double figures last season. Brad Soucie (6-6) averaged 25 points. Mark Kraatz (6-2) 16.3 and Will Cunningham (6-0) 13.5. The fourth, Rundy Foster (6-0), averaged 9.4.

Kraatz, a two-time All-American, led the National Christian College Athletic Assn. in assists with 10.1 a game.

Rob Meter, a 6-6 junior, will start at center.

Averaging 93.5 points, Christian Heritage was ranked No. 1 in the NCCAA for a brief period last year and spent most of the time ranked third.

Christian Heritage (2-1) demonstrated a potent offense in defeating Cal State Stanislaus, 91-89, and Alma College, 82-74. Against Stanislaus, the Hawks made a school-record 13 three-pointers.

Swen Nater and Ray Slagle, the co-coaches, say this could be the team’s best year yet despite the toughest schedule in its four years.

POINT LOMA NAZARENE

1988-89 Record: 8-21 overall, 5-9 Golden State Athletic Conference

1988-89 Finish: Tied for Sixth

After the two worst seasons in school history, the Crusaders look to rebound.

Under Ben Foster, who had compiled a 279-176 record in 14 years before taking off last year, PLNC has won three NCCAA championships, six conference titles and finished second in the GSAC four times. Foster took last year off hoping to go on a sabbatical but ended up in a cast for 10 months with a torn Achilles tendon.

“I feel responsible that (the program) slipped in the past couple of years,” Foster said. “We’re going to see if we can’t get that turned around.”

PLNC (1-1) won its opening game against Dominican, 111-67, then fell to Cal State San Bernardino, 87-80.

Senior guards Brian Thurston (6-2) and Ron Hubbard (6-3) are both returning starters. Thurston was second in both scoring (16.1 per game) and assists (3.1). Hubbard averaged 14.6 points and 4.4 rebounds.

Mike Flores, a 6-10 sophomore center who sat out last year with a knee injury, will give the Crusaders an inside game they lacked.

UC SAN DIEGO

1988-89 Record: 9-17 overall

1988-89 Finish: Independent

For a Division III school, the Tritons are fairly big, but Coach Tom Marshall, in his seventh year, does not have any seniors and returns just one starter from a 9-17 team.

That returner is junior forward Gordon McNeill, the team MVP in 1988-89. He led UCSD with a 13.4 scoring average.

Sophomore Rick Batt (6-7, forward) averaged 11.4 points and led the team in rebounds with 6.9 per game. Another returner, junior Tim Rapp (6-4, guard), was scoring 20 points per game before becoming academically ineligible after six games.

UCSD (1-0) plays host to the Triton Tip-Off tournament Friday and Saturday.