Northridge Riding on Emotion : College basketball: Matadors’ fallen mate flown in for home opener. Ceremony planned before tipoff.

If all had gone according to plan, John Flowers would be playing forward for Cal State Northridge tonight in the Matadors’ home basketball opener against Cal State Fullerton.

But the plan went awry in a grinding summer auto accident in Kansas City, Mo.

Flowers, the first out-of-state basketball recruit ever signed by Northridge, suffered injuries that led to the amputation of both legs at the thigh.

He has not been forgotten. The former Phoenix (Ariz.) College standout will be with the team, giving the Matadors an extra emotional boost for the 7 p.m. nonconference game.

Pete Cassidy, Northridge’s coach, personally paid for Flowers and his father, John Sr., to fly in from Glendale, Ariz., for tonight’s game. Flowers will be honored in a ceremony before tipoff.

“It’s going to be emotional,” said Andre Chevalier, Northridge’s point guard and team captain. “Even if we try to come in with a regular attitude, it’s going to be altered in that ceremony.”

Chevalier, who leads Northridge in scoring with an average of 13.7 points a game, said the Matadors will be out to make an impression. “We always want to play well,” he said, “but we want to play extremely well because John is here. We want to win with him watching.”

Flowers said the good time he had with Chevalier and James Morris on an April recruiting trip was among the reasons he chose Northridge.

“We were just acting crazy, being ourselves,” Chevalier said. “We took him to eat. . . . That boy can eat too. . . . You know, we just met him, but it was like we knew him for a long time.”

Said Morris: “He fit right in. We all just clicked.”

Northridge has opened with two wins in six close games--all on the road. None of the games have been decided by more than 10 points. Fullerton (2-1) opened with wins over St. Mary’s and Northern Iowa but committed 27 turnovers and dropped an 86-73 decision to Drake a week ago.

Last season Northridge was 8-3 at home, 3-14 on the road.

“It’s always good to be at home,” Chevalier said, “but, really, as far as that goes, it’s just another game.”

The presence of Flowers is what will make it special, he said.

“I hope he’s going to be close to our bench,” Morris added. “When I do something in the game, I want to go over and give him a big high-five.”