COMMUNITY COLLEGE NOTEBOOK : State Champion Hopes to Win Its Conference

Rancho Santiago College begins its quest for the only title the Dons haven’t been able to win during the past year and a half when the Orange Empire Conference men’s basketball season opens Thursday.

Last season, Rancho Santiago won the biggest title--a state crown--but the Dons were shut out of the Orange Empire Conference championship by Cypress, which finished with a 12-0 league record. Rancho Santiago was second at 10-2.

The only other title the Dons failed to win last season was in their own holiday tournament, but Rancho Santiago wiped out that debt last Saturday with a 109-84 victory over Los Angeles City in the title game.

Now the attention can turn to the Orange Empire Conference race, in which Rancho Santiago is the clear favorite, despite returning only two starters--guard LaVern Broadnax and forward Corie Blount.

The Dons benefited greatly when forward Erik Martin transferred from Texas Christian University, and Brett Pagett, Coach Dana Pagett’s son, came over from UC Irvine.

Cypress is the favorite for second, but there isn’t as a big a gap among the other five teams in the conference. Fullerton, Golden West, Orange Coast, Riverside, and Saddleback have enough talent to challenge for the top half of the conference standings.

CYPRESS

1990-91 Record: 13-7

Coach: Don Johnson (24th season)

Cypress returns plenty in Eric Pauley, a 6-foot-10 forward. He has established a career-high in points three times. His current best is 33. Pauley is averaging 21 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and three assists.

After Pauley, the Chargers drop off to four guards, led by sophomore returner Brian Kenney (12 points per game). Charles Lockard (10 points) transferred from Saddleback, and is starting along with sophomore Chris Bowen and freshman Sam Sabbara.

Mike Renaud is also back. Jim Waikle, who is 7-0 and already has signed with San Jose State, plays behind Pauley.

FULLERTON

1990-91 Record: 11-7

Coach: Roger See (10th season)

See was impressed with his freshmen before the season, and so far he has been proven right. Gary Hunter (Buena Park High School) and Bob Terry (Brea-Olinda) are the team’s top two scorers.

Matt Chamberlain, a high school teammate of Terry’s, is starting up front as well. Hunter, a 6-3 guard, is averaging 18 points. Terry, who is 6-8, is averaging 19 points and eight rebounds.

Fullerton returns Kenny Cross in the backcourt. He is averaging 15 points. Cross is joined by Pat O’Curran, another returner, to give Fullerton experienced ballhandlers.

Freshman Scott Ferguson (Whittier Christian) subs up front.

GOLDEN WEST

1990-91 Record: 8-10

Coach: Jim Greenfield (11th season)

Golden West returns guards Ric Van Scoyoc and Tom Dever and forward Jason Vaughan.

Vaughan, at 6-5, is the tallest starter, which could make for some long nights if he is in foul trouble. Van Scoyoc is averaging 18 points and seven assists.

Scott Campbell led Orange County in scoring for La Quinta High School two years ago and was a redshirt at Cal State Fullerton last season. He is averaging 19 points.

Freshman Paig Parish is the other starter, with Darren Ernst, who is 6-6, coming off the bench to lend some size.

ORANGE COAST

1990-91 Record: 9-7

Coach: Tandy Gillis (15th season)

OCC has had plenty of backcourt woes the past three seasons, but that problem has been solved, thanks to Agustin Heredia (Estancia High School) and Shane Takeshita, a transfer from Hawaii Pacific. Heredia is averaging 12 points and Takeshita 11. Rich Hughes is back, and Mike Curtis has transferred from Saddleback for added depth at guard.

While the backcourt is solid for the Pirates, the front line is still learning. Brain Spratt, who is 6-6, is back after being a part-time starter last season. Spratt has shown improvment and is averaging 10 points. He is joined by Michael Wenzlaff, a 6-5 freshman from West Germany.

Wenzlaff, 22, is averaging 10 points. Nate Smith and Brian Murphy also play up front.

RANCHO SANTIAGO

1990-91 Record: 18-1

Coach: Dana Pagett (9th season)

Some teams will be able to match up with 6-10 sophomore center Blount, but no one has an equal to Martin, a 6-6 forward who averages a team-high 22 points and nine rebounds.

Broadnax returns to the backcourt but is sharing point-guard duties with Pagett. Glenn Greene, a redshirt freshman from Mater Dei, is the other starting guard. Rancho Santiago’s bench has yet to prove itself as the talented group of substitutes of a year ago did.

Sophomores Eric Kutas and Dave Yamate, a transfer from Golden West, and freshmen Elton Moore and Daryl Cole are the first to come off the bench.

RIVERSIDE

1990-91 Record: 13-8

Coach: Bob Schermerhorn (2nd season)

Darren Lax is back at one guard, and Mykol Lewis also returns, after a year off, as a guard/forward. Lewis played at Riverside two seasons ago for Bob Boyd, now the Chapman coach, when the Tigers won the Orange Empire Conference championship.

Freshman Eric Dahl is the other guard, with 6-4 George Woods and 6-7 Fred Haygood up front. Haygood leads the team in scoring, averaging 22 points. Geoff Gorham, 6-7, is first off the bench and has scored 23 and 16 in points the past two games.

SADDLEBACK

1990-91 Record: 9-7

Coach: Bill Brummel (10th season)

The Gauchos have good size in Dee Boyer, a 6-10, 255-pound center from El Camino High in Oceanside. He is averaging 10 points and six rebounds.

Saddleback’s true power game comes from sophomore forward Matt Thompson, who is 6-5. He leads in points (14) and rebounds (eight).

The backcourt is run by guards Edmond Johnson, Kenny Caesar and Greg Reynolds. Reynolds, a three-point specialist, and forward Thompson are the only returning starters. Caesar is out of Patrick Henry High School in San Diego and was a redshirt last season at Mesa College in Arizona.