Pepperdine, Santa Clara Dominate WCC Team

West Coast Conference men’s basketball champion Pepperdine and women’s champion Santa Clara dominated the all-conference teams announced Friday.

The 10-member All-WCC men’s team is composed totally of underclassmen for the first time ever, led by player of the year Doug Christie, a junior guard at Pepperdine. The Waves’ Tom Asbury was named coach of the year and forward Dana Jones freshman of the year.

Pepperdine junior center Geoff Lear, also named to the team, is the only repeater from last season. It is only the second time a conference school has swept the top awards since the WCC began play in 1952.

Loyola Marymount junior guard Terrell Lowery, the eighth Loyola player in nine seasons to lead the WCC in scoring, and sophomore center Richard Petruska were named to the team, along with junior center Eric Bamberger of St. Mary’s, junior guard Jarrod Davis of Gonzaga, junior guard Tim Owens of San Francisco, junior forward Kelvin Woods of San Diego and Santa Clara junior center Ron Reis and junior forward Rhea Taylor.

The Waves’ Jones earned honorable-mention selection, along with David Roth of Portland, Allen Caveness and Thurman Watson of St. Mary’s, Melvin Chinn of Santa Clara and a San Diego quartet of Michael Brown, Pat Holbert, Wayman Strickland and Anthony Thomas.

Loyola Marymount senior Lynn Flanagan, the leading scorer in the school history, was named to the 12-member women’s team.

Flanagan is joined by guard Melissa King and forward Julie Leinert of Santa Clara, center Chris Enger and forward Christi English of San Diego, guard Anja Bordt and forward Cheree Tappin of St. Mary’s, forward Shannon Frowiss of Pepperdine, center Marlene Henderson of San Francisco, forward Kay Koppelman and guard Jennifer Mountain of Gonzaga and forward Martha Sheldon of Portland. Enger, Frowiss, Henderson, King and Sheldon are underclassmen.

Santa Clara garnered most of the top awards after it finished 25-3 overall and 13-1 in league play, the best record since the WCC began a women’s schedule five years ago. King, a redshirt sophomore, was named player of the year as well as newcomer of the year. The trans fer from Fresno State unseated Bordt, a two-time WCC player of the year. Santa Clara’s Caren Horstmeyer was named coach of the year.

Freshman of the year honors went to Pepperdine guard Aimee McDaniel.

Loyola senior center Tricia Gibson was one of seven players earning honorable mention, along with Pepperdine’s McDaniel and Linda Waters, Gonzaga’s Lisa Nicholls, St. Mary’s Pia Paivio and Natalie Rynn and USF’s Amy Touli.

In Division II, Robert Barksdale, a 6-foot senior guard at Cal State Dominguez Hills, was named to the all-West Region first team as chosen by the National Assn. of Basketball Coaches. It was the third consecutive appointment to the first team for Barksdale, who led the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. in assists, averaging five a game.