PLNC In Search of One Good Tiebreaker

The Point Loma Nazarene women’s basketball team lost three of its first five games, but the Crusaders suddenly find themselves two victories from the District 3 regular-season title. All they need is a little help from Christ College of Irvine, fellow District 3 coaches, and possibly a fashion consultant.

If PLNC (18-6) wins its final two games, it would finish 13-2 in District 3 play. CCI and Fresno Pacific also could finish at 13-2 if CCI beats Fresno Pacific tonight at home. The first tiebreaker to break the three-way logjam involves direct competition. Under the same scenario, all three team would have 1-1 records against each other.

The next two tiebreakers deal with District 3 records. Again all three teams would have the same district records. The fourth tiebreaker is a coaches vote, probably Monday, by the six District 3 coaches not involved in the tie.

First place in District 3 is worth a home game against the fourth and fifth best teams. The second-place team hosts the third-place team.

PLNC Coach Bill Olin is hoping the coaches don’t vote on the basis of which coach has the best ties.

“If it does, I’m in trouble,” Olin said. “I just wear sweaters. I gave up on ties a couple years ago.”

So if not the wardrobe, what will the District 3 coaches study?

“We’d prefer them to look at a straight district record,” Olin said. “Hopefully, they won’t look at overall record.”

PLNC has the worst overall record of the three teams, but probably the toughest out-of-district schedule.

If the coaches don’t consider district records, Olin only has himself to blame. He is the chairman of the District 3 rules committee.

“It’s about as fair as you can get,” Olin. “But it isn’t totally fair.”

Olin will be honored tonight by the school for winning his 200th game at PLNC. In 12 years at PLNC, Olin is 202-128.

PLNC will celebrate Olin’s milestone with an ice cream social on the gym floor after the Crusaders’ game with Southern California College. How will Olin be honored if he wins number 300?

“Maybe they’d have hot fudge sundaes,” Olin said.

Musselman in rare company: Former USD guard Eric Musselman, who played for the Toreros from 1983 to 1987, became the fourth coach to win two Continental Basketball Assn. All-Star games last week. The others: Seattle Supersonic Coach George Karl, Chicago Bull Coach Phil Jackson and former NBA and college coach Bill Musselman, Eric’s father.

Musselman, 27, is the coach and general manager for the CBA’s Rapid City Thrillers. His team has the fourth-best record in the 16-team CBA at 23-15. But Musselman can not be criticized for being complacent. He has made 13 trades and 23 player moves since the season began.

Former Torero makes Hall: The late Phil Woolpert, who coached USD men’s team to a 90-90 record from 1962-69, was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame last week. Woolpert gained his notoriety by coaching Bill Russell and K.C Jones to back-to-back NCAA championship at the University of San Francisco in 1956-57.

Not again: Rice’s Steve Campbell is probably getting sick of playing USD’s Jose Luis Noriega, but he may have to do it again this weekend. Noriega beat Campbell in last year’s San Diego Intercollegiate Tennis final and Sunday in the National Indoor Championships.

The two are on course to meet Sunday in the Intercollegiate finals. Noriega and Campbell are the top two seeds.