Titans’ Small Has Become a Marked Man : College basketball: Cal State Fullerton guard has been target of special defenses this season. As a result, he’s taking a beating and scoring less.

Joe Small’s scoring average is down slightly from last season, but the number of bumps and bruises on the Cal State Fullerton guard’s body has shot up.

Rare is the trip down court when Small isn’t elbowed or grabbed or pushed or cut off. When you’re the marked man--the focus of teams’ defensive game plans--opposing players start treating you as if you were wearing a helmet and shoulder pads instead of a tank top.

“I usually try to get open by weaving under the basket, and guys have taken a lot of cheap shots away from the ball,” Small said. “I’m always getting held or grabbed. I’m a lot more sore after games this season than I was last season.”

Small wouldn’t mind taking a few cheap shots, but, unlike last season, he has had to pay a heavy price just to get open to shoot.

Teams took note of Small’s three-point prowess and 21.8-point average last season and have paid extra attention to the former Bolsa Grande High School standout this season, using a variety of defenses to disrupt his rhythm.

They’ve used the box-and-one, the diamond-and-one, and, in Nevada Las Vegas’ case, the amoeba-and-one, all of which entail one player shadowing and harassing Small at all times.

There have been times when Small has had to work so hard to get open in the half-court offense, that by the time he shoots, he’s winded.

And it shows.

Small’s field-goal percentage is down, from 44% last season to 42%, and his scoring average has dipped to 18.5 going into tonight’s Big West Conference game at UC Irvine.

The 6-foot-2 senior is trying to stop a four-game slump, in which he has made 18 of 57 shots (including nine of 28 three-pointers) for 31.6%.

“He’s constantly bumped, defenders stay in his face, they bust his cuts, and they give him the shoulder,” Fullerton Coach John Sneed said. “He doesn’t run too many straight lines on the floor.

“But he has to remain active and focused. He’s a marked man, but he has to be mature enough to withstand the frustration that goes with those types of defenses.”

Small is actually flattered by the attention.

“It shows people have respect for you,” he said. “That’s good.”

Another benefit is that with opponents concentrating so much on Small outside, forward Agee Ward has had a little more room to work inside and has responded by averaging 19.3 points a game.

Even center Sean Williams, who has a 5.8 average, broke free for 19 points against Utah State last Saturday, as the Aggies focused primarily on Small. Instead of dropping inside to double-team front-court players when they get the ball, opposing guards have stayed right with Small on the perimeter.

“I thought Agee would get double-teamed more, but it’s like teams are saying they’re not going to let me beat them,” Small said. “They let Agee do what he’s going to do, and Sean has started playing well, but they still don’t go down and double-team them.”

Until the Houston game Dec. 30, Small didn’t seem too bothered by the extra defensive pressure. Through eight games, he had made 58 of 124 shots (46.8%), including 23 of 52 three-pointers (44.2%).

But Small went into a bit of a tailspin at Houston. The Cougars played a ferocious man-to-man defense and held Small to a career-low seven points on two-of-11 shooting.

Small had a good first half against UNLV, making five of seven shots and scoring 14 points, but Rebel Coach Jerry Tarkanian’s amoeba-and-one, a combination matchup zone and box-and-one, virtually took Small out of the game in the second half. Small finished with 19 points on six-of-13 shooting.

By the time Fullerton (4-8, 0-3 in the Big West) traveled to Fresno State Jan. 9, Small was rattled. The Bulldogs didn’t do anything special to stop Small, and Small got plenty of open shots, but he made only four of 18 and scored 13 points. He made six of 15 shots against Utah State.

“I lost confidence during the Fresno game,” Small said. “Once you start losing confidence, that’s when you start rushing shots and messing up your form.”

What was most frustrating for Small during the Fresno State game was many of his shots felt good when they left his hand and appeared to him to be going in. But most didn’t fall.

“It’s not like I was missing the whole basket,” Small said. “I’d rather shoot an air ball than have the ball go in, rattle around and come out. That’s when you start thinking, ‘Damn, what am I doing wrong?’ From there, it was all downhill.”

Small has spent the past week trying to get that confidence back.

“I know I can shoot the ball and score,” he said. “I just have to keep telling myself that.”

His coaches are.

“He’s no different than a .300 hitter in a slump,” Sneed said. “He has to keep swinging until he gets back into the groove.”

Fortunately for Small, he’s still in a groove at the free-throw line, where he has made 38 of 41 attempts for a Big West-leading 92.7%. And if his outside shooting woes continue, Small will start driving to the basket more in an attempt to draw fouls.

“The defense is making it hard on me, but they’re going to break down before me, because I’ve added the drive to the basket this season,” Small said. “I’ll shoot 10-11 free throws a game, that’s fine with me.

“I feel right at home there. I feel so relaxed on the free-throw line, I’d love to go there all night.”