CSUN Basketball Assistant Fehte Takes Post With St. Mary’s College

Dave Fehte, an assistant basketball coach at Cal State Northridge for the past six seasons, said Thursday he has been hired as an assistant at St. Mary’s College of the West Coast Conference.

His departure leaves Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy with no assistants less than four months before the Matadors’ season opener at Colorado on Nov. 23. Rusty Smith, a Northridge assistant for seven seasons, accepted a similar position at Eastern Washington University in June.

Smith, 35, had suggested that Fehte, 30, a part-time coach, be promoted to the vacant full-time position. But Fehte apparently felt he was unlikely to get the job, prompting his departure.

Cassidy, Northridge’s coach since 1971, could not be reached for comment.

Cassidy has spent much of his time since the end of last season trying to fill a depleted roster in preparation for the program’s move to NCAA Division I status this fall.

Two starters, Derrick Gathers and Kris Brodowski, have used up their athletic eligibility while another starter, Kendell McDaniels, has dropped out of school. Bill Mazurie, Sandy Brown and Shanan Rosenberg also have left the team, which finished 12-15 overall and 7-7 in California Collegiate Athletic Assn. play last season.

McDaniels, a 6-foot-4 forward/center from Chatsworth High, was the team’s second-leading scorer (11.0 points a game) and rebounder (6.4) as a sophomore.

Mazurie, a 6-2 freshman guard from Capistrano Valley High, started in five games and averaged 7.3 points a game for the season.

Brown, a 6-6 sophomore swingman from Manual Arts High, averaged 5.3 points a game, and Rosenberg, a 6-8 freshman from St. Francis High, averaged 3.1 points before being declared academically ineligible early in the CCAA season.