SCC Expectations Get Lost Amid Conflicts

For the past month the Southern California College women’s basketball program has been in turmoil, and the Vanguards are still--in essence--a team without a coach.

It’s a complex situation, and some of those involved are still hesitant to talk about it.

On Jan. 9, Athletic Director Ron Prettyman asked Coach David Smith to resign. A group of players had met with Prettyman and told him of personality disputes they had had with Smith.

Prettyman said Smith had conflicts with the athletic staff, players, parents and faculty, “none of which was probably enough in itself to warrant this kind of action but with all four of those entities combined, it was enough.

“The bottom line was there were some major personality conflicts among David and people involved with the program,” he said.

“I want to make it clear that David did a lot of good things for the program. There were just some things that happened that we couldn’t allow to go on anymore. I don’t want to go into any details.”

Smith says he was shocked by Prettyman’s action.

“I don’t really know what happened and that was my big downfall,” Smith said. “I wasn’t aware there was that much dissension. I didn’t know there were that many players dissatisfied with me.”

Players contacted Wednesday were reluctant to discuss the specifics of the conflict, but they said it shouldn’t be considered a players’ coup.

“Our intention was not to get rid of him, it was just to let people know what was going on and to get him to change,” said Jamie Zitterkopf, a sophomore forward. “Our goal was not to get him fired.”

Smith was put on administrative leave, pending an appeal he made to the college’s administration. The appeal was denied and Smith says he has come to terms with that fact that he is no longer the team’s coach. He had a 30-44 record in three seasons.

“I wish SCC the best,” he said. “I feel I will land on my feet and pick up and go somewhere else. I don’t know where that will be yet, but I don’t have any bad feelings toward the school . . .

“(But) it’s a dangerous thing when parents start playing with people’s jobs and people’s careers and that’s essentially what happened. It took place because their daughters weren’t able to run the program any way they wanted to.”

Meanwhile, Prettyman became the interim coach although Smith’s assistants, Amy Walter and Floyd Bynum, stayed and took over the day-to-day running of the team. The Vanguards were 6-10 this season under Smith, although many of their losses were to either NCAA Division I, Division II or nationally ranked NAIA teams.

Smith had expected the team to challenge for the NAIA District 3 championship. Since Smith was replaced, the Vanguards are 4-6 and four games remain in their season. The Vanguards (10-16) will likely have to win one of their three games against Golden State Athletic Conference opponents to qualify for the five-team District 3 playoffs for the first time in school history.

“The season has been very frustrating to say the least,” said junior guard Kristen Bevis, the Vanguards’ co-captain. “You go out to play teams and they know your coach isn’t there and that’s a weakness; that’s a big weakness. But we have to play because we committed to each other at the beginning of the season and we’re all staying because we said we would.”

Add SCC: Prettyman, who is accepting resumes for the women’s basketball coaching position until Friday, said local high schools, two-year and four-year college’s have been notified of the opening. He said he hopes to fill the position by late February.

Christ College Irvine baseball Coach Scott Sarver never used to have these problems.

When he took over the program two seasons ago, he was besieged by coaches who wanted to schedule a game or two with his Eagles, who were perennial NAIA District 3 doormats.

Now, after putting together a team that won 28 games and finished second in the Golden State Athletic Conference, Sarver says he’s having trouble filling the Eagles’ nonconference schedule. Usually at this point in the season, Sarver said, next season’s schedule would be full. As it is, he has signed up only two opponents.

It could get worse. If teams were afraid to play Christ College before this season, they may have reason to be be terrified after the Eagles pulled the upset of the season thus far, defeating Cal State Northridge, ranked No. 11 in the NCAA Division I, Friday at Northridge.

Mike Adams, who was the NAIA District 3 player of the year last season, allowed only four hits in the 5-2 victory. But Adams and the Eagles would never have had the chance if not for Sarver’s friendship with Northridge Coach Bill Kernen.

Sarver and Kernen were assistants together at Cal State Fullerton in the mid-1980s, and Sarver had asked Kernen to consider the Eagles if there was ever an opening on the Matadors’ schedule. So when Cal State Los Angeles canceled, Sarver got his wish and the Eagles got their first game against a Division I opponent.

“We were really grateful because we’ve always tried to get Division I teams on our schedule and nobody will play us,” Sarver said. “It’s been really fun. The school’s been buzzing about it.”

No letdown: The Eagles haven’t missed a beat after what ranks as the biggest victory in their baseball history. CCI is 4-0 after sweeping a doubleheader with Whittier last Saturday and defeating Pomona-Pitzer Tuesday. The Eagles travel to Cal Lutheran for a doubleheader Saturday.

Adams, who was 12-3 with a 2.16 earned-run average and batted .461 with 56 runs batted in last season, should again be the ace of the pitching staff. Gary Sussman, who was 9-5 with a 3.24 ERA last season is a solid No. 2. Robert Campillo, the starting catcher, second baseman Armando Diaz and outfielder Michael Crumrine are also doubling up on the mound.

Northridge and more: The Chapman baseball team, which has opened its first Division I season by winning three of its first four--including Tuesday’s 7-4 victory over Cal State Long Beach, ranked No. 5 in the Baseball America poll--will be tested again this weekend.

The Panthers will play host to Northridge, their former California Collegiate Athletic Assn. foe, at 1 p.m. Saturday at Hart Park in Orange. Sunday, they will go to Malibu to play Pepperdine, which is ranked No. 4 in the Baseball America poll.

The Panthers have committed only three errors in four games and Weathers is further heartened by how the pitching staff is coming together. In trying to expose as many pitchers as possible to tough competition, Weathers had five go against Long Beach and they limited the 49ers, who had 15 runs and 18 hits in a victory over Loyola Marymount Monday, to 11 hits and four runs.

“The confidence factor is what we need and a game like Tuesday’s against that good of a club obviously helps,” Weathers said. “It helps every guy.”

College Division Notes

Nancy Geisler, a senior forward at Christ College Irvine, was named the NAIA District 3 player of the week after averaging 18.7 points in three CCI victories. Geisler, who ranks second in the nation in three-point shooting percentage (53.6%), made 58% of her field goals and 59% of her three-point shots during the week. . . . Keith Randolph, a junior forward from SCC, was named the Golden State Athletic Conference player of the week after averaging 19 points and 11.5 rebounds in two conference victories for the Vanguards. SCC (18-5), which was ranked as high as 11th earlier this season, dropped another place to No. 22 in the NAIA Division I poll this week. Biola, the only other ranked District 3 team, moved up to No. 9. The Vanguards will risk a three-game winning streak Saturday at Christ College Irvine.