COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW THE MASTER’S : Mustangs Mature Into NAIA Power

The Master’s College is about to start a basketball season that has been three years in the making--four, in fact, if one counts 1987-88, the season Mel Hankinson took off from coaching to scour the nation for players.

In 1988-89, Master’s went 15-15, the team’s first non-losing season in 16 years. There were 19 wins the following season and a school-record 22-12 mark last season.

So now a season with considerable promise will begin tonight when Master’s plays host to Simpson (Redding, Calif.) College at 8 in the opening round of the Mustangs’ Tip-Off tournament. Bethany will meet San Jose Bible at 6 p.m. in the other first-round game. The consolation championship game will be played at 6 p.m. Saturday and the championship game will be played at 8.

Master’s has been picked second behind Biola in the NAIA District 3 in a preseason poll of district coaches.

“That’s a long way from four years ago . . . we would have probably been one of the bottom two,” Hankinson said.

Twelve lettermen are back from last season’s team that finished second in the National Christian College Athletic Assn. tournament. Ten are seniors--the foundation of the team, according to Hankinson.

The front line is fortified by seniors Tom Bruner (6-foot-6), Stu Epperson (6-6) and Joe Jon Bryant (6-7).

Bruner, who led the team in scoring the past three seasons and averaged 14.5 points and 6.1 rebounds a game last season, will start his 100th consecutive game tonight. Bruner has scored 1,533 points in his career at Master’s, seventh on the school’s all-time scoring list. He has a chance to become only the third Mustang to reach the 2,000-point mark. Bruner also is seventh in career rebounding with 677.

Bryant transferred to Master’s and became eligible to play last December after two turbulent years at Richmond University.

At Richmond, Bryant was a top shot blocker and went to the National Invitation Tournament and NCAA tournament with the Spiders and Coach Dick Tarrant.

Bryant had a big impact for Master’s despite his late start. Although Bryant’s play was described as “wild” by Tarrant, he has progressed well since coming to Master’s, Hankinson said. Bryant averaged nine points and 4.8 rebounds and Jason Webster, a 6-4 senior swingman, averaged 12.4 points and 4.4 rebounds.

Damon Greer returns to the backcourt, having averaged 5.7 points and 4.2 assists. Terry Minnoy, a 5-10 junior who transferred from Idaho State and became eligible at the same time as Bryant, rotates between the shooting and point guard position with Greer and junior David Humphreys. Minnoy averaged 7.9 points and 3.7 assists.

Hankinson said that several players have sustained minor, nagging injuries in the preseason. Bryant sustained a pulled hamstring, Greer hurt a wrist, Bruner twisted an ankle and Rusty Clark, a 6-7 backup center, sustained a knee injury. Clark, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Thursday, will be out for at least four weeks. Hankinson expects the others to be available tonight.