NOTEBOOK / SEAN WATERS : Croshere Is at the Center of College Recruiting Battle

The phone still rings at Austin Croshere’s house, but not as often.

The 6-foot-9 senior basketball center from Crossroads High has narrowed his list of potential colleges to 10.

“I tell some of the coaches, ‘Thank you very much, but I found other schools that I like better and have more to offer,’ ” Croshere said.

He has invited coaches from Connecticut, California, Boston College, USC, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Massachusetts, Providence, Oregon and UCLA to visit his home during a three-week recruiting period that begins Sept. 12.

From that list, Croshere will select five schools to visit in October. He hopes to agree to a letter of intent in November.

“It’s a really long process and I’ve learned to be patient,” Croshere said. “I want to find a program that fits my style of play.”

Division I coaches have been pursuing Croshere since he was a sophomore. His popularity increased after he averaged 22.1 points, 15.4 rebounds and 4.3 blocked shots as a junior.

Croshere had been receiving at least three calls and as many as 30 letters daily from college coaches.

“It was getting absurd,” he said.

This summer, Croshere participated in the ABCD Camp at UC Irvine and was ranked the 30th best out of 130 players. He returned Aug. 15 from a 10-day trip to China and competed in a national all-star tournament in Las Vegas.

“It was a great experience to play in China,” Croshere said. “I saw all the sights and had a great time.”

More recruiting news: Fairfax guard Robert Foster is another basketball player who is being sought by college coaches.

The 6-foot-4 guard has scheduled home visits with Loyola Marymount, St. Mary’s, Oregon State and Washington State. He also is considering visits from USC, Pepperdine, Oregon and Colorado State.

Foster averaged nearly 11 points, six rebounds and four assists as a junior.

“It’s time for reality,” Fairfax Coach Harvey Kitani said. “He needs to start listing his priorities and decide where he wants to play college basketball.

“He has a chance to be one of the top four or five players in the City (Section) this year.”

Baseball: University pitcher Javier Mejia, The Times’ Westside Player of the Year, worked out with the Harbor College baseball team this summer and will pitch for the Seahawks in the spring.

Mejia, who had an 11-1 record and 1.26 earned-run average, was expected to attend USC, but he failed to qualify academically.

“What I’ve heard is that Harbor is the best junior college I can go to that will help me get into a four-year school,” Mejia said.

Venice pitcher Dan Pena and teammate Jason Ehlers also will attend Harbor, said Venice Coach Kirk Alexander, giving the Seahawks three of the top pitchers from the Westside. Pena (7-4, 2.07) also was selected to The Times’ first team.

Venice catcher Ruben Mercado will attend El Camino College, Alexander said.

Golf: David Bartman of Brentwood is competing this week in the U.S. Amateur golf championships at Muirfield Village Golf Course in Dublin, Ohio.

At stake is one of golf’s most prestigious awards and invitations to some of the PGA Tour’s most prestigious tournaments. The tournament concludes Sunday.

Mitch Voges of Simi Valley won last year’s tournament and competed in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open.

Women’s beach volleyball: Nina Matthies, one of the founders of the Women’s Professional Volleyball Assn., announced Saturday that she is retiring after competing on the beach for 26 years.

“I’ve been playing (beach volleyball) nonstop since 1966, and my body is tired,” Matthies said. “My mind is tired too. Next year I’ll be 40.”

Matthies said she will devote more time to her family and duties as coach of the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team. She has led the Waves to seven NCAA Division I playoff berths in nine years as coach.

Matthies won four WPVA tournaments in her career, including the 1990 World Championships with Santa Monica College women’s volleyball Coach Elaine Roque.