College Basketball Preview : CAL LUTHERAN : Taller, Stronger Kingsmen Ready for SCIAC Debut

When Cal Lutheran makes its Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference debut this season, the Kingsmen should stand out in a crowd.

Coach Mike Dunlap has added substantial size and strength to the roster by recruiting Andy Beltowski (6-foot-4) from Oxnard College, Mike Fenton (6-6) from Irvine Woodbridge High, and Rupert Sabwell (6-6) from Doncaster, Australia.

That trio, together with Simon O’Donnell, the Kingsmen’s 6-6, 230-pound senior power forward, combine to create a formidable front line.

And Dunlap says his team not only looks big, it plays big--as in physical. And the Kingsmen have depth to back their size, which means CLU won’t back off when it comes to mixing it up inside.

“If (opponents) go to the free-throw line, then that’s fine,” Dunlap said. “We’ve got enough depth . . . so we can afford to play (physically).

“I’d rather have them aggressive and physical than try to light a fire under a guy.”

Bigger, Dunlap says, also should mean better when it comes to playing defense. He expects the Kingsmen to play a stingy man-to-man scheme but fears a lag on offense. Last season’s team averaged 89.6 points.

Jeff deLaveaga, a senior guard, will have much to say about that. He averaged 27.9 points last season and earned honorable-mention NAIA All-American honors.

O’Donnell, the team’s best defender, also adds scoring punch. He averaged 18.6 points last season and led the Kingsmen in rebounding with an 8.8 average.

The rest of Cal Lutheran’s scoring should be well distributed. Ernie Bray, a reserve guard, is considered the Kingsmen’s best pure shooter.

Several starting positions have been hotly contested. For example, guards Paul Tapp and Joe Cohen, who saw considerable playing time last season, failed to earn the starting jobs this fall.

The competition for playing time has turned Kingsmen practices into a battleground.

“We’ve had a lot of guys with stitches . . . a lot of minor injuries,” Dunlap said.

Cal Lutheran will get its first opportunity to beat up on an opponent on Friday at 9 p.m. against St. John’s (Minn.) in the first round of the Menlo College tournament in Menlo Park, Calif.

On Saturday, the Kingsmen will play either Menlo or La Verne. Cal Lutheran lost to Menlo, 78-77, in last season’s tournament championship game. The Kingsmen, 14-12 in 1990-91, split a pair of games with La Verne, an SCIAC member, last season.

In all, the Kingsmen, who played last season as an NAIA independent, were 8-6 against SCIAC teams.

Fenton is the only CLU player without college experience and Dunlap says the continuity has helped.

The team, he says, “has gone from being average to better than average.”

Cal Lutheran Roster

Player Pos Yr Hgt Wgt Shaunte Barnes G Fr 5-11 155 Ernie Bray G So 6-2 175 Joe Cohen G So 6-3 185 Brannon Hayes F Jr 6-4 190 Simon O’Donnell F Sr 6-6 220 John Pletsch F-C So 6-8 210 Kevin Richberg G So 6-2 190 Paul Tapp G So 6-1 165 Syd Thwaites G Jr 6-2 165 Omar White G Sr 6-3 180 Russell White F So 6-4 195 Jeff deLaveaga G Sr 6-4 195 Andy Beltowski F Jr 6-4 200 Kelly Crosby F Jr 6-5 185 Mike Fenton F Fr 6-6 210 Rupert Sapwell F Fr 6-6 205

Coach: Mike Dunlap