SPORTS BRIEFS / PAUL McLEOD : Basketball Home Opener Changed; Galetti Hired as 49er Broadcaster

The men’s basketball game between Cal State Long Beach and Southern California College at the campus gym in Long Beach, originally scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11, has been changed to 2 p.m. Dec. 12 in order to avoid a possible conflict with the NCAA women’s volleyball regional tournament.

Cal State Long Beach will play host to the volleyball event if it defeats Arkansas State at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The basketball game will be the 49ers’ season opener at home after exhibition games and a tournament away from home.

Voice of the 49ers--Scott Galetti has been hired as the radio play-by-play announcer for Cal State Long Beach athletic events. He replaces Chris Roberts, who was hired to broadcast UCLA football and basketball games for KMPC.

Galetti, a graduate of Cal State Long Beach, is a former KMPC field reporter who has broadcast games of the Wichita Falls Texans of the Continental Basketball Assn., the minor league baseball Boise Hawks and Cal State Fullerton basketball. He has worked at several small radio stations as a reporter and producer.

Cal State Long Beach leases air time on station KORG in Orange and has exclusive control of game announcers. The agreement calls for 40 events to be broadcast this season, including most men’s basketball games, and selected women’s volleyball, basketball and baseball contests. Galetti’s first broadcast was the women’s basketball game Wednesday at North Carolina State.

Director Resigns--Bob Donlan, associate athletic director for 18 years at Cal State Long Beach, has resigned to pursue other career options.

Donlan was overseeing the 49er football program when it was dropped. He recently ran the campus intramural and athletic drug-testing program. He also was in charge of the NCAA water polo championships, which were held last week at the Belmont Plaza Pool.

Donlan is the second high-ranking administrator to leave the university’s beleaguered athletic department in recent weeks. Earlier, the department’s chief fund-raiser, Steve Holton, was released.

Rugby Tournament--The Belmont Shore Rugby Football Club will play host to the 1993 Pacific Coast Rugby Football Union Club Championships.

The event, which includes first- and second-division championship clubs from six states, will be held April 9 to 11 at Cal State Long Beach. Winners will advance to the U.S. National Club Championships in May. The rugby regular season runs through March.

Cross-Country Finals--More than 700 youthful runners are expected to compete in the Southern California Municipal Athletic Federation cross-country finals Dec. 12 at La Mirada Regional Park. Races will begin at 11 a.m. There are 18 championship categories.

The federation has held the cross-country championships for 40 years in cooperation with hundreds of city recreation and parks departments in Southern California. More than 2,500 children competed in qualifying rounds earlier this fall. Those who met qualifying time standards advanced to the Dec. 12 finals.

Volleyball Honor--Middle blocker Danielle Scott has been named women’s volleyball player of the year and Brian Gimmillaro has been named coach of the year in the Big West Conference.

Scott leads the nation in hitting percentage (.463). Gimmillaro guided the 49ers (27-2 overall) to the Big West title with an 18-0 record. Outside hitters Nichelle Burton, Christine Romero and Alicia Mills and setter Sabrina Hernandez were chosen to the all-Big West first team. Brita Schwerm, a middle blocker, was selected to the conference’s all-freshman team.

Tennis Award--Michael Jenkins of San Pedro was honored Nov. 19 for his work in teaching tennis to underprivileged youths in Long Beach.

Jenkins, 37, was recognized by the Amateur Athletic Federation and the United States Tennis Assn. with an award for seven years of work in the National Junior Tennis League Program. Among other things, Jenkins organized tennis lessons in the crime-riddled Carmelitos housing project and at Veterans Park.