TRACK AND FIELD / MAL FLORENCE : Ted Banks Has Found Himself Another Star

Britain’s Peter Elliott won the mile last February in the Times/Eagle Indoor Games at the Forum, as expected.

What was unexpected, though, was the 20-year-old runner who was persistently pushing Elliott the last six laps.

Noureddine Morceli, a native of Algeria who runs for Riverside Community College, didn’t beat Elliott, an international star, but he did beat such renowned milers as Ireland’s Marcus O’Sullivan, Steve Scott and Joe Falcon.

Morceli’s time was a creditable 3 minutes 55.83 seconds, a national junior college record.

“He’s a great young talent. He can run with anybody,” said Ted Banks, Riverside’s coach.

Banks has an eye for talent, especially foreigners. While coaching Texas El Paso in the 1970s and early 1980s, his corps of African runners, such as Suleiman Nyambui and James Munyala, led UTEP to a total of 16 NCAA titles--indoor, outdoor and cross-country.

He also coached Julius Kariuki at Riverside a few years ago. The Kenyan won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.

Morceli, who comes from Tenes, a small city near the Mediterranean Sea, was referred to Banks by Lofti Khadilia, an Algerian triple jumper who competed for Riverside in 1988 and 1989.

“He has become real Americanized,” Banks said of Morceli. “His English is improving and he has a sense of humor.”

Morceli wore green shorts, his country’s colors, to track meets last year instead of the regulation black.

“I was just kidding,” said Morceli, who was teasing Banks.

Morceli said his goal is to eventually break, or threaten world records in the mile and 1,500 meters. That would put him in a class with Said Aouita, the famous middle distance runner from Morocco, a neighboring country of Algeria.

“When he came here, he had only run from the mile on down,” Banks said. “We’ve moved him up to the 5,000 for strength work. He has real good speed. He can run a 1:48 800 and, with training, we can get him down to 1:46, or 1:45. He’s capable of a 3:50 mile, but not yet.”

Morceli set a national junior college 5,000 record of 13:44.71 last month in a meet at Cal State Northridge.

He’ll try to better that time Saturday night in the distance carnival portion of the Mt. San Antonio College Relays.

“In last year’s race there he didn’t know as much about pace as he does now and he got knocked around quite a bit and dropped out,” Banks said. “Now we’re going to put him in with the big boys (Kenyans, Mexicans) again and he should lower that 5,000 JC record by 15, or more seconds.”

Banks said that Morceli is addicted to some fast foods, but is careful about his diet with a fondness for noodles.

“What really worried me was that he fasted from sunup to to sundown during part of the season and wasn’t allowed to drink water,” Banks said.

Nonetheless, Morceli says he’s in good shape for Saturday night’s 5,000. He also plans to run the mile in the Jack in the Box Invitational meet May 20 at Drake Stadium.

He’ll compete on the European circuit in the summer months and will then remain in Riverside training under Banks when his eligibility expires.

As of now, he’s enjoying is American experience and his teammates have a nickname for him: “Wonder Boy.”

Joe Douglas, Carl Lewis’ manager, says that the famed sprinter-long jumper, won’t compete until July 21 in the Goodwill Games in Seattle.

Lewis is busy now promoting his book, “Inside Track, My Life as a Professional in Amateur Sports.”

Lewis intends to pass up the national meet scheduled June 14-16 at Cerritos College as he did last year.

Lewis has several grievances against The Athletics Congress, saying among other things that there’s not enough financial support for athletes in every event.

However, there may be a snag in Lewis’ plans to compete in the Goodwill Games. The International Competition Committee passed a ruling excluding athletes who bypass the TAC meet from the Goodwill Games.

There are exceptions, though, for injuries and illness.

The license plate on shot putter Randy Barnes’ car succinctly states his long-term goal: 80 feet.

Barnes, the silver medalist in the 1988 Olympics, will compete in the Eveland Ashford Invitational Sunday of the Mt. SAC Relays.

East Germany’s Ulf Timmermann, the Olympic gold medalist, is the world record-holder at 75 feet 8 inches.

Track Notes

The injury list among UCLA and USC track and field athletes continues to grow and could put a damper on the cross-town meet April 28 at the Coliseum. Among the Bruins who were unable to compete Saturday in a meet against Houston were quarter-miler Steve Lewis, shot putter Brian Blutreich, hurdler Derek Knight, long jumper Derrick Baker and long-triple jumper McArthur Anderson, who recently underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. . . . USC sprinter Quincy Watts suffered a cramp in his left hamstring in a nonscoring meet against LSU Saturday. Long jumper Dietmar Haaf and intermediate hurdler George Porter were already inactive. Haaf has a groin injury, while Porter had a wart removed from the sole of his left foot. . . . UCLA’s Chuckie Brooks returned to long jumping after a two year’s absence because of a foot injury and a had a creditable jump of 24-10 1/2 Saturday.

Mt. San Antonio College has a formidable sprint corps in Nigeria’s Davidson and Osmond Ezinwa, twin brothers, and Victor Nwankwo. Davidson finished second last January in the 100 meters at the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand with the fast time of 10.05 seconds. Davidson, Osmond and Victor ran 1-2-3 in the 100 in a March 29 meet against Long Beach City College, shutting out LBCC’s Bryan Bridgewater, the national junior sprint champion. It was the first dual meet loss for LBCC dating back to Feb. 22, 1978, or 68 consecutive meets. . . . Brazil’s Jose Luis Barbosa, who is fifth ranked in the world in the 800 meters, is now competing for San Diego City College. He’s 28 years old. . . . Riverside CC Coach Ted Banks was banned for 12 years by The Athletics Congress along with some athletes in 1988 for participating in a meet in South Africa. Meets aren’t sanctioned there because of the country’s policy of racial separation. What does the ban mean to Banks? “Nothing,” he said. TAC doesn’t have any jurisdiction over college athletics.