CAL STATE FULLERTON NOTEBOOK : Ward Says He’ll Play Friday, Healed or Not

When he’s not filling lanes on fast breaks, making spin moves to the basket or going up for rebounds, Cal State Fullerton forward Agee Ward never seems to be in a hurry.

Titan Coach John Sneed once described him as “big, slow-movin’ Agee,” because of his mellow nature and laid-back approach to life. Ward may dazzle fans with his quick, vertical leaping ability, but off the court, he moves like a tortoise.

But even by his own slow-motion standards, Ward was moving rather gingerly Monday. The back spasms that kept him out of Thursday’s regular-season finale against New Mexico State were still bothering him, and it pained him to lift a backpack over his shoulder.

This is not good news for the Titans, who play Cal State Long Beach at 9 p.m. Friday in the first round of the Big West Conference tournament at the Long Beach Arena.

Ward is the team’s leading scorer (18.4 points per game), leading rebounder (7.6) and most accurate field-goal shooter (56.4%). Without Ward and guard Joe Small, who had the flu, Fullerton gave a game effort at New Mexico State last week before losing, 63-60.

But unless Ward is healthy, the Titans would have virtually no chance of winning the conference tournament, an up-for-grabs affair this year because of Nevada Las Vegas’ absence.

Ward visited a doctor Monday afternoon and will receive treatment all week, but he’s not sure how effective he’ll be Friday. He is sure of one thing, though.

“I will play this week,” Ward said. “No matter what.”

Some have questioned the Titans’ desire to win and willingness to make sacrifices for the team this season, but Ward’s heart appears to be in the right place, even if his back muscles aren’t.

“It’s my senior year and I want to win the tournament,” Ward said. “If we put three good games together, we can do it. I feel besides UNLV, we have the most talent in the league. If everyone comes to play at the same time, we could do well.”

Rustproofing: Ward hurt his back during a Wednesday night practice in Las Cruces, N.M., where the Titans were preparing for their game against New Mexico State.

“It was a freak accident,” he said. “I was by myself and we were running the dummy offense. I moved a certain way and threw my back out.”

He wasn’t the only starter to sit out Thursday’s game. Small did not suit up, and center Sean Williams, also bothered by the flu, did not start and was limited to 16 minutes.

Sneed gave his team the weekend off to recuperate and expects players to be well-rested for the tournament. But even if Ward and Small are healthy, they’ll have gone almost two weeks without playing a game.

“The time off should get them well, but I’m also concerned from the standpoint of them being rusty,” Sneed said. “They haven’t played since Feb. 29.”

Rain dance: Rain seems to bring out the worst in Southern Californians, and not just those behind the wheels of automobiles.

At Thursday’s Fullerton-Long Beach women’s game in the 49ers’ gym, a Titan fan was so upset with an official’s call that she threw an umbrella at the referee. Only it hit Fullerton Coach Maryalyce Jeremiah in the back.

“It was just a missile that came out of the stands,” said Jeremiah, whose team blew a 25-point second-half lead and lost to the 49ers, 69-64. “I’ve seen people throw balls and pennies onto the court, but I’ve never seen anything that could have been dangerous.

“I was shocked. Every time we play there, (Long Beach) fans are always hollering at you, and I thought one of their fans was in a frenzy. Then someone told me the woman (who threw the umbrella) had come to cheer for us.”

The incident happened after Fullerton center Kisa Hughes fouled out of the game with 1 minute 3 seconds remaining. The woman was escorted out of the gym, but there is one bright side to the story.

“It was one of those smaller umbrellas that was wrapped up,” Jeremiah said. “I guess if you’re going to get hit by an umbrella, that’s the kind you want to get hit by.”

Cashing in: Titan baseball coaches weren’t sure how outfielder Tony Banks would adjust to the Division I level, but the junior from Oakland Skyline High School and Laney College has erased any doubts about his ability.

Banks, who has split time between right field and designated hitter, went on a tear last week, hitting three home runs and knocking in 10 runs in four Fullerton victories.

The left-handed batter had eight hits in 13 at-bats to raise his average to .390, third-best on the team. Banks ranks second on the team in home runs (five) and RBIs (22) behind third baseman Phil Nevin.

“We didn’t know him that well coming out of junior college, and there are always doubts when you bring in players from different areas and different levels,” Fullerton Coach Augie Garrido said. “But he’s found this level very much to his liking. We thought he might be a good college hitter--now we know he is.”

Titan Notes

The Fullerton baseball team, ranked sixth nationally by Collegiate Baseball Magazine and eighth by Baseball America, takes a seven-game winning streak into tonight’s game against USC at Amerige Park. The Titans (14-4) are averaging 9.5 runs per game and have two starters, infielder Jason Moler (.417) and third baseman Phil Nevin (.407), batting over .400. . . . Fullerton opens Big West Conference play this weekend against UC Santa Barbara, which travels to Amerige Park for a three-game series. . . . Freshman left fielder Dante Powell has five triples and is two shy of the school single-season record of seven, set by Jose Mota in 1985. Powell has also stolen nine bases in 10 attempts. . . . The Fullerton and Long Beach men’s basketball teams have not met in the conference tournament since 1983, when the 49ers upset the National Invitation Tournament-bound Titans, 61-59, in the first round. Fullerton is 1-3 against Long Beach in the tournament, winning the championship game over the 49ers in 1978. . . . In the Big West final regular-season statistics, Titan forward Agee Ward finished fifth in scoring (18.4), fourth in rebounding (7.6) and third in field-goal percentage (.564); guard Joe Small was ninth in scoring (15.1), seventh in assists (3.5) and first in free-throw percentage (.882); point guard Aaron Sunderland was second in assists (6.6); forward Bruce Bowen was sixth in rebounding (7.1) and eighth in steals (1.7), and center Sean Williams was second in blocked shots (1.6). . . . Titan senior forward Claudette Jackson led Big West women’s scorers with a 20.0 average, was sixth in rebounding (9.0) and third in free-throw percentage (.805); center Kisa Hughes was second in rebounding (10.7), second in field-goal percentage (.589) and first in blocked shots (2.1), and guard Joey Ray was seventh in scoring (16.7) and third in steals (3.2). . . . Fullerton’s Hajime Aoki finished fifth in the men’s saber competition in the Western Regional Intercollegiate Fencing Championships held at Titan Gym Saturday and Sunday. Aoki will be an alternate for the NCAA Championships, scheduled for March 20-24 at Notre Dame.