It’s Not Accidental That Occidental Is the Favorite in SCIAC Basketball

Occidental’s Brian Newhall might be thinking: “We’ll be OK this season if we stay out of overtime.”

It’s understandable.

In the first half of the 1991-92 season, his men’s basketball team played in five overtimes and lost each game. Twice, his team lost by one point.

Now, Occidental might be the team that can take the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title from Cal Lutheran.

“If other schools are saying that, they are crazy--they are overrating us,” Newhall said. “If I felt we were the favorite, I would say it. We sound good on paper, but we still have to do it. I think Pomona-Pitzer, Cal Lutheran and La Verne are the top three, with Claremont, Whittier, Redlands and us being right there.”

Occidental is facing those expectations, in part, because it played as well as any team in the second tour of the conference last year, winning seven consecutive games without Sandy Brown, an all-conference player who had a knee injury.

Brown, a 6-foot-6 senior forward, adds rebounding to a lineup that is virtually unchanged from last season.

Blair Slattery, Occidental’s best player, averages 17 points but has been sidelined because of a broken wrist. His return this week will put Occidental at full strength.

The guard combination of Tor Myhren and Hung Duong might be the best in the conference. Myhren can take over the scoring, and Duong handles the point effectively. Up front, Brown, Slattery and Phil Engebretsen are three of the best rebounders in the conference.

With no apparent weakness, and barring any more injuries, Occidental could finish on top. However, forgetting Cal Lutheran would be a mistake.

A big mistake.

Coach Mike Dunlap doesn’t really have anyone to replace All-American Jeff deLaveaga, who led the NCAA Division III in scoring average at 29.5. DeLaveaga also was the team’s top defender and averaged five rebounds per game.

But Cal Lutheran’s pressure defense creates many layup opportunities, and the team is more balanced--if not better--than last season’s SCIAC championship team. Seven Kingsmen average more than 10 points per game, which is just about right because opponents average 65 points per game.

Rupert Sapwell, Damon Ridley and Dave Ulloa are the SCIAC’s top three in steals, and Jared Byrne is the conference leader in blocked shots. In what could be a typical Cal Lutheran game, the Kingsmen forced 27 turnovers and stopped a seven-game losing streak by defeating Westmont, 92-74.

Cal Lutheran has made 46% of its shots and 40% from three-point range. Paul Tapp has made 22 of 49 of three-point shots to lead the conference.

Up front, the Kingsmen will be even more effective midway through this month when center Mike Fenton, who was sidelined because of a broken foot, returns to join Byrne. But with a three-guard offense, there is time to wait.

La Verne is big and attacks. La Verne’s home gym is nicknamed “the Tent” and is the best home-court advantage in the conference. The trio of Matt Hatten, Joe Gonzalez and Aaron Couseault are in the top eight for conference scoring. With the return of 6-10 Carlo Williams this month, La Verne will be that much stronger. Point guard Mike Wollangk is effective, and he and Gonzalez are good perimeter players who are adept forcing turnovers.

Pomona-Pitzer averages 6 feet 7 across the front line but had no natural point guard after last season.

But one year, one transfer and one return ticket to the United States later, the Sagehens have filled the gap.

Mike Budenholzer returns after spending last season studying in Europe, but the key addition to the team is Phil Kelly, a transfer from West Valley Community College of Saratoga, Calif. Kelly is second in the SCIAC in assists and considered the best point guard in the conference.

Bill Cover is the focal point of the offense, but Brian Christianson’s outside shooting and Pablo Patino’s close-range abilities help.

For the third consecutive season, Redlands leads the nation in scoring, averaging 112.3 points. Dave Purdy (19 points per game) and John Arnold (13.6) are the leading scorers. Even more than Cal Lutheran, Redlands relies on pressure defense to create fast breaks.

But the Bulldogs will gamble a little more to create opportunities on the offensive end. Even without a turnover, Redlands will push the ball up with Jason Bragg leading the attack. Bragg leads SCIAC with nearly six assists per game and is among the conference leaders in steals.

It is often difficult to gauge Whittier because of its tough nonconference schedule, but the Poets should be strong enough to be in every game--but probably not strong enough to be too far above .500. Deric Hoffert and Rob Willbanks lead the team, and there is strength, size and talent with Don Clark (6-6, 280) at center.

Claremont-Mudd’s All-American Chris Greene graduated. Greene averaged 22 points, five rebounds and three assists. But the Stags return three starters, and how effective that will be in a competitive conference is the question.

Junior Ryan McKee has stepped in as the main threat on offense, leading the Stags in nearly every category, and senior Dan Zanotti is a reliable point guard. But Claremont Mudd will have difficulty up front and if McKee gets in foul trouble, it could mean an long night for the Stags.

Caltech’s George Papa might end up leading the conference in scoring (24.8), rebounding and blocked shots, but he has little help.