Controversy Clouds Oppenheimer Return

Josh Oppenheimer left a lasting impression with local fans in his return to the Valley area last Saturday. But it was not the type of impression he had hoped for.

The former Notre Dame High standout, a starting guard for Northern Arizona, let a rowdy group of partisan fans rattle him during the Lumberjacks’ 109-90 loss at Northridge last Saturday.

Oppenheimer, a junior, scored nine points, but he will best be remembered by Matador fans for a couple of shots he took without the basketball in the second half.

After swishing a three-point shot with 11 minutes left in the game, Oppenheimer turned toward a pack of about 15 CSUN volleyball, football and baseball players and shouted “shut . . . up.”

Of course, the desired effect was just the opposite.

So, after making another jump shot about 70 seconds later, Oppenheimer tried another tactic in an effort to quiet his hecklers: He flashed them the we’re-number-one gesture, using the middle finger of his right hand.

At that, an official stopped play and gave Oppenheimer a few choice words of his own.

There were no further incidents--until Tuesday, when Lumberjack Coach Harold Merritt suspended Oppenheimer “for behavior unacceptable to the coaching staff.”

More oops from Opp: After the game, Oppenheimer was overheard saying, “I can’t believe we were wiped out by a . . . Division II team.”

Uh, actually Josh, they’re Division I now.

Paper trail: College of the Canyons is spending the school year under supervisory probation by the Western State Conference, WSC Commissioner Aviva Kamin said.

Kamin described Canyons’ probation as a warning that is not uncommon in junior college athletics. Canyons was disciplined because of an administrative problem in getting paperwork to the conference office on time.

“We found some slippages here and there,” said Lee Smelser, Canyons athletic director. “We have taken steps to meet eligibility deadlines.”

Canyons’ supervisory probation, which does not affect eligibility for conference championships or postseason competition, runs from July 1, 1990, to June 30, 1991.

Full circle: Freddie Bradley’s Moorpark career ended as it began--with a touchdown. The first time Bradley touched the ball as a Moorpark player, he scored on a 93-yard kickoff return in 1989 against East Los Angeles.

And the last time he touched the ball, the sophomore tailback ran eight yards for a touchdown against Santa Monica in the Western State Bowl.

Domino theory: Paul Dunham, the Moorpark athletic director, called last Saturday the most successful and exciting in his 23 years at the school.

The football team’s bowl victory, a 69-34 sanding of Santa Monica, provided the capstone to a remarkable day for Moorpark. Earlier, the wrestling team won its third Southern California regional championship, the men’s basketball team won the Moorpark tournament for the first time since 1986, the women’s basketball team won the Cypress tournament and the men’s soccer team beat Fresno City, 4-0, in a state championship semifinal match.

“It was just like dominoes,” Dunham said.

Mr. pom-pon: Carrying not one but two megaphones as he mingled among the cheerleaders Saturday night at the Moorpark football game was basketball standout Sam Crawford, fresh off a most-valuable-player performance in the Raiders’ own tournament.

Crawford began cheering on the sidelines then trotted out with the cheerleaders when they did their standard post-touchdown cheer in the end zone.

Said Crawford as he ran back to the sideline, “All I need is a skirt.”

Statwatch: Moorpark converted 80 of 100 free throws in three Moorpark tournament games. Forward Aaron Smith was 16 of 16 for the weekend and has made 25 of 27 this season. . . .

Keith Gibbs tied Derrick Gathers’ single-game Northridge record for steals with seven against Northern Arizona. Gibbs, a 6-5 transfer from West Valley College in Saratoga, Calif., already holds a CSUN record courtesy of his 15 assists in the Matadors’ opener at Colorado.

Staff writers Mike Hiserman, Brendan Healey and Theresa Munoz contributed to this notebook.