THE COLLEGES : Canyons Finds New Life With Hart Transplant

It took all of seven games for the College of the Canyons women’s basketball team to exceed its win total from the past two seasons.

Canyons (7-1), the Baltimore Orioles of women’s basketball, has won seven games in a row, a marked improvement over the previous two seasons when it totaled only five wins.

Two seasons ago, Canyons forfeited the last 10 games after the squad dropped to four players.

Coach Jeff Dunlap took over last season and struggled to a 4-19 record with only seven players, but this year he has a squad large enough to actually scrimmage.

“It’s a totally different look out there,” said Dunlap, who attributes the turnaround to “a lot of luck and a lot of hard work. We had a nice selection of local players, which is fortunate.”

Dunlap’s players had heart, but what they really needed was Hart, specifically, players from Hart High’s Southern Section Division 4-A championship team.

Three former Hart players--DeeDee Hinson, Kim Posey and Dominique Ice--are key contributors.

Sophomore Tressie Millender, the third-leading scorer in the state last season, returned at forward and freshman point guard Keira Irwin of Simi Valley High has been “the last piece of the puzzle.”

With only two sophomores on the roster, Canyons will have to mature quickly before beginning its Western State Conference schedule in early January.

“Right now, it’s a pride factor,” Dunlap said. “That’s the goal. We want to prove College of the Canyons basketball is for real.”

Dublin their pleasure: Two former Valley-area high school football players will be on opposing sides far from home today when Pittsburgh meets Rutgers in the second Emerald Isle Classic football game.

Doug Kavulich, a redshirt freshman from Chaminade High, may see action for Rutgers as a reserve offensive guard. Brian Greenfield, a junior from Notre Dame High and Glendale College, is Pitt’s punter.

Honor roll: Keira Middleton and Kathleen Dixon of Cal State Northridge have been selected to the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Division II All-Southwest Region volleyball team.

Middleton is a senior outside hitter. Dixon is a junior middle blocker.

Staff writers Mike Hiserman and Brendan Healey contributed to this notebook.