THE COLLEGES / MIKE HISERMAN : Expert Likes Fann’s Draft Prospects

Dave-Te’ Thomas is a football talent scout. He compiles the NFL Report--a list of top college seniors--and recruits college seniors for the All-American Bowl, a postseason all-star game to be played next month in Florida.

Thomas is to prospective professional football players what Cal Worthington is to cars: He never met one he didn’t think he could sell.

Among the players Thomas seems particularly high on is Northridge running back Albert Fann. Thomas predicts that Fann will go anywhere from the fourth through sixth rounds in April’s NFL draft.

And he sounds as if he believes that’s probably too low. “Albert is a guy I’ll go to war with,” he said.

Thomas likens Fann to the Washington Redskins’ Earnest Byner, a strong inside runner who is a good receiver.

Fann (6-foot-1, 212 pounds) will play fullback in the All-American Bowl alongside Grambling State’s Walter Dean, the nation’s leading rusher this fall. “He could play fullback (in the NFL),” Thomas said. “But he’s really suited to play in a one-back offense.”

Additionally, Thomas is trying to negotiate Fann’s inclusion in the Blue-Gray Game, to be played on Christmas Day in Montgomery, Ala.

Fann is listed as the Blue-Gray’s first alternate at running back and Thomas says he has a decent chance of being asked to join a squad.

Thomas also has Northridge linebacker Ken Wallace on hold waiting for an All-American Bowl invitation.

Wallace, voted CSUN’s most valuable player by his teammates, is one of three players being considered to replace a player who is injured.

Thomas is scheduled to meet with All-American Bowl Coach Chuck Klausing to fill the vacancy Tuesday. Wallace and Byron Cox of Western Illinois are the top contenders, with Terry Bagsby of East Texas State also receiving consideration.

‘A’ team to the rescue: You think the kids are looking forward to Christmas? Consider Mel Hankinson, coach of The Master’s basketball team.

For Hankinson, Christmas comes early--Dec. 21 to be exact. That’s when three of the Mustangs’ key players become eligible.

Among the trio is Joe John Bryant, a 6-foot-7 junior who led then-NIT-bound Richmond in blocked shots last season.

Although the addition of Bryant will shore up Master’s in the middle, having the shooting touch of Terry Minnoy and Bruce Watson on the perimeter is perhaps even more important.

Minnoy, a 5-10 transfer from Idaho State, and Watson, a 6-3 transfer from Moorpark College, are among the team’s best three-point shooters.

“We’re a ‘C’ perimeter team right now,” Hankinson said. “After December 21st, we’ll be an ‘A’ perimeter-shooting team.”

The date, Hankinson said, “is circled in red. You can see we’re close, but we just need that little extra to be one of the better college division teams in this area. I think those guys will make the difference.”

Briefly: In high school he was one of the state’s top high jumpers. At Northridge, he was a two-year starter as quarterback of the football team and also was a reserve forward on the basketball team for one season.

So what’s next for Sherdrick Bonner? Perhaps a place on the school’s highly regarded volleyball team. Bonner has been working out with the Matadors and will find out next week if he has made the squad. . . .

Pete Cassidy was wearing his sports coat in a rather unusual fashion last Saturday at Montana State. It was tied around his waist.

But for good reason. Early in the game, when Cassidy went into a crouch, a weak seam went riiip. Guess where?. . .

Make my holiday. Show me a local women’s basketball player who can dribble proficiently with her left hand. Natural lefties do not count. . . .

Forward Tom Bruner of The Master’s has a first step that makes him the NAIA equivalent of James Worthy. . . .

Tailback Bobby Webster set Glendale football records for rushing yards (1,506), touchdowns (23), rushing touchdowns (22) and points (138) in the past season, yet his best efforts might still lie ahead. “There’s a lot of things I can do to be a better running back,” Webster said. “I want to be a better blocker and get better at seeing the whole field.”. . .

The Master’s is among the few schools around that needs to include an apostrophe in its spelling cheer. . . .

Louisville High graduate Tina Kohler concluded her volleyball career at Santa Clara second in school history in digs (782), sixth in kills (502) and seventh in service aces (91). This season, she had had 381 digs and 294 kills, both career highs, as the Broncos finished 14-13. . . .

Damon Greer has not had the expected impact on The Master’s basketball program. The former Cleveland High standout seems hesitant to drive the lane or take an open jump shot. However, he is still a top-notch defender. . . .

Northridge’s Scott Sharts, best known as the hitter of some of college baseball’s most prodigious home runs, reportedly has made major strides as a pitcher during the off-season. . . .

Cheers to Coach Janet Martin for scrapping what she called the “go-for-popcorn” zone defense previously employed by the Northridge women’s basketball team. Now if only she can recruit an impact player at center. . . . Coach Jim Bittner said that Moorpark tailback Freddie Bradley has been dropped as a recruit by Colorado. Now, reportedly, Houston is at or near the top of Bradley’s wish-list. Wonder why such a gifted rusher would want to run-and-shoot rather than just run?. . .

When it comes to generating instant offense, few junior college basketball players rival Moorpark’s Sam Crawford. If only his cockiness wasn’t equally offensive. . . .

Bakersfield defeated The Master’s, 53-52, Tuesday on a three-point play with 16 seconds left. The player who made the basket and free-throw? Kendell McDaniels, a former Cal State Northridge player who transferred to Bakersfield. . . .

Forward Julie Arlotto is the one moving up on the school’s record lists, but the best player on the Northridge women’s basketball team is swingman Bridgette Ealy.