COLLEGE DIVISION : CS Bakersfield Is Picking Up Where It Left Off

It should not be surprising that the Cal State Bakersfield men’s basketball team is off to another winning season.

Pat Douglass arrived as coach three seasons ago and has continued the winning form produced by his predecessors, Jim Parks, who averaged 19 victories a season; and Bobby Dye, who twice took the Roadrunners to the NCAA Division II Final Four.

Bakersfield finished 21-10 and reached the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1987-88--Douglass’ first season at the school--and was 21-9 and reached postseason play again last season.

But going into their California Collegiate Athletic Assn. opener tonight against Cal State Los Angeles, the Roadrunners are approaching uncharted territory.

Bakersfield has a 12-1 record, which matches the start of the 1984-85 team for the best in school history. The team has also won 11 consecutive games and is closing in on the school’s all-time mark of 15 in a row, set in the 1982-83 season.

That should place the Roadrunners in a strong position nationally when the first Division II rankings are announced this week. Bakersfield also may be the favorite to win the CCAA title.

Just the same, Douglass isn’t about to get carried away with his team’s early success.

“I try not to get overly ecstatic about these things,” he said. “I really try to play it down. There are different stages that we have to go through to reach the level we want to be at, and we still have some stages to go.”

Douglass was quick to point out that the team has played all but three of its games in its new gym, the Cal State Bakersfield Activities Center.

“When you go on the road I still think any time we win is a bit of an upset,” he said. “I think everyone (in the conference) has improved their situation. (Cal Poly) Pomona had a good recruiting year, and Cal State L.A. improved their situation. I think it’s a balanced conference, and you’ll probably see any team win on a given night.

“We play our first four league games at home, and that should help at the start, but we don’t expect to dominate. There are some pretty good teams in this league.”

All the same, it would be a surprise if the Roadrunners didn’t finish near the top of the CCAA, along with UC Riverside and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Douglass said his team is not as talented as last season’s, which tied for third in the CCAA and finished second to Riverside in the Division II West Regional.

“I think it’s a team that has pretty good overall talent, but we still have a ways to go,” Douglass said. “I don’t think we’re overly loaded with talent, but we have good players. We may have had more talent last year, but this year we have players with a little better consistency.”

The team does not have a starter taller than 6-5, but Bakersfield does have a physical front line that averages 222 pounds. Leading the way are forwards Marvin Redeemer, who averages 17.8 points; and Beau Redstone, who averages 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds.

Bakersfield also has received strong play from its guards, Wade Green and Ray Burris. Green, the team’s floor leader, averages 15.5 points and 7.1 assists and Burris 12.2 points.

Douglass likes the team’s scoring balance the most.

“We’ve really emphasized that since the start of the season, and our seniors have been really good at setting an example with the younger players,” he said.

Douglass plays down his own role.

“In most of my situations, I’ve had some pretty good players,” he said. “There’s no secret that you have to have good players if you hope to win on a consistent basis and I have.”

But the coach’s ability to produce victories has seldom been questioned, either. Douglass has a 173-77 record in nine years as a four-year college coach, the first six of which he spent at Eastern Montana State, and his teams have reached the Division II playoffs six times.

The Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team will be in a familiar position when it opens its CCAA season tonight against Cal State Dominguez Hills.

The Broncos will start the season as the conference favorite.

Since joining the league in 1982, Pomona has either won or shared the title all eight seasons and has a 91-4 record in the conference over that span. Pomona has also won three NCAA Division II titles and reached the division final six times in the eight seasons of the Division II tournament.

Coach Darlene May said that provides considerable incentive for her team’s opponents.

“Every single game we play, everyone is pointing to beat us,” she said. “For (our opponents,) it’s like they win a national title if they beat us. So you have to be up for every game.

“I don’t know if it’s something our players feel but it’s something they’re aware of every time they take the court.”

Pomona has an 11-3 record this season, having lost only to Division I Utah, Brigham Young and Southern Utah State. The Broncos are ranked No. 4 behind defending champion Delta State of Mississippi, Central Missouri St. and North Dakota in the first Division II poll.

Although the team lost three of its four games on an early season trip to Utah, May said that might have helped the team.

“I think those losses in Utah have really been the reason why we’re playing so well now,” she said. “In a way, that was a benefit to us. Nobody likes losing but there are times when it can be a benefit.”

Pomona, which has won four in a row since returning from Utah, has been led by All-American center Niki Bracken, with an average of 19.7 points and 9.9 rebounds. The team also has three other players--forward Marcine Edmonds, reserve center Danielle Carter and guard Stephanie Coons--averaging about 10 points apiece.

At this point, May said, the team is on target for another bid at the conference title.

“I think we’re ready for the conference,” she said. “We want to win the conference again. We don’t know what it will take to win it this time, but we just want to play well enough to be there.”

College Division Notes

After losing three of its first four games, the Cal State San Bernardino women’s basketball team has won eight in a row under first-year coach Gary Schwartz, improving to 9-3. The Coyotes, led by forward Teri Paine and point guard Laura Beeman, rolled to an 87-42 win over UC Santa Cruz in their last game.

Tina Rimer, a former player at the University of Arizona, has been named women’s tennis coach at Occidental College. Rimer had previously coached high school tennis, soccer and softball at Santa Monica Crossroads, Los Angeles Roosevelt and Castlemont.

Middle blocker Tammy Strickler of Azusa Pacific was listed as the NAIA leader in blocks per game in the final women’s volleyball statistics. Strickler, a sophomore, averaged 4.6 blocks a game and also placed second in unassisted and assisted blocks.