CSUN Loses Interest in Proposed Conference : Basketball: School officials appear ready to skip a weekend meeting called to discuss formation of a new league.

A meeting to discuss The American Conference, a proposed National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Division I basketball affiliate, has been scheduled for Sunday in Marco Island, Fla.

But it’s likely to take place without Bob Hiegert, the Cal State Northridge athletic director.

“I don’t have a plane reservation or a hotel reservation,” Hiegert said Tuesday morning. “Unless something dramatic happens, I’m not going.”

Which might mean there will be no new conference.

The NCAA requires a minimum of six schools for the formation of a conference. But only four schools--United States International, Northeastern Illinois, Chicago State and Southern Utah State--reportedly are still interested.

Northridge, Cal State Sacramento, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Missouri-Kansas City, Youngstown (Ohio) State and Wright (Ohio) State were the other schools that had originally expressed an interest in the conference.

James W. Cleary, Northridge’s president, said through a university spokesman Tuesday afternoon that Northridge has not made a decision about joining the conference. But Hiegert, who is scheduled to meet with Cleary today, said that joining the new conference appeared to be “definitely out for the present time.”

In a meeting in San Diego last month, officials for prospective conference members were told to seek approval from their respective presidents by June 7. It had been hoped the conference could debut in the 1991-92 season.

Northridge, which has played in the Division II California Collegiate Athletic Assn., moves up to Division I in all sports except football beginning in the fall.

Hiegert said Northridge originally was interested in joining a basketball-only conference because of scheduling difficulties.

Northridge will compete as a Division I independent next season with hopes of joining an existing conference such as the Big West or the Big Sky in the future.