Cal State Bakersfield Looking for Division II Basketball Title

It will not be the first trip to Springfield, Mass., for either Coach Pat Douglass or Cal State Bakersfield when the Roadrunners compete in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight men’s basketball tournament that starts Saturday at Springfield Civic Center.

Douglass coached Eastern Montana to the Division II final four in the 1986-87 season--the last season that he coached at the school before moving to Bakersfield.

Bakersfield also had back-to-back Division II final four appearances in the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons, when the team was coached by Bobby Dye.

Only this time both Douglass and Bakersfield are hoping for a little better result.

Under Douglass, Eastern Montana was eliminated in the Division II semifinals and the two Bakersfield teams coached by Dye suffered the same fate.

Douglass is hoping that this squad can accomplish what the others could not. If anything, the Roadrunners appear to be playing at a peak level--a prerequisite for any team with championship aspirations.

“The main thing is you have to play well that weekend,” Douglass said. “A lot of teams are not that dominant the whole season but they just play well that weekend. In order to win you have to have a lot of things fall into place and so far they have for us.”

The 13th-ranked Roadrunners will take a 27-4 record--best in the school’s 19-year basketball history--into their tournament opener against Bridgeport (24-8) of Connecticut on Saturday night. The winner plays the winner of the Gannon (Pa.)-Morehouse (Ga.) quarterfinal game in the semifinals Sunday and the championship game is Monday.

Despite the team’s impressive record, Douglass insists that this is not a team loaded with talent. The leader is senior guard Wade Green, a third team Division II All-American selection who averages 15.9 points. Two other top players are forwards Beau Redstone and Marvin Redeemer.

“Every group has its highs and lows but this group really worked hard to get the things accomplished that it wanted,” Douglass said. “They just worked hard all year.”

Bakersfield also fits the description of a team that is playing well at tournament time. The Roadrunners have won seven of eight games, including a 68-64 victory over Central Missouri State in the Division II West Regional final on Saturday in Bakersfield.

“I think we’re ready and we had two weeks off between the regional and the CCAA (California Collegiate Athletic Assn.) tournament,” Douglass said. “So I think we’re real fresh for this.”

The Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team will not have to travel far to compete in the Division II final four this week.

That’s because Pomona has been selected as the host of the tournament, which will be Friday and Saturday at Kellogg Gymnasium.

That could place the Broncos (28-3), who are ranked No. 2 in Division II, into the favorite’s role.

But Pomona has not drawn an easy opponent for its semifinal game at 8 p.m. Friday. The Broncos will face top-ranked Delta State (30-1) of Mississippi, which defeated Pomona, 88-58, in the Division II final last year at Cleveland, Miss.

But with more size on her team’s front line, Pomona Coach Darlene May is anxious to see what her team can do against the Lady Statesmen.

“We want to play them again,” May said. “I guarantee you they’re not 30 points better than us.”

It might only be the semifinals but May said, “That’s going to be our national championship game.”

Fifth-ranked Bentley (30-3) of Massachusetts and 14th-ranked Oakland (27-4) of Michigan meet in Friday’s opening game at 6.

But the Pomona-Delta State game appears to be the tournament’s featured attraction.

Both teams have received outstanding play from its inside players. Delta State has three six-footers led by senior forward Crystal Hardy. The Broncos also start three players taller than 6-0, including All-American center Niki Bracken.

Pomona has won three division titles and finished second three times since the Division II playoffs first started in 1982.

The Cal State San Bernardino athletic department has been dealt a financial setback in its efforts to move up from the Division III to Division II for the 1991-92 season.

The San Bernardino student body defeated a referendum last week that would have provided a $14 a year fee increase, $8 of which would have gone to the athletic program. The measure was defeated, 412-362.

San Bernardino announced in February that it is moving up to Division II and that it has accepted an invitation to join the CCAA.

Despite the setback, Athletic Director David Suenram said it will not affect plans for the program.

“The athletic department is disappointed with the outcome of the fee referendum held on March 13 and 14,” Suenram said. “Our plans to enter the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. and the NCAA Division II will go forward as planned.

Suenram said he still thinks the move to a higher division is the right direction for the athletic program.

“While this vote may make the short-term future more difficult, we are confident that our (earlier) decision was necessary and correct and that the long-term future for Cal State San Bernardino athletics is bright,” he said.

College Division Notes

Southern California College saw its bid for a National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics men’s basketball title end in a 92-59 loss to Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the second round of the national tournament last week at Kansas City. The Vanguards (26-9) defeated Washburn of Kansas, 102-82, in the first round. It was Southern California’s first trip to the tournament. . . . The UC Riverside men’s basketball team, which finished third in the Division II last season, made a quick exit from the division playoffs this season. The Highlanders (21-8) dropped a 69-59 decision to Central Missouri State. . . . Robert Stone, the leading scorer for the Redlands men’s basketball team this season, has been named to the GTE Academic All-America third team. The two-time All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection averaged 17.3 points as a senior and has a 3.7 grade-point average. . . .

Azusa Pacific has named Irv Ray, a former assistant at UC Irvine and Citrus College of Glendora, as its men’s cross country coach. Ray, 38, will also be a men’s track assistant in charge of distance runners. . . . Three teams from the CCAA are listed in the Division II baseball rankings selected by Baseball America. Leading the way is Cal State Northridge at No. 9, followed by defending Division II champion Cal Poly San Luis Obispo at No. 14 and UC Riverside at No. 17. . . . Azusa Pacific, which has won an unprecedented seven consecutive NAIA men’s track titles, easily won the fourth annual Golden State Athletic Conference championship on Saturday at UC Santa Barbara. The Cougars finished with 169 points and Point Loma Nazarene was second with 79. In the women’s division, Point Loma edged Azusa Pacific, 128-120, for the title.