Titans Shave 11 Heads, Then Cut Down St. Mary’s, 82-62 : College basketball: Fullerton players get new haircuts, then display aggressive new defense in Holland’s coaching debut.

It started with a haircut gone awry and ended with 11 shiny, bald heads, each belonging to a member of the Cal State Fullerton basketball team.

When Titan point guard Aaron Sunderland figured no hair was better than the unshapely flattop a teammate had trimmed, he decided to shave his head Thursday. All but one of his teammates, in a show of unity, chose to follow suit.

“We thought we’d look more intimidating and that it would make us play harder,” Fullerton forward Kim Kemp said. “We wanted to start something new, turn over a new leaf.”

If the Titans’ performance in Friday night’s season opener against St. Mary’s is any indication, they apparently have. Fullerton, playing a 40-minute, in-your-face style of defense not seen around Titan Gym for a while, whipped the Gaels, 82-62, in Coach Brad Holland’s debut in front of a crowd of 1,020.

There were no full-court presses or half-court traps. Just a straight, man-to-man effort, in which each Fullerton player constantly harassed the player he was guarding.

The Titans helped force 24 St. Mary’s turnovers and held it to 39.6% shooting from the field. They did a number on the Gaels on the offensive boards, grabbing 19 of them to offset their own sub-par shooting--40.6% from the floor.

Junior guard Don Leary, a transfer from Mt. San Jacinto College playing his first Division I game, scored 17 points, including three consecutive three-pointers in the second half that pushed Fullerton’s lead to 23 and ignited the crowd.

Leary also had four steals and three assists and made a good first impression on Titan fans, who hope he can replace the outside shooting void created by Joe Small’s departure.

Senior forward Kim Kemp added 17 points and nine rebounds; senior center Sean Williams had 17 points and six blocked shots; senior forward Bruce Bowen had 12 points and 11 rebounds, despite shooting three-for-14 from the floor; junior guard Greg Vernon had a career-high 10 points and Sunderland, the senior point guard, had eight assists.

“I thought the guys did a nice job setting the tone with defense,” Holland said. “We were up in their faces and extended well.”

Holland didn’t find out about his team’s hair-razing adventures until Friday morning, but there was no truth to the rumors around Titan Gym that players shaved their heads to get into games free--that’s one of the school’s hare-brained promotions for the upcoming Big West Conference schedule.

“It’s a new year and a new staff, and they just wanted to do something to show a commitment, some team unity,” Holland said. “I loved it.”

His players also seem to love their new commitment to defense--not that the Titans haven’t played intense defense in recent seasons, but they never seemed to be able to sustain the 40-minute, consistent level of effort they did Friday night.

“There’s definitely a lot more intensity,” Kemp said. “You see Sean or Bruce or Aaron busting their butt, and it makes everyone want to play harder.”

Added Williams: “Last year in practice it seemed like all we played was offense. This year, it seems like all we do is defense.”

Fullerton’s focus on defense seemed to stunt their offensive growth Friday night. Ten minutes of the first half expired and the Titans had only 13 points. But thanks to their defense and a weak opponent, they still led, 13-7.

St. Mary’s was playing without its top player, Troy McCoy, who injured his knee in Tuesday’s opener against Northern Arizona and is out for the season. John Levitt, the team’s top outside shooter, sprained his ankle Thursday and was limited to six minutes. And Daniel White, projected as the team’s starting center, quit before the season.

The Gaels’ lack of talent and depth became even more evident late in the first half, when Fullerton opened a 28-14 lead after three consecutive Kemp baskets.

The Titans continued to dominate St. Mary’s on the offensive boards and scored several easy follow shots. The Gaels made a slight run midway through the second half with a half-court trap that keyed a five-point surge and cut the lead to 49-35.

But Leary then went on a tear, hitting three straight three-pointers from the left side to boost the lead to 58-35. The lead reached 26 points on three occasions in the second half, and Holland was able to clear his bench with three minutes left.

“Don stepped up and hit a couple of big shots that really propelled us to a bigger lead,” Holland said. “It’s absolutely critical to have a perimeter shooter who can hit like that.”